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Why write a memoir? A dozen compelling reasons to share your story

What are memoirs?

Memoir is really just a fancy word for your story. It can be your

whole life story, your memories of your family, a descrip�on of a

single event or �me in your life. Memoirs can really be whatever

you want them to be.

What do memoirs look like?

You story can be simply be your memories. You can write them

yourself or have someone from Memories in Print interview you

and put your memories into words.

Memories in Print will take your interview, or your wri�en words

and form them into a book, copies of which you can give to your

friends and family.

Your memoir might be just words or you might add photographs

of people and places, copies of documents, photographs of

objects, your family tree, in fact anything you think will add colour

and detail to you memories.

There are no rules—it is en�rely up to you!

Why share your memories?

Some of us have had very exci�ng or unusual lives and have lost

track of how many people have said to them ‘you should write a

book about that!’. Others of us have led what seem to be pre�y

ordinary lives and it might feel odd to think about pu(ng it all

down on paper. You might be surprised at how much your family

would love to read your book!

There are many reasons why wri�ng about own lives, and the lives

of our predecessors is a great idea. Here are a few good reasons:

Sharing your memories

The memories we have will disappear as �me passes.

Memories fade and, let’s face facts, when we die most of our

memories die with us and are lost forever. Our children, trying

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to recall what we said years before, may struggle to remember

key details. Our grandchildren may regret that they were too

young (and too busy) to sit and listen and ask all those

ques�ons about you, your childhood, your parents and their

parents.

Those details that might seem a bit mundane to us now, can

be magical to future genera�ons. For example, you may be

able to recall clearly your mother or grandmother’s kitchen

and the smell of the bread she baked every Monday morning

on the huge wood-fired oven. For the microwave genera�on,

this is a far from ordinary memory!

An invaluable legacy

Some of us are lucky enough to be able to leave our families a

financial legacy or perhaps property or other assets, but all of

us can leave something far more valuable – a wealth of

memories. It will not just be your immediate family that

benefits from this legacy but genera�ons into the future.

Some people find that maybe their children or grandchildren

are not as interested as they would like in their memories of

days gone by. But they will be! The beauty of having it all

wri�en down and beau�fully presented is that it will be there

wai�ng for them when they do become interested. Interest is

generally prompted when they have their own children and

grandchildren and they start thinking about their own roots.

Preserving our history

History is not just based on the dates of kings and queens but

on the lives of everyday people. Our memories are a

fascina�ng source of local history and this is something that is

being appreciated more and more. Your memoirs can not only

be given to family and friends to cherish but lodged with your

local archives to add to the knowledge we can offer to future

genera�ons. Memories in Print will not only ensure that your

memories are presented in a way appropriate to local archives

but also help you make contact.

Memories and the local history they form, are disappearing

rapidly and we perhaps have a responsibility to share what we

know and remember. What I would give now to hear the

memories of my great great grandfather who drove ca�le

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from Somerset to the West Midlands. His way of life is now

long-since forgo�en. The experiences he had I will never know

about.

Memories flood back

Wri�ng memoirs is an exci�ng process. The very act of talking

about memories causes other memories to flood to the

surface, Suddenly, things we have long forgo�en can be

recalled in vivid colour. This is an amazing experience giving us

a new-found picture of our past.

Of course, the downside to this is that it can be tricky to keep

track of all the new informa�on coming to the fore. This is

where Memories in Print comes into its own. We are experts

at asking the right ques�ons so that nothing gets forgo�en

and at edi�ng memories so that they are presented in a way

that makes sense to the reader.

Passing on our learning

We all do some learning during our lives. Perhaps we make

some mistakes or take some wrong turns but we grow as

people as a result. Your memoir can be a way of passing on

this learning so that other people don’t make the same

mistakes as you.

Your memoir can also be a way of se(ng the record straight

and telling the story from your perspec�ve.

Self-revela"on

For other people, the process of wri�ng our story can itself be

a way of learning about ourselves. Wri�ng a memoir warrants

a lot of thinking – recalling events, imagining what other

people were thinking, pu(ng memories into context with

other events. This process can be a learning process and can

help the writer develop an understanding of occurrences

which we may not previously have fully understood.

At Memories in Print, we are always happy to give you some

thinking �me.

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7 Understanding family photographs

Many families have photograph collec�ons which we pass

from one genera�on to another. Sadly, as well as we might

have preserved the family photograph albums, as each

genera�on passes we lose a li�le more knowledge about the

people in the photographs and the nature of the events they

depict.

While we may have clues wri�en on the reverse on the snaps,

the story and characters are lost forever. Wri�ng a memoir

can be a way of adding the colour to the photographs –

passing on our knowledge of the families they depict. With

Memories in Print, there is not limited to the number of

photographs you can have in your printed memoirs.

A healing process

Some of us have had unhappy periods in our lives. Wri�ng a

memoir can be a way of ‘pu(ng ma�ers to bed’. Some people

we have interviewed for their memoirs have said that they

found the whole experience cathar�c. The simple process of

telling the whole story has helped to heal wounds which had

long been le? open.

Learning experience

For some of us, wri�ng memoirs spurs us on to find out more

informa�on. We may turn to birth, marriage and death

records to source dates. We may ask other rela�ves, former

colleagues, friends and acquaintances what they know about

certain issues. We might search old newspapers to see if

family rumours might turn out to be true. Wri�ng our

memoirs can be the start of a long and exci�ng process which

we can then share with our family and friends.

If you are looking for addi�onal informa�on and official

documents about your family, Memories in Print can help you

find where and how you might find this . We are very

experienced qualified researchers.

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The chance to be proud

Many families go through a huge process of change—they

may, for example have climbed the social ladder or been

involved in a �me of poli�cal change. Some individuals achieve

great things or survive terrible crises. Or perhaps you yourself

have done something to be proud of. Your memoirs mean that

future genera�ons can share your pride.

And it’s not about showing off. Families can so easily forget

what there is in their past to be proud of. It is great for our self

-esteem to be reminded!

Helping future family historians

Wri�ng a memoir can incorporate a great deal of family

informa�on which can help future genera�ons make sense of

their own family history. Records and archives only give us so

much informa�on – the census records, for example, provide

only a snapshot of family circumstances. A memoir tells not

only the facts but tells the story behind those facts and gives a

wealth of understanding which would otherwise be lost in the

mists of �me.

It’s fun! ...

Wri�ng memoirs is fun. The process of put down your

memories on paper, or talking to a memoir-writer is a source

of great pleasure. And the feeling when you open the box of

your books is very exci�ng. Most of all, there is the joy, and

pride, you feel will you hand our copies of your book to your

friends and family and they delight in reading your words.

… and it’s easy!

With Memories in Print, you don’t have to write a word, we

will interview you, write your story, design the book and the

cover, add the photos. It couldn’t be easier.

Call us today on 0121 373 2747.

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