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Tag Archives: family history

Now What?

21 Thursday Feb 2019

Posted by Nancy Clark in Uncategorized, Writing Biographies

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Tags

biography, family history, rough draft

How long does it take to write an historical biography? And when is it considered finished? Well, that depends….

In my case, it seems impossible that I started working on the biography of my great-grandfather, Dr. Harry G. Blaine, more than 20 years ago! I already had on hand the basic materials for the book: my great-grandfather’s diary, my grandfather’s biography of his father and a memoir of his growing up as the son of a doctor, and copies of some other family-related history. My grand delusion was that this would be just like writing a research paper for a college class. And I was one of those odd students who really enjoyed writing research papers!

It didn’t take long to shatter that delusion. Writing a full-length book was a lot more complicated than any research paper I had ever written. Over the intervening years, I collected more family documents that were hidden away in my cousins’ and sisters’ attics. I read numerous books and articles on various aspects of medicine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as family and cultural life and historical events in those times. My bibliography swelled to more than 40 sources!

Another struggle was how best to organize the book. I didn’t want it to be just a dry recitation of important dates and events in Dr. Blaine’s life. I wanted to create a story or series of stories that would educate the reader in addition to revealing more about Dr. Blaine and the legacy he left behind.

When I finally completed that first rough draft, it was a moment of victory. I had actually done it! I now had a framework on which to hang any additional material that might be relevant. Ironically, that was the hardest part. As I looked back through my reading and research notes, I kept finding more gems to include. Help! Where do I stop?

Finally one day I just put the book away for a while. Now the longer I ignore it, the harder it is to pick it back up! One side of my brain says, “Nobody’s going to be interested in that boring, old stuff anyway. Just throw it in a drawer and forget about it.” The other side of my brain says, “Don’t waste all that hard work! Finish it off and share it. Family members will read it even if no one else does.”

I’ll let you know which side wins.

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To Include or Not to Include

07 Monday Nov 2016

Posted by Nancy Clark in Writing Biographies

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Tags

biography, characters, details in biography, family history, how to choose details

Decisions, decisions! As I have commented before in this blog, trying to figure out what to include and not include in Dr. Blaine’s biography is a constant source of frustration. My mind gets overloaded with so many details that I can’t see the forest for the trees–and the bushes, leaves, sticks, mud puddles, flies, gnats…. Well, you get the drift. Too  much information is almost worse than not enough. How do I control this deluge?

decisionsIn desperation I turned to my file folder labeled “Writing Tips,” bulging with words of wisdom collected over many years from Writers Digest, websites, books on writing, presenters at various writing conferences, and I read through every page. Surprisingly, all of it boiled down to a few simple guidelines: (1) Tell the truth; (2) Include only details that establish the setting, advance the plot, or shed light on the characters; and (3) Explain only as much as you need to. The reader will fill in the rest.

Whew! There is a way through this forest if I just follow the path these guidelines create. Even as I tackle those parts of the doctor’s life that are more exposition than story, I can test each detail that floats into my consciousness by asking these questions: Will it give the reader a sense of the setting? Is it relevant to the story I am telling? And/or will it help the reader understand one of the characters better?

Following these guidelines, I can see now that the story about how Dr. Blaine helped the town marshal capture a shoe thief, although not of cosmic importance, does reveal his impulsiveness and his deep respect for the law.

On the other hand, the menu for a January 1904 Knights of Pythias banquet probably does not belong in the book since it adds only a very small bit of information about the setting.  But in case you are a true history buff (and I am too!), I’ll share the menu here. The appetizer was cut oranges and bananas. The main course included cold ham, escalloped oysters, olives, mixed pickles, cheese, biscuit, butter, and potato chips–all cold food except possibly for the oysters. How different from our present-day banquet fare of hot chicken, beef, or fish with all the fixings! Dessert was more what we would call traditional fare: cake, ice cream, and wafers. The differences are fascinating. But you also need to remember that oranges and bananas in the middle of a Midwestern winter in the days before the mass movement of perishables were no doubt a real treat! And not many venues were equipped with kitchens large enough to serve hot food to a large crowd of people.

And so the book takes shape one detail, one story at a time. How all of it will eventually fit together is anyone’s guess. But what sustains me is the “aha” moment described by the contemporary short story writer George Saunders when writing an entire book for the first time: “Of course, I can make a mansion with a series of linked yurts!” And I plod on, writing those yurts with as much finesse as I can and hoping that a mansion will result.

For those of you who also write biography, how do you decide what to include and not include? Feel free to share your words of wisdom by responding to this blog.

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How do your genes fit?

18 Monday Jan 2016

Posted by Nancy Clark in Writing Biographies

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Tags

biography, Dr. Blaine, family history, genes, multi-talented people, nature vs nurture

GenesThe age-old question of nature vs. nurture will never be answered to everyone’s satisfaction. Two children who grow up in the same household with the same biological parents can mature into exact opposites of each other. A child from a less than supportive family, who seems to have no stability or opportunity for success, can end up achieving greatness. So how much influence does your family history actually have on who you have become or are becoming?

How do your genes fit into your life story?

All my life I have envied those people who have one passion or talent and pursue it exclusively. It always seemed to me to be the only way to achieve fame and recognition. But even though I have been blessed with a number of talents, I could never force myself to concentrate on just one, devote time and energy to just one, to the exclusion of all the others. As a result, I felt inadequate and frustrated much of my life, spending a lot of time and energy trying to figure out just who I was and what I was supposed to become and achieve.

Doing research on my great-grandfather Dr. Blaine has led me to a much deeper understanding not only of him but also of myself. I come from a family of multi-talented people; it’s in my genes! And that’s okay. In fact, pursuing many different interests and talents has allowed my life to be as varied and colorful as a wildflower garden, just as Dr. Blaine’s was.

Dr. Blaine was curious about everything, especially all things mechanical. He would take an engine apart and reassemble it just to find out how it worked. He was a trained printer and owner of a local newspaper for a while. He helped to establish the first telephone service in Attica, OH, and even invented a special metal anchor for telephone poles. He served his community as mayor and justice of the peace, in addition to maintaining his medical practice. He founded a medical journal and a hospital. Other interests included photography, teaching, and writing.

Like Dr. Blaine, I may have made a few significant contributions along the way, but I have also had the privilege of touching the lives of so many different people in so many diverse situations. And that’s where I have found the real richness and meaning of my life: teaching people to enjoy the magic of handbells, being a friend to someone with mental illness, writing a grant to support a program that cares for neglected and abused children, connecting people to meaningful volunteer opportunities, encouraging the love of language and reading in students, playing with words in poems and stories, knitting, sewing, gardening, singing. My life has been full of God’s gifts, just as Dr. Blaine’s was. And I am thankful that finally I can accept who I am and what I am still  becoming. My genes fit just fine!

How about yours? What have you learned about yourself from studying your ancestors? Feel free to join the conversation!

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