6,207
edits
m
added text
m (spelling mistake corrected) |
m (added text) |
||
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
=== Should I Be Formal === | === Should I Be Formal === | ||
You | The first thing that may cross your mind is: "I'm not much of a writer." It is actually very easy to overcome that common thought process: Think about one of your favorite ancestors. Think how excited you would be if you found even a grocery shopping list that was written in their own hand about things needed on their next trip into town. You wouldn't be at all interested in the spelling used, or the quality of the handwriting or any of the rest of it. You would be delighted to find something that your ancestor had touched, written, used, and needed. It would give you a little window into that ancestor's life and would be a treasure to you. | ||
Now think how happy you would be if you found a personal history written by that ancestor. It might be written in the starkest of styles and be constructed with nothing but short, simple sentences but each short, simple sentence would tell you a little fact about that ancestor. Now ponder for a moment how things may be 100 years from now. You are long dead and buried. The people who knew you personally are probably also dead and buried but your great, great, great, grandchild has started working on genealogy. This grandchild finds a record of your life's history written by you. That ancestor will be every bit as excited and happy to have found a history written by you as you would be if you found a personal history of your GGG grandparent. They will be no more interested in spelling, handwriting, sentence structure as you would be. What will be important to them will be having a little window into the life of their ancestor. <br> | |||
Maybe you think that being formal is more appropriate, after all this is your life story. <br><br>If after a few pages your literary masterpiece doesn't feel right or flow very well, it very well may be that you're using words that no one ever heard you use before. Maybe people will wonder if you really wrote this stuff. Have you noticed that when you pick up a pen you have the tendency to become someone else? <br><br>Here are a few suggestions you might find helpful:<br> | Maybe you think that being formal is more appropriate, after all this is your life story. <br><br>If after a few pages your literary masterpiece doesn't feel right or flow very well, it very well may be that you're using words that no one ever heard you use before. Maybe people will wonder if you really wrote this stuff. Have you noticed that when you pick up a pen you have the tendency to become someone else? <br><br>Here are a few suggestions you might find helpful:<br> | ||