“The messy middle”: Pushing through the toughest part of memoir writing

You start out with excitement and fervor—blank pages are feverishly filled with stories about your life. But what can you do when your memoir momentum wanes?

memoir & writingDawn M. RoodeJune 23, 2025what to do when i am stuck on my memoir writing, how to battle writers block for my memoir, why can't i finish my life storyComment

Life Story Links: June 17, 2025

Dawn Roode’s curated roundup for the week of June 7, 2025, includes recent stories of interest to personal historians, preservationists, and family history fans.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeJune 17, 2025curated list of stories for family historians, personal history in the news, family history in the news, legacy news roundupComment

How to photograph your family heirlooms like a pro

Cataloguing your family heirlooms in a book is a great way to pass down their stories. Here are some tips for capturing incredible images of them, too.

family history, photo legacyDawn M. RoodeJune 9, 2025family heirlooms, how to photograph family heirlooms, preserving family heirlooms, the stories of our stuffComment

Life Story Links: June 3, 2025

Dawn Roode’s curated roundup for the week of June 2, 2025, includes recent stories of interest to personal historians, preservationists, and family history fans.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeJune 3, 2025curated list of stories for family historians, personal history in the news, family history in the news, legacy news roundupComment

3 ways to honor the legacy of a family member on Memorial Day

The holiday’s meaning often gets lost amidst long weekends and cookouts, but we’ve got easy ways to remember loved ones who died in service.

family history, remember lost loved onesDawn M. RoodeMay 23, 2025how to honor a veteran on memorial day, recording military vets oral history, stories from military heroesComment

Life Story Links: May 20, 2025

Dawn Roode’s curated roundup for the week of May 20, 2025, includes recent stories of interest to personal historians, preservationists, and family history fans.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeMay 20, 2025curated list of stories for family historians, personal history in the news, family history in the news, legacy news roundupComment

Putting the pieces together (aka memoir ‘making’)

By holding as your goal the idea of ‘writing your memoir,’ you are focused too soon on the end goal. Instead, think about writing towards your memoir.

memoir & writingDawn M. RoodeMay 12, 2025how to gain clarity on my memoir's theme, how to find the point of my memoir writing, how to write a memoir when I don't know where to startComment

Life Story Links: May 6, 2025

Dawn Roode’s curated roundup for the week of May 6, 2025, includes recent stories of interest to personal historians, preservationists, and family history fans.

curated roundupsDawn M. RoodeMay 6, 2025curated list of stories for family historians, personal history in the news, family history in the news, legacy news roundupComment