How to Tell the Life Story of Someone You Love

Sharing the life story and experiences of a loved one is a rewarding way to learn more about her life while you spend time together. Creating a memory book, a scrap book or novel from those memories immortalizes your loved one for generations

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Make a list of things you want to talk about with your loved one to get the information for a life story. The list should include first memories, holiday traditions, moving from one home to another and other important events.
2. Talk to your family member or loved one in several sittings. Focus on one subject from your list during each sitting. Let your loved one talk as long as he would like. The more information you get, the better the life story will be when completed.
3. Record the conversations you have together and make a transcript of each recording.
4. Organize the transcripts in chronological order. If any of the transcripts bring up unanswered questions, return to her and follow up. Add the answers to the appropriate transcripts.
5. Turn the transcripts into the voice of your loved one narrating his own life story.
6. Add memories or stories of other family members who shared specific events with your loved one to her life story. Their point of view adds another dimension to the life you're recreating.
7. Use as many actual photographs as you can find when you put the finalized life story together for publication.