Set yourself up for success with your next—or first—family history book project by answering four pre-planning questions before you begin. The post Top 4 Decisions to Make Before Starting Your Family History Book Project appeared first on The Creative Family Historian ..read more

Unlock the secrets to pre-purchase product description reviews to ensure you’re buying family history templates that you’ll love to use. The post 5 Simple Questions to Ask Before You Buy Any Family History Templates appeared first on The Creative Family Historian ..read more

Is your genealogy admin process all over the place, leaving you feeling like you spend more time trying to find your notes than you do on research? I’ve been there. I even bought the same certificate three times only to discover that all purchases were a waste of money because I already had a copy. […] The post How to Solve the Mystery of Your Out-of-Control Genealogy Admin appeared first on The Creative Family Historian ..read more

Do you find yourself starting family history projects that you never actually complete? Maybe it’s because they seem to go off track, and you have no idea how to wrangle them back on. Or it’s that you never really get started because something else always seems to get in the way of your family history […] The post 5 Powerful Steps To Plan Family History Projects That You Actually Complete appeared first on The Creative Family Historian ..read more

“I can’t write my family history stories because…” How would you finish that statement? Would it be that you can’t write your family history stories because you: Aren’t creative or a writer Don’t know where to start Have research discoveries but no stories Are overwhelmed by what’s required. Or maybe it’s all the above? You aren’t alone. Each of those points is something that thousands of family historians think or say when they contemplate writing their family history stories. I get it. Writing about your ancestors is a lot. You have to leave your happy place of digging through the archives ..read more

It’s easier than ever to produce a family history book. Not only are there many layout apps to choose from, but you can do everything without leaving your house. That includes printing in some cases. The downside is there isn’t anyone to help with production tips or suggestions. Until now. Because today I’m sharing tips on what to do before printing your family history. Read more on layout apps for creating your family history: 7 Apps for Creating Your Family History Books Why production tips matter A friend has been hard at work, compiling a family history for his Mum’s 80th birthday. He’s us ..read more

You want to craft fabulous stories about your ancestors’ lives. However, the vibe your getting from your relatives is that they’re not interested. They either tune you out whenever you try to start a conversation about what you’ve discovered or tell you outright that family history is B-O-R-I-N-G. Words no family historian wants to hear (or would ever agree with). So, if no one is interested are there any other reasons to write your family history? You know that writing a book is a time-consuming project. And to write stories about every ancestor that you’ve discovered is going to take you a w ..read more

First of all, family history writing prompts are not new. Nor are they a secret weapon that will do the work for you. However, they are a tool that can make it easier to complete the first draft of your family history. Let me set the scene for you. Family historians have skills. A lot of skills. And many of those have to be learnt as a part of their genealogy journey. Something no one tells you when you set out to discover your ancestor’s story. You need to learn to be a researcher, analyst, historian, interpreter, translator and archivist, just to name a few. But you aren’t done yet. When it ..read more

When I started working on The Creative Family Historian blog, I was not a confident family history writer. In fact, I hadn’t written anything in years. In fact, after I wrote the three-generation family history book for my mother, I didn’t write anything more than a greeting card message for a long time. And even then, I’d quickly search online for an appropriate birthday or holiday message to use. Sounds like cheating, right? And those stories I wrote for the book? I was terrified to look at them again because I’d been focused on the ridiculous deadline I’d set, not the content. Those typos a ..read more

POV: You’re a family historian struggling to craft your ancestral stories. You don’t want to do this as a solo project and would love to try writing your family history with others. Let’s face it, writing is hard, and words are tricky. Plus, solo projects can be intimidating, especially when writing isn’t something you’ve done often since school. And, if you’re like me, well, that was more than a few years ago. And when the project that you’re tackling is a family history book to get your non-genealogist relatives interested in their ancestors? Then the overwhelm can be paralysing. Suddenly yo ..read more