Personal Histories Made Easy—Leave a Legacy Behind
by Kalie Chamberlain
Journal…that daunting hardbound book, purchased with good intentions, the blank pages now intimidating as the book sits open before you. Over the years, you’ve gathered countless experiences, and now you want to share your wonderful stories with the people that mean the most to you. You hold the pencil in your hand, considering. Should you record what little you’ve been told about your birth? Childhood experiences that have faded into memories of memories? Or do you record only the most precious moments? Recollections of married life and children? But most of all, where—and how—to begin?
Hopefully, you’re not like me; at this point, I fold the book closed and stick it back on the shelf, telling myself “inspiration” will come to me later. In other words, I give up, hoping that someday I’ll have the know-how and time to leave a personal history for my family.
Writing a Memoir…the Easy Way
Fortunately for me (and others like me), a new trend in personal histories has made writing about one’s life easier than ever. Take, for example, Carl and David Marshall’s Book of Myself: A Do-It-Yourself Autobiography in 201 Questions. In this beautifully bound volume, the authors combine a set of practical instructions with a step-by-step guide. The book is divided into three sections: early years, middle years, and later years. It asks questions that are easy and fun to answer, such as, “When I was young, some of my favorite games, toys, or ways to entertain myself were…” Questions like this could trigger long-forgotten memories and childhood friends, while still relating interesting facts and details.
The lighter questions are followed by thought-provoking queries that allow writers to record important reflections, like the following: “Over the years, I learned that true friendship means…” The anecdotal format that most of the entries call for makes writing easier. Writers can also flip through the book to find a question that appeals to them; the dreaded writer’s block that so haunts uss will virtually disappear with 201 different questions to choose from!
Writing Your Love Story
David Marshall and his wife, Kate, also co-authored a book for writing love memoirs; Book of Us: A Journal of Your Love Story in 150 Questions is an easy way to record courtship, engagement, wedding, and a life of love together. I love the questions, which range from “The wedding dress looked like…” to “If this hadn’t happened, we never would have met.” What a simple way to record those cherished moments—and to fall in love with your spouse all over again as you remember each event. And even if you’ve never married, this book makes a great wedding or anniversary gift for any couple.
Variations on a Theme
One reviewer of Book of Us shared a wonderful idea. She turned the Book of Us into a history of her parent’s relationship, which she then distributed to all their children and grandchildren. This would be easy to do! Just use the questions and suggestions in the book as starters—and then type your answers using a computer! Thanks to technology, it’s easy to create many copies of documents to share with those you love—while still keeping a copy for yourself.
But don’t get discouraged if you can’t find a copy of the book! You can find personal history questions like the ones in Marshall’s books on the Internet. A fun method to use, and one that would make an adorable gift for a fellow senior friend, is to cut strips of paper to ½’’ and write or type a question on each strip. Place the questions in a jar and add a tag with the label, “My Personal History.” This is the perfect way to fill up all those empty journals in your den—just pull out a question from the jar and write down everything you can think of!
Not Just a Hobby
While writing of any kind, and especially writing a personal history, can be a great hobby and escape for anyone, it’s important to remember that the influence of this particular activity lasts across generations. One customer purchased the Marshalls’ books for her elderly parents, and she concludes, “The [books] made it easy for them to recount their life stories [and] … helped them write all those great bits of lessons-learned and sage advice that grandparents do so well. Now my kids have so much to remember their wonderful Oma and Opa by!” Never forget: your influence is long lasting and wonderful. Decide to start writing your personal history now to extend that inspiration across generations.
It’s easy to find personal history questions online! Real Simple magazine published over 80 questions that can help you get started. Just go to www.realsimple.com/talk and click on “Personal History Worksheet.”
It’s easy to find personal history questions online! Real Simple magazine published over 80 questions that can help you get started. Just go to www.realsimple.com/talk and click on “Personal History Worksheet.”
The grandfather and grandson team of Carl Marshall and David Marshall created an American keepsake version of the memoir. The most recent edition of Book of Myself, prompted after sales of over 250,000 copies, is easier to use and more widely available.
Book of Myself is available at www.barnesandnoble.com for $15.95. Book of Us is available at www.barnesandnoble.com for $14.95. Both are also available at local bookstores.