Get the Stories Started: 4 Tips to Getting the Most Out of Your StoryWorth Account

As Maya Angelou wrote, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” “Agony” may be a bit excessive here, but we know that there’s a certain pain if you’ve got your StoryWorth account all set up, fresh questions rolling out from the queue — and you’re waiting for the next story from your family.

It happens from time to time, and we’ve got some tips to help you get the most fun out of your StoryWorth subscription. If it’s taking a little time to get your family started, or they could just use a boost in an otherwise stellar storytelling career, here are 4 easy ways to get the stories flowing. (And a quick reminder of some features you may have overlooked.)

1. Tell your family this matters.

This is an obvious one, but surprisingly few people do it. If your parents have yet to write a word, pick up the phone and call them. Let them know how much their stories mean to you. From time to time, a customer will write and tell us: “My mom/dad just doesn’t think their life was that interesting. They don’t think it’s worth writing about.” (We know that’s impossible.)

So take 5 minutes and tell them their stories really do matter to you: though we send the invitation email, nothing beats a personal call from a family member.

2. Find the format that works for them.

Though it’s simple to send stories by email, it may not be for everyone. If stories aren’t coming via email, ask your family if they’d like to try the audio option. Some people feel more at ease talking on the phone than putting pen to paper (figuratively), and it’s a great alternative if you have a family member that’s less than comfortable with computers. Plus, you get the extra intimacy of their voice recording.

If you aren’t yet acquainted with our audio option, here’s a bit more on that: the weekly question email contains a button to “reply by phone.” Once you click that, our system will call you on the number saved in your profile: after you’ve finished recording your story, the audio file is saved to your account, just like a voicemail.

3. Get (extra) personal.

We’ve got over 400 questions in our library and a broad range of subjects, which means you can kick back and let the questions come. If it doesn’t seem like a question has hit home yet, though, try personally choosing one from our library that you think will particularly inspire your family, or just a topic that you’ve been dying to ask about. You can also go off-script and write your own, so you can get as specific and detailed as you’d like.

You probably know that you can add photos to your stories, but did you know you can add them to your questions as well? The question can be as simple as “Tell me more about this photo. What do you remember about this day?” Not only does this feel more personal, but photos have been proven to spark more memories, particularly in the elderly or those suffering memory impairment. Reminiscing over photos is even therapeutic.

4. Write back.

Just as some folks tell us their parents don’t believe their life is worth writing about, we sometimes hear the flip version — when people don’t receive a response to their story, they can think it’s gone unread or unappreciated. We make it easy for you to quickly thank your family for a story with the “thank you” button in the emails, but if you have a moment, go one better and just write a line of thanks mentioning something you appreciated from the story.

Writing a quick note in response to a story keeps your family engaged and more likely to keep writing consistently. Plus, you get the chance to ask them for more details (“Wait, Grandma met Bette Davis? What did she say?”), and you may get some bonus stories along the road.

And a last word for the whole family: you don’t have to be Joan Didion to write great autobiographical stories. Be true to your voice, think about the people you’re writing for, and remember you’re all doing this out of love.

Images via Shutterstock