Life Story Links: May 9, 2023

The allure of journals as a place to experiment; interviews with memoirists Maggie Smith and Ava Chin; the oral stories and digital scraps that make a legacy.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeMay 9, 2023recent news about personal history, family history in the news, legacy news roundupComment

The best photo captions do these things

Photos that have no captions will leave readers of your heirloom book guessing. Make sure to write captions that either tell a story or provide vital details.

memoir & writing, photo legacyDawn M. RoodeMay 1, 2023how to write good photo captions, why your life story book needs photo cations, what to say in the captions in my family photo book, does my family photo book need captionsComment

Life Story Links: April 25, 2023

This week’s curated roundup for family historians and memory-keepers includes life writing lessons, memoir reviews, and thoughts on generational storytelling.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeApril 25, 2023recent news about personal history, family history in the news, curated list of stories for family historiansComment

A fun way to spark childhood memories for your memoir

Smells (such as of Mom’s perfume or Grandpa’s grease-stained clothes) and sounds—especially music—can trigger long-buried memories helpful for writing memoir.

memoir & writingDawn M. RoodeApril 17, 2023using the senses to help spark memories, how to use smells to bring back memories, how to use music to bring back memories, how to remember childhood for memoirComment

Life Story Links: April 9, 2023

This week’s curated roundup includes conversation with memoirists of note, life writing book recommendations, and recent family history reads and tips.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeApril 9, 2023recent news about personal history, family history in the news, curated list of stories for family historiansComment

Life (and life writing) lessons from a WSJ obituary writer

Why leave your legacy in the hands of someone else? Try your hand at writing your own obituary with these tips—it just may be the start of your mini memoir.

memoir & writingDawn M. RoodeApril 3, 2023book review, how to write about my life, easy ways to tell my life story, how do i start writing my life story, lessons from an obituary writer, review of yours truly an obituary writers guide to telling your story Comment

Life Story Links: March 28, 2023

Dawn Roode curates the best of what she’s read this week on the topics of family history, life stories, memoir writing (and reading), and leaving a legacy.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeMarch 28, 2023recent news about personal history, family history in the news, curated list of stories for family historiansComment

What to do when you have too many memory-keeping ideas

Don’t let all those memory-keeping ideas swirling around your head overwhelm you. Instead, take some time to hone in on which stories to tell first—here's how.

family history, memoir & writingDawn M. RoodeMarch 27, 2023life story book themes, how to decide what stories from my life to write about, how do i know what to write about in my memoir, overcoming family history book overwhelmComment