How to archive your memories
- Writing your own and your family's history is a bit like eating an elephant - it's best to do it in bite-sized chunks, otherwise it can all seem a bit daunting.
- Before you start writing (or recording) your memories you need to ask yourself a fundamental question - 'Who is my audience? Who am I doing this for?' Telling your stories to a member of a much younger generation is a good idea, because you know you will have to describe things to someone who will be totally unfamiliar with your experiences.
- In terms of style, get personal! Don't play down the value of your own memories. What will be of value to others is reading your own story, hearing your unique voice, your version of history, rather than that of a dispassionate academic historian.
- Where do you start? You might start at the beginning with your earliest memory, or even before that, with stories that were told to you about your grandparents and great-grandparents. You might start with a stimulus - a photo, an old concert ticket or a piece of clothing.
- Your story will build up in bits and pieces. Don't worry about trying to cover everything in chronological order - that's an impossible task to contemplate and might even prevent you from starting. Remember the elephant!
- Type up your memory chunks and save them on your computer in an appropriately named folder (See How to Organise an Archive for the way to digitally store and organise your material).
