I wrote an article some time ago about advice that new mothers get from all the people around them. I tried making contact with one of Jamaica’s eminent peadiatricians through her husband, but hit a dead end. I wanted to have a quotation from her.

Then one day, I was at an event and a doctor was sitting at the same table as I answering his cell phone every few minutes, after it vibrated each time. The proverbial light bulb went on in my head as I listened to his end of the conversations. He is a vascular surgeon, is also a lecturer and an all right kind of guy – as humble as they come. You gotta love him - I don't know anybody else who tells as many corny jokes as he does.

When he got off the phone, I told him what I was doing and mentioned the information I was after. He asked me who the audience would be – whether professional or laymen and asked for specifics. I told him I would send him an email detailing the questions and asked that he direct them to the best peadiatrician he knows for his/her answers. I hoped to speak to that person as well, if possible.

The point is – and I’ve written a whole article on this – that as writers we have a host of useful people around us that we never tap for information we can use in articles or stories we write. I’m not suggesting that we bombard people with questions so that they’ll turn tail and run when they see us coming, but how better to get information than from someone who has some expertise in the area in which we are conducting research? Articles and stories tend to come to life when injected with real life experiences, that are placed alongside dry research material.

So, can you think of any persons in your life that might prove useful in anything you are writing or wish to write about in the future? You may be pleasantly surprised if you think on this for a little bit