Two years ago I started researching a dynamite true story. Since then I’ve spent an average of 20-25 hours a week working on the book. We’re almost done with the first draft and plan to launch it in November. Perhaps you know of a true story you’d like to write. Where do you begin? This article will take you along my journey from the idea stage to actual writing and share some issues you might need to consider in writing your own book.

The Idea

It started in the backseat of our car in December 2010. I listened while Steve Brennecke, our friend and administrator, a former lawyer, sat in the front seat with my husband, talking about old law stories. He began to talk about Mary Weaver, a godly Christian woman, who had provided childcare for an 11-month old baby. One day the baby quit breathing. Mary did CPR and called 911, but within a day the baby died. The autopsy revealed severe injuries that were inflicted 7 to 10 days before death. Some doctors believed the cause of death, however, was an acute injury, a shaking and perhaps a slam, that was inflicted just before the baby quit breathing. Mary was with the baby for forty-two minutes before the incident so they believed she must have caused it. In time Mary, though completely innocent, was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Of course that’s not the end of the story, but it shows you how it begins.

I sat in the backseat of our car in New Zealand thinking about this story that had taken place years before in Iowa. That’s a great story! I thought. I could write that story. I could sell that story. Shortly afterward I contacted Steve and asked if he’d be interested in writing Mary’s story with me. Steve called Mary and gained her permission on one condition: God must get the glory for the amazing things he did. This must not be a story to glorify Mary.  I didn’t argue with that.

Should I write a book about my story?

If you have a great true story that you’d like to put into book form and publish, here are some questions to consider:

• Is the story long enough and strong enough to make a good book? Anything shorter than 10,000 words is really too short for a book. Most published books are 75,000 words or longer.
• Do I have the writing ability necessary to craft a book that is strong enough to sell, or should I just write my story, copy it onto a CD, and give it to friends and family?
• Do I have enough documentation and information to make the story credible?
• Do I need to get permission from anyone to write this story? I never would have tried to write Mary’s story without her full approval.

Gathering Information

In March we returned to the States for furlough and I was able to interview Mary several times. As a fiction writer, I wanted our book to read like the best fiction of a similar genre. That meant searching for true elements that could be structured into a plotline like fiction. Before I met Mary I worked through a possible book outline in my mind so I knew some of the information I would need. I prepared for the interview with detailed questions that would lead Mary to reveal what I needed to know. I also conducted interviews with Steve, Mary’s daughter, and a supporter of Mary’s. I recorded all of them.

Besides the interviews I had a mountain of information to work with. This helped to convince me that we should proceed with the book. Marge Wolfe, a friend and supporter of Mary’s, had put together two scrapbooks of information. They included all of these things: newspaper articles and editorials from two newspapers throughout all three of Mary’s trials, agendas for the Mary Weaver Support Group, newsletters the group send out, news clips from the evening news on three channels about Mary’s case, interviews with Mary on two national talk shows, pictures of supporters marching in the Oktemberfest parade, and a video of Mary’s pre-trial release. As Mary’s lawyer, Steve was able to provide many of the transcripts from Mary’s three trials along with transcripts of depositions, hearings, and police interviews. This information allowed us to check details and quote directly from testimonies given during trials. An extensive article in the LA Times related to Mary’s story also allowed us to give greater credibility to Mary’s story and its part in the shaken baby syndrome controversy.

Mary’s story needed careful documentation, but some other stories don’t. If you were writing the life story of a person growing up during the depression, for instance, you might be able to rely on that person’s memory. You could get details about the time period from the internet. Since you probably wouldn’t be writing anything controversial you wouldn’t need legal protection. You could simply change the names of anyone who might not want their part in the story told.

Fact or Fiction

One of the early decisions we had to make was whether to write the book as the true story it was or to write it as fiction-based-on-fact. Mary’s case, of necessity, points out flaws in the legal system. While Mary didn’t hurt the baby, someone did inflict lethal injuries. We were concerned about legal issues. We learned that you can be sued for writing fiction that conforms too closely to a factual situation. We were actually safer legally to write the story as fact.

Literary License

We actually preferred writing the true story, but that left us with other issues. Mary’s story happened between 1993 and 1997.  How could Steve and Mary remember details from incidents that happened some fifteen years earlier? I didn’t want the story to read like a newspaper. I wanted to use fiction techniques so that the reader could get caught up in the story as if he were there. It would be impossible to remember every conversation, gestures, movements, descriptions and details that make the story come alive. So we decided that we would make the story as factual as possible, keeping the scenes true to basic facts and spirit, but making up small details and conversations to convey the story. We would let the reader know what we were doing.

Slander

Our major legal concern was being sued, but we knew we had to hold ourselves to a higher standard. As Christians we didn’t want to be guilty of slander. Mary’s story involves someone who inflicted lethal blows to a baby and covered it up. It shows that doctors and police investigators cut corners to get a conviction. You can’t tell her story without showing that. What could we do?

When we shared derogatory information about someone we made sure it was true and could be proven by court records or articles. We did not paint characters as blackly as we could, but only shared information that we felt was necessary to tell Mary’s story. When people appeared in an unfavourable light we tried to show their side of the story fairly. This meant pointing out that we didn’t know who killed the baby. We show that investigators and doctors were motivated by a desire to wipe out child abuse. We try not to share derogatory information that the reader wouldn’t know if he was simply reading the newspaper in Iowa in the 1990’s.

Organising Information

In the seven months following my original interview with Mary, my husband and I travelled 25,000 miles across much of the United States. Art drove and I organized. First I photocopied almost everything in the two photograph albums. I read articles and underlined pertinent information. I made notes on the recorded interviews so that I could find information when I needed it. I carried a file box with folders and filed articles, letters, agendas, and editorials according to the subject matter or part of the book they pertained to.

Then I used the information to plan the structure of the book. I read Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell to help me think about plugging the information I had into the most effective placement in the book. Unlike fiction, I couldn’t make up stuff to make the book stronger, but I could use the information we had to best advantage. Once I had an outline for the book I had a much better idea of what further information I needed and how to organize the information to be able to find it when needed.

About seven months after that first interview with Mary, my husband and I flew back to our home in New Zealand and I could begin the fun part—the actual writing process.

Are you thinking about writing a true story in book form? You are welcome to share a paragraph about your story here. What do you think your biggest obstacles will be?

I am getting ready to do something I never thought I would do—self-publish a book. Two books, actually. As I have explained in my article “Book Publishing Options,” this has become a much more viable option than it used to be.

For one thing, anyone who wants to publish a book can do it. That does not mean that everyone who can write a book and have it published ought to. You might fork over a thousand dollars or so and have your book published, but will you be able to sell it? Here are some situations when self-publication may be a good option.

 1. You just want to publish your book, in spite of the cost, even if you have to give the books away.

Maybe you want to write your story and give it to your family. Actually, if you look around, you could find a way to publish it for far less than a thousand dollars if you want a basic book that is attractive but doesn’t have to sell well. Just remember, unless your story is exceptionally compelling and very well written; and unless you’re prepared to promote it, you won’t have a lot of strangers buying your book.

2. You have an outlet where you can continually sell your book year after year.

If you are a well-known speaker you could sell your book at the back of the room when you have speaking engagements. Or maybe you have a business in which you can promote your book successfully. If you produce a book which links with your speaking topic or business, you may be able to sell it successfully from those outlets.

I live in Invercargill, New Zealand, which isn’t the end of the world, but isn’t too far from it. People in this Southland region are very loyal to their region. A variety of children’s books have been written that feature animals or vehicles or items of interest for Southland. They have strong local interest, but are of little interest elsewhere in the world. This kind of book is a good candidate for self-publication.

3. You have already established yourself as an author and you know how to promote your book.

Maybe you’ve already sold books through traditional publishers, but are finding it hard to sell it to a publisher in a tighter market. Or maybe your books are selling and you want to make more royalties on your next book. You’ve set up a website and a blog and are using a number of social websites. You will have to work hard to sell your book, but you may sell well if you are prepared to do that.

4. You have a book with special appeal that gives unique opportunities for promotion.

After two years I am close to finishing the first draft of an amazing true story. In 1993 Mary Weaver was providing childcare for an 18-month-old baby when the girl’s eyes rolled back and she quit breathing. Mary called 911 and performed CPR, but within a day, the baby died. The girl was found to have massive head injuries. Mary, a godly Christian woman who had never hurt the baby, was accused of first degree murder.

This story ripped the town of Marshalltown, Iowa down the center. It became widely known across Iowa as a miscarriage of justice that could happen to anyone. Mary and her lawyer went through difficult days, but saw God work in ways that rippled out far past Mary’s own story.

When I tried to pitch this book to mainstream traditional publishers they all said the same thing. The book would be too hard to sell. Mary is not a celebrity and it happened too long ago.

True stories are often hard to sell. Readers often tire of “pain and suffering stories.”  Stories like Joni Eareckson Tada’s are the exception rather than the rule. So if I can’t get a traditional publisher interested in my book, why am I willing to take a chance on self- publication?

During our last furlough in the States many people asked what I was working on. As I gave a few- minutes summary of Mary’s story I found people’s eyes light with interest. They wanted to know more. In a few cases, people quizzed me at length about her case.

I am co-writing Mary’s story with her lawyer, Steve Brennecke. This book gives a personal look into their faith journey through exceptionally dark days. Where was God when this gross miscarriage of justice occurred? We know this book will raise questions by readers. They will want answers for their own questions. We want to encourage them toward greater faith. In fact, we plan to publish a companion Bible study book that shows how Bible characters survived the spiritual disasters they faced. We believe this uplifting story can encourage others as it has encouraged us. Most of all, we want to give glory to God by showing how he worked in this difficult case. If we can do that, we will have succeeded.

We also believe Mary’s story has strong regional interest in Iowa. Mary had a large support group and her case had great media support. Her story evolved over a period of about four years in which the drama was replayed over major Iowa news media. Her case had lasting effects which eventually drew attention from People magazine, two national news programs, and the LA Times.

Since this story is a true one with strong local interest, we believe it lends itself to many kinds of book promotion. We can’t guarantee that we’ll make much money, even any money, on this monumental project, but we feel the Lord leading us forward in a number of ways. At least with self-publication we can publish the book. We will do our part and leave the rest in the Lord’s hands.

You can follow our journey to self-publication by following my blog. From time to time I intend to comment about this process.

As a writer, I need to understand book publishing options, target audiences, and various means of promotion to know make good decisions about publishing my book. As a Christian I need to follow the Lord’s leading. Gaining more information and looking into various opportunities allows the Lord to lead me more effectively.

For those of you with a book in your heart and confusion in your brain, may you find the direction you need today.