Write a Family Heirloom Biography
Telling the Story - Your Critical Planning Stage
Planning
Generally planning any lengthy written project is a headache until everything is collected and well- organized, but this is one planning session that can actually be fun!
With a specific family member (the subject) already in mind, you should first make some resource lists. The major lists will be
- questions to ask the subject
- family members, friends, & acquaintances to be interviewed
- follow-up topics/questions for successive interviews
- other resources
Once these lists have been started, you will find in the process of doing the interviews that more questions and resource persons will come to mind. Keep either a spiral notebook or a three-ring binder and looseleaf paper with all your notes together in one place. A binder also permits adding sealable poly-pockets which can be used to hold photos and documents if you wish.
Recording the Interviews
Do not rely on your notes and/or memory alone. A small pocket tape recorder with a supply of blank tapes is a valuable investment for use during interviews. You may also use a camcorder from which you may be able to extract still photos of your subject as the story is told. Permission to be recorded while speaking should be documented on the tape or video in the voice of the subject if possible.
Logistics are also important. If you happen to live in the same area as your subject, it is easier to interview as necessary. If distance prevents interviews on an "as-needed" basis, your planning will need to be tighter and better thought-out, perhaps using the telephone if the subject is able.
Consider Your Subject
Another consideration is age of the subject. Elderly persons may handle long hours of talking & stretching those memory cells in different ways - especially the length of the interview sessions. Some may find it easier to recall various experiences if you have pictures or other items which help stir recollections long stored away. You are the best judge of duration of interviews, but it is always easier to plan a return visit when the current one has not worn your subject out. Be courteous and sensitive to the subject and you will be welcomed back with open arms.
As your interview sessions progess, you should develop a flexible outline. You will find that years and even events and people may merge in one interview, and separate themselves in others. If it becomes too confusing, contact others who may have been present at the same events. If this fails, try to pinpoint a year by asking about current events of the time.
Sometimes leaving the tape recorder with the subject for a few days will produce more material than you can generate by asking questions interview-style. Prepare a limited list of general questions written down for the subject to answer when convenient or when the memory comes to mind. Encourage the subject to talk about anything and everything that comes to mind.
If you use a tape recorder, be sure to label the tapes and cross-reference in your notebook with general topics for easy location of material later. Spend a little time showing your subject how to use the tape recorder and provide extra batteries if it is not operated by power.
Next: Questions for both primary and secondary subjects. For more information on writing a biography, see Questions that Motivate Memories
Family photos are part of a biography plan.
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