How to Write A Family History or Memoir

Because the BDC includes genealogical materials related to the Beaufort District, sometimes customers assume that we cover genealogy worldwide and know lots about all sorts of genealogy-related "stuff."  Honestly, we do not -- though odds are, I can at least guide customers to materials in other parts of the library that might answer their questions about genealogical matters, genealogical writing, and provide some basic information about how to perform genealogical research for ancestors from other locales or countries.

Recently I was asked for suggestions and advice about how to write a family history. I have never written one (I consider myself a genealogical "dabbler.") nor have I investigated how to go about writing a family history. That is, until the customer's question landed on my desk. And I know how nervous other staff members get when they hear the word "genealogy." And since I remain at heart a reference librarian, I explored the SCLENDS catalog, the Hoopla catalog, and the CloudLibrary catalog to see what I could find. 

Here is a very selective list of books and audiobook about how to "Write A Family History" and/or how to "Write A Memoir":   

How to Write Your Personal or Family History : (If You Don’t Do It, Who Will?) by Katie Funk Wiebe (New York: Good Books, 2017). There is an earlier book by this author with the same title that was published by Good Books in 2009. Some of the chapter headings are different.

This is a practical and encouraging how-to book from a long-time teacher of personal and family history writing. Chapter headings are: You have a story waiting to be told; Putting together the puzzle of life; Getting started writing about yourself; Writing about other people; Choose a theme and plot; Stories are always winners; Becoming comfortable with your family's story; One life, many stages; History happens to everyone; Memories are also made of these; Optional writing tasks; and Final hurdles to the finished product. Also available as an e-book on Hoopla.

Guide to Genealogical Writing : How to Write and Publish Your Family History by Penny Stratton (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014). “The Guide to Genealogical Writing: How to Write and Publish Your Family History is an easy-to-read, easy-to-follow, up-to-date book on family history publishing. Authors Penelope L. Stratton and Henry B. Hoff cover the process of writing and publishing from beginning to end. Learn what you need to know before you ever start writing. In these pages you will learn proper genealogical styles and formatting, learn to make tough decision about what to include and what to leave out, decide which images to include, learn about design and layout, and much more.” – Review by Leland Meitzer (2015)

Writing Your Family History : A Guide for Family Historians by Gill Blanchard (S.L.: Pen & Sword Books, 2014) E-book on Hoopla Gill Blanchard's practical step-by-step guide to writing a family history is designed for anyone who wants to bring their ancestors' stories to life. She looks at ways of overcoming the particular problems family historians face when writing a family history -- how to deal with gaps in knowledge, how to describe generations of people who did the same jobs or lived in the same area, how to cover the numerous births, marriages and deaths that occur, and when to stop researching and start writing. Her book provides examples to help readers find their own writing style, deal with family stories, missing pieces of information and anomalies. It also offers advice on key aspects of composition, such as adding local and social history context and using secondary material. The focus throughout is on how to develop a story from beginning to end. Exercises are a key feature of the text. There is guidance on the various formats a family history can take and how to choose the appropriate one, with examples of format and layout. Production and publishing are also covered -- books, booklets, newsletters, websites, blogs and ebooks.

Publish Your Family History : Preserving Your Heritage in a Book by Susan Yates and Greg Ioannou ([S.l.: Ontario Genealogical Society, 2010) E-book on Hoopla Many people want to write a family history, but few ever take on the job of publishing one. If you've done the research, and you want to make a book from it, then Publish Your Family History is for you. It will tell you all the fundamentals of book production, together with the important details that distinguish a home-published book from a homemade one. You'll learn how to get your manuscript ready for production; design ideas for the pages and the cover; methods of making pages with or without a computer and printing those pages quickly and inexpensively; and ideas on bindings that last and look great. Even if time is at a premium, you're not comfortable with computer technology, or the budget is tight, you'll learn how to publish a professional-looking family history of your own! Grace Note: Somewhat dated perhaps but it may still be worth borrowing.

You Can Write Your Family History by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing, 2008). Explains what it takes to create a compelling, highly readable, and entirely true story, whether you decide to write a biography, family history narrative, or memoir. Elements include selecting the best type of family history to write, deciding on a theme, conducting effective research to flush out a narrative, putting subjects into the context of social history, and getting the words down on paper.

Writing Family History Made Very Easy by Noeline Kyle (Crows Nest, NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 2007).  “Offering practical and innovative suggestions, this no-nonsense guide to writing family histories helps aspiring genealogists beautifully preserve their legacies for centuries to come. Featured samples of writing by family historians illustrate the range, diversity, and styles of writing that effectively capture family traditions and memories. All aspects of the writing and researching process are explained, from choosing a format to publishing a family history. Presenting instructions and writing exercises, this innovative resource offers creative suggestions to help readers turn an amateur family tree into a well-written, publishable family history.” -- Amazon

For All Time : A Complete Guide to Writing Your Family History by Charley Kempthorne (Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1996). Kempthorne shows how easy it is to write family history and how much fun it can be. He illustrates in detail how to write narratives and dialogue; use physical details in a scene to make it come alive;  create suspense; and use many other techniques frequently employed by historians and novelists. By the end of the book, readers will not only gain a thorough understanding of how to write family history, but will have completed a number of sketches to entertain and enrich their families.

Producing a Quality Family History by Patricia Law Hatcher (Salt Lake City, UH: Ancestry Incorporated, 1996) This professional genealogist “guides you through the steps required to create an attractive and functional family history report. Learn how to organize your work, how to write the narrative, choose type faces, grammar styles, and punctuation. You'll also see how to create useful bibliographies and discover ways to incorporate photos and illustrations effectively plus much, much more!” -- Amazon Also available as an e-book on Hoopla.

Writing Family Histories and Memoirs by Kirk Polking (Cincinnati, OH: Betterway Books, 1995). “Whether you want to whip up a light and fluffy story of your family for the next holiday gathering or craft the world's greatest novel by drawing upon your personal and family history, this is a very practical writing guide appropriate for experienced writers and complete novices alike.” - Amazon

Family Focused : A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your Autobiography and Family History by Janice T. Dixon (Wendover, NV: Mount Olympus Publishing, 1997) “There are sections on how to recall your memories … and gather background material. … There are writing exercises and challenges … to help you develop your skills as you write. The book is engaging and makes the task of writing your story much more natural and less daunting.” - GoodReads

Writing the Family Narrative by Lawrence P. Goldrup (S.L.: Turner Publishing, 1987) E-book on Hoopla Anyone who has ever tried to write a family history knows that it can be overwhelming. You'll learn how to organize your records for writing, develop characters, include point of view, use dialogue, create an effective setting, and even edit and design your family history.

HOW TO WRITE ABOUT OTHERS WHO ARE RELATED TO YOU

Grace Note: I think that a little brush up on how to do genealogical research and write someone else’s life story could be helpful. The Library offers these titles to help with those tasks.

Finding True Connections : How to Learn and Write about a Family Member’s History by Gareth St. John Thomas (Chatswood, NSW, Australia : Emotional Inheritance, 2019). Grace Note: This one works best if you have a living and breathing relative to interview.

Interviewing and writing up someone's personal history has become a mainstream activity. This detailed, hand-on manual provides comprehensive guidance and instruction, for getting started to the end result. Using the latest best-practice techniques and know-how, and divided into structured sections, it provides you with the 100 most important questions to ask as well as additional context and cues for each question, what to look for and what traps to avoid. Supplementary and follow-up questions are also suggested.

How to Do Biography : A Primer by Nigel Hamilton (Cambridge : Harvard University Press, 2008). This title does not require that your subject be alive. Chapter headings are: The task of biography; What is your agenda?; Defining your audience; Researching your subject; The Shape of a life; The Starting point; Birthing your subject; Childhood and youth; Love stories; Life's work; The Twilight years; Ending your story; Autobiography and memoirs; Memoir; Truth--and its consequences; and The Afterlife.

SELECTED TITLES ABOUT HOW TO WRITE MEMOIRS WITHIN THE PAST DECADE

Grace Note: A memoir is the least objective, most personal form of writing.  There are a lot of recent guides on how to write one’s personal life story. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Most of the summary content is drawn from the SCLENDS catalog.

The Art of the Graphic Memoir : Tell Your Story, Change Your Life by Tom Hart (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2018). #1 New York Times bestselling author and Eisner-nominated cartoonist Tom Hart has written a poignant and instructive guide for all aspiring graphic memoirists detailing the tenets of artistry and story-telling inherent in the medium. Hart examines what makes a graphic memoir great and shows you how to do it.

Grace Note: If you have any artistic leanings, this book could guide you towards an eye-catching approach to writing your own story or a family history.

A Story That Matters : A Gratifying Approach to Writing about Your Life by Gina L. Carroll (Tempe, AZ: SparkPress, 2017). Provides the tools and the motivation to get the stories of your life crafted and completed, based on the proven premise that your life story is really a combination of many stories, and the best way to write them is one compelling story at a time. 

Grace Note: This is also the “Pearls” approach that Susan Kammeraad -Campbell used to coach Teresa Bruce through writing The Other Mother, Bruce’s award-winning rememoir about a local character, Byrne Miller.

Writing Hard Stories : Celebrated Memoirists who Shaped Art from Trauma by Melanie Brooks (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2017). Acclaimed memoirists describe the process of writing their most painful memories.

Your Story : How to Write It So Others Will Want to Read It, A Guide to Writing Memoir by Joanne Fedler (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2017). This book shows how to write from your life, but for the benefit of others.

The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr (New York: HarperCollins, 2015). Anchored by excerpts from her favorite memoirs and anecdotes from fellow writers’ experience, Karr breaks down the key elements of great literary memoir, discusses concepts of memory and identity, and illuminates the cathartic power of reflecting on the past. Also available as an audiobook on Hoopla.

Writing Your Legacy : The Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Your Life Story by Richard Campbell (Cincinnati, OH : Writer's Digest Books, 2015). Writing your life story can grant you insight and clarity, help you heal past wounds, and serve as a treasured account you'll be proud to share.

The Truth of Memoir : How to Write About Yourself and Others with Honesty, Emotion and Integrity by Kerry Cohen (Cincinnati, OH: Writer's Digest 2014). Cohen offers advice on how to explore sensitive topics in family and personal history. For example: How do you expose long-guarded secrets and discuss bad behavior? How do you gracefully portray your family members, friends, spouses, exes, and children without damaging your relationships?

Your Life is a Book : How to Craft and Publish Your Memoir by Brenda Peterson (Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books, 2014). This writer's guide to the memoir is rich with insight, advice, storytelling, and encouragement. With proven writing exercises and prompts, this book is a practical and enlightening guide to perfecting the art of memoir writing and a practical guide to both traditional and indie publishing, including interviews with professional editors, publishers, critics, and memoirists. Every life is remarkable in its own way, but this book shows you how to write a book that others will want to read and share.

Handling the Truth : On the Writing of Memoir by Beth Kephart (New York : Gotham Books,  2013). A memoir-writing guide offers writing lessons and examples for those interested in putting their memories down on paper, explains the difference between remembering and imagining, and describes the language of truth.

Memoir Writing for Dummies by Ryan G. Van Cleave (Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada : John Wiley & Sons Canada, 2013).  Van Cleave provides you with the tools you need to share your life story with the world. You'll get advice on how to explore your memories, map out your story, perfect your plot, and so much more. Chapter headings include: The first steps to writing a memoir; Telling your story with pizzazz; Revising, editing, and pushing your story to the next level; and Sharing your story: a publishing primer.

Once Upon a Time : Discovering Our Forever After Story by Debbie Macomber (New York: Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster 2013). Debbie Macomber, a well-known and regarded Christian author, has inspired readers with her stories for decades. With chapters that cover the importance of characters, setting, backstory, and conflict, she uses the elements of a story to show us how to understand our own lives better. Sharing her love of story, Debbie helps showcase the big picture of the story God is writing through us.

Write That Memoir Right Now by Kim Brittingham, read by Susan Boyce (S.L.: Blackstone Publishing, 2013). An Audiobook on Hoopla. Running time: 5 hours; 49 minutes. Memoirist, blogger, and writing teacher Kim Brittingham shares her insight into getting started with your writing and crafting your memoir to getting published and read.

Writing Your Life : A Guide to Writing Autobiographies by Mary Borg (Waco, Texas : Prufrock Press Inc., 2013). First published in 1998 under the title Writing your Life : An Easy-to-Follow Guide to Writing an Autobiography, this classic is now in its 4^th edition. 

To many, the task of writing about one's life seems daunting and difficult. Where does one begin? What stories will inspire your children and grandchildren, and which will simply amuse them? Borg crafts an easy-to-follow guide that includes thought-provoking questions, encouraging suggestions, memory-jogging activities, tips for writing, advice on publishing one's stories in print and online, and examples of ordinary people's writing. 

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing a Memoir by Victoria Costello (New York: Alpha, 2011). Packed with prompts, exercises, and inspirational examples to help you get your story out of your head and onto the page, this guide shows you a better way to share your story.

The Memoir Project : A Thoroughly Non-Standardized Text for Writing & Life by Marion Roach Smith. New edition, revised and updated (New York: Grand Central Publishing, 2011).  Described as "the essential, eccentric guidebook for anyone wanting to write a memoir" by the book’s publisher, the chapter titles are intriguing: “You must be present to win … ;  Galileo in Walmart … ; Having sex with Roger : get a firm grip on that first draft with your eyes open, the lights on, and a notebook by the bed; The Barbie-bodied book : your writing math must add up to a figure so compelling the reader can't take his eyes off your argument;  and Life in the morgue.” Also available as an audiobook on Hoopla.

Naked, Drunk, and Writing : Shed Your Inhibitions and Craft a Compelling Memoir or Personal Essay by Adair Lara. Revised edition (Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press, 2010).  Grace Note: I love the title of this guide that shows writers how to create a compelling memoir or personal essay, with advice on structure, technique, revision, publication, and conquering writer's block.

Write Your Life Story : How to Organise and Present your Memories for Family and Friends to Enjoy by Michael Oke. 4^th edition (Oxford: How To Books, 2010). The aim of this book is to help you celebrate your life - and those who are special to you by taking it a step at a time. The author contends that lack of writing experience should not deter you because “writing at its best is simply speaking on paper.”

I hope that you start "speaking on paper" and sharing your own life story and the story of your ancestors with your family and friends. - Remember: If the family history covers two or more generations living in Beaufort, Hampton or Jasper Counties, please let me know about it. Those are the family histories that we collect for permanent retention here in the Beaufort District Collection Research Room.