Behind the Curtain: My Research Process on Short Videos

 It is a strange thing to write long nonfiction books. 

I am working on my next nonfiction book with the working title of

BURIED LIVES: GEORGE WASHINGTON’S SLAVES.  

Holiday House will publish this book with the projected release date fall 2017. 

By the time the finished book comes out and I’m invited to speak at schools or conferences, the work is over.  I love talking about the book then.  But when I’d really love to tell people all about it is when I’m in the middle of the research and writing of it.  That is when the thrill of discovery is new and exciting for me.  In some ways, that is when the most interesting things happen. 

I work hardest while doing original research and trying to figure out how to tell this very complicated story.   Every day, I follow leads and piece together bits of information that help me tell it.  Most of the details I learn along the way do not end up in the book.  But they are fascinating details. 

I suspect this is the time that classroom teachers could use my experiences to teach research and writing.   For this book, I decided that I would make very short videos to talk about some of these details. 

Below you can view my two short videos.  (If you can't see the video below, go to Oney Judge Meets Miss Langdon )

(If you can't see the video below, go to Oney Judge Sails From Philadelphia )

Carla Killough McClafferty