How Do We Tell The Family Stories?

Yesterday's post highlighted the question Why should we write family stories? Today's question is How do we tell the family stories?

The answer to that could be the basis for an entire book, but I'm going to give you a few suggestions, not a full book. 

First and foremost, you should tell your family story in your way. There is no all right or all wrong method. Do what works for you, what you feel comfortable with. That said, there are some points to consider when you start writing. If you're new to writing, maybe the following will be of some help in getting off the ground as you tackle this big project. It definitely is a large undertaking but can be done in bits and pieces at your will.

You might start by making a list of the family members whom you know or have heard about from other family members. Which ones stand out? Put an asterisk * or a checkmark next to those names. Take some time to sort through your memory bank and see what story, or stories, come to mind. Choose one for your first story.

A Family Stories book is not a biography where you begin with the person's birth and move on until the time of his/her death. Family stories are merely a slice of someone's life, a snippet. Even so, you can add much to the story to bring out the person's personality traits--good and bad. You can give a sense of the place where the story happened--on the farm, at the zoo, in a public school, in a major city, a church or whatever. You might need to give a little background to clarify what occurred. Just don't get carried away!

When you write a family story, you do what an artist does, but you paint your picture with words. Besides the personality traits and a place, adding sensory details--sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch--will bring your readers right into the story. Keep verbs like is and are to a minimum. Instead, use active verbs that help you paint that picture.

Remember that you are not merely 'reporting' but writing a story with a beginning, middle and ending. Also, add a bit of humor where it is called for and emotions of other kinds, too.

Should you put your own thoughts about what happened in the story? It's fine to do that. Future generations reading your story would be interested to know how you felt about what happened. It's not a necessity, but I think it can add to the story. 

Remember that the first writing is only a draft; you'll want to go back and edit and revise.

Summing up: 

• make a list of family members
• choose one for your first story
• check your memory bank for stories
• add personality traits
• sense of place
• sensory details
• use active verbs
• background material
• humor
• emotions
• your own thoughts