Harold William Thorpe

Think your family history might be interesting enough to be the basis of a historical novel? In the Write Your Family Story series, Harold William Thorpe, who turned his mother’s memoir into novels based on his family history in rural, Wisconsin, shares how to begin.

One of the first decisions you must make when writing your family story? Fiction or Non-fiction.

Readers like stories that move. Make your family story more compelling with the help of that most useful fellow — the active verb.

Most family stories are told and written in simple narrative style. You need details to flesh out the story and make it come alive.

The ebb and flow of suspense in a novel is what keeps readers turning pages to the end. Tension is a must in a story. How do you create it and keep it going?

If you decide to tell your story by writing it as family fiction, you’ve got choices to make. Many of these choices should precede your narrative summary writing.

In part 7 of the series I demonstrate how a technique called “immediate scene” can breathe life into your family fiction story.

The conclusion of my Write Your Family Story series of articles including additional resources.