How To's for Preserving Your Life Stories

How To's for Memoir HelperLooking for step by step instructions? We'll do our best to cover as many topics as possible. If you can't find what you are looking for here, let us know and we will see if we can help!

Practice Letting Go

One of the hardest parts of writing about ourselves is sharing our inner thoughts and emotions. Sometimes we don't even allow ourselves to mentally examine parts of our lives or relationships because there are realities that make us uncomfortable. In other cases, it may just be that we prefer to present the best part of ourselves. If this rings ...  Read More

How to Digitize a Framed Photo without Glare

Do you have a framed photo that you would love to include in your life stories project? Even if the photo would fit in your scanner, taking it out of the frame is a pain and I've even seen old photos get damaged in the process of pulling them away from the glass. I often recommend taking a photo of a photo, but when it's behind glass, the glare ...  Read More

Dictate Your Stories to Your Smartphone

Speech-to-Text technology can be a lifesaver for those who struggle with typing, but it can also be a handy tool to use any time that you don't have a full-sized keyboard around - for instance, when you go on your daily walk or during TV commercials. Many of us are already talking to our phones when we want to send a quick message to someone. ...  Read More

Thank You, Google Photos

Google Photos Made Dad's Day! My father is one of those people who is "hard to buy for." And I'm one of those people who does things at the last minute. So for Father's Day this year, I found myself scrambling to try and come up with something special with less than 24 hours to go. I had been brainstorming gift ideas for a few days and as ...  Read More

Save Often and Have a Backup Plan…

Stuff happens... Sometimes it's minor – like your computer locks up when you've forgotten to save that last hour of writing because you were on a roll. Or worse, your hard drive goes bad and the only copy of your entire life stories project is not able to be recovered. I admit that I've lost an hour or more of work on my computer because I ...  Read More

Encourage Seniors to Preserve Their Stories While They Are Stuck at Home

Do you know any senior citizens who are getting a little bored or depressed by staying at home these past few months? It's wonderful to check-in with them regularly, but if they are anything like my parents, they have finished all the seasons of their favorite TV Shows and are starting to go a little stir crazy. It may just be the perfect ...  Read More

Make Your Memoir Worthwhile

If you are writing a memoir or autobiography for yourself or your family, you may have asked yourself if it will be worth your time. Here are a few tips on how to make your memoir worthwhile. Make sure you identify your objectives and your intended audience before you start. Click here to download our FREE Define Your Life Stories Project ...  Read More

How to Start a Memoir

"How to start a memoir"... It's a popular topic with no singular solution. There are plenty of good ways to start and zero wrong ways. The important thing is that you get started. Although you can certainly start a memoir without any preparation or planning, doing a little on the front end can save you time and keep you moving in the right ...  Read More

Writing About Your Coronavirus / COVID-19 Experience

If you haven't started already, it's a good time to start writing about your Coronavirus / COVID-19 experience. I put together a list of writing prompts that you can download here . I've been trying to write this post for a week now, but I kept getting distracted by the news, concerns about my family, and my preparation for spending a lot more ...  Read More

Writing About Shame or Regrets

All too often those of us writing memoirs only for our families, try to sugarcoat uncomfortable stories or leave them out altogether. If that's the way you want to do it, that's still better than not writing anything at all. However, you might miss the opportunity to make someone else feel okay about their own story or even provide a guide for a ...  Read More

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