Memoir & family-story guides
Choose the task in front of you: find a memory, ask a relative about their life, or turn your notes into something worth keeping. These practical guides pair original writing exercises with sources you can check.
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Keep your own words, then print or download them. No account needed.
Life-story timeline — place a few moments in orderMemory worksheet — explore one scene with five questionsChoosing a gift for a parent or grandparent? Compare life story gifts.
Choose a gift to enjoy together
Plan a personal gift around what your relative enjoys, the help you can give and the distance between you.
- Last-minute gifts for parents, without waiting for shippingNeed a gift for your parents today? Make a personal letter with or without photos, arrange time together or check a digital gift. Includes examples and a handover checklist.
- Christmas gifts for parents who have everythingChoose a Christmas gift your parents can enjoy: seven personal ideas, a six-photo album plan, free caption cards and a recipe-memory gift sheet.
- Gifts for grandparents who live far awayGifts for grandparents far away: six practical ideas, an audio-postcard example, a first-call plan and a privacy conversation before an AI story gift.
Find a memory to write about
Start with a room, an object, a school day or an ordinary moment. Fragments and uncertain dates are welcome.
- How to write your life story after retirementA practical, voice-friendly way to begin a memoir after retirement, handle uncertain memories, protect privacy, and build one reviewed chapter at a time.
- How to write a memoir when you don't remember every detailWrite truthfully through memory gaps with a practical system for sources, fact checks, conflicting accounts, uncertainty, privacy, and review.
- Childhood memory prompts: start with one roomWrite about your childhood home with room-by-room prompts, a free printable memory map, and a worked example that keeps memories and sources distinct.
- How to write the story behind a keepsakeTurn an ordinary keepsake into a story with five questions, a copyable object-history template, and an example that separates memories from unknown details.
- School days and teenage memories: start with an ordinary dayExplore school days and teenage years with specific writing prompts, a short timeline exercise and an invented example that leaves uncertain details open.
- 150 memoir writing prompts, organized by life stage150 memoir writing prompts for childhood, work, love, family, loss and later life—each a small scene to write, with tips for seniors and a printable PDF.
Have a family-story conversation
Choose a few open questions, let your relative set the pace, and keep their words and source notes together.
- How to interview your grandparents about their lifeUse a respectful 45-minute plan, story-starting questions, and useful follow-ups to interview a grandparent without turning it into an interrogation.
- How to Record Your Parent's Life Story: From Conversation to BookUse a four-week, consent-first plan to record a parent's stories, organize the files, review facts and privacy, and shape approved chapters.
- When a parent doesn't want to record their life storyLearn how to invite a reluctant parent to share life stories without guilt or pressure, using clear consent, practical scripts, and a one-session pilot.
- Questions to ask parents and grandparents about old family photosUse respectful questions to identify people, dates, places, and the stories behind old family photos, then connect each image to a recorded family interview.
- How to Record a Veteran's Oral HistoryRecord a veteran's oral history with clear consent, respectful questions, service-record context, faithful transcription, and review before sharing.
- 120 questions to ask your parents about their lifeAsk your mom or dad about childhood, work, love, raising you and what they learned: 120 questions by theme, with follow-ups and a printable PDF.
- 122 questions to ask your grandparents about their life122 questions to ask your grandparents about childhood, family history, work, love and faith, grouped by theme, with follow-ups and a free printable PDF.
Shape and preserve the stories
Organize the material, develop a chapter, review what it says and decide how to keep or share it.
- How to Turn Voice Recordings Into a Memoir BookOrganize family voice recordings, preserve the original audio, edit without invention, review the manuscript, and prepare a memoir book proof.
- How to organize family photos, letters, and recordings for a memoirTurn boxes and folders of family material into a clear, source-aware memoir archive without losing names, dates, context, privacy, or originals.
- How to write a family history book, with an outline and exampleCreate a family history book from records, photos and interviews. Use a worked outline, a free chapter worksheet and practical checks before sharing or printing.
- How to fact-check and correct an AI-generated memoir draftFact-check an AI memoir draft against recordings and transcripts, correct names and dates, review privacy, and approve the exact version you intend to share.
- How to preserve family recipes and their storiesSave an old family recipe with its original wording, the cook's memories and a clear source note. Includes interview questions and a copyable story template.
- How to write a memoir: a step-by-step guideA step-by-step way to write a memoir: choose a focus, gather memories, write scenes, check facts, write fairly about family, revise and finish the book.
- How to write a memoir with AI without losing your voiceLet AI interview you and draft from your own words, then check every fact and remove invented detail. What AI can and cannot do when you write a memoir.
- How to record your family historyRecord your family's stories step by step: who to ask first, permission, equipment, questions, labeling and backing up files, checking facts and sharing.
- How to turn an interview into a memoir chapterTurn a recorded interview into a memoir chapter: transcribe it, pick one moment, list the facts, draft in the speaker's voice and get their approval.