Storytelling Hub
Blog articles to Help You Tell the Stories of the Past
Memories of Your First Home: Placing the Emotional Furniture
As you write about memories of your first home (or any other place), include some emotional furniture. If you're like me and don't have any (or very few) memories of your first home, don't page away. There are many ways to adopt this prompt to use it to elicit...
Facing Ancestors’ Past & Not Liking What We See
We all saw Ben Afflecks’s embarrassment over his ancestor’s slave ownership splash across headlines. To me, the surprise wasn’t that he wanted Finding Your Roots to edit out that information. What surprised me was that the issue hasn’t come up sooner. Ben Affleck...
Connotative Words: Are You as Neutral as You Think?
By choosing connotative words, we sometimes communicate things we don’t mean to say. Are you as neutral as you think? Read on. Intentional or not, word choices can convey value judgments or carry an emotional connotation. When we call a personal “angry” versus “upset”...
Emotional Genealogy: Are You Visited by Ghosts of the Past?
Today, I'm particularly pleased to present a guest post by Judith Fein and her concept of emotional genealogy. When I gave my first talk about the power of Emotional Genealogy, I wondered if anyone would be able to connect to what I was speaking about. To my surprise,...
Write about Average: He’s Interesting Too!
When you write about average, others look at the details and see something a lot more compelling than simply "average". Average gets a bad rap. Well, not so much a bad rap as not enough rap. We seldom hear about him or her. For instance, you never see Average’s mom...
Why You Should Care that I’m related to AJ Jacobs
Because it’s not really about AJ and me. It’s about the fact that we’re all related—by blood, adoption, and marriage. Well, in a way it’s about AJ, since he’s the one organizing the Global Family Reunion. I can sense your heads tilting to one side, trying to puzzle...
Going Back Even Though You Can’t– a la Star Trek
We all know that going back home isn’t an option. But a girl can dream. Last week, as the plane approached Greenville-Spartanburg (South Carolina) International Airport, the sight of red clay gave me a twinge. Home beckoned like a taunt. In my defense, I’m not trying...
Promises Made, Kept or Forgotten
Remember (if you’re approximately my age) how we used to cross our hearts and “hope to die”? We’d earnestly pledge ourselves to some action or affection, pantomiming the heart crossing as if we (in my case, good Southern Baptist girls) were genuflecting. Today, kids...
Providing Context: Will they know who you are in the barber shop?
How do the stories you tell affect your loved ones’ image of you? Through your stories, you’re providing context that your loved ones will use to understand you better. In essence, you're projecting an image. For instance, when you share multiple memories about...
Try Writing with Your Heart on Your Sleeve
One of the most rewarding parts of sharing your memories and stories is those moments when the big picture comes alive. When you see in someone’s reaction that you connected. Writing with your heart on your sleeve increases the likelihood of that happening. The memory...
Crestleaf says you should read this blog
If a well-respected genealogical website said you should read this blog (and 13 others), would you follow instructions? I hope so, since that's what Crestleaf's blog is saying. In my new favorite post, Crestleaf lists 14 Blogs You Might Not Be Reading but You Should!...
Making Stories Public: How Much to Share
Making your stories public isn't an easy decision. There’s sharing and then there is sharing. How public do we want to make our stories? Sharing everything is akin to living life out on a public stage, imperfections and all. I remember watching The Jetson’s as...
Community Learning and Storytelling
Dear Myrtle, “Your friend in Genealogy since 1955,” was the would-be storyteller’s friend on her February 25, 2015 Wacky Wednesday show (embedded below). And, as the guest on her show, I got a great taste of community learning. If you’re not a family history buff, you...
Stupid Cows and Receiving Moments of Clarity
Life lessons are theoretically wisdom we’ve gleaned by doing things the hard way. At some point along our journey of colliding with reality, we arrive at an “ah-ha” moment. Explaining how you gained moments of clarity is a great way to connect with loved ones. (See...
Are Stereotypes Bad for Stories?
Are stereotypes bad for stories? Do we want our readers to type cast us—or the loved ones we write about—as simple stereotypes? Or do stereotypes help us build a setting for a story? Breaking the Stereotypes: Steel Magnolias and Cast Iron Camellias Stereotypes seem...
Who Inspires You?
Roots Tech 2015 (#Rootstech) opened with the question “Who inspires you?” Video clips showed various individuals naming famous heroes. After a few minutes, the answers segued into naming family members. It was a nice way to start thinking about how we introduce our...
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