Journal
Notes on writing a life down.
A complete guide to family story preservation
Family story preservation is a four-stage system: decide what to capture, get the person talking, turn talk into a durable record, and tie photos and objects to it. Here is the whole method.
7 ways to digitize and preserve family memories
Scanning the photo box is the easy part. The largest category of family memory was never on any medium to digitize. Here is the honest order of operations.
Why family stories disappear in two generations
Family stories vanish in roughly three generations, sooner if nobody asked. Here is the mechanism, the evidence, and what to do tonight.
What is a memoir? Definition and examples
A memoir is a first-person book about part of a life, told for meaning rather than chronology. Examples, and how it differs from autobiography.
The best 50th anniversary gift: their love story
Gold jewelry is the easy answer for a 50th anniversary gift. The better answer: record the marriage's love story into a book the grandchildren keep.
Storyworth alternatives: 6 real memoir services
An honest 2026 roundup of six memoir services that produce a real printed book. Pricing, mechanism, and the failure mode of each, from $79 to $24,000.
How to give the gift of a memoir for Christmas
A finished memoir is not a December 25 gift. Here is what you can wrap, how to introduce it without awkwardness, and a realistic timeline.
Capturing a parent's stories without sitting down
Seven methods for when the chair-and-question format stalls: object tables, walks, photo prompts, recipes, audio letters, and one question a day.
What to ask a quiet parent about the past
Most articles assume reluctance is shyness. Usually it isn't. Diagnose the real reason a parent goes quiet, then ask the question that fits.
Memoir interview questions for 90 minutes
Why 100-question lists don't fit in 90 minutes, the five-act structure of a real memoir session, and the twelve questions we actually use in a first sitting.
Storyworth vs StoryTerrace vs Yourtale compared
Three memoir services compared: who writes, who finishes, and what each costs. Storyworth, StoryTerrace, and Yourtale side by side.
Old letters and journals from a deceased relative
A calm decision tree after a death: pause, keep a small core, digitize the rest, donate what is historically significant. Archival specs and donation pathways.
Record a parent's life story without writing it
A guide for the adult child who wants a parent's memoir captured into a real book, without the parent or anyone else sitting down to write it.
How to preserve a parent's voice in a book
'Voice' means two things in a memoir: the literal audio and how a person tells a story on the page. Here is the audio-first method that keeps both.
Interview your grandparents before it's too late
What gets lost first when a grandparent dies, why question lists fail, and a sequence (tonight, this week, this year) for the stories that matter.
How to digitize old family photos and videos
Digitize prints, slides, negatives, VHS, 8mm, and audio. Mail-in services compared, DIY equipment, scan resolution (600 PPI minimum), and storage rules.
How long does it take to write a memoir
Six months to never, depending on who writes it. We break the timeline down by path: DIY (12-24 months), ghostwriter (9-18 months), AI interview (8-12 weeks).
What heirlooms to pass down to your children
An heirloom is an object plus a story. Strip the story and you get a thrift-store donation. Here is what families should actually pass down, in what order.
17 best tools to capture family stories in 2025
An honest roundup of 17 tools that work for recording, transcribing, prompting, and archiving family stories. Grouped by job, with our read on each.
Why write a memoir, anyway?
The case for writing your life down, not as legacy or therapy, but as the cheapest way to find out what you actually think.
The most common Storyworth problems
What goes wrong with Storyworth: renewal surprises, the writing burden on the parent, year-long commitment, customization limits, and ways around each.
Preserve a parent's stories before it's too late
What gets lost when a parent dies, why most families discover it too late, and what to do tonight, this week, and this year to keep the stories that matter.
How to get a memoir without doing the writing
Four real ways to capture a life story when the person whose story it is doesn't want to (or can't) sit down and write it. An honest comparison.
How much does it cost to make a memoir book
Page one of Google gives you a range from $200 to $100,000. We answer with one number: $299 for a Yourtale memoir, plus a clear breakdown of every other tier.