The Family History Writing Challenge – It’s Nearly Here!

Anyone care to join me in the Family History Writing Challenge??  I do hope so.  There is so much you can do with the things you will learn by joining in the challenge.  For example – you can write a collection of short stories, a memoir, or perhaps create the blue print for an epic novel – the sky really is the limit – but really, your goals don’t have to be so lofty.  But most importantly – you can make a start on learning to preserve your own family stories!!

Keeping in mind that I don’t have a novel in me (nor do I profess to be clever enough to write one), I have decided to use the month of February to document what I want to tell my children about my own life experiences.   I spend 100’s of hours every year scraping out every titbit of information I can on ancestors long gone, but what do I want my children and grandchildren to know about me? 

I have stories about growing up, being a rebel teenager, the joys of flatting and backpacker travel, meeting their father and experiences of motherhood that I’d love to share with them.  Have you ever stopped to explain to your children how you met their father/mother?  Do you have their favourite family recipes jotted down or typed up – or even cut out and pasted into a recipe Journal?  Did you ever try to put your emotions on paper in the form of poetry or letters?

Well this years I am going to pull all those topics together.  I want to produce a booklet which will contain memories of my childhood, special holidays we spent together as a family and copies of their favourite recipes.  I am looking forward to hand picking photographs from the thousands that we have collected through the years to illustrate as many of the memories as possible.  I will also be including some of the poetry I have written over the years, and I intend to write letters to each of them about topics that are of the greatest importance to me.  I have no plans for this booklet to be published, knowing full well that the only people to see it will be my two sons.  The Family History Writing Challenge is geared toward folks that want to publish their stories – but who says you have to take it that far? Use the challenge to your benefit; make it fulfil your needs.

This all sounds very grand, doesn’t it? I didn’t say that my children will be unable to put down the booklet due to the incredibly exciting way in which I have written it; I didn’t say that my poetry was good, or even anywhere near good.  None of those things matter really.  What I intend to do is write this memoir in just the same manner that I talk to them now, so that every time they read something they will instantly be taken back to the moment the memory was created, whether the memory is mine, or theirs.  When I am long gone from this earth I am hoping that, should they read what I have written, they will be able to say “You know, I can still hear her saying that!”

Come on, take the Challenge with me – there’s still a few days left to register (click here to register), and don’t forget – it’s free.  All you have to do is set a little time aside each day to type.  EASY!! 

Sources:

If I can Image: http://firstgradewow.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/writers-tool-box.html

Once Upon A Time Image: http://tribecomics.com/quick-writing-tips-for-your-upcoming-writer/

Postcard From Noumea

Postcard from Audrey Breckler to Julie Preston 110 years After Our Ancestors Corresponded

Around the early 1870’s Harriet Whiteman moved to Noumea, New Caledonia and from that time my ancestors in Tamworth, New South Wales received postcards and letters from her.  Harriet was my great, great Aunt.  The correspondence between Harriet and her Australian family continued over many years, and then as her daughter Madeleine grew the tradition continue when Madeleine began to correspond with my grand mother Ines Maude Bailey nee: Smith. I have featured a few of the post cards on my blog that were sent from Noumea around 1904 and 1905 before.

My 3rd cousin Audrey Breckler, who lives in Paris, recently travelled to New Zealand and then on to New Caledonia for a holiday, catching up with another cousin who showed her some of the sites that Noumea has to offer.  We emailed each other a couple of times throughout her trip, and it was in one of these emails that Audrey asked for my home address, commenting that it would be an extraordinary thing to have a postcard sent between family from Noumea to Tamworth all these many years later!

On January 14, 2016  110 years after correspondence between our family ancestors began, I received the postcard from Audrey.  The front showcases some of  best scenery this lovely pacific island offers and on the back Audrey has written:

Dear Julie,

110 years after our ancestors Madeleine and Ines, a postcard is sent from Noumea to Tamworth.  New Caledonia is a very beautiful country with amazing beaches.  Noumea has changed since 1905, but the streets still exist with old colonial houses, the cathedral where the family were baptised is still here watching the sea.

What a absolute thrill it was to receive the postcard.  Audrey was right – there was something very special indeed about following the tradition set down by our ancestors.  I think this postcard has earned a place in the back of my grand fathers postcard collection!

Participating in The Family History Writing Challenge

Don’t you just love how life interrupts your most basic of plans, and throws your whole calendar for the year out the window!!

Oh well………..

My plan was to spend the month of January preparing and writing blog posts for at least 2 months if not more so that I could better organise myself for the year, and present more of the family history content that I so love to write about. However I find that whilst I am progressing with my initial goal, I am also spending a large amount of time preparing for The Family History Writing Challenge with Lynn Palermo which takes place during the month of February each year.

I am so very excited to be participating in the writing challenge again this year.  This will be my fourth year with the challenge and it seems to me that I have never given it the level of commitment that I am putting in this year, so I am hoping for great things to come out of next month.  I have a favourite saying –  “ If it’s worth doing at all, do it well”.  With that in mind I am going to give this years’ challenge my all.

Over the last three years I have learned a great deal about writing short stories from the challenge – whether I am good at it is not the point here.  It has helped me put together interesting posts for The Keeper of Stories about many of my ancestors, as well as a collection of short stories about some of those ancestors for my sisters.  I particularly love The Daily Dose, which is delivered to my email every morning.  This small, informative and encouraging message gives me focus for the day and it also teaches me something new about writing every day.    I watch “the forum” where members talk about their projects, but have never had the courage to comment on what others are writing about due mainly to the fact that I still feel I am a complete novice when it comes to writing.  Maybe this year I will find my voice.

I wonder how many others there are out there that have a committed attitude to preserving their family history and would like to join in the challenge to write their family stories?  I can only say that this challenge is the most enjoyable, helpful and supportive resource that I have found since starting my family history blog two and a bit years ago.  You have so very much to gain – in knowledge and in content for a book or blog – and you have absolutely nothing to loose.  You can participate at any level you choose, talk to people – or not, write 100 or 50,000 words a day (ok – that’s an exaggeration), but at the end of the month you will present on paper the draft for a wonderful story about an ancestor that is just begging to be told.

Good luck to you all – I will be posting during February about my experiences during the challenge – so we’ll talk again real soon

Julie

Happy 2016 To Everyone

Whew!! What a celebration of love and family it has been, and I for one have enjoyed every exhilarating and tiring nanosecond of it.  This isn’t a blog post about New Years Resolutions though as I’ve decided not to put myself under that stress this year.  For me 2016 will be the year of trying to be a kinder person which of course will lead me to being kinder to every one that crosses the path of my life. That’s the theory anyway.

Family Celebrations

The Keeper of Stories will be taking a short break during the month of January as my hubby and I are planning on spending some fun time together.  I will, of course and naturally, be working on posts for the blog during this time and just want to let you know that there are many exciting posts scheduled this year.  These posts will include 2 interviews with living family members, a number of stories relating to the War Heroes of our family, a 2 part series on a family Missionary to the Solomon Islands, more gorgeous postcards from my Grandads collections, and many other exciting titbits!

My wish for you all is that 2016 will be a supremely happy and safe year for not only you, but your adored family as well.

Stay tuned – and we’ll talk again real soon

Julie

Sources:

Habitat for Humanity: Family Celebration Picture, http://habitatsaskatoon.ca/habitat-for-humanity-family-celebration-bbq/