Make a Commitment to Yourself, Participate in the Family History Writing Challenge Next Month

For the third year in a row, Lynn Palermo (a.k.a. The Armchair Genealogist) is hosting the Family History Writing Challenge.  This 28-day challenge begins on February 1 and ends on the February 28. 

By participating in the challenge, you are essentially making a commitment to yourself to write x-number of words each day about your family history.  It’s a fun way to set a goal and work toward that goal each day during the month of February.  What’s even better is that you will get tips and support along the way.  And because it’s a “community” event, there’s also a sense of camaraderie knowing that others are right there with you, sharing in your successes and, yes, sometimes your frustrations.

This year, because of my busy schedule, I’m going to pledge to write 200 words each day.  Last year I had a plan for what I was going to do, but I didn’t really stick to it.  So for this year, there’s no plan.  I’m just going to write 200 words on whatever aspect of my family history I feel like writing about that day.  It may seem like a very disjointed approach, especially if you know me and how I work.  But sometimes it’s the best approach for the creative process.  And because I plan to write haphazardly (even though it makes me cringe!), I’m going to start using Scrivener so I can at least manage my jaunts and tangents in some organized manner.  (Too bad the Scrivener class I signed up for doesn’t start until February 19.)

So what about you?  Will you make a 28-day commitment to write about your family history?  I’d love to hear about your plans, so please leave me a comment or a link to your blog post about the challenge.

Writing-Related Presentations at RootsTech 2013

RootTech 2013 will be held March 21-23, 2013 in Salt Lake City.  Over those three days, attendees will have plenty of lecture sessions to choose from.  I though I’d share a list of presentations that may be of interest to you that relate to writing your family history.  I’ve also included presentations related to sharing your family stories in ways other than writing.

And since RootsTech has incorporated Story@Home into their conference, there are plenty of offerings to go around.  I’m sure you’ll find a few that will suit your fancy.

Thursday, March 21

• Digital Recording Tools for the Family Historian, Nancy & Biff Barnes
• The Timeline Grid: Visualizing a Family Through Time, Kathryn Grant
• Recording and Preserving Family Stories Using Your Hand-held IPad, IPhone, IPod, or Android Devices, Susan Kitchens
• Transform Your Note-taking and Remember Everything With Evernote, Tonia Kendrick
• Life Is in the Details, Leigh Anne Wilkes
• Mapping Ancestral Migration Trails and Their Stories, Laura Prescott

Friday, March 22

• Interest in Pinterest for Family History, Valerie Elkins
• Lab: Publishing, Shantal Park
• The Blog Blitz: Create Your Own Genealogy Blog in One Session Lab, Lisa Louise Cooke
• Being Present in Your Own Story, Ken Craig
• Do Your E-Book Right: Self-Publishing Secrets for the Family Historian, Lisa Alzo
• Turn Google Street View Into a Time Machine: HistoryPin and WhatWasThere, Amy Johnson Crow
• Wikis for Genealogists, Thomas MacEntee

Saturday, March 23

• Creative and Fun Ways to Cherish Your FamilyHistory, Valerie Elkins
• Storytelling With Kids, Amy Price
• Family History Writing Made Easier: Cloud-based Tools Every Genealogist Can Use, Lisa Alzo
• Taking Your Family History Electronic - Creating Your Own Amazing Ebook, Luana Darby
• Digital Storytelling: Beyond Bullet Points, Denise Barrett Olson
• 365 Days of Story Prompts, Jenny Eckton
• Writing for a Publisher, Christopher Robbins
• Publish Your Genealogy Online, Laura Prescott
• Authentically Telling Your Story, Stephanie Sorenson
• Live Your Stories, Increase Your Joy, Nicole Carpenter

Ohio Genealogical Society–6th Annual Writing Competition

January 1, 2013 kicked off the 6th Annual Writing Competition sponsored by the Ohio Genealogical Society (OGS).  Entries will be accepted through February 28, 2013. 

Both OGS members and non-members are able to compete.  Only unpublished entries are eligible and must fit the criteria of either the Ohio Genealogical Society Quarterly or the Ohio Genealogical Society News.  All of the competition details can be found on the OGS website.

Dallas Genealogical Society Announces Winners of 2012 Writing Contest

A few days ago, the Dallas Genealogical Society announced the winners of the 2012 Writing Contest that was held earlier this year.  Below is the press release that was issued. 

As soon as I get the details for the 2013 contest, I will post them on this blog.

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Dallas, TX—December 17, 2012—The Dallas Genealogical Society presented the winners of their 2012 Writing Contest with certificates of recognition and prize checks at their Annual Awards Luncheon on December 8, 2012.  Among the judges reviewing the contest entries was J. Mark Lowe, a professional genealogist.

The winners are:

First Place – $500

“Francis A. Claridge (1824-1887)” by Karen Claridge Walker (DGS member)

Karen is a native of San Antonio, Texas. She worked two years in the Tulsa City/County Library Genealogy Center; and is a serious amateur genealogist.  The article is about Karen’s paternal great-great-grandfather, to whom she said “she is grateful for having such an interesting life about which to write.”

Second Place – $300

“Bailing, Bigamy, and Brother Love: the Family of Henry Parker and Nancy Black” by Debbie Parker Wayne, CG^SM

Debbie Parker Wayne is a full-time genealogist experienced using laws and DNA analysis, as well as more traditional techniques, for genealogical research. Debbie is a Trustee for the BCG Education Fund, a board member and Advocacy Chair of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG), president of the Lone Star Chapter of APG, and Texas State Genealogical Society’s DNA Project Director. She is part of the core staff at Angelina College Genealogy Conference and was the featured speaker on DNA at the Texas General Land Office’s 2011 Save Texas History Symposium.  Her website is at http://debbiewayne.com.

Third Prize (tie) – $150

“Sarah Luse Larimer (1836-1913): Indian Captive, Photographer, and Business Woman” by Loretta Luce Evans, AG^®

Loretta Evans, AG^® , is a freelance writer and lecturer with over 30 years of genealogical experience. Accredited in Midwestern United States research, she is a graduate of the National Institute on Genealogical Research in Washington, DC, and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy. Her writings have appeared in a number of magazines, including Crossroads, Ancestry, Everton’s Genealogical Helper, Heritage Quest, the Genealogical Journal, and Ohio Records and Pioneer Families. Loretta has served as a Commissioner and as Public Relations Committee Chairman for the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists. Loretta recently spent almost two years as a volunteer for FamilySearch in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Third Prize (tie) – $150

“Chronology of Land Lot 128, District 20, Baldwin (Morgan) County, Georgia And How It Led to Polly Ware’s Maiden Name” by Barbara A. Ware (DGS Member and IT Administrator)

Barbara A. Ware is a third generation Texan.  She has been an active genealogist for 20 years, a member of the Dallas Genealogical Society board several times, and has worked on a number of transcription projects to make Dallas county records available.  Her family research activities have taken her to most of the Southern states, England and Italy.

Entries Due 12/31 for 2012 GENEii Family History Writing Contest

Just a reminder that submissions for the 13th Annual Southern California Genealogical Society GENEii^SM Family History Writing Contest are due by December 31, 2012.  You do not have to be a member of SCGS to enter, nor does your submission have to relate to California.  Entries must be family or local history articles, which may or may not have been previously published.  The length of the article will determine the category it fits in: 

Category 1 1,000-2,000 words	Category 2 Less than 1,000 words
Prizes 1st Place - $200 2nd Place - $100 3rd Place - $50	Prizes 1st Place - $100 2nd Place - $50 3rd Place - $25

Winners will be notified by May 1, 2013.  Winning entries may be published in SCGS’s quarterly, their website, or an anthology of winners.

For complete rules and how to enter, visit http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/geneii/overview.html.

Good luck!