Family History Writing, Printing & Publishing

I received a lot of wonderful gifts for my 40th birthday this year - a stupendous surprise party from my husband, gifts from more friends than I thought I even had, another surprise party from my kids with some awesome decorations (and trick candles on the cake, of course!), so many nice birthday wishes on my Facebook wall, and a surprise visit from both of my parents, as well as my brother and sister (who all live more than 500 miles away from me).... But one of my very favorite presents was a 10-page (single-spaced!) installment on my grandmother's life story, covering her first 10 years growing up in France. I've been asking for this for years - every time she calls to ask me what I want for my birthday or Christmas. But the fact that she has finally sat down and started, despite the fact that it brings back many painful memories for her, was a wonderful surprise and something I will truly treasure forever.

That's what writing and recording your personal or family history is all about. It doesn't need to be a fancy book, or a dissertation-length story. My daughter just did a 10-page biography project for school on her Grandma - and even the short collection of memoirs she collected for the project will be treasured forever. The point is to start interviewing your relatives. Start writing. If you already have a number of family stories, then pull them together and figure out the best/easiest way to share them with your relatives.

To get you started:
10 Steps to Writing Your Family History
10 Tips for Great Interview Stories
50 Questions to Ask Your Relatives
Getting Your Family History Ready for Publication
Print on Demand Family Histories
Scrapbook Your Family History
Writing Your Personal Family History
Writing Your Family History One Letter at a Time
Make a Memory Book
Blogging Your Family History
Begin a Family Newsletter