Migration

Writing about the Immigrant Experience

1. Research your family history… interview your family members
2. Research the time period…
3. Be careful when writing dialogue…. each new speaker takes a new paragraph; use proper punctuation like quotation marks, voice markers and signal phrases
4. Sprinkle in world events, politics, and societal conflicts that affect the immigrant experience…
5. Add plenty of drama!
6. Insert vivid and concise word choice. …the vocabulary a writer chooses to convey meaning and imagery is essential
7. Weave
   in primary sources of information interview a family member or significant person who has experienced immigration, been a war refugee or a combat veteran in order to hear and record a living witness account. Look for people who fled their country not by choice but for survival or to escape oppression or violence, or someone who experienced combat trauma in a battle situation.
8. It’s worth taking time to think of good ways to start your story, so follow our tips on how to write your beginning.
   • Spark a reader’s interest…
   • Put a character in a setting….
   • Introduce a main character. …
   • Start with action. …
   • Hook them in….
   • Make it clear. …
   • Have a distinctive voice….
   • Make it dynamic.