Put Some Meat on ‘Dem Bones – 19 Oct 2023

Webinar Abstract: Combine your research with historical information and turn your ancestral data into a compelling story even the non-genealogist will want to read. Learn how to bring life to your ancestors, structure a story line, depict time and place, use general information as a backdrop, and let the tale evolve into a fully developed story. No previous writing experience is required.

Presenter: Patricia Charpentier, author of the multi-award-winning book, Eating an Elephant: Write Your Life One Bite at a Time, teaches, writes, edits, ghostwrites, and publishes personal and family history stories. To date, Patricia has coauthored, edited, and published more than seventy books. Her belief about capturing life stories is: The only way to do this wrong is to not do it at all.  When Patricia was in her twenties, her mother handed her a copy of a family tree that dated back to 1648 when her ancestors came from France to settle in an area known as “Acadie,” now Nova Scotia. “That’s nice,” she replied and put the papers away in a drawer. In a move some twenty years later, Patricia came across the yellowed sheets held together by a rusty staple. She now longed to know more about the people listed before her, but all those who held pieces of her family’s story were long gone. Her ancestors’ stories died with them. Since then, Patricia devoted time and energy to helping others avoid the mistake she made, assisting them in preserving their stories for themselves and their families. She has spoken to genealogy groups across the state and helped hundreds bring their personal and family histories to life on the page. Patricia founded the Life Writers membership in 2020. Life Writers is built on three pillars, which she believes are necessary for success—community, instruction, and accountability—and brings people together online from across the US, Canada, Mexico, and Jamaica.

• Website: https://writingyourlife.org/
• Websites: https://lifewriters.us/

Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TOex-QLQSvurIb7R49y1rw

Handouts are available to FSGS members only and are generally available a few days before the webinar. Videos are accessible to members within 3 days following the webinar. Members must log in to access the handout and video.