Write a NF Book in Just 3 Weeks: Week 1

MONDAY, our first day

SET UP YOUR RESEARCH CENTER

The fun part about setting up your research center is that you get to be as creative with this as you want or your circumstances provide. Sometimes I make a portable research center and put my research books in tote bags to I can carry them wherever I plan to work. Sometimes I spread everything out on a 6-foot folding table I set up in our guest room. Sometimes I set up my research center on a shelf on the bookcase next to my desk. (CLICK HERE to read a funny post about one of our cats and his research center.)

For this time, I stacked my books on the top shelf of my desk. I had cleared it off recently and it was looking a little lonely, so now it’s filled with a couple piles of exciting books on my topic.

So have fun setting up your research center, too! Not only is it a lot of fun to see this all put together, it will help us focus and stay organized for the next three weeks.

RESEARCH 1 HOUR

After you’ve got your research center all set up, choose a book or two, and start reading! As you’re reading, focus on the goal of narrowing your topic. In other words, search for one gold nugget about your topic that you want to focus on. You want it to be a fresh and unique angle on your broad topic that also has great kid-appeal and will be of interest in today’s market, especially for a beginning reader you plan to submit to Kaeden Books. Jot down ideas as you research.

NARROW YOUR TOPIC

Now it’s time to actually choose one narrow topic to write about. If you have questions about that, just let me know!

(Follow the next 3 weeks of posts for more tips on how to use our calendar and write a brand new nonfiction early reader picture book in just 3 weeks.)

Filed under: Beginning Readers, Nonfiction, Picture Books