When do I write?

Write your book when your research is finished.

Dr. John McManus, assistant professor of U.S. military history at Missouri S&T, shared an easy method for determining when to begin writing during his presentation at the Missouri Writer's Guild. It's a question he asks writers, and one that writers need to ask themselves: "How do you know what themes will be developed from a scholarly POV (or any other POV) if you aren’t finished (researching)?"

He said it’s hard to juggle all the research and writing at the same time. He believes the work is more distracted and doesn't provide the same coherence when writers try to research and write at the same time. The finished product is better when the research is complete before the writing begins.

Next question - How will you write it?

If there were only one way to write a book or article, then writing would be easy. But there are many ways, and McManus covered several points to consider as you begin.

- First, figure out your writing times. Do you have to work a 12-hour day and squeeze it in? If so, figure out time to work and stick to it like it’s a job. "All good writers are self starters, and all good historians are self starters" he said.

- Next, consider the point of view (POV). Writing from a distance, as an observer, provides readers with the big picture of an event, while writing from the POV of someone close to, or in the middle of, the action can bring a human perspective to that event. When we see everything through one person's eyes, we can relate to the actions and feel the emotions.

- Develop a chapter-by-chapter outline – it forces you to think and bring coherence to what relates and what doesn’t, forces you to make hard decisions about what to cut and what to keep. Also consider how your book will look. This outline forces unity and coherence. Each chapter that follows makes your point. By the time you’ve done the proper research, you should have these ideas. Outlines help.

- Organize material chronologically. Most good history is written chronologically. There are some exceptions in biography and other types of nonfiction. 

- Consider pacing, context, and sequencing to figure out how best to tell your story. How will the reader want to read this story, what will work best for him or her? If you are talking about the evening before, don’t give it away. Let the story unfold.

- Determine the format. What is tone? How will you refer to people - formally or informally? Will you use official titles like The Duke of So and So, or first names? Make these decisions beforehand for consistency, and you won't need to go back and change them later.

And finally, after writing your book or article:

- Proofread after giving yourself a little time and distance so you can look at the writing with fresh eyes.

Write soon, and let me know about YOUR process,

Mary

(Next week, a little more on organizing your writing)

Four steps to writing nonfiction

A few years ago at the Missouri Writers' Guild Conference, I heard John C. McManus, an award-winning professor, author, and military historian speak about writing history. Much of what he said would translate to any type of nonfiction work, so I'm condensing some of his information and combining it with what I teach about speaking for my oral communications classes, to set up a four-step primer on writing nonfiction. (Next week I'll cover research.)

First, follow your passion, or write what you know.

McManus said there is huge potential in writing nonfiction, and "a vast universe you know better than anyone." Start with a concept or idea even if it's a subject you have studied just because you like it. I tell my students to talk about something they know about, and that simple is good. If you have experience with a subject, then you have a perspective we may not have heard.

I'm always amazed at the variety of topics I hear for speeches, which can vary from a job (Anthony Bourdain's first book "Kitchen Confidential," covered his experience working in kitchens and his passion for food, as did many successful business writers who shared their experiences about what went right, what went wrong and every topic in between). Writing about hobbies is another way to explore more great topics. Maybe you go to classic car shows every weekend, or like to watch foreign movies, train dogs, knit, collect rocks or any other hobby has the potential to be turned into a work of nonfiction.

Many writers assume that because a topic is an "everyday" sort of idea that no one will be interested. Not true. I've heard great speeches and read great essays about topics like grandparents, math, cartoons, bedspreads and hiking. None of those topics seem out-of-the-ordinary, and they aren't. But everyone has a story, and that story might involve something simple, but compelling.

You can also start with a question. Are you curious about a topic? Did something happen to make you ask a question? That can be a starting point for an article, book or blog. Here's my question for the Fourth of July weekend. Yesterday, I saw "Free State of Jones" starring Matthew McConaughey. My question revolves around window coverings. Yes, window coverings! Not something most people would notice. So, here goes:

In the scenes inside the Colonel's office, I was struck by the use of window blinds. They seemed advanced for the Civil-War time frame, because other scenes depicted people picking cotton by hand, wearing hand-made clothing and using a spinning wheel. So I looked online, and here's the URL to an article I found about the history of window blinds. They are older than you think!

http://blog.blinds.com/venetian-history/

So every topic has the potential to be a topic worthy of study. Don't overlook something just because it's simple. Simple is good!

Write soon (about something simple!)

Mary