Writing articles for The New Zealand Genealogist
It s about the audience Journal is for NZSG members Inform Stimulate research sources and methods Interaction Public Encourage membership Researchers?
Types of content Narrative biography, family stories How to News institutions, NZSG branches and groups, administration Members interests
Who writes for the journal? NZSG members NZSG officers Institution staff Commissioned authors
Start Keep it simple Fewer words than more Provide a genealogical chart if it helps to explain the story References Notes Bibliography
Themes Most issues of The New Zealand Genealogist have an advertised theme subject, place etc. Used to help members focus on writing something achievable But any article should consider what its focus or theme is, for example: research process adoption raising large families migration employment patterns economic impacts
Research Think about your audience How does your story relate to what has already been written? By historians, other genealogists Read books, journals, websites Make notes about possible themes that resonate with your family history
Gather Brings your story resources together in a folder physical, electronic Make sure quotes are acknowledge Do not copy large amounts from existing sources
Length A page in the magazine contains about 900 words Articles usually about 2-3 pages, say 1,800-2,700 words Shorter also welcome 400-900 words e.g. book reviews, interesting news about sources, extracts from newspapers Fillers 100-400 words also required
Voice First person I, we Suited to travelogue, explanation of personal research Third person he, she, they Perhaps the most common or appropriate Avoid mixing first and third if possible Second person - you Less suitable, maybe use for a how-to
Tense Naturally suitable for the past tense was born, came, planted Occasionally present tense works marries, finishes
Capitals There is a strong tendency to overuse capitals Proper names, titles only
Capitals John Smith Yes a Wheelwright No Writer to the Signet Lady Jocelyn I used probate records to overcome a Master Mariner Cemetery Records I used Wills and other sources such as Parish Registers and Census Returns
Format Plain font e.g. Times Roman, Calibri No enhancements e.g. bold, underline Use italics for book titles and names of ships Double quote marks for quotes only Single quote marks for emphasis but use sparingly Minimal use of emphasis, such as!!
Images Label well descriptive or numbered Provide separately don t imbed in text document if necessary indicate placement in text with bracketed reference <john smith.jpg> jpg, jpeg 300 dpi About 1MB in size Saved from website not good enough only 72 dpi
Notes A place to include references, and also - Explanations, so they don t complicate your story
Papers Past Copying large chunks of newspaper text is no substitute for writing your own story Precis Evaluate its correctness Short quotes only
Review Leave it for day or three Ask someone else to read it
Editing Editor works with several members as an editorial team Acquires content Vets content Edits clear, concise, correct grammatical and factual corrections tone apply consistent style reduce word count to fit space
Managing
Conversion
The process
Layout Format fixed Styles to distinguish articles from NZSG content Article title Banner title
Proofreading Spelling and grammar Factual Layout 3-4 people involved each finds different mistakes or queries Editor reviews - corrects or rejects
Advertising Branches and groups NZSG Commercial
Summary 1 2 3 4 5 Think about who is your audience Think about a story and focus on a theme Start, middle, end Use other people to give you feedback Know what format best aids the editor saves time