Plan Your Story

Many of the stories you read on our site started exactly the same way —
a memory, a moment, or a lesson someone didn’t want to lose.

You don’t need to be a writer.
You don’t need to remember everything.

Just start where you can.

We’ll help you shape it into something lasting — for your family, and for others to enjoy

Use these questions to help organize your memories and begin shaping your story.

You don’t need to answer every question. Even a few answers are enough for us to help shape your story.

Story Development Form

How to Use This Form

You can use this form in one of two ways.

1. Write the story yourself.
Use the questions below to organize your thoughts and memories. Many people find that once they begin answering them, their story starts to take shape.

2. Ask us to write the story for you.
Simply answer the questions in your own words and we will shape the information into a finished story for publication.

You can indicate your preference at the bottom of the form.

Your answers do not need to be perfectly written. Even a few notes are enough for us to work with. If we prepare the story for you, we will always send the final version to you for approval before anything is published.

Section 1 — About You

First Name

Last Name

Where You Live (Optional)

City/Town

Province

Name of Your Story (Optional)

Section 2 — The Basic Story

These four questions already produce most of a story.

1. What happened?

Where did it happen?

3. When did this take place?

4. Who else was involved?

Section 3 — What Made It Memorable

5. What first caught your attention?

6. Was anything surprising or unexpected?

7. Did anything humorous happen?

Section 4 — Feelings and Reactions

8. How did you feel at the time?

9. How did others react?

10. Why does this memory still stay with you?

Section 5 — Looking Back

11. Did you learn anything from the experience?

12. Looking back today, what do you think about it now?

Final Section — How Would You Like to Proceed?

How would you like us to use this information?

I would like to write the story myself using these answers.

Please use my answers to write the story for me.

Thank you for sharing your story. If we prepare a written version, we will always send it to you for approval before publishing.