Borrow From Nonfiction to Enhance your Fiction

 by Sue Heavenrich

If you’re a nonfiction writer, then you’ve read plenty of articles suggesting that you use fiction techniques to spiff up your writing. But have you ever heard anyone suggest that fiction writers borrow from nonfiction to enrich their novels?

Picture book authors do this frequently, especially when their story includes elements that connect with curriculum topics like nature, gardening, science, space exploration. But for novels – excepting historical fiction – I haven’t heard many folks saying, "hey, try this approach used in nonfiction."

There are a few cases where I have seen novelists and picture book writers use nonfiction techniques to great effect. Most of them include…

Notes

Sure, lots of novels have author’s notes, but the ones I fall in love with tend to read like back matter in children’s nonfiction books. Take The Inquisitor’s Tale, by Adam Gidwitz. He begins, “My interest in the Middle Ages is entirely my wife’s fault…” and then goes on for 14 pages dissecting what is true in his novel and how much is made up. He also talks about the Bayeux Tapestry which, he says, isn’t a tapestry at all but rather, an embroidery of a 230-foot long graphic novel (or the Middle Ages equivalent thereof).

In his author’s notes for Heroes, Alan Gratz tells more about Pearl Harbor, where he got his inspiration, and explains a few things in the book that are outside of the historical timeline. He also talks about Asian Americans in comics and the legacy of Pearl Harbor.

In her notes to Boy Bites Bug, Rebecca Petruck provides a guide to eating bugs and includes a couple recipes. Author notes and recipes aren’t so unusual, so I really love it when fiction authors …

Map Out the World

Fantasy and fiction authors put a great deal of energy and imagination into world building. So I love it when they include a map on the end pages or first pages of their books. Whether it’s Avalon or Redwall, or the map drawn by The Last Mapmaker, seeing their world on paper makes it more real. Visual maps allow us to orient in space: which direction are the mountains? Where be there dragons?

Historical fiction feels richer when accompanied by a map. Alan Gratz includes a map of Pearl Harbor in Heroes, and Laurie Halse Anderson includes a great map of Boston in her novel, Rebellion 1776. Maps are a lot like illustrations, so they feel like a natural part of any story. That’s why I appreciate it when they include a…

Bibliography

This is where we find the gold – the truth behind the fiction. Gidwitz includes nine pages of annotated bibliography. Laurie Halse Anderson includes detailed “Notes on Sources” at the end of her book and Carol Baldwin – who I interviewed back in August – includes both endnotes and resources (a selected bibliography) in her historical fiction, Half-Truths. While I love end notes and chapter notes, I fall head over heels when I see a piece of fiction incorporating…

Footnotes, Appendices, and More

There is something about a footnote that just imbues a piece of writing with authority.  Even if – no, especially if – it is a work of fantasy. Take Jonathan Stroud’s first book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy, The Amulet of Samarkand. 

This is a tale of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion. Stroud wastes no time, introducing footnotes as a feature beginning on the second page of the story. Most of them are asides – comments by the narrator such as when talking about architecture and noting that those folks in Pisa clearly hadn’t paid attention to his engineering expertise when they built that tower.

My favorite use of footnotes is in Cindy Derby’s picture book, How to Walk an Ant. On one page she warns not to stab an ant, and in the footnote refers the reader to “How to Conduct a Funeral” in appendix 1. Swoon! Not only does she have footnotes, but she includes an appendix and a glossary! 

Baldwin doesn’t have any footnotes, but she does include photos and a family tree at the end of her book. Other authors, both fantasy and historical fiction, have included pronunciation guides and timelines. 

Next time you create a story, what will you borrow from the nonfiction writing toolbox?

Meet Natalie Rompella, Author of Cookie Cutters & Sled Runners ~ by Eileen Meyer

TAKE FIVE interview and Giveaway 

with author NATALIE ROMPELLA

Natalie talks sled-dog racing, fresh-baked cookies, middle school and more!

Welcome to my first TAKE FIVE interview on the GROG Blog. I hope that you’ll take five minutes to meet the wonderful children’s author, Natalie Rompella, and learn more about her new MG novel, COOKIE CUTTERS AND SLED RUNNERS. If you post a comment in the next week, you’ll be entered in a drawing to receive a free copy of Natalie’s book (shipping limited to US postal addresses).

Eileen: What was the inspiration behind your new middle grade novel, COOKIE CUTTERS AND SLED RUNNERS?    

Natalie: My new love of sled dog racing. I had finished writing a book on sports that began in the U.S. and just learned about it. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. My character formed herself. I didn’t plan on writing about someone with obsessive-compulsive disorder—that organically happened. As for it taking place in middle school: this was one of my favorite times of my life. I loved sixth grade. I also adore teaching middle graders.

Eileen:  Tell us more about the recipes in the book. Where did they come from? Do you love to bake?

Natalie: I love baking. I started when I was young. My friend, Kate, and I would bake together. The first recipe in the book is based on the Sprinkle-Cake Cookies we came up with in grade school. And the Pad Thai Tuna recipe is one I used to make in high school -- a tuna and peanut butter sandwich. (Yes, it may sound awful, but it’s really good!) I still love baking and altering recipes. It’s fun to see what happens if you tweak something just so.

Eileen: How did you research two important, but very different themes in the novel – obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and sled dog racing?

Natalie: Call it cheating if you wish, but I had done research on both of these topics previously; so part of the research was done and already in my brain. However, writing fiction and non-fiction requires different research. I found this especially true with the sled dog racing. Because the sport was so foreign to me, I wasn’t familiar with the jargon. I joined a Facebook group and made friends with mushers. It was through mushers that I learned the sport vs. from books. 1. There aren’t that many books about the sport; 2. I wanted authentic dialogue from my character who raced and owned sled dogs. Oh, and I also attended sled dog races—both ones in the Midwest (as portrayed in the book) and the Iditarod in Alaska. With the OCD, I had already done research, but I also live with OCD, so many of the character’s thoughts came from what I’ve experienced.

Eileen: Share something surprising that people don’t know about you.

Natalie: I am an insect fanatic. I’ve had pet cicadas, katydids, hissing cockroaches, and praying mantids. Or, for those who already know about my insect obsession, you may not know I was absolutely petrified of insects growing up.

Eileen: Where can readers and fans find you on social media?

Natalie: Connect with me here --

Website: www.natalierompella.com 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNatalieRompella/  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/natalierompella  and

Blogs: http://www.natalierompella.com/blog/   I also write for www.fromthemixedupfiles.com

Thank you, Natalie! We’ll announce one lucky winner who’ll receive a complimentary copy of her new book. Post a comment by following the Rafflecopter link below to be eligible for the drawing!

a Rafflecopter giveaway