Following on from speaker Michael Meighan, last week, who talked about his books on the history of Scottish places, I focused on the variety of source materials which can be used for articles.

So many of my published articles have sprung from chance finds of documents, newspapers, letters, photos or artefacts, all of which could easily have been disposed of at any moment.

It is astonishing the amount of information now available online, without ever having to leave the comfort of your own home!

AYR WRITERS’ workshops are about picking up tips, but also about getting the chance to experiment. I set members 2 challenges to have a go at writing historical non-fiction piece, under pressure - only 7 minutes allowed.

I shared some of the historical, non-fiction articles I’ve had published, with an explanation of the process from ‘idea to article’.

Behind me is a Victorian playbill for a night’s entertainment, for charity, in 1884, about which I wrote an article.

My great grandfather’s name is in the cast list of the event held in the Royalty Theatre, Glasgow, which no longer exists.