January 2020 - Forever Young Autobiographies

Life-story interview: How to set-up an interview + family interview tips

The easy way to get an interview and capture family stories

First published November 30, 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

The recent Christmas holiday season was a terrific time to catch up with family and loved ones.

Getting together for a meal, barbecue or beach trip is an amazing opportunity to share memories: from the newly minted to well-heard favourites and forgotten gems.

If these captured your interest why not keep the momentum going by making it a goal this year to tee up a life-story interview with a loved one such as a parent, grandparent or dear friend.

Keep reading for my top tips and suggestions from the Your Family Stories System to do just that …

Why write: Why is writing important and why do we write

How to find your reasons to write and finish a powerful life story

We are surrounded by other people’s stories our whole lives.

I especially noticed this when I started working as a print journalist, exposed to dozens of life stories every shift: tragic, happy, dramatic or miraculous.

Now, as a mother of two young children, I find myself reflecting on the lives of my parents, grandparents and others.

I look to their lives for inspiration, wisdom and a heart-warming or entertaining story!

These were some of the ‘why write’ reasons that prompted me to help my dad’s mum write her life story.

Identifying your own whys can similarly inspire you to start, write and finish an autobiography.

Here are three top ‘why write’ reasons to help focus your mind and expectations before sitting down to begin a life-story project.

Life in pictures: Make a life-story scrapbook album in 3 easy steps

Secrets for using a photo series to creatively tell a life in pictures

First published November 2 2017: This article has been updated and improved.

When I was a photojournalism student at art school I had a lecturer who told our class to shoot an assignment with a 24-hour deadline.

This was to compile a photo series of our city’s Anzac Day memorial parade.

My classmates and I were positioned up and down the procession, some hanging off buildings Spider-Man style and others trying to hitch rides on parading army trucks!

We took hundreds of photos that we whittled down to tell a complete story of the day.

Over the course of our lives we similarly collect hundreds of memories that can be pared back and polished to tell a complete and precious life story.

Certainly this can be written in book form but also creatively done as a photo series or scrapbook album.

Keep reading for tips on how to record a life in pictures for yourself or a loved one.

I promise you won’t need to hang off any buildings in the process!

How to start writing: The ultimate guide about planning to write life stories

What a life-story writer knows about making a writing plan

My children received a new kite for Christmas.

They love to watch its colourful tail dance in the wind when we go to the beach.

But when it’s time to go home the kite tail and string is usually one giant tangled, sandy mess!

This looks like a mission impossible but with patience everything is fixed and again flying high.

Taking the first step to plan an autobiography, memoir, biography or life-story project of your own or for a loved one can similarly feel like a task for the too-hard basket!

However, knowing how to start writing isn’t difficult with a bit of planning.

To celebrate the beginning of a new year (and decade!) I’ve compiled an ultimate guide of pre-writing tips.

This guide is part one in the ‘ultimate series’, which includes the ultimate guide of life-story tips for new writers, the ultimate guide to polishing your writing and the ultimate guide to publishing a life story.

So jump in and get set to make 2020 the year you finish a life story and let it soar!