The mess in your draft is not a verdict on your ability. It’s a stage and there’s an order for working through it that keeps you from wasting a year
Why Unfinished Drafts Are So CommonWhy Unfinished Drafts Are So Common
The draft that died on page nine didn’t die because of you. It stalled for a reason you can fix in a single sentence — written before you draft a
How to Keep Your Readers Turning the PageHow to Keep Your Readers Turning the Page
You look at your ancestor’s life and worry nothing dramatic enough ever happened — no scandal, no disaster, no reason anyone would keep reading. So the story stays unwritten. This
Why So Many Writers Begin in the Wrong PlaceWhy So Many Writers Begin in the Wrong Place
You open with her parents, her siblings, the times she was born into, the reasons she had to leave. Three paragraphs in, and we still haven’t met her. Let’s look
The Most Common Mistake in Family History WritingThe Most Common Mistake in Family History Writing
A timeline is not enough. A timeline tells you when your ancestor lived. It can’t tell you how. This week: the most common mistake in family history writing, why a
Why Writing Feels Riskier Than ResearchWhy Writing Feels Riskier Than Research
In this week’s Storylines, we’re talking about why so many of us get stuck in research and struggle to make the move into writing. Research can feel like solid ground.
The Research Gap: A Silent Story EngineThe Research Gap: A Silent Story Engine
Sometimes the most powerful part of a story is not what is said outright, but what is left unsaid. In this video, I explore “the gap” as a silent story
How to Choose the Ancestor You Write AboutHow to Choose the Ancestor You Write About
You’ve done the work. You have the binders, the photographs, the spreadsheet with three hundred names — and now you want to write, but you cannot pick which ancestor to
The Difference Between a Life and a StoryThe Difference Between a Life and a Story
Have you ever noticed that a life and a story are not the same thing? A life is everything.Every ordinary Tuesday. Every meal cooked. Every chore finished. Every year that
How to Recognize a Story Worth TellingHow to Recognize a Story Worth Telling
Not every ancestor detail becomes a story—but some absolutely do.The question is… how do you know when you’ve found one?