Want to record your life story in a book?
We'll write it for you.
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What is a life story?
It's your personal memoir, written by a professional personal historian. The book is narrated in your voice and illustrated with photos and family memorabilia.
Who is it for?
Anyone who wants to preserve their story, or the story of a loved one, for family, friends, and future generations.
Creating a custom-made life story on your own can be stressful.
With our help, it's easy.
You talk. We listen.
We come to you and record your stories over a series of casual interviews.
We do the writing.
You'll see the work-in-progress as we go along and can make any changes or edits you like. But you don't have to do any of the writing yourself; that's what we're here for.
Pick out your favorite photos.
Whether you have thousands of photos or just a few, we'll help you pick out the best to include in your book.
Choose your book cover and design.
When we have the book exactly how you want it, we go into production. We'll show you options for layout, printing, and binding, and you decide how many books you'd like — from one to hundreds.
Benefits to...
Storyteller
- Experience the joy of telling your stories to a trusted interviewer
- Watch as the manuscript takes shape
- Know you're giving the greatest gift of all: your story, told by you.
Family and friends
- Savor the stories of a loved one's past, told in his or her words
- Gain a deeper understanding of your family history
Descendants
- Future generations will have a greater awareness of their history and the forebears who shaped them.
- Knowing family history has been shown to increase the resiliency of families and individuals.
"Wherever one looks twice there is mystery."
— Elizabeth Bowen
Why do a life story?
Memories fade.
The fact is, we gradually lose the stories our parents and grandparents told us about their lives. Your grandfather probably thought he lived a typical life, but wouldn't you love to hear him tell once again about growing up in the shtetl in Poland or the farm in Kansas? To have not just a scattering of anecdotes, but a real understanding of what his life was like? In the years to come, that is exactly how your own children, grand-children and great-grandchildren will feel about the stories of your life. Curiosity about you, curiosity about their heritage.
A chance to take stock.
When we're in the thick of things, it's hard to sit back and evaluate life. But one of the gifts of aging is the ability to view our distant younger self with understanding and sympathy. To cull wisdom from the warp and woof of life. By allowing The Story Scribe to help you record your life story, you not only give your family the gift of your experiences, you grant yourself the opportunity to make meaning of those recollections. Life can be messy, chaotic, and veer in a thousand different directions. Through our series of interviews, you'll have the opportunity to take stock of the events of your life.
Our past informs their future.
You don't have to be a world leader or a celebrity to have experiences worth sharing. Every one of us has stories, and these stories are like road signs to future generations. "Here's what I did right," your memories tell the world, "and here's what I could have done better." But unless you're a celebrity, with journalists and critics publicly recording your life for you, those road signs gradually disappear. A personal history keeps that from happening.
"I can't thank you enough. I have received so many compliments on the book and on how you captured my personality and feelings. I'm so happy we finished. It's something my grandchildren will always cherish. Thank you for the hard work you put into it, and for making it as beautiful as you did!" Helen Kitchin, St. Louis, Missouri
"It has been a great pleasure working with you these past two years, telling you my story as you wrote the book. The process was extremely easy, and I am extremely pleased and proud of the work we produced." Col. (Ret.) Bill Kornitzer, Kansas City, Missouri
“We are grateful to Amy for helping us create a ‘book of memories’ for our family. It will be a treasure for years to come. Our family was impressed with the quality of Amy’s work. Everyone has a story to tell and she makes it interesting.” Harry and Fran Morningstar, Kansas City, Missouri.
"Amy, thank you SO much! It has been such a pleasure working with you, and I TRULY appreciate all that you have done to help me make this special gift for my husband!!" Marci Bluestone, St. Louis; commissioned her in-laws' story as a gift to her husband.
Prefer to write your life story yourself? We offer a full range of writing services, including one-on-one coaching, editing, and workshops. Call 816-377-8694 to learn more.
Click below to see our Memoir Circle workshops
“I don’t know how much you know about your great-grandfather, but I know very, very little about my great-grandfather, and I’ve been doing genealogy for twenty years. When you stop to think about it, that my great-grandsons will be able to listen to this, my own son will be able to listen to this, my daughters will be able to listen to this, well, it’s remarkable. What a wonderful gift I’m able to leave them.”
Bernie Donnelly, St. Charles, Missouri
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The Story Scribe, LLC | 816-377-8694 | amy@thestoryscribe.com
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