Writing a book?

[cristeen]

I am seriously considering this and was looking for advice, suggestions, any input at all really.
When I first began this genealogy lark I was given various documents etc relating to different branched of the family. One of these was a 'memoir' written by my great grandfathers older brother and transcribed/edited by his nephew in the 1960s. It is a fascinating account of his life and work (1880-1961) which has been useful in guiding my research also. Along the way I have collected lots of images, census returns, maps, newspaper articles etc relating to the people and events he describes. I have been lucky enough to find some colourful stories relating to his family and the two generations preceding it (riots, false imprisonment, Gretna Green marriages etc) and also have an account written by my grandfather which provides further details.
I have bought several books relating to particular family branches so I know others have produced similar works. I was thinking of weaving elements of local history in along the way, where relevant.
I don't expect that my specific family would be of major interest (they were fishermen & sailors mainly) but their lifestyles and daily challenges might be.
Any thoughts?

[Viktoria]

Have a go, you have lots of authentic information, accurate dates etc.
You need a framework-scaffold, to hang it all from.
Decide which info is  dominant ,such as a craft or trade handed down generations or a specific place.
Decide on a theme whereby the info is well linked through the generations.
If there is enough about the characters could you do it as a sort of diary, although working class people would not keep one.
How about treating them as entries in a family bible then enlarge on the bare entries in chronological order, filling out the characters with as much as you know.
Do you want to write the history of your family as a factual account or weave it  into a novel?
Best of luck. Viktoria.

[Caw1]

It sounds like you have a great platform on which to build a family history.

Perhaps Could provide members of the family with a written account of the lives, occupations, social history of the area lived in of these ancestors for you all.

One of my distant cousins wrote a short book about her father who was in the RAF during the war and his capture in Holland. There was a brief history of his life before during and after the war all with documents she'd found and been given. It was published through Amazon and it made for interesting reading although we are not directly related.

I'm sure you will enjoy the challenge and wish you the best of luck.

Caroline

[Keitht]

All of the advice you have been given here is sound but I must add on word of caution. You mention that you have a number of maps, documents and perhaps photographs which might be included in your work but please bear in mind that many, maybe all of them may be subject to copyright.

The basic rule is that copyright subsists in the original author and his/her descendants for 75 after his/her death. In the case of photographs and maps the same rule applies except where the person who took the photograph or created the map is not now known, in which case copyright pertains for 75 years after original publication.

[Malcolm33]

    I would urge everyone to write their personal memoirs.   How often do I hear people say, "if only I had asked 'Aunt......' about the family.    Well, we can't repair what we failed to do but we can leave something of great interest for future generations to come.

    I wrote most of my memories decades ago but then what with so much happening and a big move I didn't add to them.   I had written some 37 chapters and only got as far as 1976.   After the move I was more interested in doing something about all I had learned about 18th Dynasty Egypt and that led me to writing a novel, The Tutankhamen Code.   Even when I finished it I didn't return to my memoirs - not until about two weeks ago when I suddenly had this amazing urge to push on with them.    So I picked up the story again in June 1976 when I arrived back in Australia after 3 years in England and began working as a Travel Manager for Tom Hunt who I had never met before.    Tom was one of the most amazing characters in my life outside of my own family.   He was so generous and I more or less kept in touch with him until a few months ago.   

    Anyway there were one or two things I needed to ask his son Barry about his Dad and it was then that I got an email back from Barry to tell me that his Dad was confused with most of his memory gone and in very poor health.    The following day the sad news came to tell me that Tom had passed earlier that morning.    I attended his memorial service on Sunday afternoon - two days ago and as expected there was nothing but praise for a man who had been so heart feeling for everyone else whether family or total strangers.

     I am sure now that that urge to write about him and get on with my memoirs was coming from a soul that had already left its physical shell.

      So do it now, jot down on a notepad every single memory that marked a point in your lifetime and then fill in more detail to paint the picture of everything that you've experienced whether good times, or sad, and especially all the happy and funny incidents.

    Malcolm

[Malcolm33]

WOW!    I have learned through life to acknowledge signs.  When I read over my last comment I see that I've hit a round figure - 1000! 

[cristeen]

Thank you all for the advice. I have recently completed writing up the family history researched to date & thoroughly enjoyed the process. This idea would take a few generations from one line and explore their lives in a little more depth. Viktoria, your suggestions are very helpful, one of my problems is always going to be regarding what I don't include so having a theme running through will help to focus my thoughts. Keitht, good point re copyright, I realised I would have to tread carefully in that regard. Most of my sources are well annotated so I can refer back to an original author/producer but I will have to explore this aspect further.
Malcolm33, funnily enough i have started noting down my own memories, focussing initially on early childhood and my grandparents. No-one may ever read it, but you never know.

[Billyblue]

Even if you don't write a book - do write it down.  In a series of short stories, perhaps.

And put photos in where you can.

Some FH writers even write poems about family events     

Dawn M

[pharmaT]

I have considered writing up the family history but I have no writing skills and as my colleagues say I am incapable of using the English language.  One of my daughter's cousins has written and published a book on family history.  He starts with a particular couple and each chapter maps out a different line of descent.  His main theme is how diverse the lives of the current generation of descendants are and how far spread they are around the world.