The resources listed here will be helpful as you begin to record your stories. The annotations are our own opinions. You may find that some resources work better for your writing style than others. For that reason, we encourage you to check several books out of the library before purchasing one. Most of the books listed are available at your local library, or can be requested through inter-library loan.

When you are ready to purchase one of these books, you may click on the "Order this book" link for the book. This will open a new browser window into the Amazon.com page for the book. In addition to information about placing a book order, you will usually find several reviews and customer comments for each book.

Astonishing Century, by Robert D. Joyce.
This is a great reference book for the memoirist. In fact, it was written with the personal and family historian in mind. Joyce devotes a two-page spread to each year from 1900 to 1999. He lists major world and national events, advances in science and technology, information about the lifestyle of the era, typical prices, trivia about the arts (including movies), and more. This is a boon for those who are working on personal or family timelines. Just reading the pages will spark many memories.

For All Time, A Complete Guide to Writing Your Family History, by Charley Kempthorne.
One of the best books on the subject we have found for inspiration and ideas. This is almost a course in writing family histories and memoirs. Kempthorne's book alone could keep you writing for the rest of your life.

Writing From Life: Telling Your Soul's Story, by Susan Wittig Albert.
This book leads women through a series of writing exercises which eventually come together in an autobiography of over 100 pages. She uses some simple techniques to get the reader/writer to explore how valuable and special her life is, no matter how humdrum it may seem. The reader can use the exercises to write about her life as superficially or as deeply as she wishes. The only problem is, as you well know, that the more you think about and write your story, the more stories you think of to write! The whole project mushrooms geometrically! But...you never run out of things to write about. I think the best lesson here is that it is important to START writing, no matter where you start. The book is very valuable for the personal historian. The only drawback is that it is written for women. However, I think that men could also benefit from many of the writing exercises that the author suggests.

Turning Memories into Memoirs: A Handbook for Writing Lifestories, by Denis Ledoux.
This is a memoir writing workshop in a book. Step-by-step, Ledoux leads you through the process of writing your personal or family history. He also helps you strategize the best way for you to write your memoirs based on your own writing habits and lifestyle. Included are memory jogs, how to create your "lifelists," writing and editing techniques, interviewing and research methods, how to publish your writing, and much more. Over thirty practical exercises turn the reader into a writer. Highly recommended.

Writing from Within: A Guide to Creativity and Life Story Writing, by Bernard Selling.
Using dialog from his workshops, Selling guides the reader through the memoir writing process. His memory recall methods help you remember some of the earliest moments from your life. Selling provides rewriting techniques throughout the book so your writing continuously improves. There are many samples of his students' writing.

To Our Children's Children: Preserving Family Histories for Generations to Come, by Bob Greene and D. G. Fulford.
Here is an excellent reference, full of memory sparkers. The entire book is a categorized list of questions to get you to think about your past. The questions can be used as writing exercises or for audio or video interviews. Green includes a chapter on how to use the book to write your memoirs.

A Journey Through Your Childhood: A Write-In Guide for Reliving Your Past, Clarifying Your Present, and Charting Your Future, by Christopher Biffle.
A very well done fill-in-the-blank book which jogs your memories of childhood. There are lots of worksheets for drawing maps and diagrams that jog your memory. Biffle begins with episodes and memories from your childhood that are easy to write about and more lighthearted. As you work through the pages, the topics become deeper and more serious. He gently guides you into remembering many facets of your upbringing that you may have otherwise forgotten.

Keeping Family Stories Alive: Discovering and Recording the Stories and Reflections of a Lifetime, by Vera Rosenbluth.
This is an excellent resource for learning interviewing techniques and how to prepare the interviewee. Rosenbluth also covers audio and video taping techniques, how to preserve and organize your tapes, making transcripts, uses for taped interviews and much more. Look for the second (or later) edition, published in 1997.

Family Tales, Family Wisdom: How to Gather the Stories of a Lifetime and Share Them With Your Family, by Dr. Robert U. Akeret.
If you are an elder who would like to share your stories, or if you have an elderly relative whose stories you would like to hear, this is an indispensable resource. Akeret takes you through a step-by-step process of creating a treasury of family memories on tape (audio or video). He first shows you how to help even the most timid relative feel at ease. Then he encourages you to bring the family members together to listen to the "Elder Tales." Be sure to check out this book if you have occasional family gatherings that include an elderly relative.

Voices in Your Blood: Discovering Identity Through Family History, by G. G. Vandagriff.
This book helps you work intuitively while doing family history and genealogical research. Vandagriff guides the reader into listening to genetic memories when writing stories about ancestors. She provides a bridge between pure genealogical research and writing family histories, and she leads you to ask some probing questions while doing your research. If you have ever "felt" the voice of an ancestor speaking to you, you will find this book especially inspiring. It is a good reference for those researching the lives of ancestors long dead.

Family Histories: An Easy Step-By-Step Guide to Capturing Your Family's Precious Memories Now...Before They're Lost, by Nancy Pengra.
Nancy has written this book in much the same way that I conduct my workshops — with lots of ideas for writing and publishing your memoirs and family history. It is well-illustrated with photographs and sample stories. Seeing examples of other people's writing is incredibly inspiring, and you'll find lots of examples here. Nancy also provides step-by-step instructions for getting started, choosing what to include, and how to gather and organize the stories and photos. She takes into consideration that each person is going to go about writing his stories in his own unique fashion, and she provides many different possibilities for doing so.

Life's Companion: Journal Writing as a Spiritual Quest, by Christina Baldwin.
This is our personal favorite journaling book. Thought provoking exercises guide you in your journal writing activities.

Creating Family Newsletters: 123 Ideas for Sharing Memorable Moments With Family and Friends, by Elaine Floyd.
Family newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with extended families throughout the year. They are also the perfect opportunity for you to publish your stories. Elaine Floyd, a professional newsletter editor and publisher, leads you through all types of newsletter writing: from simple annual letters to extended family publications to family Web sites. She presents ideas for creating easy and elegant handmade publications as well as computer generated newsletters. There is something here for all ages and abilities. This is a keeper!

The Photo Scribe: A Writing Guide / How to Write the Stories Behind Your Photographs, by Denis Ledoux.
An easy and fun way to write memoirs is to use photographs as memory kindlers. Denis Ledoux has written the definitive guide for captioning photos. He guides you in writing "cameo narratives" or short lifestory narratives using your photographs for inspiration. Use Ledoux's suggestions to add meaning and interest to existing photo albums or to create lifestory albums for a comprehensive memoir or family history.

Classic Scrapbooking: The Art and Craft of Creating a Book of Memories, by Vera Rosenbluth and Susan McDiarmid.
Classic Scrapbooking is an excellent resource of ideas for presenting your personal or family history. Look here for wonderfully creative ways to display mementos, photographs, and memoirs. The authors include techniques for making handmade books.