How do I choose what to write in my life story?

• It is best to think of life as a long strand of pearls or beads with each year or significant event as one pearl. You do not want to talk about every little thing that happens. It would not hold the interest of the reader and you would never finish. Pick out a small section (think of a bracelet or ring) and concentrate on that subject. You can still interject other facts and interesting tidbits but your focus will be one area of your life. For instance, you could choose your experiences during COVID, or your career, or your spiritual life, or a defining moment in your life.

What do you mean, a defining moment?

• Dr. Phil MacGraw tells us that in each life are ten defining moments and seven critical choices. Only you will know when in what circumstances the defining moments of your life occurred. I encourage you to really spend some time thinking through the various stages of life you have lived so far. The stories you're about to tell are important because they have had consequences in your life. A defining moment in my life was a sunday school teacher who told my mother when I was seven years old that I was a brat and would never amount to anything in life. Okay, so she did catch me climbing out the window but her classes were so boring. I wanted to succeed just to show her and make my mother proud.

Then what is a critical choice?

• Unlike defining moments, which may have been out of your control, the choices you made and continue to make are your responsibility. A choice my husband made was to join the military. Did he regret that choice or enjoy that life? Only he can be the one to tell his story.

What is an autobiography?

• This life story tells the jest of the whole necklace, usually in chronological order. Chapters, special events, decades, houses, or any other natural division can separate the sections.

What is a memoir?

• A memoir takes an important section of the pearls and makes a short necklace. You can and probably will refer to the other beads, but you don't go into detail describing them. You will want to concentrate your effort on the significant period of time you are describing.

What is an anthology?

• This is a collection of short unrelated stories, essays, anecdotes, incidences, etc. that are gathered together in one book. The stories, poems, and essays may build upon one another or they may be able to stand on their own.

What is a photo scribe?

• A photo scribe is a more in-depth scrapbook. The stories revolve around a photo or two. Each page has a beginning, middle, and end. The hardest part is in choosing just one photo to use and throwing away the other 200 of your family in Disneyland.

Should we include photos, graphics, and memorabilia?

• These additions to the narrative greatly enhance the readability, enjoyment, and value of the project. However, they also greatly enhance the time needed to do layout, scanning, sizing, etc. that will be reflected in the cost of the finished project. One method of saving money is to group all the photos in the center of the book.

What if I am not a good writer, speller, or know how to use a computer?

• Can you speak into a phone? On an iPhone, there is a function called "record." Just talk your stories and then send the MP3 to a place called www.Fivver.com where there are people who will transcribe your voice into words on a page. Then you can go through and decide what is important and what needs more description and which direction you want to take your story. They also have people who will layout, format, and do all sorts of things for you, starting at five dollars.

When should I begin?

• Yesterday, today, right now. There is no time like the present. You know, and I know, that you have been wanting to do this for some time. Perhaps your family has been nudging and suggesting that you record some of your stories. If you don't do it, who will?