Writing a Sketch Before Adding Detail

It is often good to write out the story as it comes naturally, and then go back to flesh out the details.  Sometimes when you write the story, you will find that adding the details (dates and places, and who begat whom) takes away from the story itself.  There are ways around this, so let us explore them.

One way of including data without actually putting it in your story is to use Endnotes or Footnotes.  This method gives the factual data in the endnote or footnote while keeping your story flowing nicely.

Example:  John and his older brother Joseph were both christened in the summer of 1828 at St. Michael’s Church, Brandon.¹

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1} John Brown was born on 5th June 1828. He was christened on 17 June 1828 in St. Michael’s Church, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada. His older brother Joseph was christened on the same day.  Joseph was born on 20th March 1821.  Source: (give detail)

Another viable option is putting those details into an image (image of a pedigree chart or family group sheet) and including that image with the story.  This option is explored in more detail in the next lesson—Using Images in Your Story.