Today we continue the series in which award-winning nonfiction authors discuss the joys and challenges of writing narrative nonfiction and expository nonfiction with an essay by Meeg Pincus. Thank you, Meeg.
In
writing my nonfiction picture books—both narrative and expository—I tap into
two parts of myself: the trained academic/journalist who researches deeply, and
the sensitive/creative soul who writes from the heart. (It may surprise some
folks that I write my expository books from an emotional place, same as my
narrative ones, but I do!)
For
me, choosing between a narrative or expository approach for a book is simply a
matter of purpose. I choose narrative when I want to follow single, specific
story. And I choose expository when I want to do two things:
1)
Share
the “bigger picture” of a topic
2) Engage
kids with an array of fascinating facts and examples
My
two newest books are both expository for these reasons—here’s how I chose for
each…
So
Much More to Helen! The Passions and Pursuits of Helen Keller
I fell in love with Helen Keller in high school when I did my “senior passion
project” about her—reading all her books and writing a stage play about a
defining incident in her life. I learned so much more about her than I’d been
taught in school, and decades later I still want others to learn about those
parts of her, too.
Briefly,
I considered writing a narrative story about that incident I’d written about
years ago. But I knew it was really this “bigger picture” of Helen—many things about
her that are rarely taught or talked about—that I most wanted to share with today’s
kids. Also, having invisible disabilities myself and raising kids who have them,
I hoped to incorporate a more modern message about disabilities—to spark
nuanced, inclusive conversation about Helen Keller and anyone with disabilities.
So,
I had: bigger picture, fascinating facts/examples…expository approach!
I
played with formats and landed on layered text—a thematic line across most
pages (the organizer), rhyming couplets (the heart), and “fact boxes” (the details).
I liked offering multiple ways to read the book, depending on the child’s age
and interest level. Here are examples of the three layers in So Much More to Helen! (Sleeping Bear Press):
Here you can see the book’s final spread, where I try to connect with a more modern,
inclusive message about people with disabilities:
In short, even though this book is about a single person, given my purpose, expository
was the way to go for me (with many more juicy facts in the back matter, and
the whole book written from a place of love!).
Make
Way for Animals! A World of Wildlife Crossings
My journey with Make Way for Animals! (Millbrook Press) began in 2017 when I learned of a Los
Angeles grassroots movement to fund a wildlife crossing for cougars endangered
by the city’s sprawl. It tugged my heartstrings and curiosity, and I dove into
the topic, first writing a narrative story about a cougar named P-22, the face
of the L.A. movement. (This became Cougar Crossing: How Hollywood’s
Celebrity Cougar Helped Build a Bridge for City Wildlife.)
But
I was also swooning over all the different wildlife crossings around the world
that I’d discovered in my research, and just couldn’t fit those into that book
(I tried!). So, I wrote a separate manuscript—this one taking an expository
approach. Why? Bigger picture of topic, many fascinating examples. (It also
made my two manuscripts different enough that my agent felt she could find
homes for both.)
You can read in Katy Duffield’s post about her expository
approach to this same topic for her book Crossings: Extraordinary Structures
for Extraordinary Animals. (In a prime example of what author Elizabeth
Gilbert calls “the artistic version of multiple discovery,” Katy found the
topic across the country through Florida panthers—and our wildlife crossings
manuscripts were all acquired right around the same time! Also a happy reminder
that there’s room for numerous books on a topic.)
Using similar research findings, the books do have some overlaps, but Katy and I each
came up with our own spin. Her Crossings centers on positional
concepts—over, under, through—how animals use crossings. My Make Way for
Animals! centers on cause and effect—what happens to animals without and
with crossings. Both themes work to organize the facts and examples in ways
kids can engage with— and think both books show our authorly passion for the
topic as well!
Here’s the final spread from Make Way for Animals!:
Once again, for me, choosing between a narrative or expository approach to a book is
a matter of purpose. From there, it’s all about deep research and writing from
the heart.
Meeg Pincus
writes nonfiction picture books about “solutionaries” helping people, animals,
and the planet—including Winged Wonders (Golden Kite Nonfiction Honor), Cougar
Crossing (current Cook Prize Finalist), Ocean Soup (Eureka!
Nonfiction Honor), Miep and the Most Famous Diary (Kirkus & SLJ
starred reviews), and more. A longtime nonfiction writer/editor and educator,
Meeg loves teaching nonfiction workshops, mentoring nonfiction writers, and
sharing great (yep, nonfiction) books. Join her e-newsletter at
www.MeegPincus.com.
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7 Responses
What a terrific post, Meeg! I'll be sharing this in the upcoming classes that I'm teaching. Thanks!
Great post! Such informative and shining examples of narrative and expository NF! Thank you, Meeg; and thanks for Melissa for posting here.
Congrats on all of your books, Meeg! The Helen Keller bio looks lovely. I loved Cougar Crossing & I am eagerly awaiting the Make Way for Animals from the library. Crossings is one of my favs too!
Thank you! I can't wait to read your book about Helen Keller.
Such a fascinating glimpse into your inspirations, Meeg! What wonderful stories!
Thank you!
Great post! I have used layered text in several of my stories and love the examples you gave from your book on Helen Keller. I look forward to reading SO MUCH MORE TO HELEN.
Thanks very much for this post! I love Meeg's focus on "solutionary stories" and how she celebrates both writing from her academic side and from her heart. Brava Meeg! Pardon me if I actually posted this twice. Not sure if the first one went through 🙂