Do you find yourself scurrying from one
bit of information to the next without taking the time to sit down
and really analyze what you've found? Yep, I'm guilty of this
myself. When I'm busy discovering new information I feel like I am
truly making progress. And I am, but at some point I need to stop
gathering data and analyze my findings. But I often have a difficult
time transitioning from one mode to the other.
This is not a newly recognized problem
for me. No, this goes back at least twenty years. When working in
research labs over the years I had to force myself at the end of each
week to transcribe my working notes for my experiments (successful or
not) into my permanent notebook. In the process of writing
everything in my notebook I thought more deeply about the
significance of my results and often came up with better
troubleshooting methods than moments after completing the experiment.
So, if penning my results and conclusions into my notebook was so
useful, why did I loathe it? Well, one reason I hated the task was
because I felt (wrongly) that I wasn't “accomplishing” anything.
My other stumbling block is that I enjoy the
thrill of the chase. One of the things I love about scientific
research is that I can be the first person to see a new result and
think “wow, so that's how it works!” The same is true in
genealogy. Finding a new clue to my family's past is thrilling.
Even if the “discovery” is something trivial to others, that
excitement is what drives me to search for the next piece of the
puzzle. However, in genealogy, as in science, at some point I need
to put on the brakes and think about how that jigsaw piece fits into
the larger picture. Beyond the big picture, there are other benefits
to writing about my genealogy findings. First, it allows me to
really see what holes I have. This can be dangerous because I then
have to fight the urge to run off to fill the gap. But as I live
several states away from Michigan and have a child to care for, I
can't just hop in the car and satisfy my curiosity. Second, writing
permits me to see how much I have learned since I last wrote up my
findings (this can be fun). While this is valuable, it simply isn't
as exciting as that momentary thrill of finding a new clue to the
past.
Once I finally overcome the activation
energy to writing I actually do enjoy it. This is, in part, why I
began blogging. Although I didn't intend to work through some of my
findings in my blog, it has sometimes worked out that way. This has
been good for me, but when I contemplate writing another life story
for one of my people (not book length by any means) I kind of get a
sinking sensation. Part of this is the old “not accomplishing
anything” feeling I get when I'm not crossing something off a list.
The other part is that it is time-consuming to re-examine every
scrap of information I have to come up with a satisfying whole (time
I could be spending hunting down more information). While writing, I
do get a little thrill when I realize “maybe THAT'S why Emma did
(fill in blank).” In the end, however, the best part for me is
receiving feedback from family who read what I write. When they tell
me “I feel like I know Emma” I know I really have accomplished
something. Maybe this year I can do better at bridging the gap
between gathering and recording..
If you need more reasons to spur you to
write I recommend you read an article that started me thinking about
the subject. Harold Henderson's piece “How Not To Be Buffalo Hunters” is at Archives.com.
