by Laura Hedgecock | Memories, Storytelling, Writing and Sharing Memories
Looking at photos and sharing a walk down Memory Lane bears a strong resemblance to photo reminiscence therapy (pRT). This therapy can lead to discovery and preservation of family stories as well as better health outcomes. Most of us have looked through photo albums...
by Laura Hedgecock | Family History, Storytelling, Writing Advice
A narrative arc or story arc can help family historians write riveting stories. To decide whether your family’s stories could benefit, let’s talk about what a narrative arc is. What’s a Narrative Arc aka Story Arc? A narrative arc is the bare bones of the path a story...
by Laura Hedgecock | Storytelling, Writing Advice
Not only do family historians and memoir writers want to convey compelling stories untinged by mistruths and embellishments, they also want to tell those family and ancestor stories without judgment. How do we do that? It’s not easy to approach difficult chapters of...
by Laura Hedgecock | Journal writing, Scrapbooking, Storytelling, Writing and Sharing Memories
Whether you’re working on adding stories to your scrapbooking layouts or wanting to dress up your narratives, finding templates for family stories or family histories can be a chore. This came to mind as a fellow blogger, Carol Kostakos Petranek of Spartan Roots,...
by Laura Hedgecock | Family History, How-to, Storytelling
With all our collected memories and family stories, most of us aren’t sure how to choose which family stories to write. The abundance of material presents a problem common to family history storytellers and memoirists. Often, it’s paralyzing. How can we write all...
by Laura Hedgecock | Family History, Storytelling, Writing and Sharing Memories, Writing Prompts
In honor of the 31 days of October (not Baskin Robbins), I present you with 31 fall story prompts for your own and family stories. Here in Michigan, the fall colors are peaking. This year is spectacularly vibrant. While taking photos, trying to memorialize the beauty,...