We are fascinated with people’s life stories. And we’re even more fascinated when we have a personal connection to them. What would you give to hear your grandmother tell the story of her first date with your grandfather, or to hear your father describe what it felt like to hold you for the first time?
Your personal history is meaningful in many ways, and it will be interesting to your readers. How do we know? Because you were there, at that time and place. Think of yourself as a journalist who traveled to a foreign country, and returned to write about what you experienced. You too have journeyed, thorough time and experiences and exotic places. Your book is a document of social history, describing real people’s lives, to transmit to future generations.
Maybe more importantly, your memoir is a document of your own personal and family history. Children yearn to understand the family they belong to, and need your stories to give their lives meaning. A generation or two ago, when extended families lived within close proximity of each other, those stories might have been passed around the dinner table live. But with families today spread all across the map, family identity stories get lost, unless people make a conscious decision to preserve them.
Many people would love to tell stories of their lives, but are intimidated by the scope of the project. They think they have to create an autobiography, a book that details the facts of an entire life. But there’s an easier, more artful way to tell your stories – memoir, or personal history. Instead of research and reporting facts, you can pick and choose which stories to tell.
They are sometimes called “slices of life” – the vivid, colorful stories that tell the most about you. At Stories To Tell, you will notice we use snapshots for our artwork, to illustrate this point: every story is like a snapshot, capturing that moment in time. Together, your stories can form a beautiful collage, with the sum of your stories creating even more meaning. You choose which stories to include, and which to exclude. The resulting book reflects your choices and values.
We tell stories to make sense of our lives, to remember important events and to pass on what we know to others. Every family has stories that define the best part of who they are as a group. The wisdom that we suffered to earn should be passed on - it can change lives.
Are your stories important? Absolutely!
• Stories To Tell • PO Box 993081 • Redding, CA 96099 • 888-577-9342 •
