Genealogy know-how

I started an MFA in Creative Writing to boost my novel writing skills, but as it turns out, the writing part of a novel is just one piece of the puzzle.

Since I’m writing about my greatgreatgrandfather (born in Germany and based on letters written in German), I’m trying to swallow the German language in one gulp. If only I could inherit the German language the way I inherited my fondness for sauerkraut. But alas, I’m stuck doing it the hard way, studying German on-line and in a local class. And during the Seattle Film Festival, I’m taking advantage of some movies in German. (I gave the movie Soul Kitchen, the highest rating, a 5.)

With historical fiction, there’s also the research steam train, with all of its tunnels through archival libraries and hairpin curves around landslides of historical data not relevant to my specific project.

But perhaps the most daunting has been the genealogy research. It’s like the corner background of the puzzle, a forest at twilight, say, all light and shadows melted together. It’s taken persistence and lots of sleuthing.

But thanks to my friend David Williams, I feel like I’m at the a firmer outline, along the edge of the trees and moving into blue sky. Dave has some experience with researching his own family history, with inspiring results. What’s more, he’s introduced me to Sarah Thorson Little, who teaches genealogy and family history. Here’s my hot tip of the day, about organizing my research, thanks to Sarah: Organizing Computer Genealogy Files.

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