ALL >> Family >> View Article
13 Steps To Preserve Your Family History
Although the phrase, "everybody has a story to tell" may sound like a cliche, it's true.
And after working as a newspaper reporter for nine years, I know that everyone does, indeed, have a story to tell, including your family members.
Think about it.
Do your grandmother and grandfather — mother and father — aunts and uncles — tell stories about the "good old days?"
Do they talk about going to school? The fun they had with friends? Family celebrations and holidays? Picnics on the Fourth of July? Snow that was so deep it covered fences? Pets that were so smart they belonged in the Guinness Book of World Records? Making ice cream? Their parents? Their grandparents?
Have you wanted to write down those stories to share them with other family members and to preserve them for generations to come but don't how to go about it?
Guess what? You don't need "literary talent," special training or special equipment. All you need to preserve those stories is a list of people to interview, a willingness to listen, a set of questions to ask, a tape recorder and a computer (or even a typewriter ...
... would work!).
Here are the steps for gathering and writing your family stories:
1. Decide which people you would like to interview and make a list.
2. Ask for permission to conduct an interview.
3. Set a formal date and time for the interview.
4. Provide a list of questions several days or weeks before the interview.
5. Focus on a single subject or event in each list of questions.
6. Use the who, what, where, when, how, and why strategy when formulating your questions.
7. Ask open-ended questions and not yes or no or one word answer questions.
8. Use a tape recorder to record the interview.
9. Chat about something else for a while if the person you are interviewing seems nervous at the prospect of being tape-recorded.
10. Transcribe the tape and write up your notes after you have finished the interview.
11. Edit the manuscript.
12. Spread out your interviews.
13. Print the stories from your computer or publish them in another way.
*Preserve Your Family History* includes step-by-step instructions for conducting interviews as well as 30 sets of questions (more than 400 questions in all) on 30 different topics that you can print out to use "as is" or that you can use to generate your own questions. To see the table of contents and several sets of sample questions visit — http://www.ruralroute2.com/family_history.html
*Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories)* (66 pages; $7.95) is available from http://www.booklocker.com/books/1545.html
***********************
From the e-book: Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories) (66 pages; April 2004; $7.95) available at — http://www.booklocker.com/books/1545.html
To see the table of contents and several sets of sample questions visit — http://www.ruralroute2.com/family_history.html
© LeAnn R. Ralph 2004
LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the book, *Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)* (trade paperback; August 2003). For more information, visit http://ruralroute2.com
bigpuines@ruralroute2.com
Add Comment
Family Articles
1. Caring For Your Latex Mattress In Different ClimatesAuthor: Andrew Philips
2. The Crucial Role Of Housemaids In Childcare In Singapore
Author: Eazymaid Pte Ltd
3. The Impact Of Paternity Leave On Child Development: Why Father’s Time Matters
Author: Im Perfect by Urveez
4. Navigating Egg Donation - The Everie Difference
Author: Everie Egg Bank
5. Có Nên Mua Máy Hút ẩm Kosmen Km-12n Giá Hơn 3 Triệu
Author: BPS Việt Nam
6. Event Management Company In Siliguri: Akk Wedding Planner
Author: amit
7. How Much Is A Dishwasher Installation?
Author: Tom D'Agostino
8. Why Do I Need To Review My Life Insurance Annually?
Author: Joffry Daniel
9. Effects Of Mattress Material On Body Pressure Profiles In Different Sleeping Postures
Author: Andrew Philips
10. Powerful Tips To Get Love Problem Solution
Author: Pandit Kapil Sharma
11. Why U-shaped Modular Kitchens Are Perfect For Modern Homes?
Author: Nobilia Kitchen
12. Renovate Your Bathroom With More Luxurious
Author: Monika
13. How To Make First Rakhi Special?
Author: Chandan Kumar
14. Parenting In The Digital Age
Author: Im Perfect by Urveez
15. Carpet Cleaning For Commercial Spaces: What You Need To Know
Author: kinyyy