Writing Your Family History
okay so here's the deal. you've got a shoebox of photos, a couple of letters, some half-remembered stories, and no idea where to start. this class is for that.
no writing background needed, i promise. we don't build a timeline. timelines are where projects go to die. we start with one memory at a time, and every wednesday we'll write something small, sometimes out loud. i'll go first with my own messy example so nobody feels exposed.
you'll leave with a handful of short written pieces you can actually hand to your kids and grandkids. short is fine. four sentences is a family history. this is for anyone who keeps meaning to write it down and hasn't yet. no worries at all.
What you'll learn
- Start writing without building a full timeline
- Turn a single detail into a real scene
- Separate research facts from the actual story
- Write honestly around gaps in the record
- Finish short pieces ready to hand off
Lessons
- Start With One Memory
We skip the timeline and write about one actual human, four sentences at a time.
- The Boring Details Are the Good Details
How someone took their coffee, the truck they drove, what they ate, that's the person.
- Getting the Family to Talk
They won't hand you their memories on a schedule, so you learn to catch them casual.
- The Way We Tell It
The half-remembered version is still real, and a wrong-but-loved story beats a correct blank page.
- Making It Sound Like a Person
Read it out loud before you call it done, because if it sounds like a spreadsheet, it is one.
- Handing It Over
We turn your rough pieces into something you can actually give to the people you love.
Class discussion
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