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SCBWI Golden Kite Award Winner Candace Fleming writes nonfiction and fiction (more than 40 books!). Most of her nonfiction is historical YA, but she has recently taking a foray into science picture book nonfiction. How is writing nonfiction different from writing fiction? Candace says, "I always think of everything I write in terms of cake. As a writer it's my job to create a cake that all of you want to gobble up in three minutes. When I write fiction I get to buy all the ingredients I want to put in a cake that I pick out myself, like coconut and chocolate chips and maple syrup. When I write nonfiction the goal is exactly the same, but I didn't get to go to the grocery store, I have to use the ingredients my partner Eric brings home, like flax seed and pepto bismol, and find a way to make that into a gobble-able cake." What's your favorite part of writing nonfiction?  The biggest part of nonfiction is figuring out how to take all the research you do and turn it...

Candace Fleming Candace Fleming is the author of many wonderful nonfiction books for young readers about a wide range of subjects, from the family Romanov to giant squids. She talked to us about six things she does when she's approaching her own revisio ns. There are six steps she takes: 1) What's the vital idea? I f you cannot express what the vital idea of your picture book is, then you need to rethink it. She has an idea before she writes, one that comes from the research. But if she can't express it after the first draft, she knows she has more thinking to do. Does everything in the manuscript speak to the vital idea? If it does not, it has to go. She's amazed by what can go from a first draft of a manuscript when viewed through this lens. Some questions to ask yourself: What is your story really about? What's your concept? What's the idea? What is the "something more"? For example: giant squid are fascinating. But what does she really want to say ...

Moderated by Melissa Stewart (at podium), the panelists are (left to right): Deborah Heiligman, Barbara Kerley, Jason Chin, and Candace Fleming. Melissa starts out and explains the difference between expository and narrative nonfiction, and shows us statistics that highlight the difference between what the adult gatekeepers prefer (narrative, by far), and how children actually prefer expository nonfiction! The panel dives into questions about theme, styles, process, the difference between writing fiction and nonfiction, and so much more. Check out the individual posts on each panelist to come!