Researching your family history usually begins with finding names, dates & places. It doesn't take long before you have a list of births & baptisms, deaths & marriages, occupations & residences. The thrill of the chase keeps us searching and our lists grow longer. But who wants to read lists? Now is the time to take those lists and turn them into something else. Something your family will enjoy reading!
Ancestry Templates
If the last time you wrote a pen portrait was at school then take a look at my earlier post to refresh your memory! The digital version is not that much different but it does have the added advantage to easily add photos, newspaper articles or copies of letters etc. Pen portraits also make great presents for those "hard to buy for" members of your family.
Writer’s Block
Writing stories about our family history is not the same as writing a novel. Our characters already have their place in history. Their life events have already been written. If we don't want our ancestors relegated to column of numbers we have to ignore that persistent voice in our head that whispers, "You're not a writer, you have writers block, stick to the records!