How to Write History

...or at least, how I write it

I grew up a block from the library. When I earned enough money from my many babysitting jobs as a teenager, I bought a subscription to Newsweek. I once wrote a paper called “The History of Denmark” for fun when I was 14, sloppily scrawling it in my loopy pseudo-cursive, before giving it to my mom “to look over.”

Look over for what? You might ask.

I’ll tell you. I don’t know.

So in early 2021, when I started getting emails from book editors and prospective literary agents, I jumped at the chance to join what I have always viewed as THE club of clubs: published author.

On September 24th, my first book baby, The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, will be born. Much like the final month of pregnancy, I am staring down the barrel of the next four weeks both tremendously excited and deeply anxious for what is to come. 

As I’ve done interviews in preparation for this book launch, a question I’m frequently asked is, “How did you come up with this idea?” And I usually answer with the truth, that these are the stories I love to tell the most, the kinds of stories I am good at telling. The stories of people who did something extraordinary but whose name doesn’t emblazon a wing at a museum.

But the truth is that this isn’t the first book idea I had. What you’re going to see on the shelves on September 24th doesn’t even remotely resemble the first pen to paper attempts I sent to my editor.

And actually, it’s a book no one in publishing really asked for. Before The Small and the Mighty, I received offers from multiple other publishers for different ideas. Most of them had excellent projections for what would be successful at their imprint, and they prepared pitches for why I should choose them to be my publishing partner.

Some had full slide decks. Others had possible titles and cover mockups. They were all impressive. They ranged from a book about how government works with a humorous slant illustrated with my terrible drawings, to a memoir about my life experiences, to a big idea book about how to stop hating your neighbor even when they have absolutely terrible yard signs.

(Or in my case, flags. I have a neighbor with truly horrible flags in his yard that he frequently changes out. A recent version had the F word on it, quite visible from the street as the school buses roll past.)

Before accepting any publishing offers, I wanted to obtain an agent, and met with many – some at small boutique businesses and others at the largest talent agencies in the world. I ultimately settled on an agent who is extremely picky about the clients he represents, and who basically only agreed to meet with me because one of my friends who is represented by him asked him to.  We hit it off immediately.

My initial attempts at writing history were laughable – full of wild tangents and asides that were perhaps funny only to me. It was the writing equivalent of telling someone a story about how you got fired from your job, but before you get to the key moments of the tragic event, you first veer off course and spend 15 minutes talking about how you recently tried a new shampoo and the shampoo is really good and you washed your hair before going to work that day, and oh yeah, that’s right, you got fired. 

How do you write history that is interesting? This was the question I asked myself every day. How do you make it full of facts but not full of boredom? “I want a Target shopper to be able to pick this book up and feel like they immediately need to keep reading,” I said.

I knew that the reader could not get bogged down in a million names to remember and dates to memorize and the retelling of what agreement was signed at which summit meeting. It could not read like a list of facts strung together with “Howevers,” “Neverthelesses,” and “Furthermores.”

And yet. I have an allegiance to the facts. Threading this needle is perhaps the most difficult thing for any narrative nonfiction writer: how do you make the truth interesting while telling… the truth?

I decided to make myself the narrator, or guide, if you will. While the story is told in third person, I am also a character in the book, popping up here to answer a question you’re probably wondering about, ducking my head in the door there to make a Friends reference, driving by with a passenger seat full of tomatoes to throw every time Andrew Jackson, my least favorite president, makes an appearance. 

This grounds the narrative in the present. It feels like a friend telling you a story you can’t wait to hear the ending of, rather than a stuffy black and white movie.

Before the manuscript went to print, I asked some authors and historians I respected to read the book. I was so honored when they wrote back with helpful suggestions and offers to write an endorsement for the book.

Here is what one said:

"Sharon McMahon is not only America's government teacher but also an everyday truth-telling historian whose storytelling abilities will leave you in awe. Her meticulous attention to detail brings to light untold histories, keeping you frantically turning the page. These revelations provide a roadmap toward understanding who we have always been: small and mighty. 

She writes with a keen awareness of the intersection between history and democracy, aiming to deepen our understanding of our strengths and the inherent justice within us all. The Small and the Mighty is a book that will inspire you to believe in the power of everyday people to change the world. McMahon has crafted an accessible, beautiful, and courageous masterpiece.”

As the reviews rolled in, tears rolled down my cheeks. I am obviously very close to this manuscript, every word (except for some direct quotes) written and revised and honed and sculpted by me over the course of three years. I am too close to be objective. To hear that the book resonated for people that I admire was almost too much to take.

During the month of September, I have some behind the scenes podcasts and articles coming up about the writing of The Small and the Mighty, and I am holding nothing back. What do you want to know about writing, research, publishing, any of it? How can I help?

I’ve also created an incredible series of bonuses just for people who preorder the book. (Find them here.) Since the advent of the internet, preorders have become increasingly important for authors. Preorder numbers determine where a title will land on any bestseller list, they garner the attention of booksellers nationwide who decide how many copies they will stock and how prominently they’ll be displayed in the store.

(And then, of course, landing on the bestseller list and having a book displayed well in the store can lead to even more copies being sold.)

When I finished recording the audiobook, the sound engineer, someone who had next to no familiarity with me or my work but who was forced to sit and listen to me read every single word, said to me, “That was really incredible. I absolutely loved it, and probably would have not seen this book at a store and picked it up.” (I waited until I got in the car to cry over that comment.)

Ready or not, here she comes:

Let me know in the comments what you want to know, and I will do my utmost to answer before she makes her grand entrance into the world!