Dancing Non-Fiction by Joan Lennon

Happy National Non-Fiction Month! (See Penny Dolan's ABBA post on Writing Fiction; Reading Non-fiction: Two ways of celebrating November.)

Pieter Brueghel the Elder The Wedding Dance (1565) 

(wiki commons)

I'm new to writing non-fiction* and the curve up which I have been learning has been a steep one.  It's been fascinating to find the parts that are the same as writing fiction - things like bringing a character/person to life through the telling detail; whittling away the unnecessary; telling a story that has a strong pulse.  But there have been plenty of differences, and the biggest has been the number of people involved in the process right from the beginning.  It's been quite a crowd!   

Who have been the partners in the dance?

The author - in this case, the authors

The editor - and in this case, as staff shuffles about, another editor to come on board for the final push

The senior editor - who offers another other round of comments and changes and suggestions

The designer - who works on layouts and provides scamps** for the authors and, with the editor, briefs the illustrator.

The illustrator - who, um, illustrates

But a simple list of the dancers didn't prepare me for just how intricate the steps were going to be.  Back and forth; point that toe; tap that heel; slide gracefully round there because until we've heard from X we can't go on with Y; no point adjusting that step sequence until the dance is basically over; proof; proof; proof and hop; let the text lead; let the pictures lead ...

A wise woman told me 'Remember - it's a conversation' and that advice has really helped.  I'm adding to that, especially now as we swirl towards the end, 'Remember - it's a dance'.  Keep moving, mind where you're plonking your feet, and listen to the music.  And when the evening's over, with luck, we'll have ourselves a book we can all be proud of!

* Coming out July 2021 Talking History: 150 Years of Speeches and Speakers by Joan Haig and Joan Lennon, Templar Press, aimed at 8-12 year olds

** It's not just new ways of working - it's new vocabulary as well!  I had no idea that a scamp was not a scallywag, but a sketch.***

*** Don't ask me why.  But if you know, please tell me!

Joan Lennon Instagram  

Catching the glitches. Non-fiction authors have checking duties right up to the wire - Moira Butterfield

I’ve spent some days the last week working on a non-fiction book that I finished writing nearly a year ago, for the 8+ age group. There’s careful pre-press checking to be done, and it’s a very vital stage of illustrated non-fiction writing.

I've been pre-flight checking my book this week. 

 The book I’m talking about has spread headings, captions and labels that work closely alongside the illustrations, like an orchestra of musicians playing different instruments to create one piece of music. There’s a glossary, credits section and contents spread, too.

An illustrated non-fiction book for the 8+ age range has a lot of different features that work together. 

It’s up to the non-fiction writer to be available at the right time for checking duties leading up to press date. That means consulting with your editor so you are aware when you are likely to be needed, and not disappearing off the grid without warning.

Er...Where did that writer go? 

 I usually get a slightly panicky feeling at this point. Will I miss something? Will I let a big mistake go through that will ruin my book? It’s unlikely, because I won’t be the only eagle eye on the case, but the fear of letting something slip through does concentrate the mind on doing a thorough job.

As a young inexperienced editor I once made a big pre-press mistake. I was given loads of colouring books to organize, featuring characters owned by different Licensors such as Disney and Hanna Barbera. Each book had to have the right copyright notices on the back, but I got some of the Licensors mixed up. This would have been a big deal and would have led to the pulping of the books and consequent costs if anyone had noticed. Luckily I was getting friendly with the young man in the sales department who was responsible for sending out approval copies to the Licensors. He…ahem…omitted to send the colouring books, so nobody ever noticed. I was saved and yes, reader, I married him.But that was definitely a one-time only bacon-saving strategy!

"OK, I won't tell!" 

 In case you also find yourself checking a complicated visual project, here are the most common things that I have found I am likely to spot:

A last-minute art error appearing - Has the artist illustrated something that contradicts the text? I will have checked art roughs and, hopefully, caught anything untoward, but small details could have been added since. For instance, on the space spread I’ve just been checking some of the people are weightless but some appear not to be. Children will definitely notice that, so some judicious seatbelt-type straps will need to be added to figures casually sitting down.

Has some of the text been put in the wrong place? This is a common issue as non-fiction book text can comprise lots of small sections and often, with the amount of work involved the pressure is on and the deadline looms uncomfortably. It’s easy for a section of text to be accidentally placed wrongly at the last minute.

Are the labels near enough to the pictures to make sense? It’s relatively common for them to be misplaced because they’re small and fiddly, and there are sometimes lots of them.

Have I written consistently? In position, text issues can sometimes become suddenly clear. For instance, have I used the same terms throughout? The glossary inevitably gets written much later than the rest of the text and that’s where terms can sometimes accidentally change. Did I say nanobot in that glossary when I’ve been saying nanorobot everywhere else?

Are all the extras correct? It’s perfectly possible for everyone in a team to miss mistakes in the extra material – Headings, contents lists and folios. The author should always take a moment to check them because they’re all too easy to forget.

 My name – I don’t know why but it’s often spelt wrong. I make a point to check the spine, where a weird version of it may well have slipped through.  

How hard is this name? It's surprising! 

It’s a very good idea to do this checking process in a calm state without kids running around or people wandering in demanding your time.

This will never work!

Finally, remember this - All will be well and, even if something small did slip through, so what? It can be changed on a reprint and, really, will anyone even notice or mind?

The book will be born and it will be marvellous. Fingers crossed.

I have been ‘preflight checking’ A TRIP TO THE FUTURE, published by Big Picture Press in July. It’s my shot at inspiring the scientists and inventors of the future.

See you in July! 

Moira Butterfield

www.moirabutterfield.com

Twitter @moiraworld

Instagram @moirabutterfieldauthor 

Seven things you should know about the craft of writing (and editing) children’s non-fiction. Moira Butterfield

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?).

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

 Illustrated non-fiction is almost entirely reliant on international sales to make its money. That’s going to affect your writing. Have you taken account of the wider world when dealing with your subject? Have you been too parochial or culturally narrow-minded in some way? 

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. 

www.moirabutterfield.com 

Twitter @moiraworld 

Instagram @moirabutterfieldauthor 

Telling the truth in an age of lies

NOT how a Diplodocus walked

The USA presidential election, like the Brexit referundum, has seen lying enter mainstream politics as just another tool. It doesn't seem to be considered reprehensible, it doesn't seem that truth is particularly valued over lies, or that lies need to be apologised for or even explained away as mistakes. The value of truth and accuracy has never been lower. We are in the age of post-truth politics. The people, Michael Gove told us, have had enough of experts. For a man once charged with overseeing education, that's a damning indictment of the current intellectual climate.

Truth is a slippery thing, but that's no excuse for ignoring it or waving it off with a cheery smile or shrug of the shoulders rather than trying to identify and grasp it. I currently spend my days reading academic articles on paleontology and on neuroscience because I want the books I write to be as accurate as possible. It matters whether dinosaurs swallowed gastroliths (they didn't) and how the plaques that cause Alzheimer's are formed (by the build-up of amyloid proteins between synapses). It would be easier - and possibly more entertaining - to perpetuate the myth of dinosaurs swallowing stones to help break up their food. It would give us a nice lift-the-flap look inside a dinosaur's stomach. Just as it would be nice if voting for Brexit produced a massive influx of money for the NHS or if there really was no one with greater respect for women than Donald Trump. But just because these things would be nice doesn't mean they are true, and doesn't mean we should deceive people into thinking they are true, or that we shouldn't care whether they are true or not.

Thankfully, truth is still valued in books, especially fin books or children. Children have to trust us - the adults who have control of the flow of information - as they have no way of verifying facts for themselves. But how much is that trust eroded in a world where truth has no civic value? What is that trust worth? Is it, in fact, turned into a form of gullibility? The quest for accuracy, which used to be taken for granted, has slipped down the agenda and down the value-scale. Now, if something is stated on the web or in the media enough times, it's considered true, or at least true enough, or at least not worth examining. If I tell people I research books for children using academic journals, they are surprised. Some think it's overkill, others think it's noble but amusing. It's neither - it's just how the job should be done. Children deserve the trust they place in us - authors, teachers, parents - to be respected and rewarded with truth.

Giordano Bruno: 'Truth does not change because it is, or is not,
believed by a majority of the people.'

Science, unlike belief, makes progress through acknowledging its mistakes and overturning theories and paradigms that are not supported by new evidence. So yes, the truth shifts. Once you would be laughed at (at best) for believing the Earth goes round the Sun or that diseases can be caused by living things too small to see. Seeing this progression towards truth along a path littered with errors validates not only truth itself but the endeavour to discover truth. It spurs young people on to be curious, and bravely curious, because getting it wrong doesn't matter. Getting it wrong, indeed, is often a necessary step towards getting it right. But to do any of that, you have to value truth and be able to discern it. Current political and civic life does not set a good example to young people. They see adults lying to each other, accepting and acting on those lies without asking for or looking for evidence, or - if Gove is to be believed - even wanting to see any evidence. How will we raise the next generation of scientists, critical thinkers, philosophers, lawyers or even vloggers if they don't see any value in truth? ('Put this rat poison on your face; it makes you skin whiter...' Yes, but.)

And finally... there is not empirical truth in all areas. There is no single right way to govern a nation (as far as we know) and no objective answer to whether, say, abortion is wrong. As a society, we arrive at the answers we will accept through debate and discussion, through examining evidence and hearing and assessing different views. The skill of listening and assessing is one our children will not learn, as they have no model for it (and even the National Curriculum does not value it). If we demonise experts - and how well did that path serve China and Cambodia? - and our political 'debates' consist only of shouting the same thing louder and louder and launching personal attacks, how will our children learn to value learning, or to discuss, debate and negotiate? When the response to an opinion you disagree with is to blank it or to meet it with a personal attack, or trolling, there is no space in which discussion can take place.  When did it become OK to assume people are acting out of malice rather then ignorance if we disagree with their views or actions? If we don't treat other views with respect and dignity, and treat those who hold them with courtesy, we make it impossible to keep an open mind and then it's impossible to change anyone's mind (even our own). If I think someone is stupid and malicious I won't want to agree with them as that would obviously align me with the stupid and malicious, too. If someone thinks I'm stupid and malicious, I won't be inclined to listen to them or even try to talk to them. This, surely, is not what we want our children to see and think?

I will continue to write 'true' books - non-fiction, books that are not made up, books that are carefully researched and try to present a balanced view where there is doubt and the truth where doubt is minimal. And as it is non-fiction November, please try to reflect on the value of showing children not just the truth, but the value of truth. Before it's too late.


Anne Rooney

You couldn't (or shouldn't) make it up

It's National Non-Fiction Month, and Dawn Finch has already done an excellent post on running a school visit around a non-fiction book. So that means non-fiction is covered, right? No. It's now the 9th and definitely time for another post about things that are true. At least half the posts this month should be about factual/information/true books. In fact, why not all?

Before we get any further, I want to take issue with the name. The non-fiction label is iniquitous - why do we define factual books by what they are not? How weird is that? I don't have a cup of non-tea in the morning, nor am I non-male. I drink coffee and am female. So I don't write non-fiction. I write about things that are true. Maybe we should call fiction non-true books. To cheer you up after that grumble...

Look at these fish. Aren't they cool? They're weird, but they're not made up.



Now back to the business in hand.

True books have always been considered the poor relation of those books that are a bunch of lies, the untrue books. True books have little shelf space in shops. They have virtually no review space in the media (though the wonderful Shackleton's Journey winning the Greenaway changed that briefly). Parents grumble if their children want to read 'only non-fiction', but they never grumble that their children want to read 'only fiction'. Teachers sometimes challenge pupils' book choices if they don't select a fiction title. Why? The truth can spark a child's imagination and curiosity as much as fiction. A true story can rouse empathy as much as a made-up story. Most adults have forgotten how to be wonderstruck. Perhaps that's why it's adults who don't encourage children to read about things that are true. Or maybe adults think that information is what school is for and it's all linked to exams. Well, they're wrong. Here's a totally brilliant example of a book that is as true as you can get:

 

It's by the Children's Laureate, Chris Riddell, and it's about how important  Humans Rights are. You can't get a better endorsement than that for books about true things. (Though the day the Laureateship goes to someone who only writes or illustrates true things the air will resound with the flapping of porcine wings.)

But it doesn't all have to be serious.

Which is the most fascinating pirate?





Jack Sparrow, a bumbling fool, entirely made up; a bit pretty.

-->  

Shih Yang (Zheng Shi), the most successful pirate of all time. She ran a pirate fleet of 1,800 ships and controlled the China Sea. (Also a bit pretty.) And why is she never in pirating books? (She's in mine, coming out next year from Carlton.)








Most adults are embarrassed at being surprised or impressed by the world around them. Most adults prefer cynicism and to look world-weary, though who would want to be that? Well, that's their loss. Children are not so disabled, fortunately. Of 8-11 year olds who read for pleasure outside school, 40% choose to read true books. Sales of books classed as children's non-fiction rose 36% last year.

There's even a sound educational reason for promoting true books, as if pleasure were not enough. In the USA - but sadly not in the UK - the curriculum demands that 70% of a child's reading is non-fiction by the time they are 11 years old. The reason? Employers complained that potential employees couldn't construct or follow an argument, process information or extract meaningful data from written information - because they had no practice at doing it.

But the life-skills reason is not the best reason to celebrate information books and to encourage children to read them. Knowing and valuing the world is a better reason. Nourishing the sense of wonder that is every child's birthright, and all too soon eroded, is a better reason. Enjoying it is the best reason of all.

 Which monster(s) is/are made up?

Where do you think the ideas for fiction come from?

Any kid who wants a cool job designing monsters had better have a good library of fact books to draw on.

You think Indiana Jones is cool? What about Barnum Brown? Named after a circus, he spent his life as a fossil-hunter. He went on digs dressed in a floor-length fur coat and discovered the T Rex.

If only we'd been around to see mammoths... Well, mammoths were still going while the Egyptians were building their pyramids (though there weren't any in Europe).

Stories about children with pet dogs are popular. But dogs are so mundane. Salvador Dali had a pet anteater. The astronomer Tyco Brahe had a pet moose; he also had a metal nose, as his own was cut off in a duel over a maths problem. The painter Rossetti had a wombat.

The truth is great - you couldn't make it up.


(Answer: Only monster A is made up.)

Anne Rooney

Latest true book:
The Story of Maps, November 2015

Turn your passion into a book - Lynne Garner

My latest non-fiction title
published 24th October 2013 

I'm continually surprised by the number of students who tell me they would love to write a non-fiction book but don't know anything. They don't believe they know anything worth sharing in a book. When I hear this I tell them a story, which I am now going to share with you.

Once upon a time there was a man called Gavin Pretor-Pinney and he loved clouds. He decided he'd write a book about them and get it published. He approached publisher after publisher after publisher, 28 in total. But he didn't give up. He knew that if he loved clouds there must be others who also enjoyed clouds. Finally one day he found a publisher who saw the merit of his book. In 2007 his book 'The Cloud Spotter's Guide' was finally published. It became a surprise international best seller. It was so successful that it is now available in twenty different languages. It has also spawned The Cloud Appreciation Society and other books such as 'Clouds That Look Like Things' and 'The Cloud Collectors Handbook.' If you don't believe me then visit http://cloudappreciationsociety.org

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because I wanted to demonstrate how an author took a simple idea, a passion he had and turned it into a successful book. So a non-fiction book does not have to be about your hobby (although it could be), it doesn't have to be a cookbook (although it could be) and it doesn't have to be a self-help book (although it could be). It could be any subject you know something about and feel you could write about in a manner others will enjoy.

So why not give it a go? Turn your passion into a book and share it with the world.

Lynne Garner

I also write for The Picture Book Den and Authors Electric 

Blatant plug for my distance learning writing courses starting 2nd November:

How To Write A Picture Book And Get Published

Five Picture Books In Five Weeks - Advanced 

How To Write A Hobby Based How-to Book