This is a follow-up to my previous post on ‘thinking of writing an eBook.”
One important point I mentioned is that you should write about something you know very well. Let’s take your family for example. Many people are interested in genealogy. A published family history will instill a sense of pride and belonging for not just you and your family, but cousins and many extended family members and friends far and wide.
A project like this would require some research and discussion with those closest to you. Once you have outlined your family tree, you can write about what you know. Later you may find more details to fill in the sparse places.
Fill out the life stories of early ancestors with historical facts that they lived through by consulting chronology reference books, such as:
The New York Public Library Book of Chronologies by
Other sources to help you get started:
https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Principles_of_Family_History_Research
https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy/start-research
https://www.archives.gov/research/genealogy
https://www.familytreemagazine.com/premium/25-best-genealogy-websites-for-beginners/
No matter what you decide to write about, routinely save your date (paper or computerized) in a safe place. Back-up any computer files on a removable stick drive and store securely. Hours of work could be lost otherwise.
Finding a topic and starting to write is the first step to becoming an author. Most authors are unpublished, however becoming a published author is more possible today than in the past. The tasks of refining and editing your writing for publication will be discussed in a forthcoming post.