Family History Writing Challenge Starts

Puzzle Parts, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

 Motivation and a Plan

It might seem to you, dear readers, that I am a writer.  

I guess I am but I am not a "trained" writer since I have not taken a formal writing course in years. I have authored or co-authored ten books and written a few magazine articles but I did not major in English as an undergraduate nor is my Master's in Writing. I do struggle to write corrrectly. 

This is because I am a "journal" writer. This means I am a keeper of records and a researcher.

The puzzle piece above is because I have begun to take a new approach to my own family history research. It is called Project Based Genealogy based on the approach used by education. Yes, I am an educator, but I taught adults in all of my careers. I taught children for a while. They are now adults.

I thought long and hard about this challenge because I have no trouble writing (a lot of words) and no trouble researching but I do have a lot of trouble putting them together. If someone asks me about an ancestor, I have to look at my charts to be able to tell you anything about them. I have not memorized dates and places. I am quite geography disabled. I talk too much and I write like I'm talking.

I want to leave behind (when I die), a more organized box of family photographs. Right now, I am the only one who knows who is who. So, with many years of research and a lot of time spent with my parents and grandparents, I want to write something about 28 of my photographs. Those of you who read both my blogs will recognize some of them as I have used them in conjunction with my gravestones.

However, I need to identify, date and coherently write something about every photograph in my collection. Most of these oldest photos are portrait style, a few are about special events and one, yes, just one, is a gravestone. (Taking the Challenge)

Let's begin tomorrow with the story about the gravestone.... 

Writing Tools

Pens for Photography, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Picking Up the Pen

These three pens are not to be used for writing as they all all for writing on photographs or for labeling boxes. I taped them together so you could see the brand names and learn the difference in purpose.

The Sharpie is NOT (I repeat NOT) for labeling photos. It is good for writing on the box and for using on the outside of envelopes. It is permanent.

The other two have archival ink. I recommend the Zig pen because my friend Maureen Taylor says it is the best.

The other one I have had for a while having bought it at a trade show.

Getting Ready

Red Portable Drive, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

Painting the Town Red 

On January 17th 2013, I decided that it was important that I start organizing my most precious and oldest family photographs and writing about them.

I took a photo of the photos (!) and started to blog about the process. I organized the collection and put them in an archival box.

Starting to chose photos and in what order to blog about them is a tough task because I have to have 250 words to say about each one and still be interesting. I am going to try to be several days ahead. 

Behind the scenes I will not be "painting the town red" because I also have to see which photos I have already scanned, where they are backed up, and what format I have them scanned and archived in. I think this portable drive will be my (TIFF) backup that I don't open any of the scans on it ever. I might do this at the end.

I hope this will become a conversation between you, the reader, and me for this February "heart to heart" month. I think that's what "heart 2 heart" means.

See you on Friday, February 1st, 2013... 

Archival Photo Envelopes and "Dot" Labels

Archival Photo Envelopes and "Dot" Labels, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

 Bags, Envelopes and Dots

My current collection includes these items. I will blog about the tiny envelopes on the far left later.

Oldest Photo Collection

Oldest Photo Collection, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

That's a Lot of Photos?

Yesterday, I took out all of the oldest family photos. I have all but three (not shown) in archival envelopes. The envelopes I buy have a seal, so you pop in the photo, turn over the bag and rip off the strip in the back, fold over the top and it is sealed. The seal is NOT permanent. This I love about them. I can take the photo out and rescan if needed at any time. But, they are so clear that I can examine them right through the bag.

I just looked at this photo and I think I am missing a few photos. Back to searching my office again. This is WORK.

  

After scanning, I stick an orange dot on the front of the bag to show me that I have scanned that photo. Some I have scanned to .tiff and some I have not. This is why I need a list.

I just remembered purchasing a package of acid-free, lignin-free, archival paper. (25 sheets) that says it will go through the printer. I think I will use this in my project. However, I understand that printer ink and laser toner are NOT archival quality.

I guess I am going to have to handwrite (with my Zig Photo Signature pen) anything I want to include in the envelopes. 

I will talk about pens later. Who taught me this? Maureen Taylor, The Photo Detective, of course. 

  

Working with Archival Materials

Working with Archival Materials, a photo by midgefrazel on Flickr.

The Library

This weekend I will be going through these books because these people are the experts (not me)!

You've read these, right?

Previous Blog Posts

Before the Challenge

Before I begin talking about my photo collection and how I am managing it, I went looking for posts I have written previously about what I have learned about scanning, archiving and managing family photographs. I found several old posts and where I am archiving the photos about the process. Please read or re-read these while I start this project. Thanks!

 Archival Bags

Archival Safe Photo Storage Boxes

Treasure Hunt: A Photo Challenge

The Wonder File

Archival Supplies Photos at Flickr

Not About What You Need!

Sorry folks, this not about what YOU need, it is about what I need so....

My calendar tells me that I have two weeks to prepare for this challenge. I hope this is ample time for me to prepare for the actual writing and still take time off to "have a life" plus working on my current project based genealogy project.

I take the challenge for a daily word count of 250 words.


To begin (not in my word count), I must define my purpose (and write about that) and get my photographs together and make sure I have enough materials for the process. I started that this morning.

I tried to sign up for the Writing history forum but it required an account with some kind of forum ID and my computer didn't actually send me to a sign up page, so I will just lurk around the forum on my iPad. I am not a fan of forums anyway.

I will also need to point my readers to the correct resources for learning about photographs. I know I have a few blog posts already written but I have no resource list of books and places to buy materials. Since this is separate from the actual writing I will do for the challenge, I 'd better use these two weeks to get that going.

I don't want to waste time going over and over the process, so I am going to pre-write how to do that before Feb 1. 

During the 28 day challenge, I want to write as much as I can about the photograph and the people or places in each picture. Then, I will be putting things in order (offline) This is about what I need to do to write about my family in the future. I am sorry to tell you that this is not about what you need to work with your own photos.

So, if you are interested in the project, pay close attention BEFORE February 1. Then, you can read about my ancestors (not not). I will not be answering questions about the process after Feb 1. I will be busy writing.

Got it?

Family History Writing Challenge 2013

The Armchair Genealogist's Challenge

I will be participating in this year's writing challenge but my writing will be hosted in this Beyond the Horizon blog since I write almost daily in my other blog, my word count for the challenge will be too much for placing in one blog. 

I will count the writing I do as a combination of what while I am writing here and in my other blog. I have changed my mind and will only be writing here for the duration of the month of February.

This Beyond the Horizon blog is more like a journal because I write about technology as it applies to genealogy so it meets my personal and professional goals.

I decided today what I am going to write about in my challenge. I am going to write about the oldest photographs in my collection and how I am taking care of them and how I am archiving them. For the technology part, I will be photographing them in their archival envelopes. I will also report on how I scan them and back them up.

To learn about the Family History Writing Challenge, please click on the graphic below:

Useful iPad Accessories Part 1

Mad About your iPad?

Of course, I mean "mad" as in crazy about in this blog post title!

Technology comes at us pretty darn fast these days and even I am having some trouble keeping up. It seems as if a newer device than the one you just bought is coming out before you unwrap yours.

Because I bought my iPad mini on the first day it was offered, I have been impatient in expecting that I could get an appropriate case for it. I used one I had for another device because I bought Apple's smartcover and an extra adapter when I bought my mini. So, it was protected while I was using it.

Quite by accident, I found this $20 pink and purple case for 7" tablets while shopping at Target. As you can see my mini with the smartcover folded back fits in the case. It is a little snug because I have a silicon bumper on the back of the iPad. That's OK. It makes it heavier but it is easily removed. I like things to be non permanent so I can use them with other devices.

I found a stylus holder yesterday at Office Maxx. It had two stylus holders in the box for $10. Since I still have an iPad 1 in my office, that is fine. it works on that one too. The only problem is that the expensive stylus I bought (shown resting to the far left in the extra strap) is too thin to stay tightly in the groove for the stylus holder. 

I had bought this pink one for $4 at Wegman's for my Christmas stocking and it fits (and matches) perfectly. It will be fine.

My iPad mini is adored. I want to take good care of it since it is so small, it will fit easily in the front pocket of my briefcase. I even own a pocketbook that has a front pocket I can fit it in. 

  

simpletouch and paperwhite

Yesterday, my nook simpletouch with glow light had a friend over for a playdate. My technoguru friend, Kathy Schrock, wanted to compare her new Kindle Paperwhite 3G with my nook. Both of us eRead and have for many years! We both have a Rocket Ebook that still works! (wow)

We compared screen clarity, ease of use and weight. Both passed with flying colors! She won in the category of borrowing books with Amazon Prime membership because even though I have an Amazon Prime membership I can't borrow books because I don't own the actual device. (Boo!)

I suspect her battery life might be better. I can't test that easily.

Both eReaders work as advertised in bright sunlight and in the dark. We both love ours. It's a tie.

She wanted to see mine so she can help others with using a nook and to have my opinion. (at least my opinion still counts)

We looked at each others cases. It really was a playdate. Yes, we giggled. I told her about Steve Robinson's books that even a non genealogist could love.

We both prefer using an eReader over using our much loved iPads for reading but I think that is because of reading in the dark and in the sunlight. That is better on both our devices.