How to Write a Salable Life Story

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Have each personal historian or volunteer bring a tape recorder with tape and a note pad.

   Bring camcorders for recording video to turn into time capsules and CDs or DVDs with life stories, personal history experiences, memoirs, and events highlighting turning points or special times in people’s lives.
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   Step 2: Assign each personal historian one or two older persons to interview with the following questions or interview people yourself.

   Or you can write your own memoirs highlights.
   
   To make your life story salable, focus on highlights that are universal.
   
   Ask yourself or others such questions as the following:
   What were the most significant turning points or events in your life? How did you survive the Wars? What were the highlights, turning points, or significant events that you experienced during the economic downturn of 1929-1939? How did you cope or solve your problems? What did you do to solve your problems during the significant stages of your life at age 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70-plus? Or pick a year that you want to talk about.
   
   What changes in your life do you want to remember and pass on to future generations? What was the highlight of your life? How is it best to live your life after 70? What years do you remember most? What was your favorite stage of life? What would you like people to remember about you and the times you lived through? , Select the most significant events, experiences, or turning points the person chooses to emphasize.
   
   Then write the story of that significant event in ten pages or less. , Usually photos, pressed flowers, or art work will be supplied.
   
   Have the student or teacher scan the photos onto a disk and return the original photos or art work or music to the owner. , There are free communities that give away Web sites to the public at no cost.
   
   Most search engines will give a list of communities at offering free Web sites to the public.
   
   Microsoft also offers free family Web sites for family photos and newsletters or information.
   
   Ask your Internet service provider whether it offers free Web site space to subscribers.
   
   The free Web sites are limited in space.
   
   For larger Web site spaces with room for audio and video material and other keepsake memorabilia, purchase a personal Web site from a Web-hosting company.
   
   Shop around for affordable Web site space for a multimedia life story time capsule that would include text, video and/or audio clips, music, art, photos, and any other effects. , Add photos.
   
   Add sound or .wav files with the voice of the older person speaking in small clips or sound bites.
   
   Intersperse text and photos or art work with sound, if available.
   
   Add video clips, if available and won't take too much bandwidth. ,, Make sure the older person and all relatives and friends are emailed the Web site link.
   
   You have now created a time capsule for future generations.
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   Step 3: Record the older person's answers in video and audio and transcribe the text so it will be available when the recording technology device becomes obsolete--in case someone forgets to transfer the video and audio recordings.

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   Step 4: Ask the older person to supply the younger student photos

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   Step 5: art work

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   Step 6: audio tapes

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   Step 7: or video clips.

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   Step 8: Scan the photos and put them onto a Web site on the Internet.

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   Step 9: Create a Web site with text from the older person's significant life events.

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    Step 10: Put the Web site online as the "time capsule" of (insert name of person) interviewed and edited by

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    Step 11: insert name of student who interviewed older person.

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    Step 12: Label each Web site Time Capsule and collect them in a history archives on the lives of older adults at the turn of the millennium.

Detailed Guide

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