Cheryl -- Great question, and it sounds like a great story and great preparation. Been there, couldn't stop that! Am I right in thinking that you're finding your story is getting drowned in the detail? To some extent that depends on exactly who you're writing for. Different details will want to be highlighted if you're mainly addressing family, or fellow genealogists, or historians. (And "posterity" is a tough target to hit. Many of my ancestors, very pious people, evidently thought that their posterity would most want to hear about their religious experiences and beliefs in great detail, when in fact I at least would much prefer a detailed account of everything they did on just one ordinary day.) Think of the totality of your research as a rich ore. You're probably never going to use all that ore in any one article or book. Sometimes too much information just slows the story down too much. (I was told I had that problem in my BCG portfolio but fortunately it wasn't a disqualifying fault.) So my suggestion would be to consider telling the story in pieces, maybe article-sized pieces. That way those who want the more technical stuff can find it, and those who want the story can find that. Another way is to alternate chapters -- those who are interested in the story may skip the part about how Libby Prison was constructed, etc. Another approach if you're set on doing a book, or planning on-line publication, would be to put some of that background material in an appendix, or linked to the text in various places. I think this is a great use of digital publishing but I don't know much about how it's actually been done, or how well. Fundamentally there will always be a tension between telling a story (on one hand) and explaining the pieces of the story (on the other). Really great writers manage to do the explaining so fluently that we the readers don't feel it as an interruption, so they can put in a lot and get away with it; good writers eventually figure out how to provide just enough. (Hint: if you can take your hero up to the edge of a cliff and leave him there, you can get away with a fair amount of geology etc. about said cliff!) This is too close to the frontier of my own knowledge and ability to explain very well. Reading good historians may help give you a feel for it, because they deal with this tension all the time. Maybe that will make a good blog post after I've thought about it, but other may be able to supply some titles right now too. Any help? Harold On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 6:08 PM, cmproctor1@frontier.com < cmproctor1@frontier.com> wrote: > Harold, > I enjoyed reading "Why We Don't Write, and How We Can." > > I've been working on a biography of my 3rd gr grandfather who served in > the Civil War who was captured at the Battle of Chickamauga and sent to > Libby prison. > > What I did was construct a very detailed time line of his experiences in > the Civil War using county clerk records, his military file, his pension > file, a regimental history of his unit and his diary of his experiences > while a prisoner in Libby prison. I also took notes of the Libby prison > system itself, studied histories, etc., etc. > > I want to share this with my peers, posterity and other relatives. I want > to make it flow, keep it enjoyable to read and have certain details in it. > My problem is I can't seem to stop the project. > > I have about 17 pages written on his biography so far. What I am > wondering is "how much is enough or how much is too much?" I have taken a > writing course, but always feel I could take more. Time constraints and > finances won't let me now. > > What do you suggest? > > Cheryl Proctor > in very windy Southern Indiana > > *From:* Harold Henderson <librarytraveler@gmail.com> > *To:* Debra Hoffman <dalhoffman@gmail.com> > *Cc:* TGF Mailing List <transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com> > *Sent:* Thursday, December 20, 2012 5:39 PM > *Subject:* Re: [TGF] Harold Henderson's column "Why We Don't Write, and > How We Can" > > Thanks, guys, and Happy New Year! > > > On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 4:28 PM, Debra Hoffman <dalhoffman@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > Excellent article Harold! It certainly touched a cord with me. I have > good > > intentions, but life intervenes and soon the backlog grows! > > > > A New Year is coming and time for a new habit! > > > > --Debra A. Hoffman > > New Windsor, MD > > > > On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 1:16 PM, Janis L Gilmore < > janis.gilmore@gmail.com > > >wrote: > > > > > Dear List, > > > > > > Most of you have probably already seen this column by our own Harold > > > Henderson--but just in case, I am posting here. It is an excellent > piece > > > reminding us that we haven't really done anything until we have written > > it > > > up! > > > > > > > > > > > > http://www.archives.com/experts/henderson-harold/genealogy-writing-tips.html > > > > > > Janis Walker Gilmore > > > Pawleys Island, SC > > > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive > > > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition > > to > > > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this > list. > > > ------------------------------- > > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word > > > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the > > message > > > > > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive > > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition > to > > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word > > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the > message > > > > > > -- > Harold Henderson midwestroots.net > Research, Writing, and Brickwall Dismantling from Northwest Indiana > Regularly Researching at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center > > Certified Genealogist (SM) No. 1029 > Certified Genealogist and CG are proprietary service marks > of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® used by the > Board to identify its program of genealogical competency evaluation > and used under license by the Board’s associates. > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word ' > unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- Harold Henderson midwestroots.net Research, Writing, and Brickwall Dismantling from Northwest Indiana Regularly Researching at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center Certified Genealogist (SM) No. 1029 Certified Genealogist and CG are proprietary service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® used by the Board to identify its program of genealogical competency evaluation and used under license by the Board’s associates.
Harold, Thank you for your suggestions. I do have his biography broken down into chapters. But maybe the article thing might be better. I especially like that you said, "if you can take your hero up to the edge of a cliff and leave him there, you can get away with a fair amount of geology etc. about said cliff!" And that is what I have tried to do and make it flow. I've collected pictures from the Internet and will want to use those in the public domain to illustrate his story. I thought with those pictures I could put a little of the "geology of the cliff" in the captions. I will continue to work on this and will refer to your response and your blog as I continue. Thank you so much Harold. Cheryl Proctor ________________________________ From: Harold Henderson <librarytraveler@gmail.com> To: "cmproctor1@frontier.com" <cmproctor1@frontier.com> Cc: Debra Hoffman <dalhoffman@gmail.com>; TGF Mailing List <transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2012 7:48 PM Subject: Re: Applying Harold Henderson's "Why We Don't Write, and How We Can" Cheryl -- Great question, and it sounds like a great story and great preparation. Been there, couldn't stop that! Am I right in thinking that you're finding your story is getting drowned in the detail? To some extent that depends on exactly who you're writing for. Different details will want to be highlighted if you're mainly addressing family, or fellow genealogists, or historians. (And "posterity" is a tough target to hit. Many of my ancestors, very pious people, evidently thought that their posterity would most want to hear about their religious experiences and beliefs in great detail, when in fact I at least would much prefer a detailed account of everything they did on just one ordinary day.) Think of the totality of your research as a rich ore. You're probably never going to use all that ore in any one article or book. Sometimes too much information just slows the story down too much. (I was told I had that problem in my BCG portfolio but fortunately it wasn't a disqualifying fault.) So my suggestion would be to consider telling the story in pieces, maybe article-sized pieces. That way those who want the more technical stuff can find it, and those who want the story can find that. Another way is to alternate chapters -- those who are interested in the story may skip the part about how Libby Prison was constructed, etc. Another approach if you're set on doing a book, or planning on-line publication, would be to put some of that background material in an appendix, or linked to the text in various places. I think this is a great use of digital publishing but I don't know much about how it's actually been done, or how well. Fundamentally there will always be a tension between telling a story (on one hand) and explaining the pieces of the story (on the other). Really great writers manage to do the explaining so fluently that we the readers don't feel it as an interruption, so they can put in a lot and get away with it; good writers eventually figure out how to provide just enough. (Hint: if you can take your hero up to the edge of a cliff and leave him there, you can get away with a fair amount of geology etc. about said cliff!) This is too close to the frontier of my own knowledge and ability to explain very well. Reading good historians may help give you a feel for it, because they deal with this tension all the time. Maybe that will make a good blog post after I've thought about it, but other may be able to supply some titles right now too. Any help? Harold On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 6:08 PM, cmproctor1@frontier.com <cmproctor1@frontier.com> wrote: Harold, >I enjoyed reading "Why We Don't Write, and How We Can." > >I've been working on a biography of my 3rd gr grandfather who served in the Civil War who was captured at the Battle of Chickamauga and sent to Libby prison. > >What I did was construct a very detailed time line of his experiences in the Civil War using county clerk records, his military file, his pension file, a regimental history of his unit and his diary of his experiences while a prisoner in Libby prison. I also took notes of the Libby prison system itself, studied histories, etc., etc. > >I want to share this with my peers, posterity and other relatives. I want to make it flow, keep it enjoyable to read and have certain details in it. My problem is I can't seem to stop the project. > >I have about 17 pages written on his biography so far. What I am wondering is "how much is enough or how much is too much?" I have taken a writing course, but always feel I could take more. Time constraints and finances won't let me now. > >What do you suggest? > >Cheryl Proctor >in very windy Southern Indiana > > >From: Harold Henderson <librarytraveler@gmail.com> >To: Debra Hoffman <dalhoffman@gmail.com> >Cc: TGF Mailing List <transitional-genealogists-forum@rootsweb.com> >Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2012 5:39 PM >Subject: Re: [TGF] Harold Henderson's column "Why We Don't Write, and How We Can" > >Thanks, guys, and Happy New Year! > > >On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 4:28 PM, Debra Hoffman <dalhoffman@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Excellent article Harold! It certainly touched a cord with me. I have good >> intentions, but life intervenes and soon the backlog grows! >> >> A New Year is coming and time for a new habit! >> >> --Debra A. Hoffman >> New Windsor, MD >> >> On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 1:16 PM, Janis L Gilmore <janis.gilmore@gmail.com >> >wrote: >> >> > Dear List, >> > >> > Most of you have probably already seen this column by our own Harold >> > Henderson--but just in case, I am posting here. It is an excellent piece >> > reminding us that we haven't really done anything until we have written >> it >> > up! >> > >> > >> > >> http://www.archives.com/experts/henderson-harold/genealogy-writing-tips.html >> > >> > Janis Walker Gilmore >> > Pawleys Island, SC >> > The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive >> > environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition >> to >> > professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. >> > ------------------------------- >> > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> > TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word >> > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the >> message >> > >> The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive >> environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to >> professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word >> 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > > > >-- >Harold Henderson midwestroots.net >Research, Writing, and Brickwall Dismantling from Northwest Indiana >Regularly Researching at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center > >Certified Genealogist (SM) No. 1029 >Certified Genealogist and CG are proprietary service marks >of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® used by the >Board to identify its program of genealogical competency evaluation >and used under license by the Board’s associates. >The Transitional Genealogists List was created to provide a supportive environment for genealogists to learn best practices as they transition to professional level work. Please respect the kind intentions of this list. >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TRANSITIONAL-GENEALOGISTS-FORUM-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- Harold Henderson midwestroots.net Research, Writing, and Brickwall Dismantling from Northwest Indiana Regularly Researching at the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center Certified Genealogist (SM) No. 1029 Certified Genealogist and CG are proprietary service marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists® used by the Board to identify its program of genealogical competencyevaluation and used under license by the Board’s associates.