Information Research and Interview Tips
Zoom Writing Workshop with Esther Chilton
Information Research and Interview Tips
One-session online workshop, 1 - 1.5 hours per session, live teaching, via Zoom.
The length of the sessions varies depending on the session topic and the questions and discussions that arise.
Sessions will be a minimum of one hour.
Only ten places available on this workshop.
7PM Tuesday 18th March 2025
Times shown: Greenwich Mean Time
If you are interested in future dates for this workshop please email: [email protected]
Workshop fee: £25.00
(meeting invite will be sent out a couple of days prior to the workshop)
Only ten places available on this workshop.
7PM Tuesday 18th March 2025
Times shown: Greenwich Mean Time
If you are interested in future dates for this workshop please email: [email protected]
Workshop fee: £25.00
(meeting invite will be sent out a couple of days prior to the workshop)
Workshop Leader
Esther Chilton
Since joining The Writers Bureau as a student in 1999, and following their advice, Esther hasn’t looked back. As well as winning several writing competitions herself, she was head judge of Writers’ Forum magazine’s monthly short story competition. Over the years, Esther has regularly had articles and short stories published in a variety of newspapers and magazines in the UK and abroad. She has published a range of writing workbooks, children’s books and short story collections.
Esther became a tutor for The Writers Bureau in 2009 and when they closed in July 2026, she knew she wasn’t ready for it to go. Fortunately, they let her continue with the website and new courses so she can support students on their writing journey.
Workshop Outline
Information research
Whether you’re writing an article, non-fiction book, family history, or fiction, which involves real events and people, you’ll need to get your facts right. Of course there’s Wikipedia but, as it boastfully states, it’s a ‘free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit’. Or you could enlist the help of an AI – but we all know that these are not always reliable. So how can you make sure you can trust the information you read?
We’ll consider different sources, as well as how to maximise your use of google as a research tool and how it’s essential you check, check and recheck your facts.
Interview tips
You might need to interview someone for the piece you’re working on. For example, you may be writing an article about a stately home you have visited. There will be lots of information on its website, and you may have bought the guide book, but it will enhance your article if you interview someone who runs the home or works there. You’ll find out more details that way, often the little-known snippets. Or perhaps the central character in your novel has a particular job, so it could be useful to interview someone in that occupation to find out what it really entails.
The course will look at the different ways you can interview someone, the type of questions to ask to elicit the best answers and how to get the most from the interview.
This workshop is run by Budding Writers in partnership with The Writers Bureau.
Whether you’re writing an article, non-fiction book, family history, or fiction, which involves real events and people, you’ll need to get your facts right. Of course there’s Wikipedia but, as it boastfully states, it’s a ‘free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit’. Or you could enlist the help of an AI – but we all know that these are not always reliable. So how can you make sure you can trust the information you read?
We’ll consider different sources, as well as how to maximise your use of google as a research tool and how it’s essential you check, check and recheck your facts.
Interview tips
You might need to interview someone for the piece you’re working on. For example, you may be writing an article about a stately home you have visited. There will be lots of information on its website, and you may have bought the guide book, but it will enhance your article if you interview someone who runs the home or works there. You’ll find out more details that way, often the little-known snippets. Or perhaps the central character in your novel has a particular job, so it could be useful to interview someone in that occupation to find out what it really entails.
The course will look at the different ways you can interview someone, the type of questions to ask to elicit the best answers and how to get the most from the interview.
This workshop is run by Budding Writers in partnership with The Writers Bureau.
By taking part in this workshop you will:
-
meet other writers
-
have time to ask questions as there are only ten participants per group
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learn how to fact-check your research
-
find out how to get the most out of an interview
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gain increased self-confidence to take your writing forward on your own.
Tuesday 18th March 2025 at 7.00PM
Workshop fee: £25.00