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The Anatomy of a Historical Narrative
History isn’t just what happened. It’s understanding how we make sense of what happened. Every historical narrative is constructed, layered, intentional, and shaped by the questions we ask. We love learning about the past, but we want to learn in a way we can connect with. We want a crafted story with a beginning and… →
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How Historians Turn Facts into Stories
Narrative Craft Historians are storytellers; they tell the past. They take facts and turn them into meaning. Historians interpret evidence in order to explain ideas, power, and people. Investigating the past is not easy, as you know, because it was written by the victors, but Historians keep digging. That’s not enough. We start with evidence,… →
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How to Think About History
A review of Thinking About History This book has sat on my shelf for years and even accompanied me on a runcation once, but I never committed to reading it. I finally decided to pick it up to review it for my blog. This book is a fantastic look at how historians think about or… →
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From Raw Sources to Real Insights
How I Turn Archival Material Into Usable Notes You have your archival materials and sources ready, and now you’re prepared to write. To simplify the writing process, step back and review your archival materials with your main research question in mind: turning your primary sources and notes into a coherent narrative or argument is essential.… →
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Inside the Archive
How I Approach Research Entering an archive always feels like crossing into another world that is part sanctuary, part maze. There’s a quiet thrill of possibility, the sense that something extraordinary might be hidden in the next box. The familiar overwhelm of fluorescent lights, strict rules, and the sheer volume of materials all remind me… →
Wendi Kavanaugh 