When we fall in love with an ancestor on the page, we don’t fall in love with the fact that he is a 56-year-old farmer from Ireland with brown hair,
Category: Characterization
5 Ways to Describe Your Ancestor in a Story5 Ways to Describe Your Ancestor in a Story
When we write our family history stories one of our primary goals is to bring our reader and our ancestors closer together. Our goal is to help our reader
Setting as Character – 10 Research TipsSetting as Character – 10 Research Tips
When beginning any family history story, we look carefully at our ancestors as we attempt to understand and describe them for our reader. We develop an ancestor profile
Identifying Your Protagonist AncestorIdentifying Your Protagonist Ancestor
The protagonist is the central character in a story. I’m going to assume you’ve watched enough movies and read enough books, that you understand every story has a protagonist. However,
Goals, Motivations and StakesGoals, Motivations and Stakes
You’ve chosen your Protagonist Ancestor, and now it’s time to structure his or her story in a format that will keep your readers entertained and engaged from beginning to end.
Who is the Enemy?Who is the Enemy?
Once you’ve identified the conflict and obstacles that your ancestor faced it shouldn’t be too hard to identify the enemy, the source of the obstacles, the antagonist. While your antagonist
What Were They Thinking?What Were They Thinking?
What Were They Thinking? You’re well aware by now of the importance social history plays in writing your family history stories. However, I’m not sure the family history writer is
Painting a Picture with CharacterizationPainting a Picture with Characterization
I believe it is possible for a family historian to bring their ancestors to life on the page, give them a face, emotions and motivations all while drawing from research,