To find interesting tales buried in the past, the writer will have to look beneath the surface of everyday family activities (as told by older family members) and go back to the family roots.
At first glance, it may seem there's not all that much of interest in the family's past. The flesh-and-blood people there may look only more marginally than the black lines on a page that represent the family tree: thin and unimpressive, with no drama to be found.
That's unlikely to be so. Every family has stories. Some are mundane. Some are exciting. Some are sad... but when the family historian starts to dig, thre's almost always hidden treasure.
Most families, for example, have been through world wars. Some have lost loved ones in accidents; others have a star athlete or a humanitarian who has made a difference to the lives of others.
Here are five suggestions to help dig out those anecdotes that are just below the surface, waiting to be discovered - anecdotes that will truly enliven the family history.
1. Ask Around for Oft-Told Family Stories
Spread the word that evergreen family stories would be welcome – the ones that get passed around every time the family meets: those that are told and re-told. Phone people. Arrange face-to-face meetings, if possible (it's amazing how an interviewer can pick up on facial expressions or hesitations and follow the trail to extra material), and interview them by email. Don't forget to collect lively quotes that will make the book come to life. It's a good idea to record the interview, if this won't make the subject too self-conscious: there's less risk of misquoting. (Phone interviews can be handled by using call recorders like Pamela with Skype.)
2. Search for a Long-Lost Family Member.
Is there a name on the family tree that is shrouded in mystery? A black sheep in the family? Someone who has lost touch with the family or gone to live in another country? Or someone who has simply disappeared, despite numerous efforts by family members to search... and who has never been heard from again?
If nobody else has succeeded in finding this lost sheep, it's unlikely that the family historian will have any better luck (short of hiring a private detective). However, there are other options – such as interviewing family members about what they remember of the mystery man or woman. Collect everyone's best guesses (or bare facts) about what happened to this person, and spin the results into an interesting narrative.
3. Write Brief Biographies of Interesting Family Members (Dead or Alive)
Someone who catches the writer's eye might be a soldier born a century and a half ago; another might be (for example) a well-known artist in the family who is still alive. No matter what the reason for this person grabbing the historian's attention, it's worth a second look. More particularly, it's worth investing some time in a brief memoir to add to the finished history. The bonus is that it's sometimes surprising to see what other tales surface during the research.
4. Seek Inspiration from Family Photos for a 'Fashions of the Times' Section
This can be a lot of fun: clothing that fitswith the times can stretch from fashions in the 1700s to a modern-day teen dressed in Goth black. Write a little about the person in the photo, and a paragraph or two about the styles of clothing, shoes, accessories, and hairstyles. (Warning: this can lead to many lost hours on 'Fashions Through the Ages'-type sites.)
5. Children's Toys and Games
TV shows like Antiques Roadshow and The Collectors have piqued people's interest in the way families lived in bygone years. Photos of children in the last 50 years often show them at play, with toys, forts, dolls, bikes and trikes. In contrast, photos showing children in the 1800s most commonly depict them in a stiff pose, perhaps holding a doll or a hoop. A 'Children at Play' section can add life and interest to any family history.
All of the above ideas can help to flesh out the everyday life of those who lived at different times shown throughout the family history – but they also offer a different angle on the people in old photos. Once the historian has the basic material for stories and anecdotes, it's time to write and polish the family history. By using the fiction writer's tools of the trade (technique in writing snippets of dialogue, knowing how to describe setting without being boring, and so on) the family historian can make those stories fascinating reading for everyone.
Marg McAlister - Marg McAlister has tried on a good many writer's hats in her career, and has enjoyed wearing most of them. Her writing achievements ...
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