I've obviously not been blogging. I guess that's a given, pretty obvious by my lack of posts.
I've been sucked into the eternal vortex known as . . . ancestry research.
Yes, I have.
Let me tell you . . . it's the biggest TIME THIEF . . . EVER!
I sit down for a few minutes and 4 or 5 hours will have passed. I think Hmm, maybe I'll just do one or two additions to the tree and the next thing I know, 2 hours have passed and I've done 20 additions to the tree.
So, that's where I've been . . . hanging out with dead people.
Okay, not literally, but still . . .
The interesting thing . . . the place of death for one of my relatives was the Tower of London. I'm not thinking that was a good thing. Just a thought. Ha!
The other interesting thing . . . I've got some neat names in my family history, which will come in handy when coming up with names for characters.
The other neat thing . . . I've come up for a new idea for a book in the mystery series because of all this research.
So, while I've been away from blogging, it hasn't been all that bad, and good things are coming of it, so, I guess, all in all . . . this ancestry research isn't such a bad thing after all. Okay, it's become a bit of an obsession, and I even dream about doing research (not a good thing), so I know I need to pull back just a bit and immerse myself further into my writing. S
9 comments:
Cool. What are you using? A genealogical arc has blossomed in WIP and last weekend I was realizing I may be getting myself in deeper than I planned. So - are you using a program? My genealogy is half based in reality and at least half fictionalized so I can't actually research it - but I need to know some of the document types that reveal missing links when one is found. Any ideas? And good luck. Genealogy is always a craze that's coming back around and it is hot right now - so USE IT.
A. M. - for the most part I've used ancestry.com. I'm lucky enough that other relatives had done some work, so I had a jumping off point. The thing to know about ancestry: sometimes, people just make connections that aren't there. The main thing I've been doing is reviewing census records. Not only do I look at the page concerning my relative, but at before/after pages, which is how I've found other information. Google is also great. I key in John Smith, son of (spouse of) and often can find links to other trees, or books that trace the lineage down the line, which I've had great luck in finding on some of my ancestors.
Ancestry research is awesome! I can see how that would be a very time-consuming. I've avoided it for that reason, hehe, but it is on my list of things to start doing in the next few years. I have a book I want to write about one of my ancestors. Good luck with yours!
Dead people are cool too, yanno?
You and I are on the same wavelength. *shiver* Did I just say that??
I want to research my Irish ancestors for a book about them and what happened when they arrived in New York.
Thanks for checking on me after NC had the horrendous storms. I only like storms in books.
And your opinion about the Titans?? AhHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
(((hugs, my friend)))
BTW, love the new look. It's so writerly.
@Michelle - it is very time consuming, but fun as well . . . especially when you find the skeletons in the closet. The neat thing is the inspiration for a project some of the research provided in the depraved depths of my imagination. Ha!
Robyn - thanks. I've traced the family back to Ireland, Scotland, England, Australia, France, and Switzerland so far. I already knew about the Scotish ancestry, and figured there was some Irish connection as well, but it was nice to find out for sure. Oh, and the Australia connection was neat too.
How interesting!! I could see getting lost in a project like that :).
I just got back to blogging and thought "I wonder what my old writing pal Scott is up to?" And now I find that you're not blogging so much, either!
We're like two trains passing one another in the night...
@Rebecca - hello, fellow train! LOL! At least I'm still writing. Ha! But, the blogging will come back . . . at some point. Things are crazy right now and I just don't have the time I once did to do everything I once did. Ah, the joys of a chaotic life. Hope you're doing well. Take care.
S
My gradma is really into ancestor research too. She says it's exciting to know how people lived back then. A lot of people in England seemed to be into it. I'm thinking it's cause they want to see if they're linked to the royal family! :)
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