The Process

Although it may sound like an intimidating prospect at first, recording your life story can be a lot of fun -- and not all that time consuming.

All Life Story projects begin with a free consultation to discuss your goals or vision for your life story recording. We will discuss your budget and time constraints at this time and determine the best option for you or your loved one.

Then, we will distribute questionnaires, if appropriate, to your children and grandchildren, asking them to identify specific stories or areas of your life that they'd like for us to cover during the interviews. You will also complete a Biographical Information Form that will provide us with important names, dates, and facts about your life - as well as topics that you would like to include in your Oral Memoir. We will then create a customized interview based upon the information gathered during this pre-interview process.

Typically, a complete life-story interview can be completed in two to three interview sessions that are each approximately two hours in length (a total of three to six hours of interviewing time). A commemorative event, such as a wedding, anniversary or retirement celebration, may call for a personal history project that focuses on one particular aspect of life, such as marriage or work. These interviews can often be accomplished in approximately two hours.