6 Simple Ways to Format Your Family History for Today’s Reader
Grow your engagement with your family history by styling the writing for the way people read today.
Listen to this article:
Online family history is vastly different than printed family history.
The writing formats we learned in school don’t work anymore. The reader of family history today is a screen reader. Screens - tablet screens, mobile phones, and computers - are where your reader is reading, and there is a particular formatting style for screen reading. Your headlines, subheadings, and sentence structure really matter if you want your family to read and engage with your (their!) family history.
In other words, we all need to write for the readers we actually have, not the ones we wish we had.
There are 6 simple things you can implement to making your family history writing screen-reading friendly:
1. Add blank space
Blank space on the page is inviting.
The urge for family history writers is to get as many details put down with lots of explanation. Resist this urge.
When readers see a big blocks of text the way down the screen, they immediately think “This is going to take a lot of time to read.” Then, they tell themselves they don’t have the time right now and will do it later.
Result? That family history you spent 8 hours writing gets zero comments.
You can provide all those details and explanations, just add space, rather than squeeze it all together.
Space gives breathing room for readers to catch up with your writing.
2. Keep paragraphs to 5 sentences or less
We were taught in school that paragraphs require at least 5 sentences.
In the screen reading age, this doesn’t work. Aim for less than 5 sentences per paragraph. As readers complete each paragraph, they can see their progress on the screen. A feeling of progress leads to completion.
Short paragraphs provide momentum.
3. Keep sentences to 16 words or less
Which is more inviting to read, A or B?
Version A
Sentences which take up several lines on the screen are difficult to follow, because long descriptive phrases and fancy structure confuse people. Sentences should ideally be 16 words or less which is an effective length for people who read on a screen When you keep sentences short those that are reading on screens stay engaged.
Version B
Long sentences are difficult to follow. They take up several lines on screens and confuse people. Keeping sentences to 16 words or less means they are 2 lines or less on any screen. Short sentence are more effective and keep readers engaged.
Enough said.
4. Craft headings which show action
A reader should be able to scan your headings and know where the story is going.
Lean towards using words which show action and avoid vague references. Clear, active language shows the reader there is direction and purpose. For most writers, the story they are telling is outlined in the headings.
Here are some examples of clear vs. vague headings:
Enrolling in the 1941 Draft vs. Charles’ Draft Card (Show-n-tell of card image sounds dull)
Living in Philadelphia’s German Neighborhood in 1870 vs. Manayunk Neighbors (Few know what “Manayunk” is)
From Orphan to Iron Miner, the Childhood of John Wilmer vs. John Wilmer’s Early Years (A cookie-cutter heading does not preview the text)
Be clear and show the reader where the family history is going.
5. Use images and caption them generously
The cliché “a picture is worth 1,000 words” is true.
Use images such as photos, maps, and documents, to pull the reader in. Include in the caption where the image is from, along with a link to track it back to the source. The caption should also include a date and context for the image (and state if you are guessing).
Try telling the entire story through images + captions. (This is very kid-friendly.)
6. List your people and places with bullet points
Whenever possible, create lists.
Family has 10 children? List them with bullet points.
Family had many relocations? Perfect for a list.
Man had 6 jobs? Bullet point list.
Bullet points are great for summaries of people and places. Put the details in the text that follows the bullet points.Screen-readers are often scanning, and these indented, bullet lists and provide a way for the reader to jump into the text.
So that is the 6 simple ways you can format your family history writing for today’s screen-reader. Try it out and let me know how your engagement score improves.
(And when you go to put your family history in print, you can switch up your formatting to what works best for paper reading.)
Use simple language and a clear message. It's always a good idea — unless you're specifically trying to confuse someone. Well done, @Denyse Allen. I'll be coming back to this reminder for all of my posts. Thank you for the reminder that virtually all of our work is read (or skimmed) on a screen today. Spot on.
Ask yourself, "How would Denyse write it?"
Excellent advice for writing anything - on the screen or on paper. Family histories can be fascinating, and it is understandable that a historian wants to showcase all their findings. However, inundating the reader with too much detail can obscure the interesting story (as well as bore the reader). As you edit ask yourself "does this add meaning to the story?" if not, remove it.