I started writing about 6 years ago. I began chronicling highlights in my life. I usually keep them under 2500 words, but I'm trying to expand character development. Lately I've been focused stories based on my ancestors. I've done a lot of genealogical research that I use as the basis while letting my imagination develop the characters. I'm looking forward becoming a part of the community.
Hi Old Beach Guy! (Like the name, by the way.) I'm one of the forum moderators here, and I want to welcome you to the forum. In fact, you've touched on something I've been interested in for quite a while. I've done research on my ancestry as well, and have got back as far as my great-great grandfather. I've got JUST enough information about his generation and the one after him to get my imagination started. What, exactly, were these people like? Unfortunately, so much geneological research just gives a list of 'begats' ...who begat whom, birth/death dates, marriage dates, etc. Occasionally there are photos. Once in a while you get a little gem of information about what their lives were like—what they did for a living, etc ...but it's never enough. They were all probably stunningly ordinary folks, but still. I guess we'll never know. So why not use them as the basis for storytelling? I think it would be fun to take all known facts, and weave a story around them. Anyway, I am really looking forward to seeing your posts around the forum and keeping track of how you're getting on. Meanwhile, just a few pointers. If you haven't already, please do read these two links. They are the basis for how we operate on the forum, so it's important to be aware of the issues here. New Member Quick Start Forum Rules And here are a few other links you might find useful. https://www.writingforums.org/faq/ This is a site map with links to all areas of the forum https://www.writingforums.org/threads/constructive-critiques.20627/ This is an essay on the kind of critiques we appreciate in our Workshop area, which (as the New Member Quick Start makes clear) is the only place on the forum where you are allowed to post your work for feedback. Critiques are a requirement for participation in the Workshops, so this link might be very helpful getting you started on yours. https://www.writingforums.org/writing-contests/ There are ongoing contests in three writing mediums here ...Short Story, Poetry and Flash Fiction. We really appreciate our members reading the entries and voting on them. You are also allowed to enter the contests as a brand-new member, so feel free to do so. If you encounter any difficulties getting settled, don't hesitate to contact me and I'll do what I can to help. Just click my owl avatar, 'start a conversation' with me, and I'll get on it. Have fun getting settled, getting to know us and letting us get to know you. Cheers for now, Jan
Writing a fictional story based on your own ancestors? That sounds wild (sincerely). Good luck and welcome!
Thanks for the replies. Jannert, I got really lucky. When I started all I knew was the Grandfather's and Grandmother's name on my Mother's side. Within a couple weeks, I was all the way back to my 14th Great Grandparents. Unbeknownst to me, most of the heavy lifting had been done by a few dedicated distant cousins I didn't know existed. Until about 1830 they're just names on a page, but from then forward, I've found a plethora of information. From Civil War muster lists, tax and census records, birth records, old newspaper accounts and such, it's been great. The story I'm writing is about my second Great Grandfather who enlisted in the Confederate at 43 years old. He was paid a large amount of money to join in the place of this man's 20 year old son. Arrangements like that were perfectly legal back then.
Are you fictionalising names, etc? In other words, are people going to know this is your Great Great Grandfather?
No, I'm keeping the names of all my relatives. The others are from my imagination. I guess I consider it a Biographical Novel or Biographical Fiction.
Well, at least their relatives aren't going to pop out of the woodwork to complain. You ARE their relatives.
Ha! You've given me an idea (like "why didn't I think of this before now?" sort of idea :whacks head. In my well-developed family history (thanks to the research of one of my cousins), this nugget of story turned up in the history of the New Jersey legislature (punctuation and paragraph breaks are mine): I'm not a Revolutionary War buff; maybe I need to find a writing partner. At any rate, welcome aboard.
