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During the middle of winter, 1786, a 26-year-old Londoner named William Eggleton used the cover of thick fog to break into a man’s house in Southwark and stole three woollen coats and a black silk cloak. His crime earned him a berth on what became known as The First Fleet, and a free eight-month trip […]

I discovered that I came from a long line of feisty Scottish women. That gave me an identity that stood me in good stead through my teenage years.

It seems to me that life story writing is something you fall into after years of life experience and other forms of writing. At least, that’s how it happened for me. I’ve been a freelance writer, a copywriter, short story writer and fiction novelist. Four years ago I needed another source of income and while […]

I’ve lived and breathed storytelling all my life, both as a career and a hobby. Stories poured from my pencil as soon as I mastered the alphabet and continued throughout my childhood. In high school, I founded and ran the school magazine, and at uni, I wrote articles for the student newspapers. From an early […]

In his more lucid moments, he tells me about his time in the Kimberley.

As Mother’s Day approaches, my mind turns to my own mother, Patricia Agnes Mary Millar (nee Murphy) who passed away over a decade ago. Before my father died some time later, we recorded his stories and wrote them into a life story book. Before my mother died, we did not. To this day, I wish […]

It can be daunting trying to come up with a story—the idea of sifting through files, photos, letters, and memorabilia, organising these into a coherent narrative, and making it appealing to an audience can be overwhelming. However, writing a book is also one of the most rewarding things you could do. Nothing worth having comes […]

Be careful to avoid focusing too much on irrelevant details as they reduce the potency of your theme.

My mother was turning 90 and we were going to throw her a party to celebrate. My wife suggested a video celebrating a life story – like mum’s life story – was a great way to showcase a person’s years. Mum was a bit of a clown after all and this would capture the twinkle […]