Resources for Writing
Whether you are interested in improving your writing skills to share your genealogical research with either your immediate family or the world, I’ve put together a list of useful links that can help.
Genealogy Craft
For examples of genealogical books that meet the highest standards of genealogical writing, see the Donald Lines Jacobus Award from the American Society of Genealogists.
American Ancestors, Vita Brevis blog, Category: Genealogical Writing.
For example, Stratton, Penny. “Writing family history from A to Z,” Vita Brevis.
Look through the overall blog, too, as not everything is tagged in an obvious way. For instance, see Kearns, André. “Five Lessons I Learned Writing My First Book.”
American Ancestors also has some articles through their other publications that can be useful, such as Schatvet Ullmann, Helen. “Writing a Family Sketch Register-Style.”
Board for Certification of Genealogists’ Learning Center. Especially worth reviewing the Ten-Minute Methodology section. Examples for BCG portfolio writing can be found under Genealogical Work Samples.
Hait, Michael. “Historical writing and when to use present tense,” MichaelHait.com.
Nigro, Carmen. “20 Reasons Why You Should Write Your Family History,” New York Public Library Blog.
National Genealogical Society
NGS’ UpFront blog—using the “Writing” label can filter to blog posts about writing.
Guidelines for Genealogical Research—links to different guidelines recommended by NGS for doing sound research, working with archives, and sharing information with others.
Family History Writing Contest Guidelines—useful if you want to be competitive in this sphere, plus they recommend the publication Creating a Winning Family History which can be purchased digitally or physically on the NGS store.’
Articles from the National Genealogical Society Quarterly—great examples of solid genealogical writing, including proof arguments.
Writing Craft
CMOS Shop Talk blog from The Chicago Manual of Style. Great to reference for grammar questions.
Creative Nonfiction magazine. Ended in 2022, but many articles are available on the website.
Farrell, Mike. “Writing Historical Nonfiction and the Challenges That Come With It,” Diggypod. (Although I would disagree with the author that Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl is “historical nonfiction” as it was written while it was happening. Historical nonfiction is typically written from a distance)
Friedman, Jane. “Start Here: How to Write a Book Proposal + Book Proposal Template.” Jane has a lot of great information about writing and publishing on her website, so this is just one example.
Kole, Mary. “How to Write Narrative Nonfiction,” Mary Kole Editorial.
“9 Tips for Writing a Historical Nonfiction Novel,” Masterclass. (again, mild quibble but “novel” = fiction. No one refers to historical nonfiction as a novel, and doing so in publishing circles would confuse others.)
The Nonfiction Authors Association—has many educational resources for nonfiction authors of any type.
Blog includes a “writing” label with tips and tricks
Pierce, Todd James. “Preparing to write: Research and the art of narrative nonfiction,” The Writer.
Purdue University’s OWL has a variety of resources that are useful for improving your writing skills. Examples:
“Strategies for Essay Writing,” Harvard University College Writing Center. Harvard has many other great writing resources, including “Transitions.”
Write Better Nonfiction subsection on Writer’s Digest. In general, Writer’s Digest has lots of good articles about the writing craft, such as:
D’Silva, Renita. “12 Dos and Don’ts for Writers Starting Out,” Writer’s Digest.
“Writing About Real People: What Authors Need to Know About Libel, Defamation, and Rights of Privacy and Publicity,” Author’s Guild.
Software
Books
Ennis, Stacy. The Editor's Eye: A Practical Guide to Transforming Your Book from Good to Great. Night Owls Press, 2013.
Hart, Jack. Storycraft, Second Edition: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction. University of Chicago Press, 2021.
Jones, Thomas W. Mastering Genealogical Proof. 2nd Edition, revised. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2026.
Karr, Mary. The Art of Memoir: A NYT Bestselling Memoirist’s Guide to the Craft of Writing. Harper Perennial, 2016.
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. Scribner, 2001. [not specifically about nonfiction, but one of the best writing guides and from a very prolific author]
Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. Vintage, 1995.
McPhee, John. Draft No. 4: On the Writing Process. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017.
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. 4th edition, revised. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2024.
Rabiner, Susan and Alfred Fortunato. Thinking Like Your Editor: How to Write Great Serious Nonfiction and Get It Published. W. W. Norton & Co., 2003.
Strunk, William and E.B. White. The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition. Pearson, 1999. [The most referenced guide to grammar and the structure of writing probably of all time]
Zinsser, William. On Writing Well: The Essential Guide to Mastering Nonfiction Writing and Effective Communication. Harper Perennial, 2006.