Tell Your Stories Before They Fade
You don’t have to write a memoir. One photo, one memory and ten minutes a week is plenty.
Prefer to watch? Here is the video version (large print, no sound needed). Watch on YouTube
Every family has a story that comes out at every holiday. The blizzard of ’78. The road trip where the station wagon broke down in the middle of nowhere. How Grandma and Grandpa really met (which is never quite the version they told the kids).
Those stories are a kind of family treasure. And like a lot of treasures, they’re easy to lose. Someday, someone in your family will wish they had them written down. The good news: you don’t have to write a whole memoir. You just have to start.
1. One photo, one memory
Pull out an old photo, any photo, and answer a few simple questions:
- Who’s in it?
- Where and when was it taken?
- What happened just before, or just after?
- What was the weather like, the music, the smell of the kitchen?
Write a paragraph or two on the back of a copy, in a notebook, or on the computer. That’s one story. Done.
2. Write it, or just say it
Not much of a writer? Tell the story out loud instead.
- Most smartphones have a voice recorder built in. Press the button and talk, the same way you’d tell it at the dinner table.
- Ask a grandchild to interview you. Kids love asking questions, and they’re surprisingly good at it.
- Your voice, your laugh and the way you tell it are part of the gift.
3. Share one this week
Stories are meant to be heard.
- Read one at Sunday dinner.
- Mail one to a grandchild with a copy of the photo.
- Tell it on your next phone or video call.
You’ll be surprised how often it starts a "Wait, I never knew that!" conversation, and how often someone shares a story back.
Try this today
- Pick one photo from a drawer or album.
- Spend ten minutes writing or recording the story behind it.
- Share it with one person this week.
Need a nudge? Story starters
- Your first car, and what it cost
- Your first job and your first paycheck
- A teacher you’ve never forgotten
- The house you grew up in, room by room
- The best trip you ever took, and the worst one
- Where you were when big news broke, like the moon landing
- A recipe and the person who taught it to you
Don’t worry about getting it perfect
Spelling, grammar and exact dates don’t matter much here. What matters is the feeling, the people and the little details only you remember: the sound of the screen door, your dad’s terrible jokes, the smell of your mother’s kitchen on a Saturday. Write the way you talk. Your family wants to hear you, not a textbook.
Keep it going
Ten minutes a week adds up. By this time next year, you could have fifty stories, enough for a small book for the family. Many copy shops and online services can print a simple bound copy for not much at all.
Which story does your family ask you to tell most? Tell me in the comments. I’d love to hear it.