Melissa Stewart: Nonfiction Inspiration
I like the variety of writing for many different audiences and the challenges associated with each group. Writing for young children is fun because they are so naturally curious, and I know they will listen intently as a loving adult reads the story to them or pay close attention as they struggle to read it themselves. Middle graders and high school students can understand more sophisticated language and more complex concepts, and they have a broader view of the world. When I write for adults, I can really stretch as a writer, using use my vocabulary reserves and including illusions that kids just won't get. I like doing that once in a while.
2. You have written so many wonderful series for various publishers. They should all be on the shelves of elementary classrooms and libraries. Did you propose the various series to the publisher? If so, did you have all the titles and topics decided already and so did you propose the whole series as one item? How long did it take you to research and write one of these books? Are you responsible for providing photographs, charts, diagrams, etc.?
Some of the books I've written come from ideas I've generated, but others are assigned to me. The idea for one of my favorite books-Maggots, Grubs, And More: The Secret Lives of Young Insects (Millbrook, 2003)-came from my nephew. A few years ago, he was very interested in insects and I was helping him find books about them. He asked if there were any books about bugs that were still growing up-like him. I realized there really weren't but should be, so I sent a proposal to one of my editors. She liked it, and asked me to write the book.
I wrote a subset for Scholastic Library's very large True Book series on African animals. I had observed all of the animals in their natural setting during a trip to Africa. I also wrote a book about baboons based on my experiences during that trip. I really enjoyed writing Sloths (Lerner, 2005) because I had an opportunity to observe these fascinating creatures during a trip to Costa Rica with my husband's family. I also wrote an article about sloths for ZooGoer, which is published by the Smithsonian Zoo. I try to use my research for multiple pieces whenever I can.
One of my recent series, Investigating Science (Compass Point Books, 2004), came out of a conversation I had with an editor I'd know for many years. He asked me to develop a unique series with a hands-on component for early elementary readers. I think the publisher did a great job with the photography and layout of these books.
It's hard to say how long it takes to research and write a book because every book is different. Sometimes it's easy to find the information I need and the scientists I want to interview, but other times, it takes more time and effort than I expect. The process can take anywhere from a few months to a few years. It took more than five years to write my first book, Life Without Light.
I collect ideas all the time and keep them in an idea file. Sometimes I know what to do with them right away, but sometimes they just sit in that file for a year or more before I find the right focus. Sometimes my husband, Gerard Fairley, or brother-in-law, Peter Fairley (also a science writer) help me find the story in an idea I have kicking around in my head. And sometimes I develop great ideas into proposals or even sample chapters, but then just can't find an editor who is interested. That can be frustrating.
I often do provide a photo list for my books, but not photos. Those come from professional photographers all over the world. One exception is a photo of a charging elephant in Elephants (Scholastic Library, 2002). That elephant was charging at the jeep I was in! Luckily, he never hit us.
I often do provide the information or even sketches in charts or diagrams, but an artist or graphic designer transforms these into final products that are both visually appealing and easy to read. Books couldn't be made without these people, and, unfortunately, they usually don't the credit they deserve. 3. Your vast science background is diverse. What is your favorite topic to write about and why? I love all the sciences. Before becoming a writer, I considered a career as a researcher. But I couldn't choose one area to focus on. I want to learn as much as I can about all the different areas of science. But I especially enjoy writing about life and earth sciences. I guess this traces back to my love of the natural world as a child. My brother and I spent countless hours playing in and exploring the woods around our home in western Massachusetts.
One of the overall missions of my work is to share my love of the natural world and show children how exciting and captivating science really is. If I can tap into their natural curiosity and get them engaged when they are young, they may grow up to be scientists. And if not, I hope they will at least become adults who are not intimidated by science and technology. I see too many adults like that around me now. I hope the next generation won't feel the same way.
4. You have written a few biographies. One on Rachel Carson (Ferguson, 2000) and also Tim Berners-Lee, founder of the World Wide Web (Ferguson, 2000). Did you like these projects? Why or why not? How did they differ from your other science topics? Both Rachael Carson and Tim Berners-Lee are scientists, so writing these books was a lot of fun for me. I really enjoyed learning more about Rachel Carson. I read Silent Spring in high school, but I don't remember learning much about Ms. Carson as a person. When I came in contact with her for the second time, I felt a deep affinity toward her life and her work. She said: "I thought I had to be one or the other [a writer or a scientist]. It never occurred to me that I could combine the two careers. [Finally,] it dawned on me that by becoming a biologist, I had given myself something to write about." That's exactly how I felt when one of my college biology professors suggested that I become a writer. It was a great aha moment for me, as it was for Ms. Carson.
Writing about Tim Berners-Lee was more difficult because he is a living person and is very intent on protecting his personal privacy. You wouldn't believe how long it took me just to find out the names of his wife and two children. Because I couldn't write that much about his personality or personal life, I included a lot of information about how html works. I didn't know too much about computer science going into the book, so I had a lot to learn and I had several experts check the technical sections of the manuscript for mistakes. The book received a lot of critical praise, so I guess my strategy worked.
5. You have been so very successful with your writing career. On average how many projects are you juggling at one time? How do you organize a typical work week? Can you share any of your organizational strategies? When most people hear that I've written more than 60 books for children and about 50 articles for children and adults, they think I must be rich. But trust me, I'm not. In order to be a fulltime writer, it's necessary to be prolific and juggle many projects at once. No single project pays very much, so I need to do a lot of work to make a living. I was single for the first four years I was freelancing, so I didn't have anyone else's income to fall back on. Now my husband and I split all out living costs equally, so I can't get lazy. And I try hard not to spend all my money when I have a good year, because bad years will inevitably come.
There is no average number of projects and no typical work day for me. I need to be flexible because my workload varies tremendously. Sometimes I might be juggling five different projects and working 14 hours a day. Other times, I may have no set projects to work on. That's when I go to my idea file and work on new proposals. I also call editors I've worked with and ask if they have any assignments for me. They usually say no, but the call puts me in the front of their minds. When they do have an assignment, they may think of me first.
To stay organized, I use Excel spreadsheets-one for business expenses, one for payments, one to track proposals I've sent out. I have a calendar in my office where I note all my deadlines. I also keep a daily log of my activities. This is especially important for projects where I charge an hourly rate. I have a large vertical filing cabinet with a file for each project and each publisher. I also have a current idea file, more extensive files for topics that interest me, and a contact file.
I'm definitely a morning person, so I always write then. I can accomplish more between 6 and 9 a.m. than between 9 and 5. I maximize my productivity by doing my most intellectually demanding work when my body is most alert. This allows me to really focus on what I'm doing. Also, there are fewer distractions in the early morning.
In the afternoons, I may write some more if I'm close to a deadline. But most of the time, this is when I do research or marketing or background reading. I read as many kids science books as I can, and I read many of the major science magazines. I need to stay up to date on the publishing industry as well as scientific discoveries.
Besides writing, I teach several adult ed. classes for people who want to write for children. I usually plan lessons and review student assignments in the afternoon. I also do errands and household chores in the afternoon. Many self-employed people make a strict division between work and their personal life, but for me it all melds together. Going grocery shopping or to the bank in the middle of the day is more efficient overall than waiting for the weekend, when everyone else is doing it.
6. Please complete this sentence: "My passions are....." . . . science and writing-and, of course, my family and friends.
7. Your school programs are very appealing. What do you enjoy about school visits? What do you not enjoy? How many do you do in one year?
I love doing school visits because it gives me personal contact with my readers. I can find out what they like most about my work, and sometimes they tell me ways I could have done things better. That's very useful. It also helps me to understand kids developmentally. It's important for me to know how a second grader is different from a fourth grader. Understanding their interests and level of comprehension helps me write more effectively for them. 8. You put your editing skills to work through your manuscript editing service. How do you manage to do all you do and roughly how many manuscripts do you edit in one month?
I do two different kinds of editing. Sometimes I edit books for publishers. In these cases, my goal is to make the text appropriate for the publishers needs. If, for example, the book will be added to an ongoing series, I need to make sure the book meets the series guidelines and that the voice is appropriate for the series. I also need to make sure the content is accurate and age appropriate. I have edited more than 200 books for publishers, and they have won such awards as Bank Street College Best Children's Books, Booklist's Top Ten Animal Books for Youth, CBC/NSTA Outstanding Children's Science Trade Book, Colorado Authors' League Award, IRA/CBC Children's Choices, IRA Notable Children's Book Award, New York Public Library's Books for the Teen Age, Science Books & Films's Best Books of the Year, VOYA Honors List, and YALSA/ALA Quick Pick.
I also have a manuscript critique service offered through my website, www.melissa-stewart.com. I have been critiquing manuscripts-both fiction and nonfiction-for my writer friends and former students for many years. At their urging, I started my critique service about two years ago. At this point, I critique perhaps six manuscripts a month, but the business is growing all the time. Most new clients hear about me from a friend or are impressed by the testimonials on my website.
I really enjoy helping people who are serious enough about their writing and are passionate enough about getting published that they are willing to get the input of people with firsthand knowledge of the industry. That's why in addition to making suggestions for improvements, I usually also suggest possible publishers. I have two articles coming out in The Writer later this year-one of writing nonfiction for kids, one on writing nonfiction for kids. I hope they will introduce even more people to my critique service.
9. You have been a full-time writer for five years. How did you finally know "when the time was right" and what are some of the disadvantages to writing full-time?
When I left my job in 2000, I had eleven titles published or in progress. This gave me confidence that I could make it on my own. I also had a commitment to continue editing two series I had developed for at least a year. Those projects gave me the breathing room I needed to start building relationships with other clients. But my decision was also personal. At the time, I really wanted to move back to Massachusetts, where I had grown up. My sister-in-law was pregnant with my first nephew, and I wanted to be a big part of his life. Now he has two sisters. And my husband has two nephews and a niece, so there are six kids in our lives. It's great.
Most of the time, I love my job. Not only do I like what I'm doing and feel that it is making a difference in the lives of children, I am grateful for the flexibility in my schedule and the fact that my commute is only 10 feet. I can even work in my pajamas if I want, and sometimes I do! But anyone who owns a business will tell you that, maintaining a steady flow of work can be hard. I don't like marketing nearly as much as writing, but I have to do it or else my business will fail.
In the past, when I had a slow period, I would start to panic. I'd think I'd never get work again. I couldn't relax and enjoy those down times. But now that I've been through ups and downs, I'm getting more confident. Also, my husband always reminds me that new projects always seem to come along. That helps. Both his father and brother and self employed, so he's used to people complaining about a lack of work-and then a few weeks later about having too much work. He helps me put things into perspective. 10. What is the very best writing advice you have ever received? Here are two pieces of advice I usually share with my students: Jane Yolen says her secret to being a successful writer is BIC-butt in chair. All those great ideas don't matter a bit unless you sit down at the keyboard and force yourself to write.
Linda Sue Park says that before you write a book, you should read at least 100 titles in the genre that interests you. It's really the best way to get a sense of what's out there and what editors are looking for.
11. Can you discuss any current or upcoming projects? I am very excited about my first picture book, A Place for Butterflies. It's scheduled to come out this fall from Peachtree. I also have two other picture books in progress with this publisher. I can't wait to take the butterfly book on school visits. I know kids will love it.
12. Please complete this sentence. "If I could I would..."
My friend and former colleague, Brendan January, taught me to never leave room in my life for regrets. Right now, I'm doing everything I want to do. So I don't have an answer for this question.
As aspiring writers read this interview, I hope they will see that writing for children requires a lot of hard work and perseverance, but it is also a lot of fun. There will almost certainly be many frustrating rejections along the way, but the rewards of knowing how your words and your books can help and inspire children is the greatest reward I can imagine.
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