Remember I mentioned a few days ago that Old Toshiba had a "spa treatment" where she was reformatted and restored? I reinstalled most of my programs, except I put my Legacy database on New Toshiba since that is the computer I have decided to use for researching my family history.
As I made a correction to a family member in Family Secrets as part of the editing process, I realized I need to install Legacy on Old Toshiba also. What better place to keep track of a cast of characters for a family saga-type novel series than on a database designed for organizing families? Not only that, Legacy Deluxe has research suggestion capabilities based on the dates and localities of the family members entered. What better tool to use to figure out what documents are available in different scenarios as I develop the story lines for my characters?
Now that Legacy is installed, the Graves and Carpenter family database has been updated, I can return to my editing Family Secrets.
Showing posts with label family history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family history. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
fini
Family Secrets is fini -- finished -- done -- The End.
A little over 86,000 words, so along with all the usual editing and proof-reading, I need to trim some fat. Still, moving right along.
A little over 86,000 words, so along with all the usual editing and proof-reading, I need to trim some fat. Still, moving right along.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Engineer Battalion (Const) in Vietnam War
This weekend I did a lot of Vietnam War research, particularly regarding the engineer battalions that were sent over there and the projects they worked on. I have my husband's stories for my novel, Family Secrets, but I wanted to flesh them out a little by getting the "bigger picture".
Actually, what prompted me is I ran across the coffee can in which my husband had stored his original DD-214, patches and ribbons from his army service. My husband is not a coffee-drinker. But, coffee cans are among his all-time favorite containers for storing items, especially in his shop, which is where I found this little jewel.
Unfortunately, you can see from the back of his DD-214 (which I used as the backdrop) and some of the ribbons, not all his war memorabilia stored well in the coffee can.
It was interesting to learn more about engineers, the role they play in the military in general, and about his unit in particular during the Vietnam War. I will eventually mount these items in a shadow box for display in my living room along with the framed memorabilia I have from my father's WWII experience. But for now -- well -- except for the DD-214 that is in a plastic sleeve, they are still in that coffee can (in the house, not the shop).
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| Served in U.S. Army Co. D 84th Engineer Battalion (Construction) 1967-68 |
Unfortunately, you can see from the back of his DD-214 (which I used as the backdrop) and some of the ribbons, not all his war memorabilia stored well in the coffee can.
It was interesting to learn more about engineers, the role they play in the military in general, and about his unit in particular during the Vietnam War. I will eventually mount these items in a shadow box for display in my living room along with the framed memorabilia I have from my father's WWII experience. But for now -- well -- except for the DD-214 that is in a plastic sleeve, they are still in that coffee can (in the house, not the shop).
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Non-Epilogue
Today was not a writing day -- it was a Daughters of Utah Pioneers day -- but I managed to get in some writing.
I wrote the final chapter of the book. It's a shorty. No, I am not finished with the book, yet. I still have four heavy-duty chapters to go. I wrote the conclusion now because I want see where each of my three story lines need to end up.
My Webster's Desk Dictionary defines epilogue as it applies to a written work (as opposed to a speech) as follows: 1. a concluding part added to a literary work.
I often read novels with epilogues. An epilogue may tell the consequences of the main story either in the time period immediately following the end, or it may tell what happens decades later. It's kind of like, the story is over now, folks, but just so we don't leave you hanging, we'll tell you how things turned out for the characters in the long run.
The last chapter I just wrote is not an epilogue. There are no concluding parts to add so the reader knows what happened to the characters after the story is over because this novel is only a segment of a larger story. Therefore, for my final chapter, I only needed to tie up a few loose ends.
I wrote the final chapter of the book. It's a shorty. No, I am not finished with the book, yet. I still have four heavy-duty chapters to go. I wrote the conclusion now because I want see where each of my three story lines need to end up.
My Webster's Desk Dictionary defines epilogue as it applies to a written work (as opposed to a speech) as follows: 1. a concluding part added to a literary work.
I often read novels with epilogues. An epilogue may tell the consequences of the main story either in the time period immediately following the end, or it may tell what happens decades later. It's kind of like, the story is over now, folks, but just so we don't leave you hanging, we'll tell you how things turned out for the characters in the long run.
The last chapter I just wrote is not an epilogue. There are no concluding parts to add so the reader knows what happened to the characters after the story is over because this novel is only a segment of a larger story. Therefore, for my final chapter, I only needed to tie up a few loose ends.
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