Once a luxury of the rich and famous, a technology for the first time in history, made it possible to grasp for everyone to share and preserve their most precious life stories. With the advent of computers, the Internet, digital photography, video and audio recording, each of the richness and quality of their life stories. These personal stories will be treasured by family, friends, and to future generations.
Today it is possible to easily create the art of the mix of traditional biographyMemoirs and with powerful new technologies in a new form of individual life storytelling: the personal life story. Personal life stories to create satisfactory. And interactive multimedia opportunities in computers and the Internet, a well-crafted personal life story can, because rich and fully rounded biography in a way that memoirs or impossible to achieve in text only. But the important thing is to keep personal life stories of vital individual and family stories.And, if done properly it will last for generations.
In this article you will discover how ancient life story writing techniques, together with the latest technologies for the creation of this story is unique. "
The art of traditional life-story formats
For any interested, the creation of their own autobiography, memoir or personal history, it is important to understand to tell the differences between these forms isown life story. as to generalize for a moment more, is an autobiography based on more facts, while A Memoir is more emotion-based.
Autobiographies written by the subject, sometimes in collaboration with another writer. Autobiographical works take many forms, from the intimate writings during life that are not necessarily intended for publication (including letters, diaries, journals, memoirs and memories), the formal autobiography. Interestingly, the autobiography formatneed not necessarily be true to. It can also be a literary fiction story.
Memoirs are a form of personal memory, which has skyrocketed in popularity in recent times. Memoirs often focus on more subjective memories, as memories, feelings and emotions and are usually written from the first-person perspective. The essay is often to capture certain highlights or meaningful moments concentrated.
In his own memoirs Palimpest, Gore Vidal writes that "a treatise,you consider your own life, while an autobiography with the story that the research, data, facts double-checked. "
Memoirs concentrate mostly on a short period or a series of related events (an autobiography covers a longer period). In a memorandum, the writer is usually retrospective analysis and past events. Memoirs able to incorporate the techniques of storytelling such as setting, plot, conflict, character development, foreshadowing, flashbacks, irony or symbolism. And finally,Writing a memoir is often very therapeutic for the writer.
Oral History Recordings
An oral history is a verbatim transcript of an interview, left in the narrator's exact words. These are usually left in a question-and-answer style and are an economical way to preserve family stories. A recording with a high quality microphone and a quiet place free from interruptions all that is really necessary to capture an oral history. It helps to haveQuestions in advance of the interview prepared.
Oral traditions are usually recorded with analog tape or digital recording equipment, but it is also possible to jump into a personal computer. Oral histories are often transcribed (typed or word processed) in a document format. The conversational style is known for his appealingly relaxed ease.
Precautions: Recording formats and standards are constantly being developed and could be difficult or impossible to play when theDevices obsolete. Tape recordings in the course of time decay.
Video Recordings History
Do-it-Yourself: At the basic level, it is easy and fun to create a basic video-story. Camcorders are relatively inexpensive and many computers today come with basic editing software. Capturing a good video story all parts of the same conditions as an audio recording: a quiet place, with questions prepared in advance. Plus, you want a clutter background flatteringLighting, proper clothing and to improve the quality of the final product. White shirts, white pants or dresses, for example does not show up well on video. Also allowed to distract busy patterns. Solid bright pastels or neutrals are usually safe.
Professional videographer: A large number of professional video company specializing in the creation of life story productions. Production may result from a 10 or 15 minutes short for an hour or more mini-movie, complete with titles rangeMusic and other effects in the Hollywood style. Of course you will be more for a professional production as a homegrown effort to pay.
When selecting a professional all reasonable smart consumer tips. Ask for references. Ask to see samples before work. Get all costs, production schedules and commitments in writing. It is wonderful to have the movies from a single person or family. If done well, they often have entertainment value and are ideal for special occasions.
Caveat: As with audioRecordings, change formats deteriorate over time and the media with the correct storage methods
The integration of art and technology: Web-Based Personal Life Histories
Especially in recent years, the Web has stories emerged as a powerful new medium for creating and sharing life. On the web it is not only possible, it is nice and simple, the text, create a rich multimedia story, photos, audio and video. This is the new format of thethe personal life story.
Web-based personal life stories enjoy some advantages over paper-based publishing, audio, video, CD or life stories. Specifically, web-based publication is upgradable, you can add new information at any time. It is easy to use with friends or family. The most advanced sites offer options to protect the privacy and security. The Internet is multimedia, so you can add text, video, photos, audio and. Photos, audio,Video are never lost, damaged, destroyed. Finally, many websites offer a print-on-demand, so that you can instantly create books. The books can be printed on your home printer or sent out to small-run publishing houses. If the small-run option, be sure to give archival paper with the quality.
One of the biggest advantages of web publishing is the ability to build community around interests similar jobs, backgrounds or life events. For example, a WWII veteran pilot, his postHistory of the Web and makes the public can be made available to American History contacted by long lost friends, other veterans, students, historians, museum personnel, or others interested in this central chapter.
Why create your own personal life story?
Mark Twain once said: "There was never an uninteresting life. Such a thing is impossible. Inside all, it is a drama, a comedy, a tragedy."
A personal life story can be so shortthan a few pages, or several volumes long. Regardless of the length or medium, requires thoughtfulness and sometimes quite a lot of work to do. But is it worth the work because it is the ability to influence generations ahead. Your personal history can leave a legacy for your children and grandchildren. Like the memoirs, writing a personal history allows you to examine and reflect on your life to this day. This allows you to add your story to the larger historicalRecord of your family, town and country. And finally, if you do not, then who?
Start with a Time Line of Life Chapters
How can one begin to tell the story of a life, 80, may 60, 70 or more years? It is often helpful to create a chronological timeline of important events in your life. It helps to jot down a few notes at key stages in your life. In fact, you can already think of your life like a book, built with a separate, different chapterswith important life episodes.
Of course, not everyone's life follows an identical chronological order, but here are a few ideas for chapter titles for your book or story. GreatLifeStories.com uses the following "chapters" to organize life stories about:
o Its beginnings
o in your area
o School Days
o Off to Work
o romance and marriage
o War and Peace
o triumphs and tragedies
o Words of Wisdom
o Humor
o wordsGratitude
The chapter is very flexible. For example, you do not have the youth start your life story with the days of your birth and. Maybe you had a fascinating experience during the war. Like a movie, you could open your scene with life-history that, "then tell the story, is how to get there.
Once you have an idea for the flow, "" your story, here are some more specific guidelines to help you add color, texture andAuthenticity:
Only the letter begin with! A mind dump. Get it out of the head and on paper, the computer, the tape, wherever. Do not worry about how it sounds. Just write. Resist the temptation to work themselves, it will be presented later time for processing.
Be yourself. Do not worry if your grammar or spelling is not perfect. Write it as you would say it.
Honesty is everything. The best writing tells them how it happened.
Include humor. Favorite jokes, anecdotes, stories
Details, details, details. What kind of soil have made the kitchen? What color was wearing the head scarf, when you first met?
Go to a comfortable pace. Do not try to capture in writing to a lifetime in a single session of furious. Write, enough time to think and go back to writing.
. Family members and friends will be able to Consult and other valuable sources of factsInterpretation.
Use photos to jog your memory. Tip: Share photos in a timeline of your life, based on your last day, and movement through current times. Write or record your visual storyboard
Look for topics in your life. Themes are broad ideas that life is a central role in your. Did you want to be a pilot ever? A preacher? Do you own a restaurant? A farmer? Tell the story of how else you met your goal, or how changing the goal, something tocompletely unexpected.
Here are just a couple of other thematic life story possibilities: a. The spiritual quest b. C. The Confession The travel book d. The portrait e. The Board of humor f. g. The family history Recovery h. i. The Road to War Story J. Romance
Another option: Hire a Professional
Most of this article was focused on the creation of the do-it-yourself personal life story. There are of course the possibility of working with a professional. TheLegal professional writer or videographer is a highly skilled interviewer and has the right tools and equipment. And, believe it or not, it is sometimes easier to show someone in front of a stranger, rather than before a family member.
There are many approaches to working with writers or videographers. However, there are a number of similarities in common. The writer / videographer often:
1) or to identify with you, the scope and cost of the project.
2) In generalInterview sessions will be recorded. Depending on your goals, these one or two hours, or 10, 20 hours or more.
3) The recording is transcribed and edited with your input and guidance
4) Once a final script / film is agreed, it can be sent for printing or copying.
5) For books, experts recommend personal story archive material bonds and acid-free paper for longevity
6) You get the number of books / movies agreed in your contract.
7)Be sure to discuss services, fees and final products in advance, and get all agreements in writing.
Thanks to high technology, is the art of collecting and preserving the stories from his own life now open to more people and easier than ever before. A new genre of personal stories created that is based on the literary traditions of autobiography and memoirs, while audio, video and Web technology to create stories to life. On the Web, these personalStories, personal life stories are multimedia, collaborative usable, and immediately updateable.
Enjoy your life recording history!
References and Further Reading
Web Sites:
http://www.greatlifestories.com
Associations:
The Association of Personal Historians is a 600 + member organization of professional historians, the personal life stories in all formats: text, audio, create video.http://www.personalhistorians.org
How-to Books:
There are many good books with different approaches and tips for writing a personal history filled. Here are just a few of them are:
Daniel, Lios, How to Write Your Own Life History
Rainer, Tristine, your life as Story Books
Roorbach, Bill, Writing Life Stories