Verifying Family Lore
When writing memoir, we all come across fantastic stories that are difficult to confirm. A long-time fact-checker will guide you through how to navigate this tricky terrain.
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Cost: $75
Every family has its legends. But when you set out to memorialize family lore in a memoir, things inevitably get complicated. Verifying these stories certainly improves your final product, but sometimes it can feel like bringing a tape measure to a fish tale.
Brad Scriber spent two decades fact-checking articles for National Geographic magazine, digging into many captivating stories full of wonder. He believes that evidence enhances a good personal story, and in this two-hour seminar, he’ll provide an overview of how you can—and can’t—effectively fact-check family stories.
Conversations about memory, truth and point of view are perennial in memoir writing. Often, more than just wrestling with your own memory, you’re also engaging with stories told by family members in an intergenerational game of telephone. Your goal is not to disprove family lore, but to root it in evidence. With each substantiation, you pin your experience to something larger and more accessible to your readers.
Intersections of the historical record and your family stories add depth, detail, and context. You may not have been at your grandparents’ wedding, but with a researcher’s mindset you can place yourself in the church, get the details of the weather, and uncover the words read aloud to the assembled crowd. Digging for evidence can bring key moments to life for your readers. Transform a bland tick on the timeline into a scene with sensory power.
This two-hour seminar will explore a variety of tools and strategies for objective sourcing of subjective stories. We’ll discuss the benefits of an outside point of view and what to do when you find evidence that runs counter to anecdotes you’ve heard all your life.
This is the right class for you if…
You have a wild family tale at the heart of your memoir.
You’re curious about connecting personal and family moments with a wider historical context.
You hope readers will connect with the details of a shared world when they read your memoir.
This class takes place on Thursday, March 12 from 7pm to 9pm ET. All Narratively Academy classes are conducted online and accessible to students anywhere in the world.
Your Instructor: Brad Scriber spent nearly two decades as a fact-checker for National Geographic magazine, including a year running the research department. He served on the National Fact-Checking Advisory Board for the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. He has taught the fundamentals of fact-checking to hundreds of journalists in dozens of countries in seminars and trainings hosted by KSJ@MIT, the Poynter Institute, the National Association of Science Writers and others. He knows how much work goes into a well-researched piece of nonfiction writing, and he is eager to help you tell a powerful, resilient, true story.
Registration Details: Seats in this class are limited and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Prior to the start of your class you’ll receive an invitation to access the virtual classroom and view all class materials.
Cancellation Policy:
Full refund when canceling 7 or more days before the class start date.
50% refund when canceling less than 7 days before the class start date.
No cancellations after the class start date.
Questions? Email us at academy@narratively.com.