Heritage Makers ~ Independent Consultant

We've just published a new edition of our newsletter! You can check it out on our website and get the latest information from Heritage Makers ~ Independent Consultant. Let us know what you think!

Read It Now Here

We've just published a new edition of our newsletter! You can check it out on our website and get the latest information from Heritage Makers ~ Independent Consultant. Let us know what you think!

Read It Now Here

What do I write to make my books interesting?

There is nothing like curling up with a good book. Oh what possibilities lie within those pages! Knowing when I open the cover I will be taken to another world - whisked away to a magical kingdom, drawn into a juicy mystery, or on the hunt for a long hidden gold mine. The words, carefully chosen by the author, have the ability to make me suspend belief or shed a few tears because I have been drawn into the story.

Beautiful layouts are just the beginning of your family stories: there are clever titles to capture our interest and lovely pictures to support the plot.

While the photos may grab the viewer’s attention, and our beautiful products may create visual interest, it is your own words - the journaling - that actually tell the story and make your books sizzle.

Through journaling, you can share your own treasured tale and permanently preserve it for your future generations.

Add and subtract?

Tell what happens when the players change - just as if someone is added or subtracted from the equation (i.e. getting remarried & how it affects the children, get a new boss or change offices, parents get divorced).

And I quote

Write your journaling ideas in a notebook: you never know when the perfect words will come to you. Use lyrics, poems, definitions, quotes, a book selection, a passage from your journal or blog, a single word, or scripture. Check out my References Link on the home page for some awesome sites with searchable quote libraries!

Back to the future

Write what you would like your grandkids to know about this day, event, or person. Make a virtual time capsule by including data about your present life and circumstances in your current environment.

Compare and contrast

What are the similarities between these people or events? What are the differences?
What are the pros? What are the cons?

Count your blessings

What are you thankful for? How have you and your family been blessed? What would your life be like without these blessings in it?

Describe it

Use examples to share someone’s personality: instead of saying “he’s goofy”, tell us how he always wears a top hat while he’s on the computer. Describe what you were smelling, hearing, touching, tasting. Describe yourself from the tips of your toes down to the thoughts racing through your mind. What does it means to be a mommy, an artist, a student, etc.?

Express yourself

Share your feelings about a person or opinions on a subject. Give examples to help prove your point or experiences that helped you form this opinion. What about this moment/event/person makes you laugh, cry, shout, or sentimental? What is so embarrassing about this? What about this makes you proud? What color does the photo remind you of? What emotion?

Go with your gut

Don’t edit yourself initially. Share your honest feelings about this person or event. Use a timer or brainstorm the journaling, ignoring grammar and incomplete sentences.

He said/ She said…

Have both you and your spouse write down the story of how you met or your first date. What details are the same? What are different? What details did either one of you forget? What were you surprised that your spouse remembered?

I believe…

Share your beliefs on life, religion, and family. Why do you feel that way? How did you acquire this opinion? How do your spouse’s or parent’s views differ from yours? How do your beliefs affect your actions?

Instruction Manual

Use your photos and journaling to explain how to do something, step by step or by showing examples.

It’s all in the ears

Don’t just hear what someone is saying, really listen. What are they actually trying to tell you? What are they leaving out? What about this is important to them? Why?

It’s all relative

My sibling, my child, my parent, my friend, my coworker, my boss, my neighbor. What is your relationship to this person – are you the caretaker, cheerleader, coach or mentor? What are the positive/negative aspects of this relationship? How did you meet? What have you experienced together, both highs and lows? What have you learned from this person? What have you taught them? How would your life be different without them in it? What do you really want to say to them?

Just the facts, ma’am

Simple and sweet. Who, what, when, where, why, how?

Keep it in perspective

Remember who you are making this for (your children, your family, yourself), and don’t worry about writing the next great American novel. No one else has to see it but you. There is no right or wrong; there are only the words you wish to share.

Lay down the law

What are the house rules for your children? What guidelines do you have to follow at work? What limitations does your homeowner’s association put on your yard? What happens when these rules are broken?

Look it up

Use your dictionary and thesaurus to find the perfect word to express your thoughts or to keep from repeating the same words again and again.

Looking back

Reexamine an event months or years later. What is different now? What was important about the event at that time? What about the event is important now? What was worrying and stressing you at the time? What happened to those worries and stresses? What were your joys at the time? Now, what are your joys about that time?