How do you make your non-fiction story come to life?

Many authors ponder about how to make the fiction stories appealing to children. What about non-fiction? Sometimes when people think of factual stories or articles they immediately think "bor-ing." But there are things you can do to make your non-fiction story or article memorable. Here are some ideas:

• Create an opening that is fun and interesting: Children are generally not known for patience, especially when it comes to reading a story. If you don't win them over in the first paragraph, you've lost the battle. One way to capture their attention is to start with a little known fact. You might mention that Benjamin Franklin was one of seventeen children! Imagine what an adventure it must have been for his parents just to gather them together at each meal. I wonder if they had food fights.
• Ask a question: You might ask a question, such as "What happened to Wilma Rudolph when she was small? Then you could discuss the fact that she had polio and Scarlet Fever when she was young. Isn't it amazing that she became an Olympic track star?
• Sprinkle anecdotes here and there: See if you can find bits of generally obscure antidotes to scatter throughout your story. For example, everyone knows that George Washington was our first president. but do you realize that he was passionate about table manners? He wrote several books about manners. Most people are aware that Thomas Edison was a renowned inventor. But do they know he loved to read? Do most children remember that Teddy Roosevelt was passionate about Science and he read constantly while he was recovering from bouts with Asthma?

Now you have some new ideas on how to make your non-fiction article or story remarkable.
(c) Deanie Humphrys-Dunne (2013)