The photo today is probably familiar to most people. The Family Tree is of great interest to those who are students of Geneaology. They track all the 'begats as we've read in the Old Testament. Remember the section that tells who begat whom? The Family Tree shows us and our relatives who came before us along with birth and death dates, marriage dates, and more.
When you look at a Family Tree, there's a great deal more between those bars that we don't readily see. The family stories from the past could be added to the chart if there was room, but of course, that is not possible. Instead, your family stories must be written separately and kept together in some manner apart from your Family Tree chart. Putting that chart in the front section or on the cover might be a nice addition.
When we write personal essays, we are supposed to include some universal truth or something we'd learned from the experience we wrote about. When you write a family story, you can do the same thing. Rather than only report what happened, add what you learned, even if it is nothing but a tidbit.
My Uncle Jimmy was a man who had lots of funny things happen to him. He'd drive to work, but forget and take the bus home. Many times. He hit a finger while putting up a cornice and bandaged the wrong finger,then wondered why his finger was still bleeding. The part that makes all the little slip-ups in his life interesting and funny is that he told the stories on himself, and then he'd laugh heartily, his eyes twinkling. For the sake of space, I won't go into all the tales he told on himself, but the important thing here is that I learned from him that it is alright to laugh at yourself, that there is no shame in making little mistakes. A valuable lesson. If I was writing about my Uncle Jimmy, I would surely want to add what he taught me.
Add details that can bring your story to life. Sensory details are important in writing fiction. When the author treats us bits about smell, sight, taste, sound, and touch, we feel like we're right there with the character in the story. Do the same with your family stories. And no, you need not add all 5 senses in one short slice of life about someone in your family. Use whichever ones work in the story you're telling.
What about dialogue? How can we remember the exact words of something that happened years ago? We seldom remember word for word, but we do remember the gist of what was said, and it's alright to use dialogue of what we think was probably said. Dialogue helps bring the story to life just like those sensory details. Do it in moderation, however.
Use bits and pieces that give us a sense of the place where the story happened and the time period. You needn't write a lot about it, but something that will help the reader know when and where the story happened.
Description helps your story, too. I don't mean to describe every little thing in detail, but if your grandfather's barn has a significant spot in your story, add a little description of that building.
Verbs play a part in the story you write. If you use almost all passive verbs (is, are, were, was...), your story will sound passive, too. Action verbs show what is happening instead of telling like the passive ones do. Verbs like jump, ran, swiveled, galloped, and others give the reader a better picture of what is happening.
The things I've pointed out in today's post will make a difference in your final result. But, if all you want to do is report what happened in the simplest terms, that is your choice. I would rather anyone do that than not write his/her family stories at all.
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