Writing a Non Boring Family History

Family history sleuthing is the biggest hobby worldwide.Maybe because of ‘non-boring’ in the title,this is one of Hazel’s best selling titles? Most genealogy books and sites show how to research your family. TV programs like ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ glamorise. But crafting your findings into a format others will want to read, is the real challenge. Why are you writing it? Who is your prospective reader? How can you craft the facts for them to access easily?

Amid a sea of genealogy books, Hazel Edwards has written a practical handbook on how to craft stories about our ancestors in an interesting way that other people will want to read. She addresses the vital issues of: injecting life into a name on a shipping list; presenting the family’s murky secrets; doing justice to intriguing ancestors; getting the amount of dramatisation right; interviewing elderly relatives and people close to the family; how to use anecdotes and record memories. This revised edition acknowledges the new e – formats that today’s family members use, includes helpful tips on how to write a eulogy, and covers the growing interest in touring military battlefields and researching onsite material.

ISBN: 9781923403864
Author: Hazel Edwards
Publisher: Amba Press

Formats: Paperback

Visit your local bookshop or these online retailers have copies available now – just click through on the direct link and you can purchase online:

Buy this book from Amba Press

For accessible formats (Large Print, Dyslexia, Daisy and Braille), visit:

ReadHowYouWant

Read Hazel’s article on writing family history

Chapters in ‘Writing a Non Boring Family History’ are based on answering the most common questions asked during Hazel’s popular workshops. These include:

Avoiding chronological boredom
Using humour
Dramatising but keeping to the facts
Fact, faction or fiction? Can’t call it a history, if you ‘fiddle’ with the facts.
Viewpoints. Whose?
What if the family criticise what you’ve written?
Collaborating?
Diplomatically handling family secrets?
What if you’ve only got a name on a shipping list?

In Writing a Non Boring Family History, strategies are included for

interviewing relatives
shaping anecdotes, not just listing dates
structuring
publishing
costing
launching
distributing, and
overcoming procrastination

Links to Hazel’s published articles:

Sharing History via Fake_ID Buzz Words July_2013.pdf (532.01 KB) Young Adult e-novel with historical links.
Kids’ Book Review; Capturing Childhood Memories in Stories hints on writing their ‘histories’ with and for children

Buy e-book of Fake ID for teen family interested in a history mystery.

Tamil translated edition published.

This revised,’Writing a Non Boring Family History‘ includes visiting historic military or family history sites, eulogies and e-formats as well as writing history for children.

Other Formats:

You might also like to check out Hazel’s podcast interview on ABC Life Matters : about genealogy & military history researching ‘Searching for a Lost Garnet’.

This book is used as the basis of one day workshops. Check Events for workshops which cover:

Researching and Interviewing Skills
How to organise your material
Structuring a Book
Making it interesting for the reader
Formatting and Publishing Options
Handling Family Secrets
Editing and Proofreading
How to write using all senses and perspectives
Launching and Marketing possibilities

Suitable for all who wish to improve their writing skills as well as for those contemplating or struggling with a book length project such as a family history, corporate history or autobiography/memoirs.

‘Clarifies how to organise a book length project, and still talk to your family.’

‘Stimulating and informative…Excellent…Hazel Edwards encouraged me to really get going.’ Amateur historian.

‘Loved the recipe for a family history and the generic checklist was invaluable before our reunion launch.’

Shauna Hicks review respected historian writes in a non-boring review.