Annette Gendler's Blog, page 2

Dad Was an Avid Letter Writer. How to Begin Making Something of his Letters.

Looping back to the beginning is a good way to end.

Since I began this series of blog posts on turning letters into stories with How to Transform a Father’s WWII Letters into a Fascinating Story – Begin Writing Family History with these 5 Tips, I’ll end with another query regarding a father’s letters.

After my talk on writing stories from family history at the National Genealogical Society’s conference, I had a longer chat with audience member Gloria about how she might begin “doing something” ...

What to Do When You Don’t Have Enough Information about a Fascinating Letter But Still Want to Use it in a Story

Civil War Letter (source: familytree.com)

When researching family history, you might come across a letter that you find utterly fascinating. But you don’t know much, if anything, about the person who wrote it.

This sends you on a quest to find out more about the letter writer. You do a search. You find out some stuff, but not much. But you’d still like to “do something with it.”

After my talk on writing stories from family history at the National Genealogical Society’s conference, an audience me...

Want to Use a Letter as the Basis for a Story? Here’s an Easy But Really Important Tip for Getting Started

A cache of family letters, or maybe even just one amazing letter written by an ancestor, is a great source for writing a story from family history.

Martha McCallum’s book Unknown Valor: A Story of Family, Courage, and Sacrifice from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima, or Sarah Wildman’s Paper Love: Searching for the Girl My Grandfather Left Behind are great examples.

However, you do not have to write a book. You can write one story based on a family letter, which is what I did with my story The Flying Du...

How to Solve One of the Biggest Challenges When Writing Family History Based on Letters: Context

This is the carbon copy of my grandfather’s tightly typed letter, on which I based my story The Flying Dutchman, that also became a pivotal chapter in my memoir Jumping Over Shadows. The left photo shows my grandfather in the late 1930s, the right shows the area he was from.

Letters are a great vehicle for writing family history.

They give us a personal report from the front, from the trenches of history. They also give us the voice and personality of the writer, and sometimes their intimate tho...

How to Transform a Father’s WWII Letters into a Fascinating Story – Begin Writing Family History with these 5 Tips

The pile of letters the father of my reader Donna sent to his sister in Chicago while he was stationed in India during WWII, including the silk he sent for making a dress.

Writing family history based on a cache of old letters is a particular challenge. However, it is so worthwhile!

Letters provide a personal lens on history. They answer the question, “What was it like (to live through the Great Depression, or fight in Vietnam, or get through the Spanish Flu Epidemic…)?”

Letters give us a portr...

How to Capture Family History in a Book of My Things – Course Countdown Last Day – Nana’s Coat

Welcome to the last day of my countdown towards my online course Capturing Family History in a Book of My Things. I’m really excited that it begins tomorrow! Today is the last day to enroll!

Each day I’ve been sharing a story about a family object. I’ve heard from several of you. It’s been lovely to see your reactions and to hear how my stories gave you ideas and inspired you to come up with your own stories. That’s the point of this whole endeavor! If you want to continue that journey, join th...

How to Capture Family History in a Book of My Things – Course Countdown: Day 9 – Mom’s Costume Jewelry Box

Welcome to Day 9 of my countdown towards my online course Capturing Family History in a Book of My Things! (begins on January 16, 2022). Each day I am sharing a story about a family object, including tidbits of my process of putting it together. I hope this gives you some ideas and inspires you to come up with your own stories. And of course I’d love it if you join the course! [image error]

Today I am changing it up a bit: I made a video of my mom’s costume jewelry box. Click to see what’s inside!

My mom an...

How to Capture Family History in a Book of My Things – Course Countdown: Day 8 – Opa’s Desk

Welcome to Day 8 of my countdown towards my online course Capturing Family History in a Book of My Things! (begins on January 16, 2022). Each day I am sharing a story about a family object, including tidbits of my process of putting it together. I hope this gives you some ideas and inspires you to come up with your own stories. And of course I’d love it if you joined the course! [image error]

Today’s heirloom: Opa’s Desk

We call this old desk “Opa’s Schreibtisch” (Opa = grandfather in German) because it use...

How to Capture Family History in a Book of My Things – Course Countdown: Day 7 – My Great-Aunt Poldi’s Porcelain

Welcome to Day 7 of my countdown towards my online course Capturing Family History in a Book of My Things, which begins on January 16, 2022. Each day I am sharing a story about a family object, including tidbits of my process putting it together. I hope that’ll give you some ideas and inspire you to come up with your own stories. And of course I’d love it if you joined the course! [image error]

Today’s family heirloom: My great-aunt Poldi’s porcelain

Early on, according to my grandmother (Oma from yesterday...

How to Capture Family History in a Book of My Things – Course Countdown: Day 6 – My Grandmother’s Oriental Rug

My grandmother’s rug in my living room in Chicago

Welcome to Day 6 of my countdown towards my online course Capturing Family History in a Book of My Things, which begins on January 16, 2022. Each day I am sharing a story about a family object, including tidbits of my process putting it together. I hope that’ll give you some ideas and inspire you to come up with your own stories. And of course I’d love it if you joined the course! [image error]

I can’t even imagine life without my grandmother’s Oriental rug....