Hi! Today I want to share a little of my book, Eight Ways to Share Your Family History, to give you ideas for getting started on yours. These are excerpts from pages 25-26 of the book.

Give description to your statements. “I grew up in a quaint town” is okay, but it’s better to tell why it was quaint. Describe the town square, its stores, the size and population, and whether it is an old forgotten sleepy type of town. “The town square was always deserted when the dust storms blew in on the east winds of August.”

If you remember seeing the TV series The Golden Girls, you’ll remember Ma starting her reminisces with, “Picture this: Sicily, 1938.” In that short statement she gave the date, the place and her relative age when the story occurred.

It’s more interesting to read in the present tense when possible. An example from my history helps the reader picture my trip as presently happening. Even though I hitched across the country at eighteen, over fifty years ago, I put it in the present tense. “In August of 1950 after graduating high school, I went to see some of our great country before getting drafted for the Korean War. With canvas for a tent, a sleeping bag, a small suitcase of clothes, a shoe shine kit, my rosary, twenty five dollars and a jar of peanut butter, I set out on my adventure.”

The example shows several things to keep in mind in your stories. It lets the reader know my age, a little history of the times, “The Korean War,” the year, and some of my desires, goals, my faith, provisions, and my confidence in undertaking the trip with so little money and supplies.

We all need smiles. I hope some of these give you at least one smile today. I like to laugh and give others a laugh too. Some puns for your reading and thinking enjoyment.
The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Circumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.
I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian.
She was only a whiskey maker but he loved her still.
Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.
A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
Thanks for reading. Check out my books, Ed