Where to Share Life Stories
Your intended audience is key as you decide where to share life stories! / Photo by Melanie Deziel via Unsplash
Whether in person, online, or in-print, you have many choices for where to share life stories. It depends what suits you, your audience, and your material.
So, you have some stories in mind – or perhaps already written – but where to share them once ready?
Deciding Factors
Where you share depends on: what suits you, what kind of story, the format you choose, and the audience you’d like to reach.
“Meet your audience where they are.”
Answer these questions to help decide.
what suits you – where are you most comfortable sharing: with family? in person? online? in print?
what kind of story – is it about a life experience of yours? someone else’s life story? your family history?
format or media – is your story in writing, images, audio, or a combination of media? is it a short piece or a longer work?
intended audience – how does your desired audience ‘consume media’? are they on social media? do they like to read stories and books? is their interest in: travel tales, genealogy, military history, indigenous voices, or…?
Your answer may differ depending on the story. Also, you might prepare one story in different ways, such as a short version with pictures for children, and a longer piece of writing for adult readers.
Options for Where to Share
These main options for where to share apply to all kinds of life stories: yours, someone else’s, and family history:
in-person – with family and friends, for an occasion (e.g. reunion), at a group meeting (e.g. genealogy), or a storytelling event
online – social media posts, blogs, family history sites and apps, document or map sharing platforms, ‘niche’ websites (such as military history, nature travel)
magazines, newspapers, newsletters – online and/or in-print
books – in-print, e-book, audio book
audio and video – recording of stories and interviews, a video-log (vlog) posted online, radio (broadcast or podcast)
Traditional or more modern methods are all options for you to share life stories! / Photo by Kate Oseen via Unsplash
Find what suits you and your audience, and fits the kind of story and its format. The format you choose from among many ways to tell life stories affects where you’ll share.
Read below for more specific ideas on where-to-share:
your stories
someone’s memories
family history
Stories from Your Life
Share real-life experiences:
family and friends – in person, in print, virtually (e.g. Zoom or FaceTime), digitally via email or cloud-based platform (e.g. Google Drive)
blogposts – on your own blog, or a site for a specific interest group
social media posts – such as in your ‘Story Feed’ on Facebook
voice recording – for people in your life, or for the public via radio and podcast
In Canada, CBC Radio invites stories from listeners. Their show ‘Now or Never’ is about when you take a chance in life. Other programs feature a variety of listeners’ stories – anything from surviving a disaster, to keepsakes passed down in the family. I’ve enjoyed submitting written stories of mine and hearing them told aloud on radio. You may find a podcast in your area to share one or more stories from your life.
live storytelling – share a story of yours at a live storytelling event (perhaps an ‘open mic’)
self-publishing – write a collection of short stories or memories, along with visual mementos, and self-publish a book or ‘magazine’, or write and self-publish a memoir
publishing – submit a story of yours to a newspaper or magazine, or propose a full book to a publisher
To have a memoir accepted by a publisher (for public appeal), ideally you’d be: famous with fascinating life experiences, an interesting perspective, and expert writing skills!
Self-publishing a book with photos is one great way to share life stories. / Photo by Gisela Carolina via Unsplash
Showcase Someone
Some of the ways and places to share memories of someone else are the same as for your life stories (see above).
Here are options that apply specifically to sharing stories and memories of someone else.
With the Person
Tell stories aloud at their life milestone event such as: graduation, wedding, significant birthday, award ceremony, retirement.
Write a book about the person, to give to them and others in their circle.
Create a self-published collection from their social circle: family, friends, coworkers, teammates – as a keepsake gift.
Help them create a collection of stories and memories: on their own, via interviews, or with a service such as Storyworth (to compile answers to questions into a keepsake book at the end of a year’s subscription).
In Memory
Deliver a eulogy or share memories at their celebration of life or memorial service.
Write a newspaper obituary.
Post an online memorial page or submit your entry to their virtual guestbook.
Write an essay for a magazine or newspaper.
Submit to a group collection, e.g. the military, a cemetery, alumni, or victims of a disaster, disease or war.
Prepare a tribute booklet.
Speaking or writing a short piece are both good ways to pay tribute to someone. / Photo by Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels
After my uncle died, I learned that – in addition to his newspaper obituary – I could post an online memorial page with a virtual guestbook. It was during the pandemic when we had no in-person funeral, so hearing from his friends meant a lot to our family. This is one of my heartwarming experiences in showcasing someone’s life stories.
Family History
It’s good to share the findings from your family history research, so others can benefit from your work now and in the future.
With Your Family
Share your family history findings and stories with your family:
in-person one-on-one or at a family gathering
via an online custom-made map of ancestral places or calendar of ancestors’ dates
through stories written for current family members or future descendants (you never know who may take interest later)
There are various approaches that will help you to engage your relatives in family history. This is one of my main aims for this site – to provide tips and ideas for short and visual formats (versus a box of documents or a huge online family tree!).
With Distant Relatives
Distant relatives may like to hear your findings and stories about ancestors you have in common. They may have info and stories, perhaps photos, to share with you too!
Find distant relatives on your family tree via genealogy research and DNA-matches. Those who are already on genealogy and ancestry websites, and doing DNA-matching, are the ones most likely to take interest. Take care to verify the material and its sources (yours and theirs) as best as possible.
Genealogy Blogsites and Online Groups
Share stories from your family history on sites such as:
a private blogsite set up to share among your relatives
GeneaBloggers, which will list and link to your genealogy blogsite
a Facebook genealogy group (such as for a specific geographic area, or surname)
It feels satisfying to share family history stories with others who share that interest. / Photo by Kampus Production via Pexels
Genealogy Groups and Historical Societies
Consider these options and opportunities:
Local historical societies (where your ancestors lived) might like to keep a copy of your family history findings for researchers and other visitors to see.
Local and regional genealogy groups might hold copies of your material in their files and database. Over time, more of these groups are able to scan and digitize materials, as well as house printed family histories.
Offer to share an aspect of your family history at the monthly meeting of a genealogy society. Share some images (maps, documents, photos) via a slideshow presentation.
Submit your ancestor stories to genealogy and family history societies (especially where you’re a member) for inclusion in their monthly e-newsletter, or a magazine they publish (perhaps an online quarterly). Submissions should be as factual as possible, and of interest to their readers.
If you have applied and become a member, you could contribute to the newsletter of a lineage society (for proven descendants of a common ancestor, surname, or group of settlers).
Be sure to research, fact-check, and cite sources of your family background as you prepare your submission.
Ancestry and Family History Websites
The large ancestry websites and apps offer user-friendly ways for you to share stories of your ancestors.
Ancestry’s Storymaker Studio enables you to add photos, captions, and a written story, plus record your voice to tell a story of an ancestor. You can link these to your family tree, and share with others.
FamilySearch Memories helps you preserve your ancestors’ life stories. Like other apps, they provide topics and questions as prompts. You can write stories, record audio memories, and create albums and slideshows of photos.
MyHeritage’s DeepStory creates a brief video biography of your ancestor, using photos and info from your family tree, plus additional text you provide. AI animates your ancestor’s portrait photo and adds a speaking voice, as if they’re telling their life story.
Cemetery and Commemorative Sites
A cemetery, monument, or website may provide ways for you to share an ancestor’s story. For example, HonorStates.org is a site where you could submit a profile of an American fallen in war. Other memorial sites and honour roles exist around the world.
You can create and manage ancestor profiles and post biographies on a peer-site such as FindAGrave.
The Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, Canada - where some of my ancestors are buried – has a book of remembrance, a collection of historical portraits, and a monthly online newsletter that features stories.
Self-Publish
You could self-publish a family history book, with photos where possible.
Prepare a collection of ancestor profiles. With a family tree at the front of the book, this is a good way to document part of your family history. You could share this with family and/or your local family history society. If you use an online service to produce your book, you may choose to list it for sale via their site.
Write a narrative family history, i.e. a full book of any length, that tells the story of your family background.
If you produce one or more family history books, they can have a lasting value. / Photo by Tom Labor via Pexels
Publish
If you are a skilled writer, perhaps a historian, or have hired a life-stories writer, your family history book may be accepted by a publishing house.
If you have decided to add fictional elements based on your family history to make an intriguing and well-written story, a publisher may take interest. Fictionalized accounts (novels based on true facts) are not my focus here, but the choice is yours!
Libraries and Archives
If you produce a family history or genealogy based on sound research, or write factual stories about your ancestors, an archive may agree to house your work. Check with archives that match your ancestor’s background, such as: military, university, church, ethnicity, or geographic area.
A library may be willing to house your family history, if in the locale where they lived or played a role in society.
As you can see, there are many options available for where-to-share life stories, whether about you, someone in your life, or your ancestors.
written by Barbara L Campbell, 2024