From the moment I received the assignment my
new book Hurricane Watch, I knew I
wanted to take readers on a journey through the stages of hurricane formation
and give them a front row seat to what happens when the super storm hits land.
Because I’ve never experienced a hurricane, I needed to interview people
who had.
How did I find those people? Twitter.
Within minutes of posting a tweet, I had a
half dozen responses from people who’d lived through hurricanes in Florida,
Texas, and Hawaii. We exchanged email addresses and over the next week, I
collected their stories, looking for sensory details
and other
tidbits that could help me bring these powerful storms to life for young
readers.
half dozen responses from people who’d lived through hurricanes in Florida,
Texas, and Hawaii. We exchanged email addresses and over the next week, I
collected their stories, looking for sensory details
and other
tidbits that could help me bring these powerful storms to life for young
readers.
Here are a few excerpts from those
interviews:
interviews:
“Everything that wasn’t nailed down blew away, including beach
sand, gravel, tree limbs. Lawn furniture became projectiles.”
sand, gravel, tree limbs. Lawn furniture became projectiles.”
“Even inside the house, [the blowing wind] was so loud we could hardly
hear each other talk. It really roared.”
hear each other talk. It really roared.”
“The palm trees bent way over in the wind.
The fronds dragged on the ground.”
The fronds dragged on the ground.”
“The winds blew so hard that we could see all the coral reefs that were
usually underwater.”
usually underwater.”
“Projectiles kept hitting the house–whatever was loose. The sky
was gray and cloudy and the wind’s sound was incredible. The whole house
shook.”
was gray and cloudy and the wind’s sound was incredible. The whole house
shook.”
Pretty cool, right?
Ultimately, I didn’t have room for all these great details, but they definitely informed my writing. Thanks to these comments, the drama of the storm seems palpable in the final text.
Most Popular Posts
Resignation
37 Comments
Re-thinking “E” Is for Everyone
34 Comments
We Need Diverse Nonfiction
31 Comments
The 5 Kinds of Nonfiction
28 Comments
Behind the Books: Does Story Appeal to Everyone?
27 Comments
10 STEM Picture Books
25 Comments
Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Melissa Stewart
22 Comments
Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Deborah Heiligman
19 Comments
Is It Fiction or Nonfiction? A Twitterchat
19 Comments
5 Kinds of Nonfiction, Book Lists
18 Comments
Topics
Most Popular Posts
Resignation
37 Comments
Re-thinking “E” Is for Everyone
34 Comments
We Need Diverse Nonfiction
31 Comments
The 5 Kinds of Nonfiction
28 Comments
Behind the Books: Does Story Appeal to Everyone?
27 Comments
10 STEM Picture Books
25 Comments
Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Melissa Stewart
22 Comments
Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep by Deborah Heiligman
19 Comments
Is It Fiction or Nonfiction? A Twitterchat
19 Comments
5 Kinds of Nonfiction, Book Lists
18 Comments
3 Responses
Great post, Melissa. I'll try using Twitter for research more often. It sounds like you had a whirlwind of success with it! [grin]
Excellent example of research, Melissa. Sounds like such a great book.
Thanks, Sally ad Kaye, I learned so much while writing this book.