Back to the Nonfiction Narrative

It’s been about 10 years since I’ve worked on a book-length manuscript. Now, those of you who’ve seen my web site or have heard one of my presentations may ask, “How can this be – you’ve published six books?” True. But only one of these books is what I consider a work of Narrative Nonfiction and that is Three Slovak Women.

The other books I’ve written were a departure from this genre. Baba’s Kitchen is a collection of recipes, Finding Your Slovak Ancestors is a how-to genealogy book, and my three books for Arcadia Publishing, Pittsburgh’s Immigrants, Slovak Pittsburgh, and Sports Memories of Western Pennsylvania, are mainly photographic histories with captions and brief introductions.

One of my current projects is a book–nonfiction. I am working with a co-author and we are trying to get this book finished one page at a time. It is both rewarding and frustrating to do this kind of writing again. The subject is a very complex and intriguing true story, and without giving the plot away, I’ll just say it has a lot of potential. Going back to my “writing roots” has been a bit intimidating. I find myself struggling to insert the best details, write believable dialogue, and include all of the relevant pieces of information in order to generate suspense and keep the narrative moving along. I also have to motivate myself to write. I have been setting small writing goals to start with – for example, writing at least one page a day – until I find my momentum. So far, it has been working.

So now, if you’ll excuse me I need to get back to the book.