You can do it. . .Write a Book
Put your family history in a
bound book and you can be assured that your children and grandchildren will
have access to it regardless of the evolutionary course of electronic media
delivery. Anyone who can write a simple essay can write a book. Confidence and organization
are key.
Step-by-step tutorial on how to write a family history book
- Choosing desk-top publishing software
- Storyboarding
- Book binding
- Formatting
- Writing a family history
- Publishing
Choose a book type
Choose a book type that suits your purpose and writing
ability.
- Family saga—family stories of several generations
- Biography—life story of one person
- Anthology—collection of family members and their stories
- Bound transcribed interviews
- Photo book with related short stories or descriptions
- Journal
- Genealogical data compilation
Gather content
Research your subject
thoroughly. The more you know about your subject, the easier it will be to
write about. Where to get the content.
Data from interviews entail
a person’s perception of events. Ask 10 people to tell you the same story and
you’ll get 10 different versions. That doesn’t lessen the value of their story, however.
It can be a valuable tool in helping you with character development. Do they
see themselves as a hero, a victim, or passive observer?
Index the research material
Break down your information into
categories (life in the old country, immigration, building the family business,
family traditions, etc.). Transfer information from your gathered material
to large index cards. You will use these to storyboard
your book.
At the top of each card, write
the category, source and page numbers, if it’s from a book. If something fits
into 2 categories equally, make a card for each category. Copies of transcribed
interviews can be cut into categorized sections rather than rewriting them. Be
sure to write the source on each section.
Sort the cards by category. I
know this is tedious, but it will save you from becoming overwhelmed and lost
in your research. After you've sorted and rearranged the cards a few times, you will realize that you know your subject really well.
Look for a theme that carries
through the stories—overcoming adversity, settling in a new land, heroism,
development of family values, etc. Decide which stories fit into the theme and
discard those that don’t. Short versions of discarded stories that are
particularly interesting or important to the family can be put into an addendum
at the end of the book.
Family sagas, biographies, and
anthologies
Borrow the methods of fiction
writers to structure a family saga, biography, or each chapter/section of an
anthology. Start the story by setting the scene and begin character
development. Develop character with stories that demonstrate the personality
and character of your main players.
To keep interest going, build
to a conflict, resolve the conflict, build to a second lesser conflict, and
resolve again. Add details to the story from a historic
matrix search. One way to add interest is to start your story in the middle of something
interesting and flashback to earlier events leading up to your start point.
Transcribed interviews and
genealogical data
If you lack the confidence to
write extensively, add a few of your own comments to the transcribed interviews
and/or genealogical data. Combine the material with a few family and historic
photos. Be creative in the way you lay it out and have it bound.
Next: > Storyboard to print
Step 1&2—Storyboard to print
Step 3— Choose a book-binding style
Step 4— Build a story frame
Step 5 & 6— Writing the book
Step 7— Publish your book
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Copyright September 2009 Family History Coach. All rights reserved Last update April 27, 2010
