ImagineYourBook

Family History Starter Kit

24 interview questions, a source ledger and six examples for turning family notes into a readable book.

Download the worksheet

Start with one story

A family book does not have to cover every year of every life. Choose one person, one place or one turning point. Then ask: what would I like a younger reader to understand?

You can use this kit with a notebook, a word processor or an AI writing tool. The questions and examples are free. Start with the material you already have.

Three steps: check the source note, write a supported sentence, and keep uncertainty visible.
A fictional example. A remembered year does not establish a month or a train journey.

Write down where each detail came from

Give every letter, photograph or interview note a short ID. Keep the original. Beside each claim, write what the source supports and what it leaves open.

Source ID
F01
Where it came from
A family note written in 2006
What it says
Ruth recalled moving to Leeds in 1962, perhaps in spring.
What is uncertain
The month, the journey and the reason for moving.

Ruth and these records are invented for this exercise. They are not a customer story or historical research.

Six details a draft can quietly change

An approximate date

In the notes: Ruth remembered moving in 1962, perhaps in spring.

Too much certainty: Ruth stepped off the train in April 1962.

A supported version: Ruth later remembered moving to Leeds in 1962, perhaps in spring. The month and journey are not established.

A gap in the timeline

In the notes: A 1964 card lists Ruth as a bakery assistant in Leeds.

Too much certainty: She found bakery work as soon as she arrived.

A supported version: By 1964, Ruth was working as a bakery assistant in Leeds. When that job began is still unclear.

An undated photograph

In the notes: An undated photograph shows Ruth with a blue suitcase.

Too much certainty: She carried that suitcase on the move to Leeds.

A supported version: An undated photograph shows Ruth with a blue suitcase. We do not know where she was going.

Conflicting memories

In the notes: One relative remembers 1967; another remembers 1968.

Too much certainty: Ruth returned home in 1967.

A supported version: The family disagrees about whether Ruth returned in 1967 or 1968.

Remembered words

In the notes: Notes record her excitement, but not her exact words.

Too much certainty: "The city felt like the whole world opening," she said.

A supported version: The interview notes describe her excitement about the city. Her exact words were not recorded.

An unrecorded motive

In the notes: The notes do not say why she moved.

Too much certainty: She left because she resented village life.

A supported version: Her reason for moving is still an open question.

24 questions that lead to better stories

Ask permission before recording. Explain who will read the story. Let the speaker skip questions, correct the notes or leave something out.

Ordinary days

  1. What did a normal morning look like?
  2. Which place can you still picture clearly?
  3. Who did you spend the most time with?
  4. What small job did you learn to do well?

The turning point

  1. When did you notice things were changing?
  2. Which choices did you consider?
  3. What did you know at the time?
  4. What did you only learn later?

The people

  1. What did you see this person do?
  2. Do you remember their exact words, or the gist?
  3. Who might remember it differently?
  4. Which names would you rather leave out?

The evidence

  1. Is there a letter, photograph or dated record?
  2. Who made it, and when?
  3. Does it record the event, or describe it later?
  4. Could this be someone else with the same name?

The gaps

  1. Which date are you unsure about?
  2. Do you remember what happened first?
  3. Which detail did someone else tell you?
  4. What should we leave unresolved?

What it means

  1. What mattered most to you then?
  2. What do you see differently now?
  3. What would you like a younger reader to understand?
  4. What should I correct or leave out of these notes?

A short brief to work from

Once your notes are ready, adapt this brief. You can use the same rules when writing the draft yourself.

Help me turn the notes below into a short family-history draft for [reader], about [person or period]. Use only the material I supply. Keep approximate dates approximate. Preserve disagreements. Do not invent dialogue, motives, journeys or events. Put my source IDs beside factual claims so I can check them. If you need a missing detail, leave a question in square brackets. Keep my present-day reflections separate from what I knew then. Use a warm, plain voice. Write only as much as the material can support.

My reader:
Person or period:
The question this story explores:
Source notes, each with an ID:
Details to leave private:
Tone and spelling preferences:

Read it with the notes beside you

Go sentence by sentence through names, dates, relationships and quotations. Mark each passage Keep, Revise, Ask or Omit. A natural-sounding sentence can still contain a detail that nobody supplied.

Where possible, let the storyteller read it before sharing. Keep the notes and draft together. If you add photographs or prepare a printed edition, check those files separately.

Further reading: Family Tree Magazine on AI genealogy prompts. These sources provide useful background. The worksheet and fictional examples here are original.

Explore memoir drafting. ImagineYourBook offers optional paid drafting. The worksheet is free to use.