Checking the Copyright

When conducting research for nonfiction books or magazine articles, if you start digging back far enough, you might run into resources that are in the public domain.

A research source that is in the public domain can be an invaluable tool. For one thing, you are free to quote from it, as long as you conclude it is a reliable source. If you need images to include in your project, you are also free to use images from that resource, as long as you are working with the original document.

In a publishing world that’s very paranoid about copyright issues, however, how can you determine if the resource you’re using is in the public domain? It can be tricky, but here’s a website that can help.

Copyright: by the United States Copyright Office

Type in the title of the book in question first. Then do an author’s name search.

If you get no results for either search, chances are highly probably that the title is in the public domain. You can feel free to use it, especially if you add a disclaimer to your published manuscript saying to the effect, “All efforts have been made to determine the copyright of materials used. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the author and continued efforts will be made to establish proper copyright credentials.”

-Contributed by Nancy I. Sanders

Writing Re-told Bible Stories for Kids

I love writing retold Bible stories for young children. The Bible is filled with adventure! Story after story can be re-told with action and dialog, making the Bible come alive for kids. The Bible is certainly non-fiction material and a never-ending source of inspiration for the Christian children’s writer.

Years ago I wrote a series of three stories for a popular Christian children’s magazine for kids ages 4 to 8. They were stories about the inspiring and in-suppressible Paul…my Bible hero. The first story was titled, Shipwrecked!

Open a Bible and turn to chapters 27 & 28 in the book of Acts. You’ll read about Paul’s harrowing adventure. I wanted kids ages 4 to 8 to “experience” just a portion of this story through action and dialog.

The following are short excerpts from Shipwrecked:

CRASH! Paul bolted upright. A monstrous wave had struck the ship! The sky was black and an icy rain pelted the prisoners and guards. Mighty winds tossed the ship from side to side. Wave after giant wave thundered and crashed over the wooden vessel.
“Help us!” the prisoners cried. “We’re going to die!”
“I can’t control the ship!” the Captain yelled.
“Throw everything overboard!” the guards shouted above the roar of the winds. “We must lighten the load or we’ll sink!”

Here’s another excerpt:

“Land! I see land!” shouted the Captain. The relieved men cheered and rowed for shore. But no one saw the danger ahead…jagged rocks below the dark waters.
SMASH! The ship splintered against the knife-sharp rocks. The waves beat against the broken vessel as the rocks tore it to pieces.
“Jump for your lives and swim for the island!” a guard shouted. “Every man for himself!”
Paul leaped into the water and held onto a piece of broken wood. He kicked his numb feet and headed toward the island along with the others. I know God has a plan, even in this freezing wa-wa-water he thought.
Before long, Paul felt strong arms pull his weakened body onto the sandy beach. He looked up through salt-stung eyes into the friendly face of an islander.

Non-fiction resources are unlimited! If you haven’t tried writing for this genre you’re missing out on a publishing door that’s still open for new talent!  Go ahead…show children that life can be more exciting than fiction!

Contributed by Sheryl Crawford

“CRAFTING” NON-FICTION, PART 1

Years ago, when I wrote for adults, I wrote mostly non-fiction.  But, since I’ve been writing for children for the past 12 years, I’ve been doing only fiction.  Go figure!  So, I don’t have any experience or tips to share about writing non-fiction for kids.  However, during my “adult years,” I did design and produce a number of items for crafts magazines, and even wrote an article about it for The Writer magazine (for which I received excellent feedback from the then-editor.)  I believe the same basic guidelines would apply to crafts for kids, too.

 

They are:

 

            #1.  Be original.

            #2.  Study each magazine in detail.

            #3.  Think seasonal.

            #4.  Understand the craft technique and know how to write

                    instructions.

            #5.  Be familiar with the unique submission process for crafts.

 

I’ll cover each of these items more fully in my next blog post.

 

In all, I had 10 craft designs published, mostly involving some kind of needlework.  Since I don’t have a background in art or design, these were, for the most part, simple, easy-to-do projects.

 

I didn’t make a whole lot of money selling craft designs, considering these magazines’ low pay, the cost of the materials and the amount of time invested in each project.  But, I had great fun doing each one and enjoyed sharing my love of needlework and skills with others.  And, it was truly exciting to see my work in living color on glossy pages!

 

Contributed by Marjorie Flathers

Fiction Techniques in Non-fiction Writing

I think of myself as a fiction writer. I work to create believable characters who act out their stories in unique settings. I use dialogue to distinguish one from another and to move the story along. Tension results from clashing personalities and situations. Metaphors and similes add dimension.

Yes, fiction is my cup of tea! But when I look at the things I have written, I see that nine of my books, as well as more than five hundred articles are non-fiction. How does this compute? The answer is simple. When I ventured into the world of non-fiction, I carried fiction techniques with me.

My first non-fiction sales were weekly newspaper columns titled Coffee Break. These were humorous, family-oriented articles that described everyday situations that both parents and children could relate to. I used characters, setting, and plot and included dialogue wherever possible. But they were definitely non-fiction. In fact, they were so true that my children insisted that I use a pen name so their friends wouldn’t recognize them.

Later, I wrote “help yourself” books for middle-grade readers. These contained advice on popularity, overcoming fears, learning good manners, becoming reliable, and improving personal appearance. Non-fiction? You bet. But the books were full of stories about kids who made mistakes and learned from them. Kids who went to school together (setting), talked to each other (dialogue), and worked out their problems (plot).

When I began to write on assignment for health and science magazines, I added another dimension common to both fiction and non-fiction: research! When the editors asked for an article on saving a broken tooth, I found out all I could about the latest dental procedures, then created Janie, who saved a tooth to be “replanted.” The entire experience was a short-short story, with sidebars that gave added non-fiction information.

When my editor asked me to write about color blindness, I once again researched the subject, then let two friends, Mike and Kim, paint a sign for a fifth grade science project. Kim admitted that he couldn’t tell the difference between red and green. They both looked yellow to him. This kind of factual information was used to create a scene with comical color confusion. To add interest, I expanded the article to include the abilities animals have to see color and included this in a sidebar.

I still consider myself a fiction writer, but I love to write about non-fiction subjects, always including character, plot, and setting in the scenes I create to illustrate non-fiction facts. After all, everyone loves a good story.

Contributed by Marilyn Donahue

N is for Non-Fiction

We spent October looking at the Writing Workspace. Now that we have reshuffled, revamped, and/or reorganized our work area, let us focus on November’s topic: Writing Non-Fiction.           

Non-fiction, first of all, has gotten a bum rap, especially for the children’s market. Many writers don’t want to enter this genre because they feel it will somehow limit their creativity. They feel that since fiction stories are their goal, then it is a waste of energy to write non-fiction. I say it’s just the opposite. Writing non-fiction can open up many doors that were closed to you before.

Since everyone wants to write fiction, editors and publishers are saturated with fiction manuscripts. Naturally, only a very small percentage will make it through their slush pile and see publication. It is possible, but extremely difficult.

On the other hand, many magazine and book publishers are in need of non-fiction stories. One of my first major publications came from writing articles for parents. That contact led me to write for a national children’s magazine that I still write for today. Although the majority of my articles were non-fiction, I have been able to submit small fiction pieces that would have been difficult to get noticed if I didn’t have a relationship with the editors to begin with. I would have been another slush pile reject.

My first book, which is expected out in the spring of 2010, is a non-fiction picture book. Because I now have a relationship with a publisher, I have a contact that could lead to further publication since the publisher wishes to work with its authors on other projects. Will I get to write a fiction book for them? I don’t know; but I wouldn’t have an opportunity to submit anything else if I didn’t write this book to begin with.

Give non-fiction a chance. I t can open up some amazing doors for you.

Contributed by Catherine L. Osornio