
In my three decades as a proÂfesÂsionÂal author, I’ve writÂten about many intriguÂing, accomÂplished peoÂple: the Wyeth famÂiÂly of artists, painter GeorÂgia O’Keeffe, aboÂliÂtionÂist LucreÂtia Mott, author Peter Mark Roget, poets William CarÂlos Williams and MarÂiÂanne Moore, self-taught artist Horace PipÂpin, invenÂtor Louis Braille, and most recentÂly Pulitzer Prize-winÂning playÂwright August WilÂson. In every case, I’ve focused my research on the words and the work of the subÂject themÂselves and have creÂatÂed what I hope are poetÂic and accesÂsiÂble books about these imporÂtant men and women for young readers.
When I choose a bioÂgraphÂiÂcal topÂic (or rather, when the topÂic choosÂes ME, as it more often seems to do!) it’s because I’m fasÂciÂnatÂed about the details of the person’s life, their strugÂgles, triÂumphs, disÂcovÂerÂies, and, yes, their failÂures. FasÂciÂnatÂed to the point of obsesÂsion, which is a GOOD thing, because all of these peoÂple have BIG lives which require months and months of research to comÂpreÂhend. They have friends, famÂiÂlies, pets, colÂleagues, jobs, and schools. Many of them excel in mulÂtiÂple fields. The TheÂsaurus author Peter Mark Roget, for examÂple, was a physiÂcian, a pubÂlic health advoÂcate, a mathÂeÂmatiÂcian (he inventÂed a slide rule and a portable chess set), an expert in optics and botany. The blind invenÂtor Louis Braille was a giftÂed organÂist who was hired by some of the largest churchÂes in Paris. GeorÂgia O’Keeffe held teachÂing posiÂtions in varÂiÂous schools before she found her spirÂiÂtuÂal home in the desert of New Mexico.
But you won’t find most of those details in the books I wrote. In researchÂing every life stoÂry, there are inevitably dozens of peoÂple, events, and achieveÂments that must be left out. That is hard! When an author uncovÂers an interÂestÂing tidÂbit or an as-of-yet-unknown aspect of her subject’s life, her impulse is to write it all down and disÂplay it like a shiny object on the long shelf of the book’s narrative.
HowÂevÂer … part of being a picÂture book biogÂraÂphÂer is zeroÂing in on just one or two threads of the subject’s life, and twistÂing them togethÂer in a lyriÂcal way so that young readÂers get a clear, sharp sense of the perÂson. Too many details mudÂdy the waters, and thereÂfore it’s not uncomÂmon for chunks of careÂfulÂly researched and writÂten text to be left out of the final manÂuÂscript (but often these CAN be includÂed, albeit in a less lyriÂcal way, in the back matÂter of the book.)
One good examÂple is a scene I wrote into the narÂraÂtive of The Right Word: Roget and his TheÂsaurus (EerdÂmans, 2014, illusÂtratÂed by MelisÂsa Sweet). When Peter Roget gradÂuÂatÂed medÂical school, he was only 17 years old — too young to become a proÂfesÂsionÂal docÂtor. He needÂed to fill a few years with othÂer activÂiÂties while he matured. So he took a posiÂtion as a lanÂguage and litÂerÂaÂture tutor to two teenage sons of a wealthy ScotÂtish busiÂnessÂman. Roget’s job was to travÂel with them through France and SwitzerÂland, helpÂing them to learn the cusÂtoms, lanÂguages, geogÂraÂphy, etc.
This sounds like a lot of fun, but it was also the time of the NapoleonÂic Wars between France and EngÂland, and Roget’s age and nationÂalÂiÂty made him vulÂnerÂaÂble to capÂture and conÂscripÂtion. At one point, Roget and his young charges were trapped in a manÂsion in SwitzerÂland, with no apparÂent way to escape. With the help of a flirÂtaÂtious and well-conÂnectÂed Swiss countÂess, Roget and the boys were able to travÂel at night, disÂguised, through the city where they were stayÂing and on into GerÂmany, where they caught a ship and sailed safeÂly back to the U.K.
Fun stuff to research and to write about — and it cerÂtainÂly would have been a LOT of fun for MelisÂsa Sweet to illusÂtrate! The probÂlem was that it just didn’t move the cenÂter of the stoÂry forÂward in any helpÂful way, a fact that was pointÂed out to me by EBYR ediÂtor KathÂleen Merz. She was absoluteÂly right. The threads of the Roget narÂraÂtive were all about LANGUAGE — how it could be colÂlectÂed, savored, shared and used by anyÂone everyÂwhere, and how a shy, obsesÂsive young man made it his misÂsion to try and catÂaÂlogue lanÂguage and ideas in a sinÂgle, pracÂtiÂcal book. This scene was a side advenÂture, and despite its draÂmatÂic details, was an unnecÂesÂsary part of the text. We took it out (but it is notÂed in the timeÂline in the back matÂter) and that deciÂsion made the final book betÂter than it would have been otherwise.
With my latÂest book, I want kids to learn about, and to love, August WilÂson. That’s my goal.
There is so much that gets left out, and yet all of that othÂer research informs the book someÂhow and makes it richÂer: he had oldÂer sisÂters and younger brothÂers, and friends and roomÂmates, he joined the Army for a while, he had a deep father-son-like friendÂship with direcÂtor Lloyd Richards, he was marÂried three times and had two daughÂters—all of that will be includÂed, I’m sure, in a comÂpreÂhenÂsive adult biogÂraÂphy of August WilÂson. I believe a theÂater critÂic is workÂing on one to be pubÂlished in the future.
And much of that is listÂed in the back matÂter of my book, but it’s not the focus. The focus is on how did FredÂdy find his voice, and how did he teach himÂself to write plays.
So — I’m comÂing from it through my own love of lanÂguage, my own curiosÂiÂty about the creÂative process. This is what I’ve done with sevÂen othÂer picÂture book biograÂphies (O’Keeffe, MesÂsiÂaen, Moore, William CarÂlos Williams, PipÂpin, Roget, Braille, about creÂative peoÂple and one novÂel (Pieces of GeorÂgia).
It’s good to hear from a pro about someÂthing I’ve just startÂed doing (PB biograÂphies). Thank you.
Jen, so interÂestÂing to here these backÂground stoÂries to your writÂing process. Your books are wonÂderÂful avenues into fasÂciÂnatÂing lives!
Thank you, Jen ~ so well explained. (PS the nonÂficÂtion panÂel you were on at USIBBY in Austin was the standÂout of the conÂferÂence for me);
Oops…I meant USBBY /IBBY