- I write my ancestral stories in a variety of ways; some become digital stories (5-10 minute video monologues with photos and musical soundtracks) available on YouTube, Ancestral Cards (short descriptions and pertinent facts about an ancestor) in my Trello Boards, Essays (1000-1500 words) of a slice of life of an ancestor, (mine or sometimes commissioned by others) available as printed documents or a blog post (a factual story of an ancestor’s life or a series of vignettes) expanding on the imagined and/or researched slices of their lives.
- Each time I peel back the layers of mystery surrounding the life of an ancestor, mine or others, I see a story emerging; a chance to bring that ancestor into the limelight for a moment in time. Treasures abound in Aladdin’s cave that are family history – they beckon and call and demand my attention. A lost diary here; a forgotten memoir there; an old tattered photo; or uncovered documentary evidence of people, place, and time. These are the story starters for me; the facts and the evidence from my ancestors’ lives. When I hold an old photo or open an old diary; when I gently slip those old letters from their tattered envelopes or once again admire a medal; then I feel closer to my clan and my past has more meaning.
- The more I write about my ancestors, the more I know about myself.
There are a few books available for you in these genres:
Genealogy:
Storifying your Ancestors: helping you write your ancestral stories? (ebook and paperback)
The Devon Kin Keeper: A Genealogist’s Romantic Inheritance (ebook and paperback)
The Essential Family Tree Detective: A Step-by-Step Guide to Genealogy Research
(written with AI assistance – new version coming soon)
Fantasy:
The Key to Cooperation: Book 1 in the Arry Chronicles
(ebook only)
The Ring of Destiny: Book 2 in the Arry Chronicles
(ebook coming soon)
The Crown of Wisdom: Book 3 in the Arry Chronicles
(ebook and paperback)
