Writing your life story.
One chapter at a time, with the right questions.
“What is there to tell? Mine’s just an ordinary life.” Almost everyone says it, and it’s almost never true. Only you know your story: where you grew up, who you loved, what you learnt. You don’t need to write a book to write your life story. All it takes is good questions, and a little time.
Even if it seems ordinary to you
You don’t need a book. Good questions are enough.
As children and grandchildren grow up, they start asking questions. Sometimes those questions come late, when memories have grown hazier. Telling your life story today means answering in advance: in your own words, with your memories, your way of seeing things.
And it does you good too: going back over your own story helps you make sense of it, and see how far you’ve come.
The questions, chapter by chapter
Six chapters, a few questions each. You don’t have to follow the order: start with whatever comes most naturally.
Childhood
Where were you born, and what was the house you grew up in like?
Who was the person you loved most?
What’s your earliest memory?
Growing up
What was school like? Who were your friends?
What did you dream of being when you grew up?
The music, the films, the places of those years.
Love
How did you meet the person you loved most?
Your first date: where, how, what did you say to each other?
What have you learnt about love?
Work
Your first job and your first pay packet: what did you spend it on?
What are you proudest of?
A mistake you learnt a lot from.
Family
The day you became a parent, or a grandparent.
The family traditions you hold dear.
A difficult time you got through together.
What you’ve learnt
What would you say to your twenty-year-old self?
What do you think really matters?
What would you like your grandchildren to know?
A voice tells what a pen forgets
Writing
- If you enjoy it, take your time: one chapter a week.
- Don’t over-correct: the way you write is part of the story.
Recording
- If writing feels like a chore, talk. Read a question and answer as if you were sitting at the table with a grandchild.
- Your voice, the pauses, the laughter will say more than any page.
For children and grandchildren. Would you like to gather your parents’ or grandparents’ story? Use the same questions as an interview: one question at a time, one evening a week, with a phone recording on the table.
Your story, one chapter at a time
Text, audio, video and photos, at your own pace.
One chapter per page
In a Diaries capsule you can add text, audio, video and photos, whenever you like.
Choose who will receive it
Your children, your grandchildren, the person you love.
Choose the moment
A birthday, an anniversary, a family get-together. Or keep it to yourself, for as long as you like.
Writing your life story: common questions
Any other questions? Write to us via Help.
Other words, for other moments
Only you know your story.
Tell it.
Start with the first memory that comes to mind.