We are the storytellers of our generation. We capture life
with our pens, computer keyboards, still-cameras, and our film
and video cameras. Our documentation will live forever.
~ CaptureLife.org
What if people would start writing about their lives
as they go along? That’s what people in the past did. If
it hadn’t been for the fact that keeping diaries was the
custom in the early days of our country much, perhaps
most, of our history would have been lost forever.
~ Excerpt from “How to Write Your Own Life Story”
Photos and journaling are a perfect match. A picture is only “worth a thousand words” if you know the story that goes with it! If you want to get started journaling, a great way to get your creative writing juices flowing is to start with a picture. Start with photos that make you smile or sigh as you remember the story behind it. Then simply tell the story in your own words.
Here are a few tips:
- Use an unlined spiral-bound notebook (look for sketchbooks wherever art supplies are sold) and an easy writing pen.
- Don’t worry about spelling, grammar or punctuation. You can always re-write before you add to your album.
- Set the timer for 15 minutes. (as FlyLady says, “You can do anything for 15 minutes!”) Start writing and don’t stop until the timer beeps. If you are getting some good thoughts down when the timer goes off, keep going.
If you want to include a memory in your album, but don’t have a photo, don’t let that stop you! You can also use journaling prompts written by someone else or you can write your own prompts.
Books and journals:
- Reflections From a Mother’s Heart: Your Life Story in Your Own Words
(Thomas Nelson Publishing)
- How to Write Your Own Life Story: The Classic Guide for the Nonprofessional Writer
- To Our Children’s Children: Preserving Family Histories for Generations to Come
by Bob Greene
- The Story of a Lifetime: A Keepsake of Personal Memoirs
by J. Richard Huxen
Creating photo albums does not have to be difficult. Your children (and even grandchildren) will thank you one day for taking the time to document your life with photos and stories.
When you write your stories down…you are…affirming
and celebrating your hopes and dreams by rediscovering the
why and how of your life. Writing can lead to insight and
self-understanding that brings peace and even healing…
there is much your grandchildren will never know about you
and their heritage unless you remember – and write.
~Denis Ledoux
