Hey there, storyteller! The 2023 Live Round is underway from 17 April, and Ancestral Stories is closed for enrolment until June. Join the first-to-know list to get updates straight to your inbox.
Ancestral Stories
Converting your genealogy research
to intriguing stories
has never been easier
Bring your family to life, preserve your ancestor’s story and convert your research to engaging anecdotes with confidence, clarity, and easy-to-follow steps for non-writers.
Ask our alumni
Andrea
Frances
Kara
So, you’re drowning in stacks of facts
...and piles of research
Those vital records are ready to use, and you’re motivated to get this done.
Just one little thing: Every time you start to write, your brain has other ideas.
You aren’t confident
that your writing skills
are up for the task.
Your ancestors were
B-O-R-I-N-G, so there are
no exciting stories to tell.
You don’t know where to
start or what to say aka
The Curse of The Blank Page.
You can start writing
anytime…after you nail the
perfect story hook first.
You’re busy, busy, busy and bombarded by distractions
everywhere you turn.
It takes too long; it’s
tedious, and you’d
rather be researching.
You’ve already tried all the hacks and followed every shortcut.
Let’s face it, writing your family history stories is D-A-U-N-T-I-N-G.
What if you could craft stories that
wouldn’t sound
out of place on a genealogy TV show?
Remarkable stories that would have your relatives wondering who wrote
it and if this was really one of the ancestors they thought was D-U-L-L.
Grammar gurus? You don’t need them to tell your ancestor stories like a pro… you have tools and strategies to do the heavy lifting and unlock the storyteller inside you.
No boring ancestors to see here because you can transform historical records into captivating tales that transport your reader
to the past using the power of traditional storytelling techniques.
You’re hitting goals with your new storytelling sidekick – the story outline. They’re not just for fiction but a powerful tool to organize discoveries, develop story arcs, and keep readers turning the page.
Your ancestors’ stories might
start out as wobbly words, but after review and revision, you’ve transformed them into a strong
hook to captivate and engage.
You’re making progress to bring your ancestors to life in short writing sessions because there is always time for important things… even when your life is already full.
Who’s second-guessing every word they write? Not you, because your storytelling system makes crafting your family history stories as much fun as researching them.
Imagine that feeling when you know that you’ve got this.
All without feeling overwhelmed, uninspired or under pressure.
So, where do you find the portal to this fabulous world of family history storytelling?
Meet your not-so-secret storytelling weapon
Ancestral Stories
the non-writer writing program for family historians
Bring your family to life, preserve your ancestor’s story
and convert your research to engaging anecdotes with confidence, clarity, and easy-to-follow steps for non-writers.
Ancestral Stories is my signature online program that helps you finally convert your genealogy research discoveries into engaging, entertaining and intriguing narratives. It’s helped almost 200 students start writing about the adventures and experiences of their ancestors.
You’ll learn the same storytelling process I use to convert my genealogy research into narratives. It’s a layered process, so each lesson and module builds on the last, enabling you to complete your family history anecdotes stress-free.
This is more than just another course to write your family history stories. Every video, and every exercise, has been strategically crafted to get you creating. You aren’t just practising in this course; you’ll be writing. So by the time you finish the final lesson, you’ll have also completed a story.
This course is a game changer
“I love the ancestral stories course. My stories are so much better now that I want to redo the ones I have already done.”
Brenda
So, is Ancestral Stories the right program for you?
Do any of these statements sound like you?
You want to put together the pieces of your ancestor’s life to write an intriguing story to engage and entertain your readers.
You’ve gathered a stack of facts about your ancestor and you’d like to turn those into something your relatives want to hear.
You understand that writing
family history stories is a time investment, and you’re
ready to make it.
Is that a “heck yes”? Then Ancestral Stories can help you achieve your goals.
Ancestral Stories may not be best choice right now if...
You want help organising
and formatting a family
history book.
You’re looking for
ready-to use family
history book templates.
You’re new to genealogy
and looking for
research tips instead.
We’re all storytellers here
Hi there, I’m Prudence.
I’m a graphic designer with 25+ years of experience in template and book design. My mission is to help fellow genealogists — like you — bring your family history to life.
I’ve been actively searching for my ancestry since 1990 and working as a graphic designer since 1997. My career has taken me across the globe, and I spent many years specialising in book and multi-volume document production. And that includes producing several family history books for myself and for clients.
In Ancestral Stories, I share everything I know about using research discoveries and storytelling techniques to craft stories that provide an entertaining experience for your reader.
unlock your storytelling superpower with
The core training modules
Module 1
The Art of Ancestral Storytelling
- Content Essentials
- How To Approach Writing Your Ancestor’s Story
- Write For The Right Audience
- Set Yourself Up For Successful Storytelling
Module 4
Writing for Non-Writers
- Convert The Outline Into Writing Prompts
- Set Yourself Up For Writing Success
- Write the story
- Craft A Killer Story Hook
Module 2
The Five Building Blocks
- The Five Essential Building Blocks
- Create Your Cast List
- Select The Right Story Structure
- Set The Scene
- Set The Mood
- Find your voice
Module 5
Editing for Readability
- Effective Editing apps
- The Four-Step Editing Process
- Polish Your Story For Readability
Module 3
Your Ancestral Story Blueprint
- The Timeline Technique
- Step Into Your Ancestor’s Shoes
- Refine The Story Outline
Refund Policy
I’m 99.9% sure you’ll love this program, but if you don’t, you can submit a request anytime in the first 14 days to get a full refund.
I want you to get the best value from your purchase, so please reach out to our support team if you have any issues; we’ll be happy to resolve them with you.. Click here to email the support team.
live round bonuses
Because no storyteller can do it alone
6 weeks of live
co-working sessions
weekly via zoom
Weekly 90-minute group calls on Zoom to work through the
exercises together and get
your outline or stories reviewed.
Multipage Family
History Summary
Template for Canva
A 4-part PDF course to help
you tackle the four big issues
that cause storytellers to
abandon their writing projects.
Mindset for
Momentum
4-PDF MINI COURSE
A 4-part PDF course to help
you tackle the four big issues
that cause storytellers to
abandon their writing projects.
Writing Family History Stories with Chat GPT
self-paced mini course
AI-powered writing tools are the current trendy tool of the internet,
so let’s unlock how these can
work for your family history too.
3-month accountability support from Prudence
weekly check-in and support
Writing alone can be challenging, so you don’t have to. You choose either email or Voxer, and you’ll hear from me once a week for 3 months
to answer your questions or give feedback on your outline and stories.
The Question and
Answer Vault
frequently asked questions
The Question and Answer Vault
is Ancestral Stories wiki of the
most frequently asked questions
and will be updated monthly.
unlock your inner storyteller
“It is honestly AMAZING!!! So much has clicked for me in terms of how to approach writing out my ancestor stories. Thank you so much for such an amazing and inspiring course!”
Estelle
Have fun with the process
“This is an excellent course with a lot of important information and excellent ideas for making family stories. Just as important, it’s very motivating. And fun. Highly recommended.”
Janet
You’ve got questions, I’ve got answers
You’ll have lifetime access to the course, so you have plenty of time to watch it multiple times
Block out 60 minutes for the video training of each module plus an additional 3 to 5 hours to put your new skills into practice.
It’s helpful if you already have some research completed so you can practice using your ancestors as an example.
The accountability and Q+A are weekly sessions where you can either get feedback on your story outline or stories and get help with any issues you encounter.
Voxer and email will be used for these sessions. Each block includes 12 sessions delivered consecutively.
No. This program focuses on the strategies, techniques and process to convert your genealogy research into a compelling narrative. However, if you need help organising and formatting a book, then you might be interested in our Family History Book Blueprint program.
No, you already have everything you need to convert your research into stories. Investing in subscriptions to writing and editing tools is optional and not required to complete this program.
Your investment in the program will vary depending on the tier you choose and the country where you live.
Pricing will be available when the program opens. For more information email [email protected].
No problem if you can’t make some or all of the live co-working sessions. You’ll have access to the replay so you can complete the session at a time that suits you.
You can start the course at any time that suits your schedule. It’s a self-paced program that you can complete as it suits your schedule. However, please be aware that the live co-working sessions will occur on a set schedule and the refund guarantee ends fourteen (14) days after the first module is released.
organise what you know
“I can’t tell you how much your workshop has motivated and inspired me… I have been gathering information for each component and it is amazing the directions it has sent me in.”
Gay
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