As surprising as it may sound, I often begin my research for a non-fiction story with no more than a vague idea of what I want to write about. I go through as much information as possible, usually ending up with my desk and coffee table covered with books and printouts from the internet.

Scouting the Terrain

The first thing I want to know is if there is even enough information available to write an article on my subject of interest. I usually find more than enough, so the next thing I want to do is uncover the most recent, most unusual, most important - even the most controversial - aspect or angle to focus on. Eventually some word, event, phrase or quotation will jump out of the page or the computer screen at me, or a question will pop into my mind and I'll say, "That's it! That's what I want to write about!" I have found the focus for my story. Then I go back to research mode. I may use any combination of the following in my search for further information:

• Books (primary sources if possible).
• Magazines, newspapers and scientific journals, recent and archived.
• Almanacs.
• Science or sports programs, biographies and documentaries on television or DVD.
• Brochures from museums, zoos, historical sites or other places of interest.
• Internet data bases such as Google, Yahoo or Alta Vista. Since I speak French, I look at French language sites in search of something I haven't seen printed in English.
• Printed research guides such as Jeff Lenburg's THE FACTS ON FILE: GUIDE TO RESEARCH.
• Knowledgeable experts.
• My own personal experience.

Getting Specific

The pile of books and papers on my desk gradually dwindles as I zero in on my topic. I make notes, tag book pages with post-its, highlight sections of printed out internet pages and copy-paste others into a file in my computer. I type key words into my search engine and do further research on the internet. My narrowing down process might go something like this:

Horses: English riding, jumping, teaching a horse to jump, step 1: jumping at a trot. My article will tell young riders how to teach their horses to jump safely at the trot.
OR
UFOs: historical, known texts and artwork, Europe, before 1900. This story will focus on historical material about UFO sightings made in Europe before the year 1900.
OR
How to get published: where to look to find markets, go for publication rather than money, new or local magazines. My article will help new writers in their search for somewhere to submit their work.

In each case, I started with a very broad subject and narrowed it down to something very specific I can summarize in a couple of sentences. Each article was subsequently published - the third one right here on the ICL website!

Outlining

Once I have found the focus for my piece and I've collected the material I want to use, I write an outline. Actually, my first outline is usually scribbled in a notebook where I can add things between lines and in the margins. It looks totally chaotic, but for some reason it helps me get my thoughts in order! Then I go to the computer and start my first draft.

The Writing Begins

I want to write a great opening that leads my reader right into the heart of my topic. I might use a quotation or the findings from a recent scientific study, or something from a personal experience in my past.

Next, I want to develop the main focus of my story. I double and even triple check all of my information - it should be relevant, accurate and objective. I try to combine everything I have gathered into a cohesive text. I may decide to proceed in chronological order or the reverse, by order of importance, or something else. If my article is something of a "how to," I want to be sure I proceed step by step in a logical fashion. I definitely want to avoid just making a boring list of facts. I try to use three examples of the points I want to make.

Somewhere along the line, I start thinking about a title. Sometimes it comes to me right at the beginning, right out of the blue. Other times, I really have to wrack my brain to come up with something that presents my topic in a unique and interesting way.

Once I have accomplished what I want with my piece and made sure I haven't left anything out, I move on to the conclusion. Not only do I want my conclusion to wrap up any loose ends, but I hope it will tweak my readers' interest so much that they will want to read more about the subject.

Revision

After my first draft is completed (and maybe even before that), I revise. Then I revise again. And again. And again. I get out my dictionary and my thesaurus, or THE FACTS ON FILE: DESCRIPTIONARY by Marc McCutcheon to find the perfect word for what I mean to say. I want to make sure everything in my article coincides with my intended focus. I correct any spelling or grammatical errors that I may have overlooked previously, and I make sure my language and tone are geared to the age level and ability of my readers. If I have any doubts, I'll use the Flesch Reading Scale, or the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Scale - available on most word processing programs - or the CHILDREN'S WRITER'S WORD BOOK by Alijandra Mogilner. I also do a word count. The best story in the world will end up in the slush pile if it is more than a few words under the minimum or over the maximum words allowed.

Then I put my piece away for a few days or even weeks. I dust it off from time to time, change a word here, add or take away a sentence there. I may even do some more research, zeroing in on the one detail that has been nagging at me.

Finally, I make sure I include a bibliography of the sources I have used. Some publishers will print it at the end of my article. Others won't, but I know they will still want to know where I got my information. More importantly, I will have my sources handy the next time I need them.