I remember when I first started in 1992 or earlier, I looked through a handful of family history books which others had done. I found these books by getting involved with the local East European Special Interest Group (EE-SIG) at the Alberta Genealogical Society (AGS). I started attending meetings and asking around. I would photocopy the pages and ideas that I liked. If I really liked a book, I would ask for a copy of it. I also started a file folder on clip art and quotes, etc., and took lots of notes.
For the 2024 book, I built on what I learned in 1993. One of the first tasks was to start the Table of Contents (chapters) as this was an outline for what I felt was important to write on. As you are working on your book, you can change your mind and adapt.
I started the book in MS Word and transferred it Adobe Acrobat PDF when completed. I decided to have the book in print format and also in PDF, on an USB drive. And this book had to be finished before the date of our family reunion.
One of my goals was to become a better writer so I took some courses and Zoom sessions.
Edmonton Public Schools, Metro Continuing Education:
- Beginning Writer’s Workshop https://www.ed2go.com/metro/online-courses/beginning-writers-workshop/
- The Keys to Effective Editing course https://www.ed2go.com/metro/online-courses/the-keys-to-effective-editing/
- Writing Essentials course https://www.ed2go.com/metro/online-courses/writing-essentials
- Putting it All Together: How to Write Your Family History session by Bill Eddleman
- Self-Publish Your Genealogy: A Panel Discussion with Authors by American Ancestors
- Ten Best Self-Publishing Tips by Lisa Alzo
- How to Build a Family History Book by Lynn Palermo
- How to Self-Publish a Book in 2024 (+Checklist) by reedsyBlog
Some advice:
You are never done researching so stop and write a book when it seems the right time. Same thing with checking out courses, and information in books and online. Stop when you are ready to start writing. You can always go back and forth but don’t do this too often. The goal is to start writing (results). Also, remember that writing and researching are two different tasks. Multitasking does not work. It is better to schedule your time and be focused.
Make sure that you organize your data in the same format on your computer vs paper records and match it to the Table of Contents in your book draft. There should be an easy flow between. This makes it easier to get back to the last piece that you were working on and to find more information. I had a small archive box with folders near me, in my study.
Back up frequently and store the backup in another location. I used cloud storage as well as an external hard drive. Stuff happens. I had a cousin email too many photos and it crashed my computer. I also downloaded a new app, and it kept working behind the scenes and making my computer freeze. I finally uninstalled it and went back to what I was previously using.
Familiarize yourself with source citations. Also, understand copyright and permissions.
Decide on what writing style you are going to use. With the 2024 book, I made it more personal (first person) and wrote articles based on my own experiences, e.g. traveling to Ukraine, researching in the archives, visiting cemeteries, etc. My focus was on what my cousins find interesting, as this book was for them.
Point of View: The Ultimate Guide to Writing Perspectives by reedsyBlog
https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/point-of-view/
Have a Misc. folder, for ideas, ongoing family research, stuff that you might use, etc. I use the Trello and Evernote apps.
Use the guidelines for fonts, margins, headings, formatting, etc. I used Times New Roman 10 and in Caps for the titles, normal margins at 1 inch all around, two columns, one space line between paragraphs and no indent, and a centered page number at the bottom of the page.
I purchased Ukrainian and heritage-themed (country, vintage) clip art from Etsy. You can also google search for “free clip art” plus (+) what you are interested in.
Make sure that your family members approve of what is going in the book. When I had my first draft done, I emailed it to my cousins individually or in family groups and gave them deadlines to reply. I also emailed them examples to refer to and included an outline of what I was getting everyone to follow. Most did follow the instructions!
Make sure you have people to proofread, edit, and check your grammar. I initially used the Grammarly app. Get at least two or more people as they will each catch something different. I was lucky to have gotten a really good cousin, to look over my whole book. I transferred a copy of the draft book to Google Docs so we could work together as we live in two different provinces. And make sure you have track changes on.
My family history book was sold at cost and only to family members. Remember to add in for postage and any other surprises (initial quote vs actual bill). This time I only had 20 extra books produced. It will also be easier if I have to print off more books by going with a local, family-owned printer.
Additional Resources:
Ingle, Cyndi “Writing Your Family’s History,” CyndisList.com
https://www.cyndislist.com/writing/
YouTube videos on “family history writing”
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=family+history+writing
Legacy Family Tree Webinars
https://familytreewebinars.com/speaker/lisa-alzo/
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/publishing-a-genealogy-e-book/
You don’t have to take the same courses or use the tools that I used. You must assess your needs and what your gaps are. Each of us has different areas to focus on. I am lucky that I can quickly scan through lots of information and pull out the treasures. Plus, I enjoy being creative!
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