Learn to be a Writer

Non-fiction author George Sullivan shares secret research tips.

When I studied Jamestown in school, I was amazed at how the settlement’s remains have still survived all these years, and how many people are still exploring this 17th century world today. That’s why, when I got the chance to speak with a writer who had explored that world, I couldn’t wait to talk to him.

Interviewing George Sullivan, the author of Pocahontas, gave me a lot of insight into what it’s like to be a writer. Sullivan has written a whole series of nonfiction books and has always preferred non-fiction.

“It answers questions I have,” Sullivan said about his research and writing. “I think that’s the reason I have always preferred nonfiction. It’s curiosity. That’s the basic motivation I have.”

Sullivan is dedicated to his work, and writes for three or four hours every day. Each night before going to bed, he prepares the material for what he is going to write the next day. That next day begins at 5 a.m.!

“I write very early in the morning, when my mind is fresh and when I know I’m not going to be interrupted by the telephone or visitors or whatever might occur during the day,” he said. “I do a great deal of work in the early morning hours.”

By great deal of work, he means four or five hours of writing before having breakfast with his wife.

Writing is all about the research, whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction. Since I have been faced with some pretty big research projects in school (and know there are more to come), I asked him about how he gets started on each book.

“You take the project and you break it into pieces,” he said. “You have an outline that breaks it down into different categories. Then you research each of these pieces, instead of trying to do everything all at once.”

He said it was  lot like putting together a puzzle.

At the end of my conversation with Mr. Sullivan, I realized that I had learned a lot from him about Pocahontas and what life was like in the 17th century. More than that, however, he gave me some great insight into what I might have to do to become a professional writer.

Now all I have to do is be organized enough to plan out what I am going to write the the next day, and remind my mom to wake me up at 5:00 in the morning.

—Maya Kandell

Adventures in Costa Rica

Monkeys and Sloths and Snakes, OH MY!

I'm standing on the beach watching a troop of white faced capuchin monkeys scamper across the sand, snatching fruit and bags of chips from people's beach towels before scrambling up trees with their treasures. One even went so far as to jump on my dad's back on its way to a new tree.

I can also see a boa constrictor coiled up in a tree behind us. And in the jungle, which is right on the beach, I can see as many sloths crawling around in the trees as there are monkeys dancing on the beach (which is maybe a little over a dozen). Yes, I am in Costa Rica, a small country in Central America with beaches on both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

While on my trip I learned a lot about the country and its animals. I learned that sloths climb down from their trees only once a week. They come down to go to the bathroom and then slowly climb back up the tree. There they begin the same cycle of chomping down leaves with painfully slow-moving jaws and sleeping for hours at a time with no particular schedule. After a week of this, they go back down to do their business.

I saw the most wildlife in the Manuel Antonio National Park, but animal sightings were not the only adventure I had!

A Thrilling Ride and a Close Encounter

Zip lining is another way to see the rain forests of Costa Rica. Zip lining is when you stand on a platform high above the ground, and a guide attaches you to a cable by a carabiner. Then he gives you a little push, and whoosh, you go sailing through the forest canopy at top speed, until you reach the next platform.

I was in a group of about 40 people and we zipped between 12 platforms. Every fourth platform was a rest platform. That meant that all 40 of us were on the platform at the same time!

On one rest platform, we got a poisonous surprise: a tiny, but deadly fer-de-lance was sleeping on the platform. Also known as a pit viper, if a fer-de-lance bit you, you would normally have no more than 20 minutes to live. I'm happy we made it out of that situation alive! I still have much more to say but that will have to wait for another time. Hope you enjoyed my blog AND your summer!

—Maya Kandell

PHOTOS: (TOP) White faced capuchin monkeys play in the trees near a beach in Costa Rica. (BOTTOM): Maya zips from one platform to another in a rain forest in Costa Rica. (Photos courtesy Maya Kandell)