How to Break Your Family History Book into Chapters (Without Overthinking It)

If you've ever looked at your family history draft and thought, "Where in the world do I start a new chapter?"—you're not alone. Figuring out how to divide your writing into chapters can feel frustrating, especially if you're not following a strict outline.

The truth is, for many of me, chapter breaks happen naturally. Whenever I write about a new place, generation, or a big life event, I start a new chapter.

Suppose you're writing about your grandfather dating and hanging out with friends as a young adult. Suddenly, he meets a woman who will change his life. Ta-da that new woman and their courtship is a new chapter.   

But if you're sitting with a big block of text and no clear sense of where to split it up, let me share a helpful trick—especially if you've got a draft (or even a big chunk of one) already written.

Struggling to determine when to break up text for your family history project?

Let AI Assist in Creating Genealogy Book Chapters

Thanks to today's writing tools, you don't have to figure this out alone. Programs like ChatGPT Plus, Claude, and other large language models can analyze your draft and suggest natural chapter breaks.

These tools can:

• Scan your writing for shifts in time, place, or theme

• Suggest where to break the story into smaller parts

• Propose chapter titles based on your content

• Even reorganize your story structure—if you're feeling brave

Leveraging these AI tools works best if you already have a decent draft written. However, the tools may also help early in the writing process if you've compiled family history notes and want a better feel for the structure.

Try This Prompt:

You must offer a prompt when using AI tools so the models know how to serve you.

To invite the tools to help you with developing chapters, copy and paste this into your AI assistant (like ChatGPT Plus or Claude):

"Please analyze this personal or family history draft and suggest where natural chapter breaks occur. Include brief chapter titles and explain why each break makes sense."

You can tweak the prompt as needed to suit your tone or goals.

You might ask for the specific sentence where the chapter break should occur so you can search your text file and make the change. This strategy works well in my projects.

A Few Pro Tips Before You Dive In

• Use the paid version of these tools. Free accounts often have limits and can't process long documents.

• Break it into chunks if your manuscript is long. I recommend uploading in 10-page sections, especially for anything over 20 pages.

• Don't take every suggestion at face value. You know your people better than an algorithm does. Use the AI's outline as a starting point, and then adjust things to reflect your style and story.

Remember: Chapters Are for the Reader

Chapter breaks aren't just about structure—they help your reader follow along and pause when needed. Creating chapters with clear transitions and themes makes reading your family history easier (and more enjoyable).

So, if you've been staring at a giant wall of words wondering where to chop it up—let a smart tool give you a running start. Then, go back and add your sparkle. ✨

hat's Tripping You Up In Creating Your Family History Book?

If you've hit a snag while writing and publishing your family history book (whether it's chapters, transitions, or just finding the right opening), I'd love to help. I'd much rather respond to the real-world roadblocks you're facing than just preach from a podium.

Drop your questions in the comments or send them my way, and I might feature your topic in a future post. Let's make this writing journey a whole lot more doable—together.

More Articles You Might Enjoy:

• Crafting the Perfect Title for Your Family History Book

• Quickly Transform Your Family History With Boxed Text

• How to Quickly Choose Pictures for a Family History Book