Non-fiction Picture Book. Yikes!

This year for NaPiBoWriWee I am going to attempt to do something I have never done before - Write a non-fiction picture book. Yikes!

Just saying it out loud makes me want to run the other way. I don't know where to begin.

Well, I guess first I need to decided what the non-fiction picture book is going to be about. In this case it is who it is going to be about. I have two personalities I would like to write about who I have a connection to.

Next, I need to search the Internet and see if it's 'been done.' Even if it has 'been done' I need to decide if I can put a different spin on the book or if I should abandon the idea altogether. Fortunately, before I got too far into this I did a quick search on Amazon and discover one of my ideas has 'been done' and maybe even 'over done.' There appears to be at least 72 children's books about Buffalo Bill Cody (I wanted to write about him because I'm somehow related to him.) My other idea seems to be fresh. And, while searching, I came up with another personality I could write about so I'm jotting it down for later.

Ok, now, I will need to do a little research to get the facts. I hope this week I can find time to get the facts because NaPiBoWriWee starts next week!!

I also plan to search the site of my author friend Paula Yoo http://paulayoo.com/ (founder of NaPiBoWriWee) She has written two non-fiction picture books: SHINING STAR: THE ANNA MAY WONG STORY and Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds - The Sammy Lee Story. Her site has a forum area where she (and other authors) will answer your questions.

As I learn more about writing a non-fiction picture book I will share it with you here.