Kiki
asked
Kate Moore:
Hi Kate! How do you organize all your research to write in story format? I am absolutely ASTOUNDED at your books. Truly masterpieces! I just finished The Woman They Could Not Silence and I am in total awe. Having actual quotes from each person and then putting it into a story that is enjoyable has to be quite the feat! Thank you for your hard work!
Kate Moore
Wow, Kiki, thank you!! What an amazing message to receive! I have to say, I am a total planner when it comes to my books (I think you have to be when writing non-fiction). My method is to do all my research first before I write a word of the book. And I am a total geek about indexing it all. Each source has its own bespoke code (e.g. LC101 for a document from the Library of Congress). As I research, I plot any gems (a quotation, a fact, a date or whatever) into a table I've created which forms a chronological timeline for the book, listing its source alongside it. As you can imagine, a source like a court testimony may crop up multiple times in the timeline - e.g. Katherine Schaub describing her first day at work (entered in the 1917 section of timeline), her cousin dying (July 1923) or when she herself falls ill (November 1923). I fill this timeline with everything I've discovered. Once I've finished my research, I go through it all again and craft a blueprint for writing the book, which is almost paragraph by paragraph in places and includes likely chapter breaks etc. The blueprint is different from the timeline as it will include the structuring of things like reveals! Only after that's completed do I start writing. And then my indexing comes into its own, because I can lay my hands on the exact quotation I want to insert into the narrative within seconds. And it makes those thousands and thousands of pages of research instantly accessible and usable. I hope that overview answers your question! Thank you so much for reading and for your kind words. Your message has made my day. Kate x
More Answered Questions
Roxie
asked
Kate Moore:
I often wonder when, and if, there is a moment that a story starts telling itself; as though you are but a channel. The lives of these girls were so horribly shortened by the actions of the company for which they diligently worked. The owners were so cavalier; so devious to establish their own health workers. Does it feel as though the girls spoke through you? Wonderful book, btw
Marlene Zehner
asked
Kate Moore:
I don't have a question? Bbut I just wanted to say how much I appreciate it that you wrote The Radium Girls. I found it a fascinating read in my parent's generation and those girls came alive for me. My fascination with the book was the way you showed each girl as a human being. I continue to pray for them every day since you told me their story. Thank you.
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