Legacy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Personal History

Spence, Linda

ISBN 10: 080401003X / ISBN 13: 9780804010030

Published by Swallow Press / Ohio University Press, Athens, OH, 1997

About this Item

155 pages.

Seller Inventory # 608607

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Legacy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Personal History
• Publisher: Swallow Press / Ohio University Press, Athens, OH
• Publication Date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080401003X
• ISBN 13: 9780804010030
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Condition: Near Fine
• Seller catalogs:
  • Genealogy::Other Genealogy Topics::Narrative Wr...

About this title

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 the Author

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