You've done the research but now it's time to write it all into a fascinating history that will do your family's story justice. Researching family trees and genealogies has never been more popular, and there are many courses, books and websites to assist the amateur researcher. The problem is, while family historians are enthusiastic and skilled researchers, most are not trained or confident writers, and the task of writing their family history may seem overwhelming. This book offers practical and straightforward advice to help you write your family story in an interesting and accessible way. A no-nonsense guide for the beginner, this simple step-by-step approach to writing family history will prove invaluable to family historians, genealogical organisations, local and community historians, students of writing programs, teachers of writing, and libraries. Dr Noeline Kyle has used her extensive knowledge and expertise on family history research and writing to develop and facilitate writing support groups for family historians. She has also published her ideas in newspapers, community journals, popular books and bulletins, and is the author of several books including The Family History Writing Book and We Should've Listened to Grandma: Women and Family History.

Do you have a box of mementos you'd love to turn into a book? Discover where to start and how to choose a format to bring your ancestry to life. Have you inherited the responsibility of preserving your family history? Do you wish you could transform your old photos and artifacts into entertaining tales? Want to record all those great remember-when's but worry your writing will bore your relatives to tears? Author and writing instructor Annette Gendler has helped countless eager writers over her many years of teaching at StoryStudio Chicago. Now she'll show you how you can turn your treasured family saga into a captivating narrative you'll be proud to share. How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History is a concise guide for converting your heirlooms and oral anecdotes into engaging prose. Following Annette Gendler's step-by-step instructions, you'll learn how to decide which memories are best suited to chronicle your loved ones' unique journeys through life, and what makes them an absorbing read. Supported with personal examples and writing prompts at the end of each chapter, you'll quickly be giving voice to your ancestors' adventures. You'll discover: - How to prioritize all those photos, letters, diaries, and official documents- Sample passages and an extensive reading list to inspire your creativity - Ways to craft stories that won't put your readers to sleep - Tips for dealing with negativity, missing materials, or too much information - Methods for conducting research to ensure accuracy, and much, much more! How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History is a must-have resource for anyone interested in preserving their lineage. If you like actionable advice, no-frills-added instructions, and guidance from a memoir specialist, then you'll love Annette Gendler's easy approach.

Writing a family history does not have to be an overwhelming task. This book outlines a simple process that will aid your research and create pages of information that can be read and understood by all family members. Your research will become faster and more accurate and your family can enjoy the family history. Remember, our writing should go beyond finding documents and filling in charts. Hopefully, the methods discussed in this book will show the reader a simple format that will make this task much easier. You may be reluctant to write down these stories because you do not consider yourself a writer. Our ancestors were ordinary people. Why should we write about them? All of our immigrant ancestors contributed to America’s history and their stories should be saved for our grandchildren. Our family histories should give clues of their roles and this will help us understand our roots.

The author shows readers how to create a detailed family history by conducting research, organizing materials, "plotting" a story, and collecting illustrations.

Drawn from decades of experience, this is a concise and highly practical guide to writing history. Aimed at all kinds of people who write history academic historians, public historians, professional historians, family historians and students of all levels the book includes a wide range of examples from many genres and styles.

Citation style manual for every type of source record and media.