It was my family history writing group this afternoon – last one until September. There were only four plus me as others had holiday and other commitments – unfortunately for them as it was cream tea time!
I usually have a topic which we discuss which I hope might offer a suggestion for writing for next time – only a suggestion, it’s completely optional! This time, however we had a review of what we have done over the past year:
End of term review –
These are the different things we’ve been thinking about and discussing:
- Who is telling the story? From whose point of view will you write your story?
- Small domestic details – adding interesting colour to your stories
- plots and themes – e.g. travels and journeys, rags to riches or vice-versa; village/town/city life; war story – those who went away, those who never returned, those who stayed behind, those who returned, those who came after; love
- characters – the story of the people in your family
- different ways to tell stories by focussing on a particular aspect – special occasions, food, photographs, letters and correspondence, a particular event or period
- events which our ancestors might have seen or heard and talked about
- children and how they might view the things which happen in their lives
- weather, seasons and climate
After our cream tea, the group shared their stories – and they were all so good. I hope I don’t sound patronising when I say they have really come on as writers and really gained in confidence. What they wrote is confidential to the group, obviously but here is an outline of the four pieces:
- A journey – we heard the tale of a young person who found a job away from home on the south coast. Long hours, low pay, but from the sound of it, much fun! From the south coast to the east coast – a different job but more long hours, low pay and much fun. The end of summer came and the last journey was back to the beginning, back to home.
- A war – we listened to an account of one ordinary person and their family during one year of WW2. The life of the ordinary soldier in North Africa, seeing Montgomery visiting the troops – and then far away in Blighty, mother and sister at home looking forward to letters, and writing of their war-time experiences
- A detective – a genealogical investigation into a mysterious ancestor who rose from humble beginnings as a wheelwright’s daughter in Somerset, to a much married society lady in London
- Road sweepers and coal-men – how a gang of women with brooms put the council workers to shame, and the happy life of a coal-man, his lovely wife and their three children… oh and the chickens in the coal yard
We won’t see each other for two months, I wonder what surprises the group will have for me as we head towards autumn!
Lois Elsden 
Fascinating Lo it grows as I read!
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