How to Write a Personal Family Biography
Writing a great family biography takes time and patience. You will need to talk to as many people in your family and around your family as you can. In addition, going through family albums or vital documents such as birth and marriage certificates can yield a wealth of information. To keep the reader's interest up, go for interesting facts or stories that will pull the reader in.
Instructions
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Decide how much of your family you want to write about and research it fully. If you want to go back more than a couple of generations, that may mean some serious time at the library or archives. Get as much information as you can from family members directly, especially older family members. Often they don't tell others about fascinating stories or facts simply because nobody asked. Look for clues about people or events in photographs. Finding out who took a photo or where it was taken can lead to a trove of compelling information.
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Organize your material chronologically and create a family tree so you can see the structure you will write about. This will help you make an outline for the biography, and you will know what topics you will tackle when. An outline is invaluable for this and a must for any extended writing project.
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Write your biography according your your outline. You don't have to start at the beginning, so to speak. Sometimes it's easier to start in the present and work backward. Other times there may be a particular incident of special significance that will be easy to write and get you into the material. Anecdotes and funny stories are great devices to keep readers interested, and a good story can tell a lot more about a family than an official document.
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References
- Photo Credit relaxing with great grandma image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
