It is so easy to forget stories that are handed down at the dinner table or in Grandma's living room. These stories help connect us to our family and build confidence in our youngest family members. It is important to write these stories and to start now, before the memory starts to fade. If you won't do it, who will? The task does not have to be overwhelming. Here are three steps to writing your story.

1. Choose Your Story: Decide what story you want to tell. Do you want to record your grandfather's life? Or maybe a story about your favorite sibling? How about a favorite family tradition, the first year of life of your little one or what life was like before your little one. Maybe it is your dating stories. Consider who your audience is going to be and who may be reading your story. This may give you the inspiration to start creating your storybook. You can pick up a pen and a post-it note or you can choose to open a word document and keep a "story" file on your computer. A notebook, journal pad, poster paper, napkins...it doesn't matter, just start writing.

2. What to write about?
Think about the first memory that pops in your mind about the story you want to write. Write it down and then start to go back in time from there. Instead of starting at the beginning, start at your thought or memory and use that as a point of reference and work your way back or forward from there. Don't worry about starting at the 'right' spot. Once you start writing you can then set up a time line and write important memories in the appropriate spots. There are some amazing storymaps available to help interview you and help write the story as well.

3. Grammar and Photos:
Sometimes story telling begins by sorting through photos. We all like to look at photos and any time you can write the story behind a photo it makes that photo mean so much more. Don't worry, if you don't have many photos, that's okay. If you had the opportunity to read an ancestor's journal would you be concerned about typos or grammar? It is most important just to start writing, later you can have someone proof read your story if you prefer. Do you have photos from the past? You may want to consider scanning them into a digital format like a jpeg so they become archived and preserved and as you create your digital storybook you will have the option to print multiple copies if you need. If the thought of scanning hundreds of photos seems a bit daunting don't worry. Sort through your photos. Any picture that makes you pause and reminisce, set aside. You can then bring this smaller group of photos to anyone or store that has the capability of scanning your photos to a jpeg format. You can always add more as you go. Just ask your friends or front desk who they know that can scan photos.

It's time to honor the story teller in your family and write their stories down, it may just be you. We all know we won't physically be here some day and we don't know when that day will come. Be prepared and enjoy your life and not worry about memories being forgotten or important family traditions you don't want lost in the years to come. Just think, 100 years from now, someone will read the story you write, they will take away the lessons or message in the story and not only feel connected to a distant relative but potential be inspired to embrace what they read and incorporate it into their life. You will have the potential to make a difference and be remembered even when you are not here. Take action now and know that your stories will live forever.

Kelly Hocks - Storybook Coach Storybook Coach, Digital storybooking will help build and strengthen you family bonds and connections through storybook creation http://www.storybookcreation.com/ and the heritage enriching power of story.