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    Facts, Myths, Folklore, & Fables
    Facts, Myths, Folklore, & Fables
    Facts, Myths, Folklore, & Fables
    Ebook80 pages1 hour

    Facts, Myths, Folklore, & Fables

    By Mike Davis

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    About this ebook

    My father left home when I was an infant. My one memory of him? My fourth birthday at my grandmother Minnie's house, his mother. He brought me a fuzzy chicken toy, picked me up, stayed for a while and was gone, never to surface again. There went at least one version of my family story.

    This story could apply to millions of people in this country. Endless discussions have taken place around why and how families break up, but the fact is they do. At the time I saw my father, I had no memory of a mother, only my Aunt Bert, my father’s sister, my grandmother, and a man named Duck who lived with us. My two older brothers, Bill and Bob, lived at my grandmother’s with me, and then they were gone.

    Years later when I was reunited with my mother, and my brothers, I never plied them with questions about our family. Today, they are all gone; it's too late. I have tried to piece together some of my family history, but it's lost forever.

    My hope, in writing this guide, is that I can inspire others to begin the process of gathering that important family history before it's too late.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMike Davis
    Release dateJun 30, 2010
    ISBN9781452367941
    Facts, Myths, Folklore, & Fables
    Author

    Mike Davis

    Mike Davis (1946–2022) was the author of City of Quartz as well as Dead Cities and The Monster at Our Door, co-editor of Evil Paradises, and co-editor—with Kelly Mayhew and Jim Miller—of Under the Perfect Sun (The New Press).

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      Book preview

      Facts, Myths, Folklore, & Fables - Mike Davis

      FACTS, MYTHS, FOLKLORE, & FABLES

      by Mike Davis.

      Published by Mega74 Productions at Smashwords

      Copyright 2010 Mike Davis

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated to all the people who struggle to write their memoirs, but haven't been able to find that elusive starting thread. I hope this short guide gives you the leg-up you need to get started.

      It's dedicated, as well, to Josh and Hollie who provided the inspiration for this effort during a conversation about capturing family history over a plate of pork belly and great wine.

      It's dedicated to my wife, Gale, who has set by, patiently for the most part, these many years as I've pursued my craft as a writer, neither knowing where I'm going, when or if I'll get there, or if I'll know I'm there when I do.

      And finally, I dedicate this to my children, Tracy, Joey, and Sean, and all my extended family for providing me with a family history that was largely empty for many years. A special shout-out to my son, Joey, who prodded me to write my own memoirs some years ago.

      Contents

      Chapter 1 Introduction

      Chapter 2 Why?

      Chapter 3 First Steps

      Chapter 4 Becoming An Historian

      Chapter 5 First Decade – Age 0 - 10

      Chapter 6 Second Decade – Age 11 – 20

      Chapter 7 Third Decade – Age 21 - 30

      Chapter 8 Fourth Decade – Age 31 - 40

      Chapter 9 Fifth Decade – Age 41 - 50

      Chapter 10 Sixth Decade – Age 51 - 60

      Chapter 11 Seventh Decade – Age 61 - 70

      Chapter 12 Eighth Decade – Age 71 - 80

      Chapter 13 Ninth Decade – Age 81 – 90 and Beyond

      Chapter 14 Putting Pen To Paper

      Chapter 15 The Final Polish

      Chapter 16 Some Closing Thoughts

      Templates

      Chapter 1 Introduction

      Why the title, Facts, Myths, Folklore, and Fables? Because that is what makes up the history of most families, and countries for that matter. Stories told by generation after generation, the details of which become fuzzy, embellish, or simply filled in over time, bearing modest resemblance to actual events.

      Perhaps a great-grandfather, we'll call him Charles, fought in the Civil War. He may have been a hero, a deserter, killed in battle, or died of the measles, as apparently happened to a distance cousin of mine.

      Charles, depending on his personal story, and assuming he survived, may have retold his story over and over, on occasion with the aid of his favorite libation to enhance his memory, and the story begins to grow in legend. What may have been a fairly minor encounter becomes Gettysburg in the retelling of his story. No deceit is intended; we simply want to entertain our audience.

      If he didn't survive, then perhaps his wife tells their children about his service, and heroics, wanting the children to be proud of their father. The children, in turn, embellish the story further over the years, and before you know it, Grandpa Chuck, a supply clerk who died from measles, becomes a war hero cradling a Gatling Gun under his arm and singlehandedly defeating an entire platoon of the enemy.

      Stories are told, and retold, embellished, or sometimes edited to avoid embarrassment. At other times, we simply fill in the blanks with our own details; it makes for a better story than saying, 'I don't really know'. All of this is the fodder for family folklore, but it is your family and your history – so go for it.

      Someday, I’m going to write my memoirs. That may be one of the most uttered sentences in history, at least in terms of writing. So, why hasn’t it happened? What are you waiting for?

      First, it is a somewhat laborious undertaking, though not nearly as bad as most believe, and with a bit of coaching, organization, and technical guidance, the job can become a great deal easier, and a lot of fun. Even if you think your writing skills suck, you can write the draft, then hire an editor to clean it up without changing your voice; that’s called copyediting, but more on that later.

      You can hire various services that write memoirs for others if you want to pay thousands of dollars. Some will charge you by the hour, some by the page – a typical rate being $50 for each double-spaced page – and some might use a combination of the billing practices. Unless your memoir is going to be extremely short, say 20 pages – you’re still talking a minimum of $1,000 - chances are that by the time your book is ready to distribute to loved ones, you’ll be out anywhere from $3,000 to as much as $10,000. There’s a better approach; you do it.

      Why do I mention this voice thing? This is your story, and the writing should reflect your personality and feelings about your personal history, and that of your family. It should reflect your sense of humor and values, your likes and dislikes, in short, everything that makes up who you are.

      You may have heard people talk

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