Whittier Area Genealogical Society
Whittier Area Genealogical Society
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Blog Entries: 1 to 4 of 4
November 1, 2024 By: Kristina Newcomer
Fall 2024
SUGGESTIONS FOR WHEN THE
WRITING “WELL” RUNS DRY
 
Not every family story has to be written in an essay-style format, there are other avenues you can explore for recording, preserving, and sharing your research.
  • mily Newsletter:  Use one of the templets found in your word processing program or design your own.  Give your newsletter a title, include a brief introduction and a photograph or two, and some basic information about your family history.  Decide how often you are going to issue your newsletter and remember to keep the information brief but interesting.  Make sure to include contact information so family members can send updates for future issues.       
  • Photograph Journaling:  This is like scrapbooking except that the focus is on photographs with short stories attached.  Keep the topic focused on one individual or event in an individual’s life.  Companies like Shutterfly® make it easy to create lovely keepsakes to share with family members.
  • Scrapbooking or Heritage Album:  Scrapbooking albums come in a variety of sizes and styles and can showcase a variety of subjects.  Scrapbooking is a colorful and imaginative way to display family reunion memories, travel adventures, notable anniversaries, or special events in your family history.
  • Family Facebook Group:  Creating a Facebook group around a family surname can help in finding relatives scattered around the globe.  Use your Facebook page to announce reunions, gather and share family history research, tell short stories about ancestors, and request help with brick wall subjects.  Don’t forget, you can make your page private if desired.
  • Video and Audio Recordings:  Using your smartphone when you interview a relative is another way to record family history.  Prior to taping, be sure to get permission and arrive with a list of questions that you have cleared with the interviewee.  These recordings can later be uploaded to the cloud and sent to family members as attachments on text messages or emails. 
  • Family Reunion Recipe Collection:  Prior to the reunion, ask attendees to send in a favorite family recipe along with anecdotes or family stories attached to the recipe and a photograph or two of the cook or the family at mealtime to illustrate the history of the recipe.  Collect all the recipes into a binder and distribute at the reunion.
August 2, 2024 By: Kristina Newcomer
Summer 2024
BUILDING BLOCKS FOR
EFFECTIVE STORYTELLING
 
In 1989, Stephen Covey wrote a self-help book called The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, and in 2024, Danny Heitman applied this principle to becoming an effective writer in his article published in the Phi Kappa Phi Forum.  Below is a summary of his article.
 
Keep a Notebook:  Jot down your ideas as they come to you – they can become the basis for a piece of writing.
 
Read Your Writing Out Loud:  Writing should reflect regular speech, and reading your writing out loud is a wonderful way to spot problems.
 
Write Something Every Day:  Think of writing as a muscle that needs to be exercised to stay focused and healthy.
 
Have a Writing Friend:  Someone who can read your writing and offer honest feedback – a fellow member of a writing group could be a great option.
 
Be Open to Criticism:  This is hard for all of us, but remember that writing is supposed to be a “conversation between a writer and a reader,” and constructive criticism can help the flow.
 
Consider Your Audience:  Don’t forget who you are writing for – storytelling often falls flat when you forget who you are trying to reach.
 
Read:  To learn how to write effectively, read often and sample a variety of work. 
 
Above all, remember that the goal in writing isn’t to immediately strive for perfection, but to find a story that is worth telling in your own voice.  Don’t be discouraged, storytelling is more about the courage to begin than about the skill required to do so.
May 1, 2024 By: Kristina Newcomer
Spring 2024
 
 
WHY WRITING MATTERS
 
 
We are the chosen in each family
There is one who seems called to
Find the ancestors
To put flesh on their bones and
Make them seem alive again
To tell the family story and to feel
That somehow they know and approve
Doing genealogy is not a
Cold gathering of facts but
Instead breathing life into all
Who have gone before
We are the storytellers of the tribe
 
Unknown 
 
People write because they want to craft and share stories drawn closely from their experiences, which is what life story writing is supposed to be.  Writing is about more than recording facts; writing – like painting, music, or any other art – can be a path to self-discovery, a way to learn more about ourselves and our origins.  Writing is another way to understand the world around us, to tell our and our ancestors’ stories, explore feelings, thoughts and challenges, and recording them for the future.
February 7, 2024 By: Kristina Newcomer
Winter 2024
HOW TO BEGIN WRITING YOUR STORY
AND LIVE TO TELL ABOUT IT
Part II
 
Once you have answered the question of “Why and who am I doing this for?,” your next step may well be to begin collecting basic information about your subject matter, but remember, although data-points are important, they don’t drive a story forward, personalization does.
 
As you begin writing, don’t let insecurities or mental obstacles get in your way.  Common stumbling blocks include time constraints, not knowing where to start, forgetting details – or the more familiar “I’m not a good writer.”  Let’s tackle these one at a time.
 
Time constraints. Life is busy and most of us can’t afford to close ourselves off from the world to write a novel based on someone’s life.  Begin small.  Write a three-paragraph article about one aspect of your topic.  Set aside some time – once a day, a week, or a month – to add to your story.  Writing in small increments reduces frustration.
 
Where to start. There is no specific rule as to where to begin a story.  While lives are lived in  chronological order, memories don’t necessarily follow the same path.  Begin with something that triggers a strong memory and proceed from there.  The story will practically write itself.
 
Forgetting details.  It can be hard to admit that sometimes our memory fails us, but that’s life.  Help yourself by creating a timeline for your subject and you may be amazed at what you can remember by utilizing this visual prompt.
 
Not a good writer.  Give yourself a break!  No one expects you to become the next Alex Haley overnight.  The great thing about writing in the computer age is that there are lots of forums, guidelines, and programs to help you polish up your writing style, help you focus on your subject matter, and compose a well-organized story.  Take advantage of these and your writing will shine.