Research for writers: Managing complex research - A Case Study: How to manage three months of in depth multi-sourced research and condense it into a 900-word feature story that passes muster with the legal department.

Freelance writer Elizabeth Walton shares her workflow in an essential masterclass for writers of all genres.

Regardless of the style of writing you enjoy, at some stage you are going to be faced with the daunting task of reducing all of your material into the tip of the iceberg that goes to publication.

In this 2 hour workshop for writers, Elizabeth throws open her research process, including how to manage that awkward call from the editor just when the team thought the story had been put to bed.

"When you’ve been researching and interviewing for many weeks, it’s essential to know how to manage your material – especially since interviews might happen at times when you have to grab an envelope to write down quotes – and then three months later you need to be able to find that material in an instant."

This is particularly important when the need to be legally correct and accurate is paramount, but the workflow Elizabeth uses carry over into her creative writing projects as well.

This masterclass is for writers of all levels- including university students- who are serious about managing their material. It shares methods for workflow and document management including:

• Managing notebooks – which notebook was that quote in?
• Finding information inside your computer files
• Linking points in research
• Finding source documents
• Finding urgent links
• Handling multimedia material from divergent sources including captions and photo credits
• Building the story with visual aides
• Brainstorming the story with visual aides
• Q&A

Elizabeth Walton is a freelance writer and photographer who has contributed regular feature stories and photographs to The Australian, HuffPost, Penguin Books, The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Ozarts Magazine, Reuters and Timber and Steel as well as newspapers and magazines in Europe, North America, Australia and Asia. Elizabeth was part of the 2022 SCWC/ Bundanon Group Writers Residency.

This workshop is presented in partnership between the South Coast Writers Centre and Wollongong Botanic Garden.