Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the Ghost stories have haunted Richardson's roads, farmhouses, and imagination for generations. But what happens when you follow the evidence? In this hands-on hybrid workshop, participants explore how local ghost lore gets built, spread, and solidified into "fact" - and then learn exactly how to dismantle it using the research tools hiding in plain sight at their public library.

Register for Zoom if attending virtually. (link forthcoming)

Using a single Richardson-area ghost story as a shared case study, attendees will walk through the research process step by step: locating primary sources, cross-checking newspaper archives, tracing oral histories, and identifying the real-world events that seed supernatural legends. In-person attendees will work directly with Richardson Public Library's local history collection and Portal to Texas History resources; virtual attendees will be guided through the same materials available online. Whether you write mystery, crime, or thriller fiction - or simply love the truth behind a good story - this session gives you a toolkit that travels.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain how local ghost lore originates and spreads through a community

• Identify the research tools available through their public library to investigate legends

• Apply a step-by-step research process to trace a ghost story back to its real-world origins

• Connect evidence-based research methods to the craft of writing authentic crime and mystery fiction

Marj Atkinson, MLS is a researcher, academic research librarian, community educator, and webmaster for the Writers Guild of Texas who believes the scariest thing about a ghost story is usually the history it's hiding. A veteran of the Denton Public Library's Denton Halloween event, Marj brings a researcher's eye and a crime writer's instinct to the art of debunking local lore.

The Writers Guild of Texas presents Guest Speaker / Program meetings on the 3rd Monday of each month in person at the Richardson Public Library and via Zoom. Visitors are welcome to attend.