Do’s
- Do ask questions
- Do question the answers
- Do keep good and copious notes
- Do make sure that your information source(s) is/are accurate by
having a second source (not always possible)
Don’ts
- Don’t make assumptions
- Don’t “fill in the blanks” in a story (unless you specify the
“filler” as speculation)
- Don’t assume what you are being told is gospel (always question)
Where do you get information and ideas?
- Newspapers
- Libraries
- Archives
- Parents (yes, even they know some things)
- Friends and neighbours
- Books
- Internet
How do you go about starting a story?
Step 1 – be intrigued by something (i.e.
A shipwreck lying on shore of the ocean or the life history of a neighbours)
Step 2 - do basic research at the local library or archives.
Step 3 – talk to some of the locals and find out something unique
about the story.
Step 4 – write the story and have it published somewhere (i.e.
local newspaper or Mysteries of Canada)
Step 5 – every so often return to the story and see what else you
can learn to expand on it.
Talking to the neighbours
Everyone has a story to tell. All their stories form the History of Canadians.
Example 1: Joe Bouzek of
Ottawa, researched the first remote control flying technology, using a
television camera, in 1943.
Example 2: Alex Storm,
of Louisburg, NS, discovered six ancient shipwrecks of the coast of Cape
Breton Island and has recovered over $3 million in gold and silver.
His home in Louisburg has two cannon and two very large anchors
on the front lawn.
Example 3: M.J.
O’Brien, from Renfrew, started out at age 14 as a water-boy on the
railroads and ended up his life as a multi-millionaire, founder of the
NHL, owner of large mining operations, developer of railroads and owner
of the Renfrew “Millionaires”.
Example 4: Dave Curran,
of Ottawa, is the last Red Knight aerobatic pilot still alive
in Canada.
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