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AyrWritersClub

Catherine Czerkawska – The Pleasures and Pitfalls of Researching and Writing Non-Fiction, Wednesday 22 January 2025

If you’re anything like me, you’ll dive into non-fiction writing with a sense of adventure on a journey of discovery, keen to uncover your story. Sadly I end up entangled in a jungle of information, trying to stay focused like a hyperactive squirrel on caffeine. Fear not!

The critically acclaimed, multi-genre writer, Catherine Czerkawska was on hand to help a packed audience of AWC members conquer the distraction beast. She shared her ideas of how to emerge as a victorious research warrior, whilst enjoying the journey and writing captivating articles.

Catherine’s achievements include non-fiction, fiction, poetry and plays for theatre and radio, nine novels including The Physic Garden, The Jewel, and The Last Lancer.

The market nowadays for freelance articles is poor.  A firm believer in getting your work out there, Catherine is a keen blogger.  You can find the bones of her wonderfully engaging talk, along with a particularly useful resource, especially when undertaking historical research, on Blogger.com – search for Catherine Czerkawska.

Some key points from the evening comprised:

-Find a topic that interests you and do the research.

-Plan but be flexible.

-Look for ‘the story’, ‘the hook’.  Even a boring topic can be engaging by the enthusiasm and originality of the writer.

-Look to expand your and your readers’ knowledge.

-Be prepared for the serendipitous discoveries you’ll find along the way.

-Keep notes and website links of your source material and check their accuracy.

-As research can be expensive, having a friend to share time and money helps.

-Try to stay focused and know when to stop researching and start writing.

-If interviewing people, prepare open-ended questions, genuinely listen and give them time to expand.

-Have a look at ‘Mind Maps’, and ‘Mood Boards’ as useful tools.

-Record major political, social and culture episodes of the time to lend authenticity to your historical article.

Further insight into Catherine’s world of writing was gained during a varied and enjoyable question and answer session.

Reflecting on an extremely useful evening I considered it may take some time to wean me off working and researching in chaos, but I have acquired many tools and strategies.  I think enhancing my space with a mind map of sticky notes, dates and references could help and give the illusion of a creative genius at work to those passing by.

Louise Cawson

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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