Writing Your Legacy: The Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Your Life Story

by Richard Campbell, Cheryl Svensson

Overview

Craft a meaningful life story!

A written legacy of your life—one that encompasses experiences, lessons learned, failures and triumphs—is a gift your family and friends will cherish for years to come. Writing this story may seem daunting, but it doesn't have to be. Writing Your Legacy is a step-by-step guide to chronicling a life story that reflects your true self. Through a series of 35 guided themes, as well as supplementary exercises, you'll explore milestones, relationships, career paths, and major choices, and leave an eloquent record of your life for future generations.

You'll also learn how to:

 • Become the hero of your story
 • Employ vibrant sensory details
 • Discover your unique voice
 • Dig up memories from your childhood and teen years
 • Overcome writer's block, address common fears, and stay motivated
 • Prepare your story for publication
Writing your life story can grant you insight and clarity, help you heal past wounds, and serve as a treasured account you'll be proud to share. Your story deserves to be told. Capture the spirit of your life with Writing Your Legacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599638775
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/23/2015
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	628,563
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Richard Campbell, M.Ed., teaches Guided Autobiography to continuing education students in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He has written for several Canadian newspapers and CBC Radio. He runs his own personal historian business, Guided Life Stories.

Dr. Cheryl Svensson has been involved in the field of aging since the 1970s. She works closely with the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies to help older adults write their life stories. She currently teaches at USC and has taught Guided Autobiography classes at libraries, senior centers, and assisted living centers.

Table of Contents

Foreword 1

Introduction: Surveying the Landscape 4

Part 1 Laying the Foundation

Chapter 1 Preparing the Groundwork: Why Write Your Life Story? 14

Chapter 2 Creating the Blueprint: Ways People Tell Their Stories 18

Chapter 3 Laying the First Brick: Preparing To Write Your Life Story 24

Chapter 4 The Big Picture: Perceiving With All the Senses 41

Chapter 5 Self-Expression: Your Personal Style 48

Chapter 6 The Hero of Your Domain: Viewpoint And Perspective 52

Chapter 7 Shared Rooms: Interviewing Others Who Were Along for the Journey 59

Chapter 8 Secrets in the Cellar: Digging Up Old Memories 65

Chapter 9 Appraisals And Repairs: Healing Through Writing 76

Chapter 10 Bringing Down the House: Using Humor in Your Writing 81

Chapter 11 Scaffolding: Building the Story from the Inside Out 86

Chapter 12 Reaching Beyond Yourself: Multiple Perspectives 95

Part 2 Building the Walls

Chapter 13 Legacy Theme 1: Forks in the Road 103

Chapter 14 Legacy Theme 2: My Family, My Self 109

Chapter 15 Legacy Theme 3: The Meaning of Wealth 114

Chapter 16 Legacy Theme 4: My Life's Work 118

Chapter 17 Legacy Theme 5: Self-Image And Well-Being 122

Chapter 18 Legacy Theme 6: The Male-Female Equation 126

Chapter 19 Legacy Theme 7: The End of Life 130

Chapter 20 Legacy Theme 8: From Secular to Spiritual 134

Chapter 21 Legacy Theme 9: My Life Goals 139

Chapter 22 Legacy Theme 10: My Legacy Letter 144

Chapter 23 Adding Rooms: 25 Additional Legacy Themes 149

Part 3 Trim Work

Chapter 24 Adding The Finishing Touches 192

Chapter 25 Street Appeal: Deciding on a Final Presentation Format 208

Conclusion: Preparing Your Open House: Uncorking the Champagne 219

Resources 221

Index 242

Editorial Reviews

"Richard Campbell's and Cheryl Svensson's Writing Your Legacy is a user-friendly guide to crafting one's autobiography, offering 35 guided themes, supplementary exercises, suggestions for sharing one's milestones/relationships/career paths, and much more." —Midwest Book Review

From the Publisher