Q &A On Writing Family Stories

Have you thought about writing your Family Stories one at a time, then assembling them into a book? It needn't be a hardcover like the one shown above. Today, we have the ability to go to someplace like Staples and create our own book. It can be softcover, spiral-bound, or even in a looseleaf binder. 

I like the looseleaf binder because it is easy to add new stories as you finish them. I made a book just like that for each of my brothers. The youngest one came along when I was nearly finished with high school. We had two other brothers between us. Somehow, Jim (the youngest) missed out on a lot of the family stories. I assembled the ones I'd written into a book for him for his 60th birthday. Then, I started thinking that maybe our other brothers might like to have one, too. So, it ended up with each of them receiving one. Yes, it took some time and effort, but they were all so appreciative that it made me feel all I'd done was worthwhile. The two middle brothers passed away last year, so now the books will pass on to their children.

Some questions and answers regarding writing your family stories:

Should you include a Family History in your Family Stories book? I think it is a nice addition if you have a section with dates of births, marriages, deaths, immigration dates (if appropriate), perhaps a little about the employment and education of the various family members. 

If you want to search for birth and death dates and other statistics about your family, one of the places I've found to be easy to use and very helpful is Family Search. It's a genealogy website offered by the Mormon church. There is no charge, and once you create an account (also free), they will send new information occasionally. It's always such a treat when I receive an email from them telling me some new bit about one of my ancestors. I do want to warn you that, once you get started at Family Search, it's difficult to stop. Allow a certain amount of time to devote to checking information and stop. 

There's always another day. 

Do your family stories need to be arranged chronologically? That's not necessary. You can put them in any order you like. If you want to arrange the stories by years, that's fine. The point is that there is no set way. When you're the person putting the book together, you have free license to do whatever you want to.

Should you use a formal format? I think that being conversational is better. Tell the story as if you were sitting across the table having a cup of coffee with a friend or a grandchild. 

Should you include just the facts? What happened is, of course, important, but the little extras are what make the stories come alive. Use sensory details and some description of the places where the stories took place. 

What about including dates? If you know the approximate time the story happened, it would be a nice addition.

Should tragedies or bad situations within your family be a part of the collection? I am a strong proponent of adding the good, the bad, and the sad stories. Why" They are a part of who you are, what your family is all about. If a family member had a disease or a handicap, future generations should know this. Medical histories are of great importance. If someone lived through a tragedy of some kind, their story will help others understand. If a family member ended up in the court system, don't try to hide it. Again, his/her story influences others in the family, too. You can write about it without being judgemental. 

I think one of the nicest parts about putting together a book of family stories is that you have free rein. It's your decision how to assemble it, what to put in, how to write the stories. Don't think of it as work, enjoy and have fun with your Family Stories book.