PLANET OCEAN: WHY WE ALL NEED A HEALTHY OCEAN written by Patricia Newman
I’ve always been fascinated by the ocean. It’s hard not to be...the oceans hold about 96.5% of all Earth's water.
No biggie, right?
PLANET OCEAN: WHY WE ALL NEED A HEALTHY OCEAN is Patricia Newman’s newest book with the beautiful photography of Annie Crawley.
It’s not every day an Academy Award winner gives a blurb for a book… so when that happens, you know it’s special. As Jeff Bridges wrote in his blurb: “Books like this one help lead the way to a better climate future for all inhabitants of Mother Earth. We are all in this together!”
I’m absolutely delighted that Patricia was willing to share her writing and revision journey.
Thank you for your time, Patricia! Can you share the story behind your story? What sparked your story concept?
After working together on PLASTIC, AHOY! INVESTIGATING THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH, Annie Crawley and I became friends and looked for new ways to work together. We traveled to three zoos together for ZOO SCIENTISTS TO THE RESCUE to focus on how zoos help land-based endangered species.
During those trips, I remember talking about an ocean book in vague terms. As time went on, we knew we had to focus on why the ocean is so important to us -- humans.
It is absolutely important! How long did it take from idea to book?
Hmmm, I’d have to guess three or so years.
What was your revision timeline?
September 2018: I traveled to Seattle to meet with Annie and discuss some ideas for the book. We also interviewed a few scientists, some in person and some by phone, and made a list of others Annie would meet when she visited the Arctic and Indonesia.
When I returned home, I began working on the proposal (all of my middle-grade nonfiction sells on proposal).
November 2018: I sent the completed proposal to my editor, Carol Hinz at Millbrook Press.
January 2019: I made some modifications to the proposal before Carol took it to the acquisitions committee.
February 2019: I received my offer memo
February 2019 to September 2019: I wrote several drafts of the manuscript
September 2019: I delivered a completed manuscript. Annie began to pull photos to match the text and I continued to add and revise through the editorial process.
October 2019: Editorial emails began
January 2020: We added QR code videos to our plate, determining how many we would have and where they would appear. Annie and I got busy writing scripts and pulling video clips.
April 2020: Carol shared our first layout with us -- always exciting because for the first time photographs and text are joined together.
July 2020: We found out our fall launch would be delayed because of the pandemic. We used the extra time to put our heads together with the Planet Ocean team at Millbrook Press/Lerner to examine every line and every caption. In several marathon phone and FaceTime sessions (6-hours plus each!), Annie and I went through every photo to make sure it was the best possible choice.
September 2020: Final copy signed off!
Very cool, especially because you had to find the perfect flow of the words with the photos. What was the hardest part of revising?
Explaining the science. I write about topics such as ocean acidification and climate change in terms middle-grade readers will not only understand, but will relate to. As revisions occur, inaccuracies are introduced, so I always had to return to the basics to be sure what I was saying was correct.
Annie (R) giving Patricia diving lessons so she’d write Planet Ocean with an underwater perspective
As you’re writing, did you have an ‘ah-ha!’ moment with your manuscript during the revision process?
One ‘ah-ha’ moment came during the planning process. Annie and I wanted to show readers that the ocean’s story is our story. Rather than share a bunch of scientific facts, we opted to share the stories of many Indigenous peoples and how climate change and pollution have changed the sea on which they base their livelihood.
All of the people we interviewed in the book have some connection to us. Their stories helped make Planet Ocean more personal and relatable.
Another ‘ah-ha’ moment came when we decided to use Annie as a character in the book.
Annie at work with a baby humpback whale
With nearly 30 years of diving experience and her Dive Team of kids and teens, she became a natural guide, mentor, and influencer.
Two of Annie’s Dive Team kids photographing a shark with a GoPro
Her words inspire readers throughout the book.
That is amazing! Do you have advice for other writers? Are there any resources you would recommend to help with the revision process?
The revision process is unique to every writer. Mine is quite messy, but I’ve found that if I trust myself enough to mute my internal editor and get a first revision down, I can usually spot many of the flaws while revising.
I also have four trusted, well-read critique partners and I listen to the questions they have. I figure if they have questions, so will a fourth grader!
And for the readers that are eager to see how this story evolved, here are the opening lines from Patricia’s first draft in February 2019:
What pops into our minds when we hear the word ocean? Perhaps we think of sharks, coral reefs, and whales. Or maybe we think of breaking waves, sandy beaches, and shells. We all see the ocean through the lens of our own personal experiences--what we’ve read or seen on TV and the places we’ve visited.
The maps we’ve seen in books have different names for the oceans. Atlantic. Pacific. Arctic. Indian. Southern. But these oceans are part of one BIG ocean—the world’s ocean—most of which is unexplored. Here’s a crazy fact: outer space has been explored more than our ocean! Also, those world maps on the walls of our classrooms haven’t been telling us the whole truth. Earth is about 70% ocean and 30% land, but most maps make the land look larger than the ocean.
And the final words, with a note from Patricia:
I have such trouble with openings and often rewrite them many, many times, so I was overjoyed when the basic idea of this opening weathered my critique group and my editor. Notice how much tighter it is too!
What pops into your mind when you hear the word ocean? Sharks? Rolling waves? Seagulls? Or maybe salt water, kelp, or coral?
We’ve all seen the five “oceans” on world maps, but the maps haven’t been telling us the whole truth. The truth is we have only one ocean. It’s all connected. And most maps make the ocean look smaller than the land. Planet Earth is actually about 70 percent ocean and only 30 percent land. A better name for it would be Planet Ocean.
As a special bonus, take a look at the book trailer for PLANET OCEAN: WHY WE ALL NEED A HEALTHY OCEAN!
You can purchase the book wherever books are sold, like Bookshop or the publisher, Lerner Books.
Make sure to follow Patricia on Twitter (@PatriciaNewman), Facebook, Pinterest or follower latest updates on her website.
Thank you, Patricia!
I’m sure many people are ready to dive right in!