If you've ever had the experience of watching your parents tell stories about their youth to your own children, you know exactly how magical it is to share family history and build connections across the generations.
But if you're like most people, you may not know as much about your parents' lives as you would like to — but you definitely do know that you want to find out more about their past and preserve a slice of your heritage for posterity.
And if the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that time is of the essence.
It's one thing to want to capture your parents' life story. It's another thing entirely to tackle that big project. What's the best way to get it done? How long will it take?
How can you possibly find the time to record, preserve, and share your parents' stories when you have all the rest of your responsibilities to deal with?
We have a solution.
Our client Nalini Pillay - who purchased a biography package for her father Jothie - is now starting
on a second book for her mother
Professional Writers for Regular People
If you've ever browsed a bookstore — online or in person — you know that famous people write books about themselves all the time. They don't have more hours in the day than you do, but they do have a secret weapon: a professional writer.
Even so-called autobiographies usually have a ghostwriter to help get the job done. The professional writer listens to the famous person tell all of their stories and then turns their words into a full book. Great ghostwriters know how to make it sound like the subject of the autobiography did all of the writing themselves by listening carefully to their voice and capturing their style on the page.
But did you know that there are ghostwriters for ordinary folk?
StoryTerrace works with a team of carefully vetted professional writers who are interested in working with normal, everyday folks to capture their life stories. We match you up with a writer who has experience and interests that are a good fit for the type of book you want to write. From humorous tales of the "good old days" to full family histories, these experienced biographers do the heavy lifting to capture your parents' priceless words.
We've put together a user-friendly process that allows for hours of personal interviews with your professional writer, who then turns their extensive notes and audio files into a complete book. Each chapter contains the most important stories of your loved one's life and includes all of the priceless photos from past that you wish to include. The result is a beautiful, hardcover book that you can keep forever — and give copies to anyone you'd like.
StoryTerrace takes a writing process once reserved for the rich and famous and makes it available for everyone.
A selection of our talented writers at StoryTerrace, from across the world
The Benefits of Working With a Professional Writer
Why should you choose a professional writer for a project about your family? Glad you asked!
- You'll Save Time: If you're like most people, you very much want to honor your parents and preserve all of their memories, but you are just too busy to do this project justice. When you are tasked with caring for aging parents, raising your own children, and supporting everyone else who relies on you, there's not a lot of time left to write a book or even just get old photos into an album.
- You'll Enjoy Professional Project Management: StoryTerrace takes charge of the entire process of writing your parents' biography, from finding the writer to keeping tabs on revisions and having the book sent to the printer. You won't have to waste time researching next steps or playing phone tag — we take care of all of the logistics.
- You'll Give the Gift of Self-Reflection: Experienced writers know how to draw out the best stories from their subjects — including ones you may not have even known about. They know how to ask the right questions to get at the "hidden" memories and revive the most interesting details to create a full, vivid scene. The interview is a gift in itself, as it provides priceless hours of reflection for your parents as they tell their stories.
- You'll Get More Than Just a Collection of Anecdotes: Anyone can record a few of your parents' favorite stories and transcribe the "greatest hits" that have been retold countless times. But great writers know how to sift through your family history to highlight themes and ideas that will resonate for generations. They turn a collection of stories into a history that reveals who someone really is, not just what they've done.
- You'll Have a Keepsake to Treasure for Years to Come: Though many storytellers most value the interview process as life-changing experience, you'll also have a physical book as a permanent keepsake to enjoy. These are worthy of a place of honor in your home and can be passed down to future generations to cement your parents' legacy and ensure they are never forgotten.
One of our Premium writers, Diana Holquist, is a bestselling author whose work has been published by Hachette Book Group and Penguin Random House.
Finding the Right Writer
StoryTerrace makes it easy for everyone to find an outstanding ghostwriter for their personal projects. We know that when it comes to family histories and autobiographies, it's so important to have the right fit.
To help you get started, we've developed a new Writer Search Tool to pair you with the best writers based on your needs. With just a few quick questions about your location, interviewing style, budget, and book preferences, we can narrow the field to make the writer selection process easier than ever. It's the fastest way to finally get started on capturing your parents' stories for good.
Ready to find the ideal writer to interview your parents? Try our Writer Search Tool now, or sign up for our newsletter for more helpful tips to learn more about the process of writing and publishing your priceless family stories.
