Upcoming Course: Genealogical Research Today and Tomorrow

February 18, 2008

I’ve told you about the Hill Country Family History seminar I recently attended. Now I’d like to pass on information about an upcoming six-week class put on by the Genealogical Society of Kendall County, the same folks who put on the excellent seminar. Harry and Mary Alice Dell will present the course.

The press release announcing the classes states:

A free class, “Introduction to Genealogical Research” will be given Saturday March 1 at the Boerne Library, starting at 11 a.m. following a meeting of GSKC at 10 a.m. This class is open to the public whether they are interested in taking the six-week course or not.

The course will be held on six consecutive Thursday evenings, from 7 to 9, beginning March 6 and ending April 10, at the Boerne Convention and Community Center. Cost for the course is $50.00 for those who have not attended one of GSKC courses previously. Returning alumni of the course who are members of GSKC will pay $35.00.

You can download a flyer for more information or to register. If you’re in or near the Texas Hill Country, I highly recommend you consider this course.

[tags]Genealogical Society of Kendall County, genealogy[/tags}

Posted by Admin | Filed Under Genealogy and History | Leave a Comment 

My Blog Roars: Powerful Writing

February 12, 2008

roaraward

Helen Ginger at Straight from Hel has awarded me A Roar for Powerful Words Award.

In her post, Helen said this about me: “No matter the subject, he’s passionate.”

One of the things I’m passionate about is good writing, and this award gives me an opportunity to share some tips.

The rules are:
1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. List three things that you believe are necessary to make writing good and powerful.
3. Tag five others and comment on their blog informing them that they’ve been tagged with this award.

Here are three things I believe are necessary to make writing good and powerful.

  1. Get objective feedback … and listen to it. I’m part of a writer’s group whose members critique each other’s work. I get lots of valuable help from them. One of the most interesting things I’ve found is the differences in the feedback from men and women. Since I’m writing much of Adam’s Daughters in the viewpoint of a female character, Peggy, the advice from women about this character is making my writing better and more powerful.
  2. Use details to add richness and power to your writing. I write historical fiction so I like to add details about life in the time period, but every kind of writing can benefit from details to bring it to life.
  3. Fast forward or rewind in your writing if you get stuck – you don’t have to write in sequence. I’ve been stuck in 1788 and not making much progress on my book, so I fast-forwarded in the story and am writing a scene that takes place in 1796. Eventually, I’ll rewind to 1788, and after the break, I expect to find it much easier to write that scene.

I know I’m supposed to tag five people, but instead I’m going to tag any of my readers who would like to participate. If you’d like to share your tips on what makes writing powerful and good, post a comment with your advice or a link to your post.

[tags]powerful writing, A Roar for Powerful Words[/tags]

Posted by Admin | Filed Under Advice and Resources | 2 Comments