Gill Blanchard's Writing Your Family History course from September 17th

From genealogist Gill Blanchard (www.pastsearchlearning.co.uk), news of her next Writing Your Family History course, which kicks off from September 17th for 12 weeks:

Writing Your Family History

Starts Friday 17 September 2021
12 Weeks. 5 Lessons. Weekly Live Discussions.
Cost £150

Tutor: Gill Blanchard. BA. MA. Post Grad. Cert in Education (PCE)
Author and Professional Family Historian
MA. Biography and Creative Nonfiction (UEA)

Module One is a practical writing course spread over a twelve week period that guides participants through the process of bringing their ancestors to life. The aim is on producing an entertaining family history that other people want to read in a format that suits them. The tutor provides personalised and in-depth feedback throughout the course so that you put words on the page.

Students are encouraged to move beyond a basic ‘John begat William and Jane begat Mary’ chronicle; learn how to integrate relevant social and local history materials and how to deal with repetitions, missing pieces and anomalies in their writing.

The course is comprised of five lessons. The first four lessons are posted online at fortnightly intervals, with an extra week after lessons four and five to allow additional time for reading, writing, critiquing and feedback. Each lesson includes writing exercises, focused guidance, useful tips, writing examples, links to useful resources and background reading. There are regular live online discussions with the tutor and other students. A dedicated learning hub can be used at any time throughout the course to share work, ask questions and post news.

This course is aimed at those who have completed a body of research into their family history and are ready to start writing. Although this first module can be taken as a standalone course, those who wish to continue developing their writing in a supportive group with continuous feedback can go onto to modules two and three.

Gill Blanchard is a qualified and experienced tutor and author of several research guides, biographies and histories, including Writing Your Family History (Pen and Sword Books). She also works as a professional genealogist and house historian, and one of her specialisms is writing and producing family history and house history books for clients. She has an MA in Biography from the University in East Anglia and is starting a research PhD in Biography in Autumn 2021.

Module One: Lesson 1 Starting Out
When to stop researching.
Format and what to include.
Planning.
Introduction to the Writing Craft.
Introduction to Adding Context.
Writing exercises and feedback.

Module One: Lesson 2 Expanding a Family History Biography
Structuring a family history continued.
Dealing with repetition and anomalies.
Adding background context.
Writing exercises and feedback.

Module One: Lesson 3 Bringing your Family History to Life - Building Background Material
Social and local history context continued.
Creating authenticity.

Module One: Lesson 4 Developing a Family History Further
Focussed work using local histories, biographies, autobiographies, letters, memoirs and oral histories to build context.
Writing exercises and feedback.

Module One: Lesson 5 Introduction to Publishing, Layout and Production and Review
Editing and layout.
Printing and publishing.
Reviewing progress.
Writing exercises and feedback.

For further information please contact Gill via gblanchard@pastsearch.co.uk 

(With thanks to Gill)

Chris

Just out, Sharing Your Family History Online is on sale at https://bit.ly/SharingFamHist. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is also out, as are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

If you write genealogy content you should consider registering with the ALCS

The following may be of interest to genealogists in the UK who earn some of their income by writing articles for magazines or books.

I have been doing this for a fair few years now, but only last year was encouraged by a publisher to sign up to a body called the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) to receive royalties from libraries etc for the secondary rights use of books and magazine articles I have written. The bottom line is if you have written articles and/or parts of books etc which are then copied or used by libraries and other agencies in other ways, including lending rights, you may actually be due a royalty for this, on top of the sum you were paid by the publisher up front.

I thought I'll give it a go, and entered in details of all I've written from 2016-2019 (the most recent period for which such royalties may be available), expecting that I might get a couple of hundred quid if lucky. I've just got word of what I am due in a few days time, and nearly had a heart attack. Suffice to say it was a good idea to register.

If you write for any publisher, you may wish to consider signing up to the ALCS at www.alcs.co.uk and regularly enter details of articles and books you may have written, and give details of both print and e-editions. There is a membership fee (£36), and a commission to pay, but the benefit may outweigh the outlay. Payments are made twice a year, and there may be money you have earned sitting there for the taking.

You will find more about how the scheme works on the website - I hope it helps!

(PS: Next deadline for submissions is November 30th)

Chris

You can pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 (out April). Also available, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Pharos Tutors genealogy short courses in April

Now might be as good a time as any for online studying! The following Pharos Tutors (www.pharostutors.com) hosted genealogy courses still have availability in April:

Are You Sitting Comfortably? Writing and Telling Your Family History (216)
https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=216
Course Length: 5 weeks
Start Date: 31 Mar 2020
Unassessed Cost: £49.99
Assessed Cost: £64.99
Tutor: Janet Few

Organizing Your Genealogy (202)
https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=202
Course Length: 3 Weeks
Start Date: 06 Apr 2020
Cost: £34.99
Tutor: Barbara H. Baker

Further information about Pharos courses can be found at https://www.pharostutors.com/howcourseswork.php

For details of other forthcoming courses this year visit https://www.pharostutors.com/coursesmainsd.php

Chris

You can pre-order my new book, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 (out April). Also available, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.