This month I’ve listed some practical aspects
of non-fiction writing, and I hope it will be of use to editors, too, as a
reminder of the craft. I’m doing this because, whilst there are any number of
blogs and books about the craft of writing novels for children, there is
precious little about non-fiction. So here goes. I hope this helps.
1) Know
your non-fiction
There are two different kinds of
non-fiction books for children these days. There are the kind that we might call
poetic. They slip over into picture book territory, and the text provides a
framework for imaginative flight-of-fancy illustration rather than, say,
diagrams. They are for a young age-group, from pre-school up to around 6 or 7. Then there are books that
are more factual, and written for the next age-group up. There are more examples of these in the shops, but that doesn’t mean
this kind of writing is easy. It takes a lot of thought and
skill to get it right (and that’s why there’s a lot of bad non-fiction writing for
children out there at the moment, both in print and online).
2) Know
what your non-fiction will look like
Most non-fiction text must be written to
work with layouts (spread designs), which can be quite complicated and are
difficult to get right in themselves, as the reading order of the text will be
important. As a writer you must be roughly aware from the beginning what your book is
going to look like visually, and thus how your text should be provided (how
many lines? short captions? long captions? labels?).
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| I sometimes go the whole hog and sketch out a layout while writing, to help me focus on what I need to provide. I might send it to my editor to help them understand my thought processes (not always, if things aren't complicated). My editor and designer might ignore it in the end, and that doesn't matter. |
3) Write
your non-fiction at the right level
The words must be written at the correct
language level. The sentences should flow, not get convoluted or awkwardly chopped
up. The vocabulary must also be right for the age-group. This needs an awareness
of child abilities, and it takes practice (and good editing). The first time I
wrote a non-fiction spread I was working in-house at Usborne, where we were taught
to write. My kindly, patient, immensely skilled Senior Editor got me to rewrite
that spread 10 times before it was OK –not jerky to read, illogical or
confusing for kids. Ten times. It’s not possible to just knock this stuff out
without effort (and I say that because some publishing companies think exactly that, and it's obvious).
4) Write
your non-fiction with pace
The text needs pace. That means dropping in
surprises – interesting sparks - at the right times. Like a good nature TV documentary,
the text shouldn’t get bogged down and droning. You need to think about how your
reader will read it and the effect it will have on them.
 |
| David Attenborough's nature documentary scripts have masterful pace. |
5) Point out bad editing
Inexperienced editors can take it upon themselves to rewrite - sometimes badly.
They can make facts wrong and mangle your carefully chosen age-appropriate
vocabulary. If this happens to you point out politely where you think things
have gone wrong and why, and make sure it is corrected.
6) Write
for an international market
 |
| My book, Welcome To Our World, has been translated into many languages. That's how illustrated non-fiction adds up economically. |
7) Do all you can to light
a spark
Have you put your imagination into your
work? OK, you might be describing something others have described many times, but
have you done it in a way that’s entertaining and will light a spark of
interest? That, in the end, is your purpose.
Moira Butterfield has written many internationally-published non-fiction books. Her book WELCOME TO OUR WORLD (Nosy Crow) is a bestseller around the world and her newest book, HOME SWEET HOME (Red Shed), is due out in June.
Twitter @moiraworld
Instagram @moirabutterfieldauthor
7 comments:
Very useful, Moira - thank you!
It is useful but, I would have thought, self-evident (which doesn't mean that I would be any good at actually writing like this, especially getting the vocab level right.) Thanks to Moira for setting it out so clearly, but a shame that it needs to be.
But then, people persist in thinking that writing a short story is easier than writing a novel, that writing 'for kids' is easier than writing for adults -- and, it seems, that writing non-fiction is easier than fiction. So, obviously, writing non-fiction for kids is easier than anything, you can do it asleep. Aaargh!
Really useful pointers, Moira. Thank you - and so glad to see a "Non-Fiction" slot on ABBA!
I stopped watching anything by David Attenborough years ago. At the time, I could never quite put my finger on it, but his stuff never seemed to ask any awkward questions, or challenge the status quo. There's an interview somewhere, during which he was asked why. Attenborough smiled and patted his breast pocket, ie wallet.
Now that climate change has taken off ...,as a major public awareness, Extinction Rebellion, Naomi Klein...., here comes David....
I was using BBC nature documentary scripts as an example of pace - They know when to 'wake you up', when to alter tone to keep your interestI don't know who writes them, but they are a good example to use for encouraging good non-fiction writing pace.
excellent, Moira. Great to get information about writing non-fiction.
I've literally just found your blog, and really enjoyed this article. I love your description of pace, that's really got me thinking. I'm now a follower of this blog ;) Great to meet you all!
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