How to Write About Your Family

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Ask your family members if you can interview them.

   Start by gathering concrete information about your family straight from the source.
   
   Ask your family members if you can talk to them about their childhood, their upbringing, and their relationship to others in the family.
   
   You may take notes when you interview your family members or record them using a tape recorder or a video camera.Make a point of talking to the older generation in your family, such as grandparents, great aunts, or old family friends.
   
   Often, the older generation will have more information on your family history.
   
   You may need to ask your family members for interviews several times, as they may not appear all that interested in the topic.
   
   It can be hard for your family to see the value in telling you about the past.
   
   Be patient and remind them that you are writing about the family out of interest and a desire to get the history down on paper.
2. 2

   Step 2: Create a family tree.

   Another way you can collect important information about your family is to create a family tree.
   
   A family tree can help you organize your family lineage, going as far back as you can.
   
   You may need to do research on your own or with help from your family members.
   
   Draw out the family tree on a large piece of posterboard and hang it on your wall.
   
   You could then use it as inspiration for stories about your family.
   
   There are also several online tools you can use to build a family tree.
   
   You may then print out the family tree and use it as a guide when writing about your family., You should also use resources like public records online or in print to gather more information about your family.
   
   If your family has lived in the same place for several generations, you may look up the public records on your family’s last name to gather more information.
   
   You may also search for your family in the records at your local library or online in newspaper archives.If you are not sure how to search for your family in the public records, you may ask a reference librarian at your local library for guidance.
   
   You may also be able to speak to a representative at the city records office for advice on how to search for information. , As you start your writing project on your family, you should consider letting your family know you are writing about them.
   
   Being upfront and telling your family may make it easier for you to dive right into the writing.
   
   You may sit your family down and let them know why you are drawn to writing about your family and why it is important to you.
   
   Having the conversation with them upfront can allow them to express any concerns they may have and allow you to talk about your project together.For example, you may say to your family, “I want to write about our family because I think we have a valuable story to share with others, a story about perseverance, sacrifice, and joy.
   
   I feel like a story like ours is not represented properly right now and I want to try to do it justice.” , To get writing on your family, start by creating characters based on your family members.
   
   Try to use as many biographical facts and details about your family as possible when creating these characters.
   
   You may create character profiles for each member of your family, including detailed backstories.For example, you may write a character profile for your father by writing, “60 year old Chinese-American man who came to America in the 1920’s with his mother.
   
   Has a fascination with Chinese culture.
   
   Tends to speak up only when spoken to.” Keep in mind that you can share your impressions of your family members when you write about them.
   
   Make sure you clarify that you are writing from your perspective and try not to embellish any aspects of your family.
   
   You are writing non fiction, after all, not fiction. , Having a central conflict or question in your family story can help you stay focused when you are writing.
   
   You can also use the conflict to keep the stakes of story up and to build tension in your story.
   
   There may be several conflicts that you want to focus on or one central conflict.For example, you may realize that you have always wondered why your father is so estranged from his family and why your grandmother left China in the first place to come to America.
   
   You may then use this conflict to structure and organize your story.
   
   You may also research your family with this question in mind. , Once you have done your research and spoken to your family about your intent to write the family history, you should put together your family’s story.
   
   You may create a plot outline for the family history.
   
   Another option is to organize the story chronologically, beginning with your family’s origins and ending with their lives now.You may also have several major conflicts throughout the story, such as the time your grandmother ran off to marry your grandfather, or the moment your great grandmother stepped on the boat to America.
   
   Use these conflicts to propel the story forward and make the story engaging. , Once you are finished with a draft of the story, share it with others and get feedback.
   
   You may share it with your family members to get their opinion on it.
   
   You may also share it with colleagues or friends who have experience in writing to get feedback.
   
   Be open to constructive criticism and revise the draft until it is at its best.
   
   Keep in mind your family members may have more edits or opinions on the draft than others.
   
   Try to accommodate their feedback, as you are writing their family history too.
   
   But you should also be willing to argue against their feedback if you think it will be detrimental to the overall story or not in keeping with the facts of the family history.
3. 3

   Step 3: Look up information about your family in the public records.

4. 4

   Step 4: Let your family know you are writing about them.

5. 5

   Step 5: Create character profiles based on your family members.

6. 6

   Step 6: Identify a conflict in your family history.

7. 7

   Step 7: Compile the family history.

8. 8

   Step 8: Revise the draft.

Detailed Guide

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