Legacy : A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing Personal History - Softcover

Spence, Linda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080401003X ISBN 13: 9780804010030

Publisher: Swallow Press, 1997

Synopsis

When Linda Spence asked her aging mother to write her life story, her mother stared at a blank sheet of paper and asked—“How? Where do I begin?” In this practical guide to capturing those memories that have been stored away, Linda Spence provides the questions that are the keys to unlocking the memories that make up a life.

Beyond the vital statistics are the personal stories that tell what it was like, what we did, and why we did it, how we feel about our choices, and what our circumstances were. Through encouraging coaching, shared memories, and open-ended questions, the process of producing a personal history becomes intriguing and engaging.

With Legacy the possibilities expand: a personal record is preserved—with its myths, traditions, joys, pains, gains, and losses; a family opens a potential dialogue that will last for generations; the writer has an opportunity for insight and resolution; the culture of a time and place is noted; the tradition of personal story is revitalized, and our present and future find nourishment and knowledge in the past.

Either as a gift that can act as a shared experience as the memories are recounted or as a personal way to take account of one’s experiences, often long since forgotten, Legacy is indeed a way to get one’s story down.

About this title

About the Author

Linda Spence writes and collects Legacy stories in Mill Valley, California, where she lives and works as a consultant.

From the Back Cover

Legacy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Personal History is animated by the belief that every life has value and knowledge for others. A personal history is a gift to share. It can restore the connection between generations. What did another time feel like, what did you do to pass the time - or to survive - and how did you feel about your choices? The small joys, triumphs, and turning points in a life have special meaning when shared with those who know the writer and who themselves are trying to respond appropriately when life graces them with blessings or seems to come up against a brick wall. Through supportive coaching, stimulating questions, shared memories, and evocative photographs, the process of producing a personal history becomes intriguing and engaging. With Legacy the possibilities expand, and our present and future find nourishment and knowledge in the past.

Reviews

Aiming to prod the story out of the writer, writing consultant Spence has designed a book of questions and quotes that goes deeply into the hows and whys of the writer's life. The questions are well written and divided by time period, from earliest memories of childhood to life as seen from the vantage point of old age. People will probably want to own and spend time with this book because the project it proposes will take longer than a three-week checkout, but it would do well in libraries where patrons are interested in genealogy or local history as a springboard to getting people to talk about the past. It also has great potential for people working with nursing-home patients. Recommended.?Lisa J. Cihlar, Winfield P.L., Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Swallow Press
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080401003X
• ISBN 13: 9780804010030
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 184