Poster available at British Library shop and online I recently went to the fabulous Harry Potter - History of Magic exhibition at the British Library with my lovely niece, (also Ruth!) Perhaps you saw the documentary which highlighted the beautiful manuscripts and objects that helped inspire JK Rowling to create the magical world of Harry Potter and Hogwarts?
Also exhibited were her original handwritten and typed notes, showing how the she developed the plot, for example, what was happening to various groups of characters as the chapters advanced forward month by month through the school year. Near the end of the exhibit, simple grids literally scribbled on ripped out sheets of ruled A4 paper illustrated graphically how the Order of the Phoenix took shape - chapters set in particular months with how the main plot lines were to be advanced and what was happening to particular groups of characters or individuals (even if they were waiting "off stage" to come into later chapters.) Being a bit of spreadsheet diva, of course I loved this idea!
However, another idea took root in the genealogical corner of my brain. JK Rowling has famously said that she always knew how the entire saga would end and she wrote each book with a view to advancing her characters towards that goal. A bit like your own personal family history story, if you play if forward rather than advancing ever backwards as we usually do. You know how it (currently) ends with you and your immediate living family. Through your research, you may have found quite a large cast of characters whose lives play out in parallel until the paths of some them cross and you move down the "branch" closer to you on the "trunk" of the tree.
So, if like me, you have wanted to get creative and get down to writing your family history story for a long time but have gathered so much research evidence that it all seems too daunting, then perhaps JK Rowling's methods can inspire you. Design a series of books - the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian years perhaps or maybe your story revolves closely around particular places, say a group of villages from which your ancestors migrated towards a major town or city where you now live? Pick a layer to start working forward from e.g. all your known Great Grandparents (that's 16 characters.) Plot each chapter within a relevant timeline, say a few decades, which will allow you to weave contemporary historical events into all the extant characters lives at the same time, plus show how local events helped create the opportunities for them to meet and marry. Conclude each chapter by introducing the new characters who will play their part in the next ones.
OK, your narrative won't be exotically littered with dragon eggs, Golden Snitches or Deathly Hallows, but I'll bet you have your own treasured objects and tales that will illuminate your story. Get scribbling!
Also exhibited were her original handwritten and typed notes, showing how the she developed the plot, for example, what was happening to various groups of characters as the chapters advanced forward month by month through the school year. Near the end of the exhibit, simple grids literally scribbled on ripped out sheets of ruled A4 paper illustrated graphically how the Order of the Phoenix took shape - chapters set in particular months with how the main plot lines were to be advanced and what was happening to particular groups of characters or individuals (even if they were waiting "off stage" to come into later chapters.) Being a bit of spreadsheet diva, of course I loved this idea!
However, another idea took root in the genealogical corner of my brain. JK Rowling has famously said that she always knew how the entire saga would end and she wrote each book with a view to advancing her characters towards that goal. A bit like your own personal family history story, if you play if forward rather than advancing ever backwards as we usually do. You know how it (currently) ends with you and your immediate living family. Through your research, you may have found quite a large cast of characters whose lives play out in parallel until the paths of some them cross and you move down the "branch" closer to you on the "trunk" of the tree.
So, if like me, you have wanted to get creative and get down to writing your family history story for a long time but have gathered so much research evidence that it all seems too daunting, then perhaps JK Rowling's methods can inspire you. Design a series of books - the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian years perhaps or maybe your story revolves closely around particular places, say a group of villages from which your ancestors migrated towards a major town or city where you now live? Pick a layer to start working forward from e.g. all your known Great Grandparents (that's 16 characters.) Plot each chapter within a relevant timeline, say a few decades, which will allow you to weave contemporary historical events into all the extant characters lives at the same time, plus show how local events helped create the opportunities for them to meet and marry. Conclude each chapter by introducing the new characters who will play their part in the next ones.
OK, your narrative won't be exotically littered with dragon eggs, Golden Snitches or Deathly Hallows, but I'll bet you have your own treasured objects and tales that will illuminate your story. Get scribbling!
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