Forever Young Autobiographies

My Dream Time: Tennis memoir by Wimbledon and Aus Open star Ash Barty

Book review: Australian Book Industry Awards winner about an Aussie girl from Ipswich

I started My Dream Time: A memoir of tennis and teamwork by Ash Barty AO during the middle of an Aussie summer when the Australian Open was being played.

It certainly was a fitting time to read this story by the 2022 Australian Open champ, which charts her tennis story from age 5 when she picked up a racquet in Queensland.

Notably the HarperCollins life story nabbed the Australian Book Industry Awards 2023 Biography Book of the Year and has been a huge bestseller.

So keep reading to discover more about this First Nations’ Australian, her memorable story plus what it can teach us for our own creating…

Best life stories of 2023: Award-winning books to read over the holidays

What’s on a life-story coach’s reading list for 2024

Welcome to my final and fave article of the year!

Keep reading for the Forever Young Autobiographies shortlist of life stories to win awards during the past 12 months.

This best life stories of 2023 list features writers from Australia, the United Kingdom and the USA.

Also look out for my reviews of each book on the website during 2024 …

Best of 2023: Don’t miss the most trending life-story articles of the year

Best 2023 articles about writing quotes, story setting, why is theme important and family story Mitan and Moni

The Forever Young Autobiographies website has had thousands of visitors this year looking to plan, create, polish and publish life-story projects.

Of course, some articles were more popular than others.

Therefore today I’m highlighting the top 4 you found most helpful.

So keep reading for the best of 2023 and feel free to make suggestions about what you want to see in the new year!

Buy a gift: Christmas wish list and Secret Santa list for life-story creators

Everything you need to know about gift giving for life story lovers

This Chistmas buy a gift to encourage life-story creating.

Today I’ve put together some ideas to consider.

These suggestions are easy and suit all budgets.

Surely you will find something of interest!

Why is theme important: Use themes to create and edit life stories

Ask Nicola Q&A: The quick and easy way to understand theme and find the theme of a story

G’day and welcome to Forever Young Autobiographies – Ask Nicola.

Regularly I get questions about creating life storie s for family and friends.

Today’s Ask Nicola question is:

Why is theme important when editing?

So let’s jump into a few key points about themes to keep in mind when polishing your work …

Chasing Me to My Grave: Jim Crow memoir by Georgia artist Winfred Rembert

Book review: Pulitzer winner about chain gangs, lynching, black history and the Civil Rights era

Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South by the late Winfred Rembert is a life story about a nobody becoming a somebody.

In short, it recounts how Rembert grew up in Georgian cotton fields, survived years on chain gangs and became a world-renowned leather artist.

The Bloomsbury Publishing memoir was told to Tufts Philosopher Erin I. Kelly and scooped the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in Biography.

So keep reading to find out more about this award-winning story, what makes it interesting and how it can help us with our own creating …

AI: Artificial Intelligence tips I’m trying for life stories

Everything you need to know about using AI to record memories

AI or Artificial Intelligence is a trending topic and for many reasons.

But how, if at all, can it be helpful for us as life-story creators?

Recently I took a test drive of different AI platforms and applications.

So keep reading to find out what I discovered (without the tech jargon!) plus easy ways you can use AI to get creative …

My Cousin Is a Chief in Samoa: An amazing family story by Danish TV journalist Johannes Langkilde

Case study: News anchor’s chance meeting unites him with enriching American Samoan relatives

My Cousin Is a Chief in Samoa: The unlikely adventures of a Dane in Polynesia by Johannes Langkilde, with Cathrine Errboe, is a family story born from a chance meeting.

The life-story book tells how well-known journalist Langkilde grew up in cold, windswept Denmark hearing stories of faraway relatives on the tropical islands of Samoa – one of them a real live chief!

However in 2016 he suddenly found himself face to face with Fagafaga Daniel Langkilde of American Samoa while covering a political convention in the United States of America.

So keep reading to find out how a spark ignited between the two distant cousins, how the Wendila publication began plus tips for your own creating …

Windswept and Interesting: Autobiography by Glasgow joker Billy Connolly

Book review: British Book Awards winner about a national treasure and comedian rambling man

Windswept and Interesting: My Autobiography by Sir Billy Connolly CBE is a remarkable success story.

In fact it is the first full-length autobiography by the Glaswegian ‘rock-star comedian’.

Notably the John Murray Press publication is a No. 1 bestseller and took out the British Book Awards 2022 Book of the Year Audiobook Non-Fiction.

So keep reading to find out more about the book and what we can learn from Connolly’s efforts for our own life-story creating…

Transcription: How to quickly create life stories using voice-typing tools

Painlessly transcribe life stories with Rev transcription, Google Voice Typing, oTranscribe and more

My transcription shorthand teacher at journalism school started class with a precise English accent, a box of chalk and a silver stopwatch.

Certainly it was grueling work getting faster each week to crack 100 words a minute.

But today alternatives for the recording and transcription of interviews are mind-boggling.

Most importantly they can help us save time and make creating life stories easier…