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Your Life is Your Story, Issue #224 – The Life Story Relatability Factor
May 27, 2025
Greetings

"Your past is your story up to now. The future is the story yet to come. The present is where you live with that experience, your hopes and your dreams."



Your Life is Your Story Newsletter

May 27, 2025
Your Life is Your Story, Issue #224 – The Life Story Relatability Factor

From Tom Gilbert – Editor and Writer, www.your-life-your-story.com

In this Issue:
Opening remarks: Memorials for Memorial Day
Featured Article – The Life Story Relatability Factor
Featured Resource – NAMW

Opening Remarks: Memorials for Memorial Day

Yesterday was Memorial Day. It is always the last Monday of May and I just discovered that the chief reason for this is because flowers are typically in full bloom by then. And flowers are one of the main things people place on the graves of their loved ones who died in the service of their country.

About thirty years ago our family made a trip to Washington D.C. Yes, we visited some of the Smithsonian museums, but we also made a point to see the memorials on the National Mall. Including, most poignantly, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

I wrote about that as part of an article reflecting on War Memorials. Here’s a link to that article.

Thank you so much for being part of the Your Life Is Your Story community. Thanks to all our subscribers. I hope you enjoy this month’s issue.

You are receiving this e-zine because you signed up for it or someone who is subscribed passed it along to you. If a friend DID forward this to you consider subscribing by visiting our signup page . Also, let me know what you’d like to see more of in this newsletter – simply reply to this email e-zine.

– Tom

Featured Article: The Life Story Relatability Factor

There are a million things you can write about in a memoir. However, you know a million things is too much.

Finding the theme and the point of your memoir is important. It’s essential.

There is a lot to choose from in your life journey. The point of a memoir is not to write your entire life story or autobiography. I believe that the best memoirs are ones that pick a particular slice of life, a time and place that has been important to both you and others.

Writing a memoir important to others requires something I call the relatability factor.

When you set out to write about your life, to share important moments and interesting facts about yourself, it requires being vulnerable. You are going to share some truth, your truth, and that can be scary. But it also can be amazing when your readers discover that they have also felt some of the same things as you, have been through the same or similar experiences, and how that helps them tap into their own thoughts, memories and dreams.

For you to make that connection you need to write about parts of your life story that others can relate to. The relatability factor is essential to make a real connection with a reader, one that gets them to take notice of what you’ve been through and hopefully see a bit of themselves in that journey.

Writing with your reader in mind will help you make connections with them. Yes, you are telling a story, your story, but not every detail needs to be shared. The ones that can get a reader to say “me, too!” are super valuable.

When I write about my own life I look back on life experiences and pull from things that have meant a lot to me, but that I think also have commonality with others. Some examples include music and concerts, sporting events, or spending time in nature by walking, hiking, exploring and camping.

Those are just a few areas. For me some others include my experience in school, both learning and later the years I spent as a teacher. That is just one of my careers. I also spent a few decades in radio broadcasting. Not to mention some different jobs I’ve had over the years, often out of necessity, but all of them providing experiences and lessons.

The most important area we should consider in our memoirs and life stories, and one that I think ranks high on the relatability factor, is relationships. Family, friends and partners, all rich in material and all potential connecting points with a reader.

Relationships can be beautiful as well as painful. And writing about them helps me to do something really important, which is to get out of myself and my own point of view. This only happens when I am truly honest about my interactions with others and not only what I think about them, but the way I treat them.

This, of course, also leads into a great area for memoir and that is what kind of people we are. How are we growing? What path has life led us down? The nitty gritty of life challenges such as health problems, addictions, and past mistakes are often overwhelming. Yet, when we come through them as better people, experience healing, and really learn from it all what a great story that is. This can be a story that has many potential readers who will relate and perhaps be inspired enough to share their own truth, be it in a memoir or some other way. It could just be a conversation that needs to take place with someone in their own life.

Our life journeys and our self-discoveries, overcoming adversities, triumphing in the face of hardships, and lessons learned are incredibly valuable. But caution is encouraged.

Avoid being too indulgent, preachy or vengeful. Look for the good that should be shared. And give your reader some space and time to interpret and reflect on your story.

That will make the relatability factor all the stronger.
Read other helpful life story articles at here.

Featured Resource: NAMW - National Association of Memoir Writers

I’ve been working with others on life story writing, personal history and memoirs since 2003. But I know I can always learn more, including doing my own memoir writing.

Therefore, I just joined the NAMW - National Association of Memoir Writers. They had a sale for Memorial Day and I like saving some money on a membership, but even better, I like all the resources they offer. They have many interviews archived that a member can access, plus there are future guest speakers and other resources on tap, all to help aspiring memoirs write their story. No wonder so many have joined.

Linda Joy Myers is the President of the National Association of Memoir Writers and has written some memoirs, some writer guides and even recently published an historical novel set in World War Two. I am currently reading it, The Forger of Marseille. To discover more of what NAMW has to offer visit them here. If you act today they extended their Memorial Day sale to midnight of May 27, 2025. At checkout use the code: memoir25.

Closing Information

That’s it for this month’s issue. Thanks for reading. Here’s to telling your story. Do give it some serious consideration because I just know you’ve got a great story to tell! Be sure to see the Get Started section.

Any comments, ideas or feedback is greatly appreciated. Just reply to this ‘zine and tell me what you think!

Until next time, – keep your story alive!

Tom Gilbert

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