By the time you reach a certain age you will have accumulated years of memories in the form of letters, photographs, VCR tapes, 8 mm film, discs, sound recordings, and tchotchkes. You box them up and shove it in your closet, garage, or attic where they seem to grow into a monster. But these memories are not going away. You can try to bury them, but do you really want to? After all, why did you save them in the first place?
My workshops address some of the issues, questions, logistics, mental hurdles, strategies and ultimately the joys and satisfaction of taming that monster-in-a-box.
You'd be surprised how reviewing and organizing these materials into something more coherent will take a load of your mind. Another benefit is the library mantra "that a weeded collection is a used collection." In other words, once you have reviewed these materials, you can throw some things out (more duplicates than you realize) and organize the rest into something more accessible.
The end results:
- Less space required for that monster-in-a-box.
- You can actually find things you want to share.
- You can share these things more easily.
- When (not if) you die you will save your loved ones from this task (assuming they are willing to even do it).
- You control your own narrative (which is a very popular thing to do).
- While curating these memories, you may learn more about yourself.
Murray Browne, author of A Father's Letters: Connecting Past to Present facilitates the workshop, which he operates much like he does his pop-up book shop Destination Books. A couple of tables of materials and resources will be set up which you can browse through your leisure and ask questions. You may even meet like-minded individuals but do not be surprised there will be a sharing of stories.
Pros and Perils of Self-Publishing
Pros
- The book is done the way YOU want it.
- You can get your book out there quicker (when you factor looking for an agent or publisher)
- Your profit margin on each book sold is much better than through conventional publisher.
- There are success stories (but few and far between)
- Doesn't really cost that much (Father's Letters from editing to first copy $1600, but my book is thin)
Perils
- A stigma to self-publishing (Vanity Press)
- A lot of work to do it after writing it. (Editing, design, formatting, submission, ISBN, Library of Congress)
- Your book will get lost in the tsunami of books (as most all books do).
NEXT WORKSHOP - Dekalb History Center, tentatively planned for Saturday morning, September 20, 2025.
Writing Family History – Managing Expectations
Is this the year you finally write the family history book you promised yourself that you would write? But what can you expect from taking on this challenge? Besides personal commitment, there is the organizational consideration of putting letters, photographs and videos into a format that you
can share. And what options do you have for dissemination and/or preservation? Publishing, self-publishing or perhaps in a digital format.
Led by the author of A Father’s Letters: Connecting Past to Present, these three 90 minute workshop held on successive months will provide strategies and insights to these questions. But equally important it is an opportunity to share your experiences and progress with like-minded individuals.
Murray Browne has master’s degrees in gerontology and a master’s degree in library/information sciences. He is also the author of The Book Shopper: A Life in Review (2009) Down and Outbound: A Mass Transit Satire (2016). Retired from Turner Broadcasting, he lives in Decatur and is the owner of a pop-up bookstore, Destination: Books. His website is murray-browne.com
The workshops will be held at the Dekalb Country History Center. Details and register - here.
Wednesday, January 15th at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, February 12th at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, March 5th at 6 p.m.
Syllabus
(subject to change)
Moderator: Murray Browne
Not only does this workshop provide information, but it puts like-minded individuals together to exchange thoughts and ideas.
Wednesday, January 15th at 6:00-7:15 p.m.
An overview of the possibilities and potential pitfalls of writing family histories. Writing as compared to digital recordings, types of writing services such as Storybook, self-publishing pros, cons, and costs. Time for participants to voice what kind of project they would like to take on or have already started.
Wednesday, February 12th at 6:00-7:15 p.m.
A look at genealogy-related approaches and databases. A sample of what others have done. An update on participant progress.
Wednesday, March 5th at 6:00-7:15 p.m.
A few words about copyright, Library of Congress registration and ISBN numbers. Participants present a brief overview of their project (not mandatory of course, but one of the main goals of the workshop is to motivate participants and a “deadline” can help do that.) Closing thoughts on the benefits of doing such a project.
To purchase tickets: https://bit.ly/FathersLettersWorkshop