From left: Retired agricultural scientist Dr Alan Bell on his first day of school, Alan’s memoir, Alan and wife Gay. Photos: Contributed
Historian’s research helps supercharge husband’s life story
A desire not to repeat regrets spurred retired agricultural scientist Dr Alan Bell to write his memoir.
The 71-year-old recently published his book for family and friends.
“As I’ve grown older, I’ve regretted that I didn’t take the trouble to learn more about the lives of my parents and grandparents before they died,” Alan said.
“My writings are intended for my immediate family in case they feel the same way some day.”
Alan’s book is interesting for many reasons, especially because he joined forces with his wife Gay, a keen historian.
She researched and compiled a brief family history for Alan that prefaces the book.
Keep reading to find out more about how the project unfolded and tips Alan has for fellow autobiography writers.
Scientist writes for the future
My memoir is a fairly typical chronological account.
It is divided into sections that deal with different phases and geographic locations of my personal life and professional career.
The personal memoir is prefaced by a brief family history.
This deals mostly with the ancestors and descendants of my four grandparents, especially after they arrived in Australia during the 19th century.
Many of my family and friends have found the book interesting.
Grandchildren and others less so – at least for the moment!
Related article Case study: Filmmaker Luke Graham tells powerful father and son story
Scientist and historian combine efforts
I didn’t really spend much time on planning my memoir and didn’t do any formal interviewing.
However, I was able to obtain written records and other materials on family history from various relatives in Australia and the United Kingdom.
For the section on family history I depended heavily on the genealogical and record-searching expertise of Gay.
The actual writing of the first draft took about four months.
Related article Case study: Surprise find inspires biography of a late mother
Challenges and rewards
The hardest part of the project was obtaining and verifying historical information.
Some was based on poorly remembered family anecdotes.
However, the personal memoir was largely written from my own memory.
The most rewarding part of the project was definitely completing it and seeing it in print.
I also enjoyed being able to verify previously unsubstantiated stories about my family.
Related article Case study: Helping my grandmother, 98, write her autobiography
Final say
Alan said his favourite parts of the book were various anecdotes that shed light on the personalities of his forebears, friends and colleagues.
He encouraged others to start similar projects and offered the following tips.
“If you have no previous writing experience, consult Nicola’s website and other sources to get a feel for what others have done,” Alan said.
“Then just go for it!
“Some of the most compelling pieces I’ve read were written by first-time authors with no formal training in writing beyond high school English.”
Happy writing!
Do you want to write your memoir like scientist Alan and pass on your life stories to your children and grandchildren? Take the first step and plan your book chapters with my FREE training. Sign up here.
I hope these writing tips will keep you moving steadily towards finishing your memoir. Do you have a writing question? I love helping people overcome their writing struggles. Drop me an email.
Got an idea for an article? You can let me know here!
Don’t miss an article, sign up here to get instant notifications when new material is published.
This article first appeared on the website Forever Young Autobiographies.com.
