Guides
Guides to telling your life story
Plain, practical help with getting your stories down, helping a parent or grandparent tell theirs, and turning old photos and stories into a book.
By Jared Hecht, co-founder of Biographer
Getting your own story down
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How to write your life story, one story at a time
A step-by-step way to write your life story for your family: list the moments, tell one out loud, write it with real detail, and do one a week.
8 minute read
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150 life story questions to answer about your own life
150 specific questions to answer about your own life, from the house you grew up in to what you want your grandchildren to know, plus how to use them.
14 minute read
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How to write a memoir without typing
Six ways to write your life story by talking instead of typing, with plain steps for iPhone, Android, Google Docs and Word, and how to fix a transcript.
8 minute read
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How to remember more of your life, from childhood on
Practical ways to bring back old memories for a memoir or life story: walk through your childhood home, play the songs of one year, and use photos and maps.
7 minute read
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How to write a legacy letter to your family
What a legacy letter or ethical will is, what to put in it, a simple outline, 18 prompts and a short example letter from a grandfather to his grandchildren.
9 minute read
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Memoir, autobiography or biography: what's the difference?
Plain definitions of memoir, autobiography, biography, personal history and legacy letter, a table comparing them, and which one you're likely writing.
5 minute read
Helping a parent or grandparent tell theirs
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Questions to ask your parents and grandparents about their lives
100 questions to ask a parent or grandparent about their life, how to ask so you get stories instead of one-word answers, and what to do with recordings.
11 minute read
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How to interview a veteran and record their story
Questions to ask a veteran about their service, how to handle hard memories, how to record the interview, and how to add it to the Veterans History Project.
9 minute read
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How to write your family history
Turn your family tree into stories. Choose a scope, write what you know firsthand, interview relatives, use free records, and separate fact from family lore.
8 minute read
Photos, books and grandchildren
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What to do with old family photos
A step-by-step plan for a box of old family photos: sort them, find out who is in them, label and scan them, store the originals and write down the stories.
7 minute read
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How to print your life story as a book
The choices to make before you print your life story as a book, where to print it, what drives the cost, and how to get the photos and pages ready.
7 minute read
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How to share family stories with your grandchildren
Which family stories to tell grandchildren at each age, and ways to share them, from bedtime and video calls to recordings, letters and illustrated books.
6 minute read
How Biographer works
It asks about your life, follows up on what you say, and writes your stories into a book. Free to use, by voice or text.
See how it worksQuestions about Biographer
What's free, what the printed book costs, who can read your stories, and how sharing works.
Read the answersA personal biographer, so your life never fades.
Free. No writing. Private to you and the people you invite.
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