This is the first of a series of short articles on writing the stories of our ancestors.
Our ancestors are much more than a compilation of birth, marriage and death dates on a pedigree chart. They were real people with real lives filled with unique stories worth sharing and remembering. Why not write about an episode or event that brings your ancestor to life? Some possibilities might be: a story of their survival (war, accident, fire, etc.), the story of their immigration to a new country, the everyday hardships they endured, or a unique life experience or encounter.
Qualicum Beach Family History Society members are invited to enter a “Tell Us a Story” contest. $100.00 will be awarded to the entrant whose entry, in the opinion of the judging panel, best meets the contest criteria. Note: This contest is open to members only.
But you don’t need to enter a contest to tell the story of one or more of your ancestors. If their stories are not told, the struggles and joys of their lives will never be known by their descendants.
Think about who you want to write about and why. Which ancestor creates the most interest for you personally? He/she may not be famous or well known, but there is a reason why you find this ancestor fascinating. That reason will make writing about that person much easier. The most important thing is to start telling the story – don’t think you can’t do it, just start and the words will flow.
Write as if you were telling a story and edit later. Writing is the most important first step. Editing, punctuation and grammar are a later step.
Add information about what was happening in the world at the time, if it is appropriate. An example would be immigration. Why did they leave their home; what caused them to leave, why did they choose the country they emigrated to? The conditions surrounding this and any other decision are a part of the story.
Sourcing can be added as (a) footnotes or (b) a sourcing index at the end of the article. There is no best way, just what is easiest for you. If there is no sourcing for an event, outline the steps to prove the conclusion for that particular event.
Images can be added but are not necessary. Keep the images at a medium size with appropriate captions. No image is much better than a fuzzy or unclear image. Don’t let too many images overwhelm the story. The words should tell the story and the images only add to the story.
Read your story aloud to yourself and perhaps to others. Reading will pinpoint errors or the flow of the story better than reading it several times.
Most importantly, this is supposed to be an enjoyable experience, don’t stress over it, just write from your heart and the story will tell itself.
What are hooks and closers? You will learn all about that in part two of this series of articles.