Author Interview: Karen Fisher-Alaniz

My guest today is Karen Fisher-Alaniz, author of Breaking the Code: A Father’s Secret, a Daughter’s Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything . I met Karen several years ago through her blog and have been interested in her book long before it was even accepted for publication. You can read my review of Breaking the Code in an earlier post.

Lillie: Welcome to A Writer’s Words, An Editor’s Eye, Karen. I’m delighted that your book is finally available. Your journey began on your father’s eighty-first birthday. Tell us what happened.

Karen: Thank you for having me, Lillie. More than 50 years after WWII, my father, a WWII veteran, had started watching graphic war movies and reading piles of WWII books. He also seemed depressed. I’d tried asking him questions about it, but to no avail. Then, on his 81^st birthday, he put two old notebooks on my lap. They were full of more than 400 pages of letters he’d written during the war.

Lillie: What is “the question that changed everything”?

Karen: Oh boy. That’s a hard one. There are a lot of questions in the book. I was always asking my father questions. I wanted to know more. But he was experiencing nightmares and flashbacks, symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. So, I walked a fine line—wanting to know, but not wanting to push him too far. I don’t think I can choose one question that changed everything—it just depends on how you think about it. And I’m finding that people who are reading the book have great ideas about what the question is too—so, my own view is evolving.

Lillie: I’m glad to know I didn’t miss one specific question. There were so many important ones, I kept trying to figure out which was the one that changed everything. Breaking the Code is so much more than a memoir. As I said in my review, it is a story of relationships with a historical perspective of World War II that our generation never experienced, and it offers insight into PTSD. Yet it reads like a mystery novel. How did you incorporate all that into a book that can easily be read in a few hours?

Karen: The first fiction series I ever read was by James Patterson. The one thing I was in awe of was that with every chapter, something happened that made you want to read the next one. I’d find myself, past my bedtime, saying, “OK, just one more chapter.” I love books like that. I love books that when I am a few chapters from the end, I’m thinking, I don’t want this experience to end. So, it was quite consciously that I set out to create a memoir like that.

I also took a screenwriting class and applied some of those techniques to my book writing. In screenwriting, each scene has its own mini-story. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end. So, I tried to do that. I was very fortunate that my editor at Sourcebooks, Peter Lynch, thinks like that too. So, when I lost that focus in some chapters, he gently guided me back to it. A good editor is priceless!

Lillie: I certainly agree on you about the value of a good editor. An author does not produce a great book entirely on her own. Writers like to say that “everyone” should read their book, but we know that the more closely authors define their target audience, the more successful they are. Describe your ideal reader—the person who would benefit the most from reading your book.

Karen: You are so right. And when you’ve put all that you have into a book, it does seem that “everyone” will want to read it. The best way to avoid this thinking and really hone in on who your audience is, is to think about who will not read your book. For me, I thought about groups of people, like children, teens, and young adults. I have kids in those age groups and couldn’t imagine them just going into a store and picking up my book to buy. Those audiences are also not big buyers of books like mine.

When I visited my publisher in Chicago, one of the marketing people asked a really important question. He said, “Who are the first 1,000 people who will buy your book?” Of course, I started with my family and my friends. And then he asked, “And then who?” After that, he asked, “After the first 1,000 people, who will buy your book?” That really got it down to the people I really felt needed my book in their hands: baby-boomers like me followed by military families.

Of course, that is the main focus, but it can still branch out from there. For example, my own son, who is sixteen, really surprised me. He started reading Breaking the Code for his English and history classes. He came home raving about it; he said that it’s like reading a history book that reads like a really good novel.

Lillie: What is the most important thing you want readers to take away from Breaking the Code?

Karen: That everyone has a story and every story matters. Everyone has someone in their circle of family or friends who has stories to tell. Maybe you’ve heard portions of their stories all your life, or maybe you’ve just had a hint at them. Whatever the case, none of us are promised tomorrow. I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me a bit about their loved one and then said, “They’re gone now. I wish I’d written those stories down.” And it’s so true. We’re waiting for the perfect time—when the kids are grown or when life isn’t so crazy. But time can run out and for some, their stories will be gone forever. I like to say of family history writing, “If not you, who? If not now, when?”

And for veterans, the message is that telling your story can be healing. When we share our stories, we honor each other. For veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, the message is to create an Intentional Time of Remembrance—a time to remember. There are more details about it in the book and how we did it with Dad.

Lillie: I recognize my own family in the common lament you hear. My grandfather, who died when I was 12, was a cowboy and told marvelous stories of his experiences on the cattle trail. My parents and aunts and uncles thought they would always remember the stories they heard so often, yet just a few years after his death, all the stories were lost. That’s one reason I helped my mother and my mother-in-law write their own stories—not for publication, but for the family—and also wrote Preserving Memories: How to Write a Family History to help other families tell their own stories.

With Breaking the Code, you’ve really been on two journeys—the first to learn your father’s secrets and help him overcome his PTSD symptoms and the second to publish the book. Will you share a little about your publishing journey?

Karen: Ah, where do I start? I think I start with what every writer understands—rejection! I had plenty of rejections with Breaking the Code. It was a difficult sell for some, but I always believed in the story. I believed that when the timing was right, the perfect publisher would be there. And that’s what happened. I met my editor at a writer’s conference. If you want to be a published writer, you have to become a student of the whole process from the nitty-gritty of writing to the whole publishing industry. Education, persistence, and belief in your own abilities—those are the keys to success.

Lillie: Where can readers learn more about you and your books?

Karen:  My website, http://www.storymatters2.com is the hub for my writing life. At the bottom of the welcome page, you’ll find a list of places you can purchase my book. When I developed my website, I did something that is not recommended—I always seem to be doing that (Ha!). I created a whole website around this particular book, not just around me as a writer.

Lillie: I know you have come to believe that everyone has a story to share, and you are encouraging others to write their own stories. Tell us about Story Matters.

Karen: StoryMatters2 is my website. A WWII veteran recently told me that he has a story too, but no one has ever asked. So, I added a forum for sharing your stories—but it’s not just for veterans. My ultimate goal is to begin a story-telling revolution! Wouldn’t that be fabulous? I mean, just imagine if everyone told someone just one story. What if each story was written down? It’s time for us to talk to each other, and this is particularly true of our elders. Don’t let them pass through your life without telling their story. So, my website is a place to begin. I want to hear veteran stories, of course. But I also want to hear your stories about almost anything—nostalgia, childhood memories, and life experiences. I want my website to be a gathering place where people can share their stories and others can join in the conversation.

Lillie: November is National Lifewriting Month, so your message is timely in two ways: Today is Veterans Day, and your book honors your father and other veterans, and we’re talking about writing memoirs and family histories during the month dedicated to doing just that. Is there anything I’ve failed to ask that you would like to share with my readers?

Karen: Don’t give up. Don’t give up on the book you’ve written. Don’t give up on your loved one who seems to want to tell their story but can’t seem to get the words out. Give yourself, give others—the gift of time.

Lillie: Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing about your journey and your book with my readers. They will probably have more questions for you. Will you check in during the day to respond to comments and answer questions?

Karen: Absolutely!

Lillie: If you have questions for Karen, leave a comment below.

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Karen Fisher-Alaniz is a writer and author. She has written freelance articles for regional and teen magazines. Her work has appeared in anthologies such as Chicken Soup for the Soul II and Voices of Multiple Sclerosis. She lives in her family in the Pacific Northwest.

November is Lifewriting Month

In addition to being National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), November is National Lifewriting Month. Although you aren’t likely to find lifewriting in the dictionary, you can probably guess its meaning–writing about life, specifically memoir and family history.

I encourage everyone to write their own or their family’s life stories. In my ebook, Preserving Memories: How to Write a  Family History, I say:

After my father died, my mother became very depressed and withdrawn. I convinced her to attend a writing conference with me by telling her I didn’t want to stay in the hotel alone. She attended one conference session — a seminar on writing essays. She wanted to try her hand at an essay but couldn’t decide on a topic, so I suggested she write about our trip. After that successful attempt, my siblings and I encouraged her to write about her own life.

She wrote what she called her “stories” in longhand on notebook paper. I transcribed them, making only minor corrections in her spelling, punctuation, and grammar. I scanned family photos and added them in appropriate places. We printed the stories on my computer printer and inserted the pages in loose-leaf binders so she could give a book to each of her adult children for Christmas; each year after that, she wrote more stories to add to the book.

These stories quickly became cherished family treasures. Teenaged grandchildren put aside video games to read their parents’ copies of their grandmother’s memoirs. Siblings pointed to stories and asked each other, “Did you know that?” Family members shared laughter and tears when the stories were given as gifts, and now, years after my mother died, those loose-leaf binders filled with family stories have become treasured legacies, possibly even more valued than money or property.

The same can be true for you. Your personal memoirs or your family history can be the greatest treasure you can leave your family because you’re sharing your life and yourself.

A memoir or family history doesn’t have to be a published book to be meaningful. It can be typed in a word processor, recorded on a tape recorder, captured in a video, or assembled in a scrapbook.

Denis Ledoux, author of Turning Memories Into Memoirs: A Handbook for Writing Lifestories and originator of National Lifewriting Month, shares tips for getting started on your memoir in the article November Celebrates Memoir Writing.

A memoir or family history may seem like an overwhelming project, but Preserving Memories helps you break it down into manageable tasks so you, too, can leave your loved ones a precious legacy: your life story or the story of your family.

Have you done any lifewriting? If not, why not give it a try during National Lifewriting Month?

Book Review: Breaking the Code

Breaking the Code: A Father’s Secret, a Daughter’s Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything
Karen Fisher-Alaniz
Sourcebooks
November 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1402261121
Paperback, 336 pages, $10.19; also available in Kindle edition, $9.99
Nonfiction/Memoir

The cover of the book calls it a memoir, but it is much more than that.

It is a story about relationships—the relationship of a father and daughter, the relationships of a man at war and his far-away family, the relationship of two sailors who knew little about each other but who were tied by a bond stronger than time.

The book is also a revealing picture of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a relentless and unpredictable enemy of warriors in conflicts past and present. The disorder may show itself immediately after a traumatic event, or it may stay hidden for fifty years, as it did in the case of Karen’s father, Murray Fisher.

Although not written as history, Breaking the Code puts the reader in World War II from a perspective that most of today’s generation have never experienced.

The story reads like a novel as the author tries to unravel the mystery of her father’s past and the secrets he has kept for half a century.

Breaking the Code is a quick and easy read, but the author’s dedication to helping her father, her father’s service to his country, and her mother’s love and faith will touch readers’ hearts

I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about family and relationships, people interested in World War II history, those wanting to know more about PTSD, and readers who enjoy mysteries.

Be sure to come back on Veterans’ Day for an interview with the author.

Disclosure: I received an electronic copy of the book from the publisher. I have not accepted any compensation for this review and made no commitment to give a favorable review. The links to Amazon.com are affiliate links.

Case Study of a Life Story: Part 4 – The Result and Recommendations

Now, long after Borge started recording his life story and a little more than seven months after his first phone call to me, Borge can hold his life story in his hand and share it with those he loves. Borge and Brigitte are traveling to Germany next April to celebrate their fiftieth anniversary with Brigitte’s family in the place they met, fell in love, and married. They will give a copy of the book to each family member who attends the party. Although many of them won’t be able to read the story in English, they will be able to enjoy the photos, and English-speaking members of the family can translate.

I recently asked Borge a few questions about his experience.

Lillie: After the time, effort, and money that you spent, how satisfied are you with the results?

Borge: I’m very happy with the book. It turned out really good.

Lillie: What advice would you give to anyone else considering writing their own life story?

Borge:  Go ahead and do it. I’m really glad I wrote my book. 

Lillie: Thank you for letting me use you and your book for a case study.

Borge: You’re welcome. I hope it helps other people who want to tell their own stories.

If Borge’s story has captured your attention, you can order My Life Story: Adventures of the Great Dane from Amazon.com.  You’ll enjoy a good read, and you just might get some ideas on how to tell your own life story.

Maybe you would like to write your memoir or autobiography but don’t want to spend the amount of time and money that Borge did. You have a lot of options.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Instead of dictating the story into tapes, write your story in a word processor on your computer. Or write it in longhand and get a family member or friend to type it for you.
• If you prefer to dictate, hire an administrative professional or even a high school student to transcribe the tapes at less cost than an editor would charge.
• Before hiring a professional editor, ask a friend or relative to read your story. This first reader should be someone who is good with grammar, punctuation, and spelling. The person also must be objective and honest with you. Submitting a well-written manuscript to your editor will reduce her time and save you money.
• Use the template provided by the print-on-demand company to lay out the interior of your book. You can do this yourself in Word. The result should be adequate for a non-commercial book.
• Rather than create a custom book cover, choose a fill-in-the-blank template provided by the POD company. The companies offer a variety of stock photos for cover art, and you can probably find something suitable for your book.

Following these suggestions will allow you to produce your book in a cost-effective way. The quality will be acceptable, and you will create a priceless  legacy for future generations.

You can find more advice about writing your memoir, autobiography, or family history in Preserving Memories: How to Write a Family History. I welcome your comments and questions.

Disclosure: I received compensation from the author for editing and formatting the book, creating the cover, and providing consulting and self-publishing services. The author did not ask me to write about his book. I asked his permission to share his experiences to encourage and help others who want to write their life stories. The links to Amazon.com are affiliate links.

Case Study of a Life Story: Part 3 – Turning a Story into a Book

As I said in the previous post, the Hansens and I were excited to have a completed story, but it existed on my hard drive and on computer printouts. Borge and Brigitte wanted the story in a book to share with loved ones.

Knowing that they would want fewer than 100 copies, I explained that their best option for printing was print on demand (POD). Typically my clients print 1000 to 5000 copies through offset printing, but that generally isn’t feasible for a family history or memoir. The unit price per book is higher with print on demand than offset printing. However, the author doesn’t have to tie up a lot of cash printing an inventory of books, and there are no costs or hassles associated with storage. Books are ordered only when needed, and if readers order from the print-on-demand company, the POD company handles order processing, shipping, and customer service.

We discussed the advantages and disadvantages of the various POD companies and decided on Amazon.com’s CreateSpace. Like most POD companies, CreateSpace offers templates to create the interior and cover of the book. Borge wanted to include a lot of photos, so I laid out the interior of the book in InDesign, just as I do for clients who use offset printing. When possible, I incorporated photos in the text in the appropriate place. Borge and Brigitte’s wedding photo is placed alongside the story of their wedding, and a picture of their son Jeff and a cousin eating (or more accurately playing with) the birthday cake is next to the description of his first birthday party. More photos and certificates are grouped on the pages at the end of the book.

I was a little concerned about the quality of the images. Some were quite old and of poor resolution. There were even a couple of Polaroid shots taken 40 or more years ago. I manipulated the images—changing to grayscale, cropping or resizing as needed, and adjusting the resolution within the limitations of the original pictures. Even though I pointed out the quality issue, Borge and Brigitte wanted to include the photos.

Borge also wanted a map to show all the places he had traveled in his lifetime. He drew a world map by hand and drew two lines showing his travels. A solid line marked his travels as a seaman, and a dashed line marked his travels as a soldier. I scanned the map, converted it to grayscale, cut it into two halves, and inserted the two images into facing pages at the front of the book. I formatted the rest of the pages and exported to PDF to create the file to print.

 

The Hansens didn’t want to use a fill-in-the-blank template for the cover, so Borge took a photograph of a globe, an American flag, and a picture of Borge at age 12. Yes, that means the cover image is a photo of a photo along with a couple of other items. I downloaded the cover template for a custom design to ensure I got the size and technical requirements right. I created the cover in InDesign, using Borge’s photo as the cover art, and created a PDF document for printing.

Note that the image isn’t very good here, but the print quality is outstanding.

After the text and cover were finished, my apprentice, Beverly Ellison, proofread the final document. As usual, she found a few minor errors even at this stage of production. I made the corrections and uploaded the text and cover files to the POD printer’s Web site.

Although CreateSpace allows authors to use their own ISBN numbers, we chose to have CreateSpace assign the ISBN. Borge does not intend to publish any more books and has no need to purchase his own block of numbers. 

CreateSpace approved the files but suggested that some of the photos would print better if they were a higher resolution. Although we recognized that, we could not improve the quality of old photos. We ordered a proof copy to be sure the photos were acceptable before Borge ordered copies for family and friends.

As soon as they received the proof copy, Borge and Brigitte brought it to me. All of us were very pleased with the quality. The book was gorgeous! Even the old, low-resolution photos turned out well. They obviously don’t look like high-resolution pictures in good condition, but they fit perfectly with the story.

The project was finished. We approved the proof and ordered 50 copies for Borge and Brigitte to distribute to friends and family.

In the final installment of the series, we’ll hear Borge’s reaction to the finished product and share some recommendations for others who want to write their own life story.

Case Study of a Life Story: Part 2 – Writing the Story

In the first installment of the series, I discussed my first meeting with my client Borge Hansen, who had dictated his life story into audiotapes.

I transcribed the tapes one side at a time. Understanding and spelling the names of places Borge visited and people he encountered in his world travels turned out to be a challenge. Sometimes I had to replay a small section of tape several times and then guess at the spelling. It typically took me two or three hours to transcribe a one-hour recording. Then I spent another two or three hours editing the document, trying to keep a good balance between making the book readable and maintaining the author’s voice.

When we talk, we tend to repeat favorite expressions and patterns. The spoken word doesn’t always translate well to the written page. I wanted readers to “hear” Borge when they read the words of the book, yet I wanted to eliminate the “uh-and-uhs” that we all use when we talk. I also wanted to avoid overusing his favorite expressions, which can be endearing in conversation and tedious in written narrative. The more I listened to Borge’s voice on the tapes, the better I understood him and the more comfortable I became with making changes. As with all my clients, I wanted Borge’s book to sound exactly like him—only better.

If I couldn’t understand some of the words on the tape or if I wasn’t clear on the meaning, I asked a question or typed a few question marks to show there was missing information.

After I finished transcribing and editing one side of a tape, I sent it to Borge and Brigitte. I typically do this via e-mail, but they preferred that I fax the documents to them. They reviewed the documents, made manual corrections, then faxed the pages with changes back to me.

I made the corrections, read the manuscript again, and made a few more corrections. Then I sent the revised manuscript back to Borge and started on the next side or the next tape.

After both sides of all five tapes had been transcribed, edited, and reviewed, I combined all the documents into a single manuscript. Then I read the story from beginning to end, adding transitions to ensure the story flowed smoothly, and inserting chapter breaks. I did more editing, especially at the beginning of the book as I had a better understanding of Borge and his voice than I did when I started.

I put the entire manuscript on a CD, which Borge took to a copy shop to have printed. Borge and Brigitte then reviewed the printout and made some corrections and changes. I incorporated their changes into the document and edited it once again. At that point, I discovered a few discrepancies, such as a name spelled one way in chapter two and the same name spelled slightly differently in chapter five. So I called Borge to ask him questions, then made the corrections based on his answers.

Finally, we had a written story! Next step: turn that story into a book.

Case Study of a Life Story: Part 1 – The Beginning

When people contact me about publishing their memoir or family history, I always encourage them to do so for a family legacy. I make sure they understand that it’s highly unlikely their story will be published by a large New York publisher and distributed in bookstores around the country—unless they were famous (or infamous). However, every child, grandchild, and future descendant will treasure the family history or life story of their parent, grandparent, or ancestor, and I’m a firm believer that everyone should leave that legacy.

My e-book Preserving Memories: How to Write a Family History explains how individuals and families can tell their stories, but the project can seem overwhelming to many people. I thought a case study of a real client might encourage others to write their own stories as well as provide practical advice on how to do it. This is by no means the only way to write a memoir or family history, and it probably isn’t the best way for you. I hope, however, that it will open your eyes to possibilities. If you think you can’t tell your story because you’re not a writer, you will be inspired by this example of someone who isn’t a writer who wrote and published his life story.

Last fall, I received a phone call from Borge Hansen. He said he was looking for someone to turn ten hours of audiotapes into a book. Borge was born in Denmark, joined the merchant marine at an early age, and traveled around the world as a seaman for five years. He came to the United States and overstayed his visa for five years, went back to Denmark, and returned to the US legally. Borge joined the Army and served nearly 24 years in the military. Along the way he became a United States citizen, a husband, and a father.

Many people have told him, “You should write a book,” but he didn’t take it seriously until his son, Jeff, encouraged him to write about his fascinating life.

Since English is a second language for Borge, he wasn’t comfortable writing his story. However, he loves to talk, so he simply told his story aloud and recorded it on tape. He started at the beginning of his life and continued chronologically up to the present. After he recorded, he and his wife Brigitte listened to the tapes and made notes of things that needed to be added or corrected. When he finished, he had almost ten hours of tape telling the story of his life.

However, he had no idea how to take those audiotapes and turn them into a book. So he went online and looked for someone to help him. I don’t know what keywords Borge and Brigitte searched for, but my Web site appeared in the search results. They contacted some other writers and editors but wanted someone local in San Antonio, Texas, so they continued down the list until they found me.

When Borge called me the first time, he said he had been to my Web site and “printed out and read every page.” He told me about his tapes and said he wanted me to turn them into a book. I suggested he could hire a transcriptionist for a lower fee than my standard hourly rate. I would then edit the Word document created from the transcribed tapes. Borge said he would prefer for me to do everything, so we set an appointment.

When Borge and Brigitte came to my office, we spent a good while discussing their expectations. Borge wanted to tell his story for his family and friends. He was willing to self-publish and didn’t expect to sell books in bookstores or get rich and famous from his book. Borge and Brigitte gave me a check for the deposit along with the tapes and the notes to get started.

We were all excited to begin writing the story.

Memoir and Family History: Part 6—Publishing and Distribution

Some memoirs and family histories will appeal to a wider audience and be appropriate for traditional publishing. If your story falls into that category, this installment won’t apply to you. Since the percentage of personal and family stories that are published by conventional publishers is small, I will focus on self-publishing and subsidy publishing in this section.

If you self-publish, you handle all the aspects of publishing yourself, negotiating and contracting with providers for work you cannot do yourself. If you use a subsidy publisher, you pay a publishing company to publish the book for you, an option if you are publishing a trade paperback or hardcover book. Learn more in the Self-Publishing Primer.

The first step is publishing your manuscript is to choose your format. Your choice will depend upon the size of your audience, your financial resources, and your method of distribution.

Your options include:

• Loose-leaf binder—If you are distributing copies only to immediate family members, you can print the pages on your computer printer or at a print shop, then insert them into three-ringer binders. This is inexpensive and easy; it also allows for additions if you write piecemeal as my mother did. You can print on high-quality paper and choose a binder with a clear plastic cover that allows you to insert a page as a book cover. If you’re printing only a few copies, you can include color photos in your book; color printing is too expensive in most other formats.
• Spiral bound—If you’re printing dozens or a few hundred copies, you can take a computer file with a camera-ready manuscript in a word processing program to a copy shop. The copy shop can print the pages (which can be either 8.5” x 11” or 5.5 x 11”) and bind the books with spiral or comb binding.
• E-book—You can convert your word processing file to a PDF file for electronic distribution. Adobe will convert up to five files for you at no cost, and there are several other free online servers to convert Word or other files to PDF. When you have your book in a PDF file, you can send it as an e-mail attachment or create a Web site where the file can be downloaded. An e-book is the most cost-effective way to deliver your book, but most people also want a physical copy of the book. You might consider offering the e-book for free and charging for a print edition.
• Trade paperback or hardcover—Trade paperbacks are larger and higher quality than mass-market paperbacks. They can be printed in small print runs (usually most cost-effective for at least 500 copies) and can also be printed digitally as print on demand (POD). Hardcover books are the most durable; however, they are also the most expensive and generally require a fairly large print run.

After your books are printed, you are ready to distribute them. This can be done in several ways:

• Gifts—If you publish loose-leaf binders for family members, you will probably give the books away because the cause is minimal. The cost is even less for e-books, so they can be freely given away as well.
• Sales—If you publish larger quantities or more expensive formats, you will probably need to be compensated for the books. Determine all your costs for writing and publishing the book and divide that number by the number of copies being distributed to determine the unit cost. You can sell the books at cost or increase the price to make a profit. Taking advance orders can help generate money to pay printing costs as well as help you determine how many books to print. Since most people tend to procrastinate, it helps to offer a discount for prepaid orders received before the specified deadline, which should be before you place the printing order. Even if you base your print run on the number of pre-orders you receive, be sure to order extra, both for late orders and for your future children and grandchildren.
• Combination—You may decide to give away books to immediate family but sell to extended family and others. Or, as mentioned earlier, you may give away the e-book and sell the print book. You might sell the book to everyone, but charge family members only the actual costs and charge other people a higher price. The choice is yours, based on your resources and desires.

No matter what format you choose or how you distribute your memoir or family history, you have created a legacy that will last—not only for your children and your grandchildren, but also for generations to come.

I hope you have found this series on writing memoirs and family histories helpful and wish you joy and success in your personal and family story writing.

Memoir and Family History: Part 5—Writing

Memoirists and family historians are not necessarily experienced writers, and they often don’t realize how many drafts it takes to achieve a finished product. The first draft will be “pure green dreck.” Start writing, and expect that you will re-write … and re-write … and re-write. But get the first draft written first.

Here are a few things to consider:

• Write in a natural style. You’re not writing an academic paper; you’re writing a story that you want people to read and enjoy. Write the way you talk, not the way you think will impress people. Readers shouldn’t pay attention to the writing; they should be wrapped up in the story and not thinking about what a great writer you are.
• In family history, you may consider it important to include facts such as birth and death dates. If you put these facts in the story itself, weave the facts into the narrative. If you find it difficult to fit in all the facts you want without interrupting the flow of the story, include these details in an appendix rather than in the story itself.
• You may be writing history, but you’re also telling a story. The facts are the basis of the story, but the people—their thoughts and emotions— make the story real and meaningful to the reader. Details and everyday occurrences turn dry history into exciting story. The story doesn’t have to start at the beginning. Open the book with a hook, action or dialogue that will immediately catch the readers’ attention and make them want to keep reading.
• Although you aren’t preaching or teaching, you can certainly share your and your family’s beliefs and values. Your story is about people and what is important to them; spiritual, social, and political beliefs and activities are important to most people. Let your readers know which beliefs and activities are integral parts of your life or your family’s history.
• Choose appropriate photographs whenever possible to make ancestors more real and memories more vivid to readers. How many pictures you include and how you arrange them will depend in part on the format you choose.

Every writer has her own way of writing. There is no formula or set of steps that you must follow in order to write your book. Use the following as guidelines, and adapt them to your own working style.

• Get the words on paper in the way you prefer—longhand, typing, recording—see Part 4: Getting Started.
• Write in an organized fashion—chronologically or categorically—if that works for you. Otherwise, write stories or chapters or scenes as you think of them.
• Correct spelling and punctuation errors as Spell and Grammar Check point them out to you, but ignore grammar errors because they are often wrong.
• Don’t edit or revise until you’ve finished the first draft unless you realize you got something wrong or you change your mind about what you want to say.
• If you have written piecemeal, assemble the stories into one document. You may organize your book into chapters or sections either by date (chronological order) or by topic, depending on your personal preference and the nature of your story.
• Edit the manuscript—see my series of posts on editing.  Check first for content and continuity. Did you leave out something important? Did you spend too many words on a particular topic? Does the order makes sense or does the story seem disjointed? Do you need to add any information to make another part of the story understandable? You may need to add, delete, or re-write material.
• Edit again for consistency. Are there any inconsistencies in names, places, character traits, and spellings? If you have fictionalized the story, do the characters demonstrate consistent values or behaviors, or if not, is the reason for any change clear?
• Edit again for factual and grammar errors. Especially in a family history, verify events and dates—anything that can be checked.
• Repeat editing the manuscript until you are satisfied that it is the best you can reasonably make it, realizing that you will never have a perfect book and that too much editing can wipe the life and passion out of your story.
• Get input from other readers. Ask one or more people to read your manuscript and give you feedback. For family histories, other family members familiar with some or all of the history can be very helpful. Someone without knowledge of your family or personal story may be in the best position to tell you if they understand what you’ve written. A professional editor will not only catch grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors but can also improve clarity and readability.
• Evaluate the feedback and use what you find helpful and ignore what you don’t. Note, however, that if several people mention the same thing, you probably need to revise it even if you are happy with what you have written.
• Read the manuscript again to ensure that no errors have crept in and continuity and flow haven’t been disrupted during revisions.

Note that a memoir or family history doesn’t have to be written on paper. In this digital age, video is becoming a popular way to record memories. I am not qualified to give any advice about creating a video of your personal or family story. However, you can use many of the tips in this series to gather and prepare the information for your video.

In the final installment of the series, we will cover publishing and distribution.

Memoir and Family History: Part 4—Getting Started

You’ve decided whether you’re going to write a memoir or a family history, the scope of the story (some aspect of your own life or a certain group of ancestors), and the genre (nonfiction or fiction).

Now you need to determine your audience.

In Leaving a Legacy, I said that most memoirs and family histories don’t have a wide appeal in the mass market. However, if there’s something out of the ordinary in your story, you may believe thousands of people would be willing to pay money to read it.

If you are like most memoirists and family historians, though, your audience will be narrower. For memoirs, people close to you—family, friends, business associates, fellow members of your church and organizations—will be the prime audience.

Depending on the aspect of your life you are writing about, you may have an audience related to that. For example, if you write about dealing with a disease or overcoming a tragedy (such as a violent crime), organizations for people suffering with the disease or people impacted by the tragedy may be interested in your story.

The audience for a family history includes the descendants of the people in the story, both those living today and future generations. Museums, libraries, and historical societies in the areas where the book is set may also be interested, especially if you include historical facts about the area along with your own family story. Individuals and organizations with similar interests to you or your ancestors might also be interested, such as a church that your ancestors founded or a professional or trade association related to a craft, hobby, or business important in the story.

Next, create a plan.

• Research—Most family historians will have already done much of their research before they decide to start writing, but you may need to do additional specific research.
• Interview—Decide who (if anyone) you would like to interview and how you will do it (video, audio recording, or handwritten notes); contact them to schedule; prepare your questions. Be sure to save the recordings if you videotape or audiotape the interviews so your family have the opportunity to see the person and/or hear their voice.
• Get organized—Some writers like to prepare detailed outlines before they start writing, and others prefer to just start writing. If you don’t outline, you probably want a notebook or a computer file to record ideas as they occur to you and to keep track of research and interviews. There’s no rule that says you have to start writing at the beginning and finish at the end. See William Zinsser’s advice in the installment on memoir.
• Decide how you will write—You can type in a word processor; write in longhand and have someone type the manuscript; talk into a tape recorder and have someone transcribe the tape; arrange for someone else to interview you and write up the interview.

 Although I expect my blog readers will do their own writing, some people who want their personal or family story written prefer to hire a ghostwriter. This is a viable option—just keep the following in mind:

• You are telling your or your family’s story, and it should sound like you. Each person has a distinctive voice, word choices and the way the words are put together. If you hire someone else to write your story, find someone who will become familiar with and use your voice.
• Ghostwriters are skilled and well-paid professionals; reputable ghostwriters typically do not write for a percentage of the income from the book because there is no guarantee the book will ever be published much less produce any income. You can expect to pay a significant fee upfront for the services of a qualified ghostwriter.
• As I wrote about in my series on copyright, written work is protected by copyright when it is put into fixed form. Be sure that any agreement you make with a ghostwriter specifies that the writing is work-for-hire and the copyright belongs to you.

 If you’re having a hard time thinking of things to write about, try some memory triggers:

• Re-read old journals or diaries—even old calendars with notes of your activities.
• Pull out and read those old letters that you stored away years ago (if you’re old enough to remember written letters)
• Review e-mails, forum and blog posts, and other electronic/online writings. Many people have documented experiences and thoughts online or in e-mails rather than hand-written letters.
• Look through scrapbooks and photo albums—do this with other family members and share memories of the people and events you see.
• Visit places and buildings from your past—your hometown, your college, businesses where you’ve worked.
• Read your hometown newspaper from years past—especially you lived in a small town. 
• Hold family heirlooms and personal treasures in your hands—remember the stories you’ve heard or the emotions you’ve felt.

Next, we’ll talk about the writing process.

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