If you're looking for a fun way to share the knowledge you have about your ancestors with other family members, writing your family history is a good way to do it. You don't need a Ph.D.; if you have an insatiable curiosity, a willingness to speak to as many relatives as you can, and an ability to tell a good story, you have all the requirements for writing a family history. Here's how to get started.

Who is your audience?
Decide who you are writing for: you, your immediate family, the general public? Do you want to do an entire history or just trace the family while they lived in a particular place or time? Your high school English teacher's advice still applies: start by limiting your topic.

Background research
Any writing project should start with a visit to your library or historical society. You'll not only find sample family histories, you'll also be able to investigate what's already been published on your family. Examine the format and structure of previously published family histories; these will help you organize your own.

Create an outline
Create a biographical outline for each member of the family you want to include. This will make it much easier to construct the narrative. Start with dates and locations, then fill in the blanks.

Tell a story-truthfully
Although you'd never know it from reading most history textbooks, history at its best is an engaging story. Like any good story, your family history should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. If you need a way to get started, try answering one or more of the following questions:

• Is there one ancestor or relative that particularly interests you or has a compelling story?
• Did one of your ancestors have a unique line of work?
• Do you have a group of ancestors that moved to the same area? Write about this group and their     interactions.

If you're looking for ideas on how to make things interesting, study several episodes of Biography on the Arts & Entertainment Network; it's some of the best historical narrative around. And don't worry if you're not the world's greatest writer. Family histories need not be award-winning tomes. You simply want a finished book that your family can read, enjoy, and hopefully learn from.

Limit what you include
It is better to limit yourself to fewer ancestors than try to take on the whole history of your family. You might limit your family history to one geographic region or surname.

Organize your work
Although a family history can take many forms, most histories should have the following sections:
o Table of contents
o Narratives
o Family charts, descendant charts
o Interviews/narratives of living descendants
o Appendices (additional photos, pedigree charts, documents, etc.)
o Bibliography
o Index

Give yourself deadlines
A deadline forces you to complete each stage of your project.

Update your source list
It is much easier to document as you go than to try to find your sources when your family history is completed. Make sure that your information can be documented completely, or in cases where you are relating an undocumented family story for interest, be sure to acknowledge this.

Ask family members for comments and corrections
Don't be afraid to ask for comments from other family members, but limit your "editorial advisors" to no more than three people. For the final draft, consider asking a non-relative to read and proof your work. An outsider's perspective can be very helpful.

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