From boring to brilliant—tips for reluctant storytellers
In addition to offering our own thoughts about family storytelling, we'll highlight interesting and helpful content on the subject from around the web.
Here we recommend a collection of tips and techniques for family history writing from UK genealogist Nathalie Pithers, who blogs and tweets at Genealogy Stories.
Her article From Boring to Brilliant Family History Writing addresses genealogist enthusiasts who may not be expert writers and have been reluctant to start compiling their narratives.
Following Pithers' approach, family history writers would begin by framing the narrative and identifying the underlying theme or message. Then she moves on to a dozen or more practical strategies to get the ball rolling. Among her suggestions:
- Document your stories with accurate historical details
- Use footnotes to cite data that slows down the narrative
- Bring stories to life with historical color from the period
- If you don't like writing, try speaking to a voice recorder
This small compendium for beginning storytellers is just one of the useful blog posts and other resources at Genealogy Stories.
