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How I Write a Blog Post

Image: Rawpixel   A very kind Leaves on the Tree subscriber suggested to me earlier this year that my readers might like to know my process for writing a blog post. So, Donna, this one's for you! Where I Get Ideas Most of my blog post ideas spring from my research. I might come across a really great document, such as the letter I found in a probate file which I wrote about last week . Or I make an important discovery or just want to document some aspect of my research process, a particular methodology, or a resource that I've used, like the WWII Alien Registrations databas e I discovered on Ancestry. Here are a few examples of other post inspirations: Holidays —For the past few years, I've done four Christmas related posts in December, as I have several family stories , memories , or heirlooms that I wish to share. Courses or classes —I love to learn about new methodologies, record sets, etc., so I often take classes or courses. Writing helps me process what I've lear...

Behind the Stories: A Peek Behind the Research Curtain

Do you want to peek behind the genealogical curtain? 1

Have you ever wondered how I come up with information for my blog posts? It should come as no surprise that the stories all flow from research discoveries.

Genealogical research can be as simple as ordering a vital record, like a birth or death record. Or, it can be as complicated as researching multiple generations of a family line for a lineage society, or looking deeply at a person or event—and take several months to complete.

The constant in all my research? I invariably find many interesting stories along the way to answering a specific research question, and these stories beg to be told.

I recently focused on my Croatian great grandmother for a two-part blog series. The information I uncovered was the product of the "Research Like a Pro," research process I use, created by genealogists/podcasters Diana Shults Elder and Nicole Dyer. They kindly asked me to write about my project for their FamilyLocket blog.

So, if you'd like to peek behind my "genealogical curtain," dive into the blog post, "Identifying Reasons for Emigration Using the Research Like a Pro Process."2

Until next time...

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NOTES

1 Sir John Tenniel, Alice in Wonderland illustration, Project Gutenberg (https://bit.ly/2JNrG8s: accessed 6 April 2020). This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net.

2 Diana Elder and Nancy Gilbride Casey, "Identifying Reasons for Emigration Using the Research Like a Pro Process." FamilyLocket, 11 March 2020 (https://bit.ly/2JIvbx7 : accessed 6 April 2020).









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