How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History
Do you have a box of mementos you’d love to turn into a book? Discover where to start and how to choose a format to bring your ancestry to life.

Have you inherited the responsibility of preserving your family history? Do you wish you could transform your old photos and artifacts into entertaining tales? Want to record all those great remember-when’s but worry your writing will bore your relatives to tears? Author and writing instructor Annette Gendler has helped countless eager writers over her many years of teaching at StoryStudio Chicago. Now she’ll show you how you can turn your treasured family saga into a captivating narrative you’ll be proud to share.

How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History is a concise guide for converting your heirlooms and oral anecdotes into engaging prose. Following Annette Gendler’s step-by-step instructions, you’ll learn how to decide which memories are best suited to chronicle your loved ones’ unique journeys through life, and what makes them an absorbing read. Supported with personal examples and writing prompts at the end of each chapter, you’ll quickly be giving voice to your ancestors’ adventures.

In How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History, you’ll discover:

How to prioritize all those photos, letters, diaries, and official documents
Sample passages and an extensive reading list to inspire your creativity
Ways to craft stories that won’t put your readers to sleep
Tips for dealing with negativity, missing materials, or too much information
Methods for conducting research to preserve accuracy, and much, much more!

”…a treasure chest of advice for any nonfiction writer.”
—Rebecca McClanahan, author of The Tribal Knot: A Memoir of Family, Community and a Century of Change

”I’m gathering info about my family by doing weekly Skype sessions with my parents, and I am trying not to panic about how I will turn this into a book later. This book gave me a lot of great ideas and a way forward.”
—Lana Raykin, advance reader

How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History is a must-have resource for anyone interested in preserving their lineage. If you like actionable advice, no-frills-added instructions, and guidance from a memoir specialist, then you’ll love Annette Gendler’s easy approach.

Buy How to Write Compelling Stories from Family History to keep the memories alive today!