Field Notes: Write It Out - Two Challenges To Try For 2017

Have you been wanting to get more serious about your family history writing? Have you been looking for that push, that motivation to get you going? The new year brings two fun things to put on your calendar, to help you grow as a family history writer.

#52Stories Project

A FamilySearch project, "Define Your Dash: Start Writing Your Personal History with the #52Stories Project" is full of prompts and social media support.

Quoting from their blog: Don’t expect to sit down and pour out the events of your entire life in one epic writing session. Just like a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, a personal history begins with a single story, followed by another story, and another one. And that’s where FamilySearch’s #52Stories Project comes in. You don’t have to look far for a great series of memory triggers. The #52Stories Project has divided the year into 12 themes, from “Goals & Achievements” to “Education & School” to “Holidays & Traditions,” providing 12 different questions for each theme. That’s a total of 144 questions, giving you plenty of options to choose from as you build your library of #52Stories. The questions are available for download, and you’ll also see a different question highlighted each week on Instagram (@FamilySearch) and the FamilySearch Facebook Page.

Read the full blog post here.



The Family History Writing Challenge

The brainchild of Lynn Palermo (The Armchair Genealogist, Family History Writing Studio), this challenge has been around for a while. It takes place each February and asks you to commit to 28 minutes a day for 28 days. Once you join (for free) you will have access to a private Facebook group, daily prompts and plenty of resources.

Quoting from the website: "Do you have a desire to turn your ancestor’s dry documents into exciting stories?  Have you procrastinated for far too long? Do you want to start but not sure how?  The challenge is designed to help you develop long-term writing habits, provide inspiration and offer some educational pointers in your journey to write your family history stories. It’s time to set the excuses aside and make 2017 the year you meet your family history writing goals head on."

You can read about it here.

So, new year - the possibilities are once again endless! If writing has always been a goal of yours why not take advantage of these two fantastic opportunities?

Write on!


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