---
name: memoir-story-capture
description: "Capture a life story — your own or a parent's/grandparent's — into a keepsake, using good interview questions and a structure that turns memories into readable stories. Use when asked to help write a memoir, capture my parent's/grandparent's story, record family history, or preserve someone's life story. Produces a question set that unlocks real memories (not just dates), a session plan for interviewing over time, a structure to organize stories into chapters or themes, prompts to draw out detail and emotion, and options for the final form — so the stories are saved before they're lost."
---

# Memoir Story Capture

Every family loses irreplaceable stories when someone passes — the memories that were never written down. This helps you capture them: the questions that unlock real, vivid memories (not a dry timeline), a way to interview over manageable sessions, and a structure to turn the raw stories into something readable and keepable — a keepsake for the family before the chance is gone.

## What This Skill Produces

- **A question set that unlocks memories** — evocative prompts (sensory, emotional, turning-point) that get real stories, not just "born in 1945"
- **A session plan** — how to interview over several relaxed sessions (in person or recorded), sized so it's not exhausting
- **A structure** — organizing the material into chapters, themes, or chronology so it reads as a story, not a transcript
- **Detail-and-emotion prompts** — follow-ups that draw out the specifics and feelings that make a memory come alive
- **Final-form options** — a written memoir, an edited transcript, a recorded audio/video, or a photo-and-story book
- **Preservation guidance** — recording and backing up the raw material so nothing's lost

## Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:
- **Whose story** — your own or someone else's, and their situation (age, health, willingness)
- **The scope** — a full life, a particular era, or specific themes
- **The method** — interviewing in person, recording, or writing directly
- **Time available** — a little urgency (health) vs. an open timeline
- **The final form** — what you'd love to end up with

## Framework: Ask Well, Capture Now, Shape Later

1. **Ask evocative questions.** Move past facts and dates to the questions that unlock stories — sensory details, turning points, people, hopes, hard times, and small everyday memories.
2. **Interview in gentle sessions.** Spread it over relaxed sittings; record audio/video so nothing's lost and the person can just talk. If health is a factor, prioritize capturing raw material fast — shape it later.
3. **Draw out detail and emotion.** Use follow-ups ("what did that feel like?", "what did the room look like?") to turn a flat recollection into a vivid scene.
4. **Structure the raw material.** Organize into chapters/themes or chronology so it becomes a readable story rather than a jumble of transcripts.
5. **Choose a keepable form.** Written memoir, edited transcript, recorded film, or a story-and-photo book — match effort and the family's wishes.
6. **Preserve the source.** Back up recordings and notes — the raw material is precious even before it's shaped.

## Output Format

### Memoir capture: [whose] · scope [x] · form [y]

**Question set (unlocks memories):** [childhood/sensory · turning points · people/relationships · hardships · joys · everyday life · hopes & regrets · advice].
**Session plan:** [how many, how long, recorded how] — capture raw first if time-sensitive.
**Draw-out follow-ups:** ["what did that feel like?" · "who was there?" · "what happened next?"].
**Structure:** [chapters/themes or chronology].
**Final form:** [memoir / transcript / recording / photo-story book].
**Preserve:** [record + back up the raw material].

## Quality Checks
- [ ] Questions unlock real stories, not just dates/facts
- [ ] Includes a manageable multi-session interview plan
- [ ] Provides follow-ups that draw out detail and emotion
- [ ] Offers a structure to organize stories into something readable
- [ ] Gives final-form options matched to effort/wishes
- [ ] Stresses recording and backing up the raw material
- [ ] Prioritizes capturing fast if time is short (health)

## Anti-Patterns
- **A dry timeline** of dates instead of stories.
- **One marathon session** that exhausts an older person.
- **Not recording** — losing the exact words and voice.
- **A jumble of transcripts** with no structure.
- **Over-planning the perfect book** while the chance to capture slips away.

## Example Trigger Phrases
- "Help me capture my grandmother's life story before it's too late."
- "I want to write a memoir but don't know where to start."
- "What questions should I ask my dad about his life?"
- "How do I turn my parent's memories into a keepsake?"
- "Help me record and organize my family's history."