Humbled by yesterday's hour researching Homer and Charry (Everett) Curtiss, I came to the conclusion that there are three kinds of research plans in this world.
- The fill-in-the-blanks plan that is aimed at getting dates and places for the people listed on a pedigree chart.
- The mindful plan, which first understands the historical and cultural structures around the people, then thoughtfully determines what is available and which likely sources might yield the most helpful information.
- The scorched-earth plan that is aimed at getting absolutely everything that could possibly exist for the people under study.
My impulsive fill-in-the-blanks approach to supporting statements of fact on Homer and Charry did not yield fruit. Perhaps it's time for me to take a mindful approach.
