There's no reason a fully documented family history can't read like a page-turning novel. In this concise and accessible book, Sharon DeBartolo Carmack shows genealogists, history buffs, and writers at all levels exactly how to record the fascinating tales of their ancestors. Based on her own extensive experience writing family histories, the author shares her best methods for: - Conducting historical and thematic research - Organizing materials - Outlining and plotting a story - Illustrating with pictures and charts - Making money writing the histories of other families The advice, inspiration and instruction in You Can Write Your Family History makes it possible for anyone - even those who've never written a single page - to successfully chronicle the lives of near or distant relatives. It's the next best thing to having a personal instructor by your side.