[CA--SCGS] Daylight Savings Time Begins--Spring Forward!!

Remember to "Spring Forward" your clocks this weekend. 

You don't want to miss our scheduled programs on Sunday:

Our Writer's Group and the Family Tree Maker Users Group!!

Southern California Genealogy Society and Library
417 Irving Dr.
Burbank, CA 91504-2408
818-843-7247
www.scgsgenealogy.com

Jamboree 2016: Thursday Workshop - Organizing Notes to Write a Compelling Story

Guest post by Anita R. Henderson

You Can’t Put It All In There

What’s the point in doing all that research if you never tell the stories of the people, places, and events you discover? Stories are the glue that binds us together. These tapestries of emotion draw others to want to know what you’ve discovered in your genealogy research (rather than you chasing down family members to recite your latest find). But storytelling only works when done well.

Learn the intricacies of storytelling, and find out how to narrow down all of that research into one organized, compelling tale. In “You Can’t Put It All In There: Organizing Notes to Write a Compelling Story,” author’s coach and author, Anita R. Henderson, explains key points for getting to the meat of your genealogy story.

“Most outsiders don’t want to know who begot whom or how many census documents you had to scour to find the one ancestor you’ve been seeking for the past decade,” says Henderson. “What they do want to know is the stories of the lives of those ancestors; who they loved, what motivated them, what mattered to them, how they lived, how historical events impacted them, and the legacies they left. You really can’t put it all in there, and you shouldn’t if you want to engage your readers and help them connect to your research.”

Here’s your chance to learn:

What makes a good story
How to narrow the focus of your research into one compelling story
Key story elements
How to write for your reader
A simple formula for outlining your story
How to determine what’s relevant in your research story

Anita is known as The Author’s Midwife. She helps genealogists and others write and publish engaging books on interesting topics. Through her Write Your Life program, authors overcome the struggles of writing so they can tell their unique stories and reach their writing and publishing goals. Anita has written for more than 25 publication in the U.S. and Canada. She has written and co-authored eight books, and assisted dozens of authors through the book publishing process. She speaks to genealogy and business groups nationwide, and is co-host of the Write Books That Sell Now podcast on iTunes.

In this interactive session, intermediate and advanced researchers will engage in writing practice and exercises with the goal of walking away with an outline for their own compelling genealogy story.

Thursday, June 2 2016  10:00 a.m. - 12 noon
TH‐C   You Can’t Put It All In There: Organizing Notes to Write a Compelling Story by Anita R. Henderson

This is part of a series of special workshops which are open to registered attendees of Genetic Genealogy or to those registered to at least one day at Jamboree 2016. Additional registration is required.

Limited to 35 participants

SCGS Member Registration

Non-Member Registration

Jamboree 2015 - Meet the Speaker : Dawn Parrett Thurston

Dawn Parrett Thurston's family history writing courses have been called "life changing," and "the class I've long been looking for." In the last 18 years, she has helped hundreds of students write and publish family histories at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, where she received the "Faculty Excellence Award" in 2008. Dawn's students repeatedly were awarded top prizes in writing competitions. She has also shared her expertise with students at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University, and at national conferences, including the Federation of Genealogical Societies, the Association of Personal Historians, and Jamboree.

In 2007 Signature Books published her book Breathe Life into Your Life Story: How to Write a Story People Will WANT to Read, a compilation of ideas and writing techniques she teaches in her classes. More recently, she published The Parrett Migration, a five-generation family history that John Colletta said "raises the standard for family historians who aspire to write narrative accounts of their ancestors' lives."

Dawn began researching her family lines when she was in her early twenties and has been a dedicated genealogist ever since. Raised in Orange County, where she still resides, she earned her bachelor's degree in English from UCLA and a master's in communications from Cal State University, Fullerton.

SA019 Saturday June 6, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Avoid These Common Family History Writing Mistakes
Some family histories read like a pedigree chart arranged into sentences. Learn techniques to breathe life into your ancestors and craft a compelling story that shows what it's like to walk in their shoes.

Jamboree 2015 - Meet the Speaker: Anita Paul

Known as "The Author's Midwife", Anita Paul coaches genealogists, corporate professionals, and entrepreneurs to become published authors. Through her Write Your Life program, she shares strategies for writing, publishing and marketing a book, and then leveraging it for success.

A 20-year veteran of marketing communications and public relations, Anita started The Write Image in 1997 and has grown the company into a respected literary consultancy and book publishing services company. Through its Write Your Life program, The Write Image has published numerous nonfiction books in the genealogy, how-to, business, and children's genres. Her expertise has helped authors build their brand, position their platform, and enhance their expertise.

Anita is the author and co-author of several books including Building a Business, Building a Life: Incredible Stories of Women Entrepreneurs; Publishing as a Marketing Strategy; How to Market Your Book Free; and the award-winning Got Proof! My Genealogical Journey Through the Use of Documentation. Anita lectures on various topics related to independent book publishing. She is the host of the web TV show  "Book Your Success".

SU016 Sunday June 7,  10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Publishing to Leave a Legacy: Inspiring Examples in Genealogy Storytelling
Want to publish your genealogy research as a legacy for future generations? Learn how these writers made it happen. Their stories reveal the challenges, mistakes and lessons learned from writing and publishing their legacy stories. Panel with Bernice Bennett, Michael N. Henderson, Nicka Smith, and Angela Walton-Raji.

SU022 Sunday June 7,  1:00  - 2:00 p.m.
Who, What, When, Where? Using Journalism Techniques to Write Your Story
Journalists get to the point with their writing. Learn proven techniques to do the same when writing your family's genealogy story.

Jamboree - Meet the Speakers: Janalyn Underhill

Janalyn Underhill is the Publisher and General Manager at Creative Continuum, a family-owned and operated short-run publishing company specializing in family history heirloom books. Janalyn succeeds her father in the day-to-day management of the business and her appointment as the senior book designer leverages seven years experience with the company.

SU033 Sunday June 8, 2:30-3:30 p.m.
10 Steps to Remember When Publishing Your Family History Book
Publishing your family history book is a project that can bring happiness and fulfillment for generations to come. Knowing the best paper size, the right margins and the proper way to build your book.

Jamboree - Meet the Speakers: Dawn Parrett Thurston MA

Dawn Parrett Thurston’s personal history writing courses have been called “life changing,” and “the class I’ve long been looking for.” In the last 17 years, she has helped hundreds of students write and publish their family histories at Santiago Canyon College in Orange, where she received the “Faculty Excellence Award” in 2008. Dawn’s students repeatedly win top prizes in family history writing competitions. She has also shared her expertise with students at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University, and at national conferences, including Jamboree, FGS, and the Association of Personal Historians.

Dawn began researching her family lines when she was in her early twenties and has written a family history of her Scots coal-mining grandparents, published in 1996, and a multiple-generation family history of her paternal line titled The Parrett Family: Their Story is America’s Story, published in 2014. In 2007 Signature Books published her book, Breathe Life into Your Life Story: How to Write a Story People Will WANT to Read, a compilation of ideas and writing techniques she teaches in her classes.

Raised in Orange County, where she still resides, Dawn earned her bachelor’s degree in English from UCLA and a master’s in communications from Cal State University, Fullerton. Dawn is a member of the Genealogical Speakers Guild, the International Society for Family History Writers and Editors, and the Association of Personal Historians.

SU005 Sunday June 8, 8:30-9:30 a.m.
Turn Your Genealogy Data into a Fascinating Family History
This session will teach research, organization, and writing techniques that will help the writer shape genealogy facts into an interesting story people will WANT to read.

SU012 Sunday June 8, 10:00-11:30 a.m.
How to Write a Personal History that Captures Your Interesting Life
Many of us would like to write about our lives so our descendants will know who we are, what we experienced, and how we felt about the important issues of our time. We want our stories not only to be informative, but also compelling. This class will use proven techniques from the best writers to demonstrate how this can be accomplished.

Jamboree - Meet the Speakers: Anita Paul

Known as “The Author’s Midwife,” Anita Paul coaches researchers, corporate professionals and entrepreneurs to become published authors. Through her Write Your Life program, she shares strategies for writing, publishing and marketing a book, and then leveraging it for success.

A 20-year veteran in marketing communications, Anita started The Write Image in 1997. After years of working with decision makers in various industries, she realized that these intelligent, well-respected, knowledgeable leaders were experts in their fields, but no one knew it. To help them get noticed, she developed the Write Your Life program.

Write Your Life is a comprehensive program to help genealogists and professionals position their platform, establishing their expertise and build their brand.

Anita is the author and co-author of several books including Publishing as a Marketing Strategy; How to Market Your Book Free; and Got Proof! My Genealogical Journey Through the Use of Documentation. As a freelance writer, she has written articles for over 25 trade publications in the United States and Canada. Anita lectures on various topics related to independent book publishing. She is host of the show, “Book Your Success.”

She can be reached at www.writeyourlife.net.

SU027 Sunday June 8, 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Collaborating to Tell Your Story
Writing a collaborative book with genealogists who share a common bond is a great way to share your story. Learn the particulars of self-publishing a collaborative book and how to make it a success. Presented with Bernice Bennett