“Memory Guidebooks” for Storytelling

Ways to Document Life Stories & Why

by Intisar Seraaj

Storytelling By Seraaj, LLC. is dedicated to helping others document their most significant life stories that will be guiding lights for the generations ahead. Take a look at all the vast forms in which you can document your life stories to share your important memories with those you love and future descendants.

What Counts as a “Memory Guidebook”

• journals & articles written by you or that were historic to you and why
• monologues or plays written by you or that were consequential to you and why
• a biography or autobiography about you
• notebooks & note cards full of your personal notes
• magazines featuring you or magazine editions you found paramount and why
• newspapers or newsletters featuring something about you or editions that were important to you and why
• photo albums, stand alone photography, & scrapbooks featuring you, family, friends, pets, etc.
• books you wrote or books you loved and why
• short videos or full-length documentaries featuring you or that were valuable to you and why
• poetry you wrote or poetry you loved and why
• your favorite scriptures and your thoughts/notes on them
• children’s books written or illustrated by you or ones that were substantial to you and why (or heirlooms)
• illustrations by you or ones that were important to you and why (or heirlooms)
• audio clips & audio stories of your voice speaking, singing, humming, etc.
• interviews & podcasts featuring you or ones that were relevant to you and why
• sculptures & paintings created by you or ones that were momentous to you and why (or heirlooms)
• songs & hymns written by you, recorded audio of you performing songs & hymns, or a list of your favorite songs & hymns and why
• prayers you’ve written or use often and why
• personal philosophies explained
• personal documentation of weighty pop culture moments or pop culture critiques
• comedy scripts written by you or stand-up comedy performances that were major for you and why
• film scripts & TV scripts written by you or that were significant to you and why
• government documents & legal documents (i.e. marriage licenses, birth certificates, divorce decrees, hospitalization documents, etc.)

There are so many ways to tell and show people who you are, from the art you create to why certain scriptures are your favorite. | Photos from Unsplash. Photo on right by Brands&People. Photo in middle by Aaron Burden Photo on right by Kyle Head.

Purposes of Memory Guidebooks

• they act as historical accounts, documented lies, and archived perspectives
• they are emotional, spiritual, and/or psychological explanations of historical moments
• they are healing for the author and reader
• they’re testimonies and legacies
• they help those who’ve been misheard or unheard to be heard clearly
• they’re proof and evidence of life lived
• they present something to compare and contrast to other documentation
• they entertain, inspire, and unite people
• they can be an act of love, pure creativity, and therapeutic medicine

We’ll never know the immense impact we’ll have on the future of humanity just by leaving behind types of memory guidebooks as a Legacy of who we were and what we believed in and why that matters! | Photos via Unsplash. Photo on left by Yannick Pulver. Photo in middle by Samuel Martins. Photo on left by Nicolas Ladino Silva.