Genealogists thrive on the hunt. We prowl through documents, databases, microfilm, courthouses, and cemeteries looking for clues about our elusive ancestors. We collect snippets of ancestral trivia that fill our file cabinets and our hard drives. Collecting data is fun; dealing with the mounds of information about our ancestors isn’t always fun. In fact, many of us stare at our piles of research and wonder what to do with it all. Our interested relatives frequently suggest that we need to “write all of this down.” Good idea. But how? Writing an all-encompassing, massive family history book is one option, but it isn’t the only one. There are many other ways to preserve your research in writing. Learn about a variety of written preservation techniques including character sketches, stories, narratives, and others. Armed with the tools you’ll need to assess your research and how to preserve it, you’ll be inspired to make sure your research efforts don’t end up in the dumpster.