Category Archives: writing strategies

Metaphors We Live By: Phrases That Capture the Genealogical Journey.

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Family history isn’t just about names carefully plotted on a chart—it’s a lived experience, rich with mystery, challenge, and moments of delight. It’s the thrill of uncovering a long-forgotten story, the frustration of chasing a record that seems to vanish into thin air, the quiet satisfaction of piecing a life together from scattered fragments. Along the way, family historians—whether seasoned researchers or curious beginners—adopt a unique language. We find ourselves speaking in phrases steeped in metaphor and meaning, a kind … Continue reading

Connecting to a Forgotten Past.

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I’ve always believed that the journey of researching and writing about family history is just as important as the destination, but the research will often take us along unexpected paths. Uniting the current generation with earlier generations about a forgotten past is a worthy undertaking, but the project is often complex and can take a long time. Recently I came across a book, Starry Field: A Memoir of Lost History by Margaret Juhae Lee. Margaret, the author, researched her family’s history … Continue reading

History in Paradise – Norfolk Island AFFHO Congress – August 2022

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I recently attended the AFFHO Congress on Norfolk Island. Attending any conference or education session can inspire you to rethink your approach to your family history. Idyllic Norfolk Island is steeped in history – the first settlement, the penal settlement, the arrival of the Pitcairn Islanders. The talks at the Congress focussed on different aspects of the island’s history. One thing that became clear, if I needed reminding, was that history is the history of those in charge, i.e. the … Continue reading

Finding the Hook – keeping your readers interested

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Every piece of family history needs a hook to hang the story on and the focus of the August Writing Group meeting was to develop and share ways of ‘finding the hook’. Group members were invited to write an account of a moment in their family history that would likely hook readers and keep them interested. The writing style was open to members to choose whatever was appropriate for their story, be this historical non-fiction, creative non-fiction, or historical fiction. … Continue reading

Where were you when …. ?

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I’ve previously written about putting our ancestors’ lives in context so that they become more meaningful, especially when we’re writing a family history or a biography of a particular ancestor. The importance of context came home to me earlier this year when I read a book which focussed on events in a particular period. It caused me to think (yet again) about how to write up my research.   1960s montage For instance, can you remember where you were, who … Continue reading