The letters are out of the closet!

I see I am back to my old tricks when I want to write. Anything distracts me. I put writing off for any reason. In fact, I purposely started cleaning and dusting and even cooking to put off writing.

BUT, I know that I must write--the story is compelling and my grand uncle's history needs to be told. I brought the letters and artifacts out of the closet. That's a start.

The Art of Writing

I am a writer. Yet I have the same trepidation as my students. Fear of the white (paper)-in this case computer screen. Where do I begin? I want to solve some mysteries, I want to know more about Russell Archie Harvey.

Begin with what I know. Well, I picked a heck of a time to begin then. My desktop computer with the genealogy and other information about my family needs a new motherboard. I can't use my scanner or my printers either.

So I will plan.
I need to read all the letters.
Type all the letters. I need to figure out how historians transcribe letters--exact text, the use of "sic," etc.
Review the discharge papers.
I need the name of his unit, his rank, his citations. Names of commanding officers. I know he references General Pershing.
There are names of men he served with in the papers.
I need to document all the items I have.
I need to record all the battles he mentions.
Create a timeline.
Get maps of the U.S. He describes his journey from Iowa to Texas on the troop train. His trip to New York.
Get period maps of Europe and the battles and troop movements in World War I.

What are my burning questions?

First Post

Today I am beginning the journey I have long promised. My maternal grand uncle served in World War I and I have the letters he wrote to his mother while training and while "in the trenches." I have felt it is my duty to him and our family to research his service and the events that shaped his short life. This is the beginning.