Product Description

There's no reason a fully documented family history can't read like a page-turning novel. In this concise and accessible book, Sharon DeBartolo Carmack shows genealogists, history buffs, and writers at all levels exactly how to record the fascinating tales of their ancestors. Based on her own extensive experience writing family histories, the author shares her best methods for:

Conducting historical and thematic research
Organizing materials
Outlining and plotting a story Illustrating with pictures and charts
Making money writing the histories of other families

The advice, inspiration and instruction in You Can Write Your Family History makes it possible for anyone-even those who've never written a single page-to successfully chronicle the lives of near or distant relatives. It's the next best thing to having a personal instructor by your side.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #673668 in Books
• Published on: 2003-08
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Certified Genealogist Sharon DeBartolo Carmack is nationally recognized in her field and lectures to thousands of genealogists every year. She's authored five highly acclaimed family history narratives and a number of genealogy books, including Organizing Your Family History Search, and Your Guide to Cemetery Research.

Customer Reviews

Excellent resource
Another good book by this author. Clear presentation. Explanations regarding each written family history approach -- reasons why one would pick one over the other. If you want to read someone who explains succinctly but fully ... this book is a winner

But I've never read one of Sharon Debartolo Carmack's books that wasn't! You can depend on her.

Every aspect of the process is covered
One of the best sources of genealogical information for future generations are the recorded family histories provided by our elders before they pass into history. Recorded family histories are ideal sources for 'the story behind the story' of how people met, fell in love, came to be married, of their failures and successes, their losses and their gains, the anecdotal stories of living through 'interesting times'. But these family stories don't record themselves. That's why Sharon DeBartolo Carmack has written an instructive and thoroughly 'user friendly' guide to recording our family histories in the do-it-yourself instructional manual "You Can Write Your Family History". Every aspect of the process is covered, from selecting the bet type of family history to write; to deciding on a theme; to conducting efficient research with the goal of fleshing out a narrative; to putting subjects into the context of relevant social history; to the actual work of getting the words down on paper and preserved. Every aspiring and practicing genealogist, as well as non-specialist general readers wanting to preserve the stories of their parents and grandparents for the benefit of their children and grandchildren, should read "You Can Write Your Family History".

The Great Motivater
I have been wanting to write a family history on my family's deli for almost 12 years. School and other priorties have gotten in the way. After the passing of my grandmother last year (one of the founders of the deli) I figured that this is the year I would like to start. It is now or never.
This book is very easy to read. It has a step-by-step process to gathering data and unlocking your inner writer through a narrative non-fiction. She makes writing sound so easy and provides good, and not so good, examples of writing family history to get information across.
I didn't realize how time consuming this type of writing was going to be so a realistic time line is suggested so that everything is researched and not fictionalized.
I truly recommend this as your first guide to collecting data. She recommends others throughout the book.