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AyrWritersClub

Carolyn O’Hara -From Curiosity to Creativity – 29 January 2025

From Curiosity to Creativity was a perfect workshop. Carolyn O’Hara, club member for 12 years, offered us valuable insights with a night approaching non-fiction writing using a three phase approach.

The Curiosity Phase

What compels you to find out more? What is the spark that captures your attention?

Carolyn explained that chance encounters can spark our curiosity, from the humdrum to the wildly exciting. The spark could be ignited by a plaque on a statue read during a leisurely stroll, it may be a snippet of a conversation, or you may find yourself unable to resist following up on a fact revealed in a particularly scintillating podcast.

 The Process Phase

No skimping allowed during the research process. Good research drawing on diverse sources is a must!

Do not underestimate the importance of the process, we were sagely advised! Make meticulous records of the sources you have used and, take detailed and informative notes from these sources. You may not use them all but they will inform your work in a way similar to the development of character in fiction writing. Use diverse sources (experts, podcasts, academic articles, newspapers). Remember to check their quality and legitimacy.

These are some of the sources that Carolyn suggested we could try: National Library of Scotland (free to join), Post Office Directory, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Ayrshire Archives, Scotland’s People, The National Archives and the Scottish History Network.

The Creativity Phase

Pour the passion for your topic, the spark, into writing your article.

Be excited about your chosen topic. Your passion will ignite interest in others! Don’t worry if your chosen topic has been written about many times before, focus on your own unique take as ‘we are not the same creator’ as those who have written before. Finally, there are the two ‘F’s’ – Feedback and Flexibility! Feedback is invaluable, make use of club feedback nights to improve your article and if a publisher wishes you to add to or change a couple of parts of your article, unless there is a good reason not to, go for it!

Writing Exercises

Carolyn had kindly prepared information sheets for us to have a go at non-fiction writing. Everyone tried writing about Sir John Steell. Never heard of him? Neither had we but do get googling or ask Carolyn – she has written published articles and given talks about John! For the second exercise we chose to write either about ‘The 20th Anniversary of the Parkrun’ or ‘Electric Vehicles’. It was interesting to hear the variety of ‘hooks’, ‘sparks’ and ‘human interest’ stirred up by the topics. Why did John have an unmarked grave? Wasn’t it impressive that he was appointed to the Queen? Who knew the Parkrun created so much camaraderie and improved life satisfaction so quickly? Remember to do some research about electric vehicle charging points before purchasing an EV!

Thank you Carolyn for a great evening full of helpful tips, suggestions and fun!

Jennifer Lerpiniere

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