"Your past is your story up to now. The future is the story yet to come. The present is where you live with that experience, your hopes and your dreams."

Opening Remarks: Bad to the Bone

For the past 16 years I’ve enjoyed living here in the Southwest. My children have grown up, I’ve had a few different jobs and now work as a 5th grade teacher. My wife and I enjoy our grandkids and we also have enjoyed from the start the amazing television drama, Breaking Bad. The show has become a favorite of many people and is full of intrigue and fascinating characters. It’s a bit dark, but highly entertaining. I was happy to see it win the Best Drama award on the Emmy’s last night. And thanks to the show creator, Vince Gilligan, for the shout out to Albuquerque.

Thank you to all our subscribers. I hope you enjoy this month’s issue. You are receiving this e-zine because you signed up for it or someone who is subscribed passed it along to you. If a friend DID forward this to you consider subscribing by visiting our signup page . Also, let me know what you’d like to see more of in this newsletter – simply reply to this email e-zine.

While the main focus of this newsletter is to share thoughts, ideas, and insights on life story writing you should know that I offer various services and also mention some products and services that can be helpful. You are under no obligation to purchase anything, but if any of these products or services are helpful and you decide to utilize them then I am most grateful.

Thanks for reading. – Tom

Featured Article: Photo Stories

Every picture tells a story and telling your story with pictures from various stages of your life has become a very popular way to preserve memories.

If you search the Internet for photo books you will discover a number of options. While I am no expert on these various providers it appears that there are many affordable and easy-to-use choices. A few options include Mixbook, Smilebox, Snapfish, Picaboo and Shutterfly. When you visit these providers’ websites you will typically find all the information you need to upload your photos, add text and utilize a wide variety of template or custom options. Prices range from some discounted $10 to $20 smaller books to a $100 or more for higher quality books with lay-flat pages and attractive coffee book styles.

While I focus mostly on the written narratives in my life story work, I do believe photographs aptly placed throughout a printed memoir, autobiography or family history is important. The pictures can transport you back in time or create an emotional bond to a story. Spectacular sights, such as a great sunset or breathtaking view, can inspire and delight. Recently I snapped this picture on an early morning walk with my dog, Shadow. I love how the sky is painted with the pink, orange and yellows across clouds bathed in dawn’s early light. My iPhone actually did an impressive job of capturing this view. I even shared the photo with my 5th grade students and had them all do drawings of it to display at our state fair.

Every picture does tell a story, one worth a thousand or more words. Look through your photo albums. Consider how you will use some of them in your life story work. If you aren’t creating a photo book you can still post pictures online or in other media. Chris Wells of Life Legacy Photography creates wonderful legacy photo streams. You may also want to investigate Legacy Stories where you can upload photographs and record short audio narrations.

As you can see from this article there are many ways to preserve memories through your photos and the stories we are reminded of as we gaze down the lens of time. You can read other life story articles here.

Featured Resources

Bringing memories to mind from your past can sometimes be a struggle. That’s why The Memorygrabber by Michael Boyter is such an excellent tool. This extremely informative and helpful e-book will guide you through various times in your life, and help you compile lists that you will refer to time and again as you construct your life story. Grab those memories with the very affordable Memorygrabber from Family History Products. Go here for more information.

Memoir Network

The Memoir Network has been busy with a number of special offers and Denis Ledoux has been writing quite a few articles that he shares on his site. I continue to refer to his excellent Turning Memories Into Memoirs book in my personal history work. Over the years this book has steadily sold and it has proven to be a useful how-to guide to personal life story writers. You can get more information here.

Closing Information

Any comments, ideas or feedback is greatly appreciated. Just reply to this ‘zine and tell me what you think!

Until next time, – keep your story alive!

Tom Gilbert