33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Genealogy & Family History, by Judy Rosella Edwards

No writer wants to read a review that says,
"...this book just isn’t believable!"
Don't Be THAT Writer!

Genealogy is possibly the fastest growing pastime in the United States. According to one survey, an estimated 73 percent of the U.S. population is interested in their family history, or actively researching their personal genealogy.

As of September 2007, 3.5 million family trees have been created on Ancestry.com, 300 million profiles have been added to those trees, and 2.5 million photos have been uploaded. This one genealogy site has 800,000 subscribers, making it one of the largest online paid membership sites in the United States.

It is quite likely that your reader knows a little something about genealogy! Wouldn’t you like to write as if you do?

The media, especially through film, has focused on certain genealogical facts to such an extent that writers assume those facts apply to every family. It makes anyone who has ever researched their family history cringe!

Don't Alienate those 800,000 Readers...

The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Genealogy & Family History by Judy Rosella Edwards addresses nearly three dozen misconceptions that even experienced writers are apt to make about their character’s genealogy. She explains what is fact and what is fiction along with how to write with clarity about family history, immigration, and family names.

Your hero leaves the Motherland and —what?

When was the last time you studied the history of immigration to the United States? …researched how immigrants arrived in the New World? …documented where an immigrant set foot on land in the United States, and how far inland they travelled?

Do your characters always arrive in New York because you didn’t realize there were dozens of ports where immigrants entered this country from the time of Christopher Columbus? Do all of your Native American characters who set out for a reservation arrive—and do you have a reasonable explanation for why they might not have?

When was the last time you realized someone could not have entered the U.S. at the famous Ellis Island because they arrived in New York in 1872— and Ellis Island did not open until January 1, 1892?

For me, it was probably sometime earlier today.

I am a professional genealogical researcher and I write for “GenWeekly News & Information Service,” published by “Genealogy Today.” I am also a content provider for several genealogical research websites.

I understand the assumptions novice researchers—and writers—make about genealogy. I have had to rework research after realizing the pieces of the puzzle don’t fit historically. I know where mistakes are likely to be made.

I have seen these errors in amateur family histories—and in far too many books. Don’t tempt your reader to jump ship by making simple errors in creating a family history for your character!

If you want to keep those genealogy fans reading, 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Genealogy & Family History should be like a member of your family.

"Document your sources!"
How often have we all heard that?

Genealogists know how important it is to prove your facts. Every family has stories, and a few myths. Part of the fun of genealogy, is figuring out whether those myths are plausible. It doesn’t take even a novice genealogists long to realize they need to make the story believable by citing facts and placing their ancestors at the right place at the right time in history.

What if you could craft scenes where readers learn that hundreds of immigrants arrived in New Orleans decades before Ellis Island? What if you could intrigue your readers by describing who your characters were likely to have travelled with across the Atlantic Ocean, on their way to a new life in the New World?

Be that writer who creates fiction that smacks of authenticity. 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Genealogy & Family History can help you write convincingly by knowing background information that matters to genealogists, regardless of what you are writing.

• Know when your character was likely to have migrated from a given country with a large group of people.
• Know where musicians were likely to have migrated to the United States.
• Know how likely it is that your character’s name was really changed at Ellis Island.
• ...and thirty more simple yet savvy pieces of inside advice.

Regardless whether you are writing contemporary, western, historical or romance, 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Genealogy & Family History uncovers the most vital things you need to know before writing about genealogy.

Let me help you avoid common mistakes
from inside my world.

Let me share with you my knowledge to improve your writing so when a reader who is even an armchair genealogist becomes fascinated with your books and your character’s family history.

About the Author
Judy Rosella Edwards is a freelance writer and new media specialist who creates web content in addition to writing for local newspapers. Her focus is genealogy and Central Illinois history.

She writes a column for GenWeekly News & Information Service and is a contributor to the Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography. She was a past presenter at the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency’s annual Conference on Illinois History.
Judy holds a Master’s degree in Instructional Systems Technology from the College of Education at Indiana University and is a computer trainer.