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Writers and Editors (RSS feed)

Learning About Yourself by Looking Into the Past

Gathering your personal history

by Mary Scott, Advocate Staff Writer, Calvert Advocate.

5-26-09. Reprinted here by permission.

 

Everyone has a story to tell. A good personal history won’t include just facts; it will also include stories, according to Pat McNees, a professional personal historian.

 

"The first thing to do is start a timeline...make it include a combination of incidents in your life and turning points,” McNees said. "You want to get the significant periods like high school. When you met your husband, got married, or had children.”

 

Instead of just writing these things down, McNees suggested either video or audio recording the person telling the stories so their voice is preserved. “The voice is an essential part of the person. When you hear someone’s voice it immediately brings back a flood of memories,” she said.

 

Photos can also be a part of someone’s personal history. McNees suggested going through your photographs and  Read More 

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