Our families are filled with stories: how many times have you heard your uncle recall his school day shenanigans? Or listened as your grandmother shares what it was like raising children in the 1960s? These tales can enrich our lives, and what better way to preserve these memories than by writing them down and creating a book that your entire family can enjoy for years to come? Follow these tips for jotting down a record of your family history and turning into a printed book

A person researches family history at a desk with vintage photographs, a laptop displaying genealogical records, and various stationery items.

Plan Your Project

Write down the key points of what you already know about your family history. Mapping out the key beats of your family’s story will show you what additional information you want (and need!) to find out, and work out who you need to speak with. You might know when and where your parents met, but do you know what the first thing they said to one another was? Or what song was playing in the background? 

Set aside specific time to speak with your family members when you’re uninterrupted, and share the questions you’d like to ask ahead of time so they can start to cast their memory back, and even dig up some old photographs, newspaper clippings or memorabilia that reminds them of that time.

Two people engaged in a conversation at a table in a well-lit room, with documents and a pen visible. A decorative lamp and window are in the background.

Interview Your Family Members

To make the most of your time with your interviewee, life writer Helen Gregory recommends these tips:

  • Look through old photographs and diaries, listen to music or visit an old address or school to trigger their memories
  • Kickstart the process by asking a few questions to get them thinking about what’s important in their story. Try these five for starters:
    • Can you describe your childhood house and neighbourhood?
    • Who were the important people in your life while growing up and what was their impact on you?
    • What were the circumstances of your leaving home?
    • Which friends have you valued most in your life and why?
    • What skills or talents do you have and how did you acquire them?
  • It’s unlikely your loved one will tell their story chronologically; it can be more helpful to make a list of turning points in their life, big decisions and significant events.
  • Include feelings and reactions to what’s happened in their life; remember that this memoir isn’t just about dates and facts, it’s an emotional story. Description is key, so this means more than just listing events. Include all the senses: What could you hear and smell? What did you feel?
  • A bit of dialogue can work well, if they particularly remember what was said and by whom as this can bring a story to life.

SEE ALSO: How to Make a Family Recipe Book

A person sitting at a desk using a smartphone to record a voice memo, with a laptop, papers and a pen on the table. A potted plant and shelves are visible in the background.

Record Your Conversations

When you’re recording memories, taking accurate records is essential to help limit how many times you need to recheck a detail. Take the old-fashioned (but always reliable!) method of using pen and paper – dedicating a premium notebook to this project will also make for a beautiful keepsake. Or, utilise a voice recorder, either standalone or on your phone, for an audio record of your loved ones’ tales. And, if you’d like to bring your memoir to life in an audiovisual medium, too, consider taking a video of your conversation on your phone – a content creator kit with a tripod, light and microphone will make this seamless.

Two people sitting on a couch, engaging in conversation while looking at a photo album together. A modern living room setting is visible in the background.

Collate Old Photographs

You’ve got the words, but adding images will help to tell the bigger picture! If your family members have generously shared printed copies of old snapshots, make a digital scan using a scanner (or Officeworks’ Print + Create service). This will allow you to add the photos to your printed book, but also ensures there’s another record of them for years to come.

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Write Your Family Story

Once you’ve got all the information, it’s time to start writing. Review the interviews and look for threads of stories – if there are multiple accounts of one key moment in time, like a celebration, an argument or a birth, include them all. It’s interesting to capture how everyone can see the same event in their own way.

You’ll need to decide how to arrange your story; you could write it chronologically, by family member or focusing on a few key moments. The choice is yours. The only golden rule is to write a rough draft, and then review and refine what you have written until you’re completely satisfied with the finished product.

Then, make sure to run spellcheck and have another person read over your document; another set of eyes might pick up errors or inconsistencies you have missed.

A leather-look padded hardcover book displayed open, alongside its black presentation box with a blue interior, both shown against a teal background.

Design Your Printed Memoir

Once you’ve got your draft ready, now’s the time to bring it to life. 

Step 1: Choose the size and style photo book you’d like to use through Officeworks’ Print + Create service. There are plenty of different sizes and styles to choose from; this padded hard cover book comes in a presentation box, making it ideal for gifting to loved ones this festive season. Click through the steps to get started.

Hot Tip: If you’re logged in with your Officeworks account, you can save your project and come back to it at a later date.

Step 2: Choose a templated option or opt to design each page of the book yourself.

Step 3: Upload any images you’d like to feature in the memoir into the drag-and-drop box. Once they’ve loaded, add them to your project.

Step 4: Select how many pages you’d like in your book (20 is the minimum) and whether you want to create each page from scratch or let the system make placement recommendations for you. The former option will help ensure images and the story included match up.

Step 5: Create a layout for each page. You can drag and drop images, and add and format text. We’d recommend copy-and-pasting text you have written, edited and spell-checked in a text editor to ensure everything is correct, then adjusting the size, font and placement as you fit everything on the page. You can also choose from a library of backgrounds and layouts to make your design pop.

Hot Tip: Every page will need an image in order for the book to process and print properly, so make sure you don’t have any text-only pages.

Step 6: When you’re happy with each page, follow the prompts to order your book. It can take 7 to 10 days for a personalised item to arrive from Print + Create, so leave yourself plenty of time if you want to wrap it up for Christmas day.

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