When I collaborate with you on your project, I am quite conscious of the fact that you are entrusting a special part of yourself to me. Sitting down with a stranger to tell your life story will be challenging for both of us. Eventually, I will earn your trust.

The process begins where you want it to begin. Do you want the whole story of your life from your earliest memories to be recorded and shaped into a memoir? Or just highlights of special events? I take my cue from you.

With a recording device turned on, we’ll start talking.  I’ll be asking you questions and guiding the course of the conversation toward the goal that you have stated.  You will forget that the recorder is turned on. Our meetings will become warm, friendly events.

As we continue to work together, I will begin shaping your story as a narrative.  You will have many opportunities to read and revise our manuscript.

Anything you tell me in confidence will remain confidential.

Once you are satisfied that we have recorded all the material you want documented and the manuscript is complete, you may wish to pursue publication. This is a completely different service that would require extended discussion.

But not all memoirs or biographies need to be published for public consumption. You may wish to leave this work for your family only. Still, I am happy to serve.

If the client is a company or an institution, then several sources may need to be interviewed. The process is similar as the one for the individual but requires more coordination and orchestration among the principals.