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Trying to get some advice and tips from people who had written something similar. I am gathering all the information I have available to write, some time in the future (maybe next year) a family saga. I have read several books like this in the past, but now I am still in the phase of condensing ideas. I know it is not memoir, because that is short and mine is on 3-4 generations... so maybe biography.
I think the book will be divided in parts - each part about one of the 4-5 families I am writing on. Would it be unusual (because for me it makes sense) to title each part with the name of the place of origin of that family, wherefrom the story starts?
E.g., assuming it is the story of an American family (it isn't), part one will be titled Italy (or Venice) for the Venetian ancestors, following them in the process of arriving to US and getting established there, part two will be titled Ireland (or Dublin) for the Irish ancestors, we might have a part three titled The Wild West (or maybe Missouri) for those already arrived there who go West, and so on? Of course, the story will converge in the next generations when the Irish American marries the Italian American, etc.
I have written family sagas until now in novels, but not this way. I would like some advice, because it's the first time I am trying such an endeavour and I am not so sure how to tackle it. It can't be about a fictional plot anymore, since it is the history of families which were alive, and most of them see me (or my niece) as their last generation, since we are childless women, so no more family name, no more offspring.
I saw most advice for memoirs, which provide a shorter time and are focused on one main event only. My story will obviously have several wars in it, and all the history twists as they affect the families...
I think the book will be divided in parts - each part about one of the 4-5 families I am writing on. Would it be unusual (because for me it makes sense) to title each part with the name of the place of origin of that family, wherefrom the story starts?
E.g., assuming it is the story of an American family (it isn't), part one will be titled Italy (or Venice) for the Venetian ancestors, following them in the process of arriving to US and getting established there, part two will be titled Ireland (or Dublin) for the Irish ancestors, we might have a part three titled The Wild West (or maybe Missouri) for those already arrived there who go West, and so on? Of course, the story will converge in the next generations when the Irish American marries the Italian American, etc.
I have written family sagas until now in novels, but not this way. I would like some advice, because it's the first time I am trying such an endeavour and I am not so sure how to tackle it. It can't be about a fictional plot anymore, since it is the history of families which were alive, and most of them see me (or my niece) as their last generation, since we are childless women, so no more family name, no more offspring.
I saw most advice for memoirs, which provide a shorter time and are focused on one main event only. My story will obviously have several wars in it, and all the history twists as they affect the families...