How Do You Interview Your Parents?
Ask open questions chronologically, record rather than take notes, and let silence run. Sessions of 60 to 90 minutes across several visits beat one long interview.
Read the guide → July 29, 2026 questions to ask grandparentsWhat Should You Ask Your Grandparents?
Sensory and routine questions retrieve more than questions about big events. Ask about their own grandparents, which pushes living memory back four generations.
Read the guide → July 22, 2026 how to record family storiesHow Do You Record Family Stories Properly?
Record audio in a soft, quiet room with the microphone close. Save high-quality files, keep three copies on two media, and label them the day you record.
Read the guide → July 15, 2026 what is oral historyWhat Is Oral History?
Oral history is the recorded interview treated as a primary source, capturing first-person experience documents omit. It has standards for consent, method and preservation.
Read the guide → July 8, 2026 preserve old family photosHow Do You Preserve Old Family Photographs?
Store originals flat in acid-free enclosures somewhere cool, dark and dry. Avoid adhesive albums. Scan at 600 dpi as TIFF, and identify people while someone still can.
Read the guide → July 1, 2026 how to start a family archiveHow Do You Start a Family Archive?
Gather everything in one place, organise by person rather than format, inventory it, and digitise fragile and obsolete-media items first. Name an owner and a successor.
Read the guide → June 24, 2026 how to write a family memoirHow Do You Write a Family Memoir?
Choose one narrow thread, work from recorded interviews rather than memory, and write scenes rather than summary. Decide family or publication early, since it governs inclusion.
Read the guide → June 17, 2026 life story interview questionsWhat Are the Best Life Story Interview Questions?
The most productive questions ask for reflection and cannot be answered briefly. Order concrete questions first and evaluative ones late, once someone is talking freely.
Read the guide → June 10, 2026 reluctant relative interviewHow Do You Get a Reluctant Relative to Talk?
Reluctance is usually about framing. Drop the word interview, use photographs as prompts, ask about other people, and introduce recording later and honestly.
Read the guide → June 3, 2026