Have we lost our sense of family identity? Lately, I've wondered if our generation, and more importantly, our children's generation, will still have a strong sense of family identity. Growing up, I always felt a strong family identity. When I think of how we're raising our daughter, I wonder whether I'm upholding that same strong sense of family identity for her.

It's natural to feel unsure about what and how much to share and whether or not anyone will find your stories interesting. When, in truth, you don't have to write down your most exciting experiences for your memoir to be engaging.

One of my goals this year is to write a book. At this point in my life, writing a book feels more like a "nice to do" than a "need to do." But that's precisely why I've decided to start working on it now.

While designing covers may not be my area of expertise, I know with certainty that a well-designed cover is critical for the success of your book. Whether you design the cover yourself or work with a professional designer, these tips will get you started.

Unlike editing and proofreading, which require a second set of eyes, you can learn how to format a book on your own. And, regardless of which program you've written your book in, understanding the basics of book formatting will help set you up for success.

You've written a book—you may have just finished your first draft or have already gone through multiple revisions. Either way, you're starting to think about the next steps you'll need to take to get your book in print. First of all, congratulations! That's an incredible accomplishment and deserves to be celebrated. And now that you've completed a first draft, you will need to find an editor to work with.

When you start writing about your life, you may question whether and how certain events played out. Remember, it's not about who's right or wrong because your memoir is your interpretation and perspective on events that occurred. You're sharing your truth as you remember experiencing it.

Asking ‘What do I want?’ is one of the best ways to check in with yourself. On a recent podcast episode, Mel Robbins explored Sakichi Toyoda's Five Whys method. This method is not just another self-help tool; it's a powerful call to action for discovering what you truly want in life.

Summer holidays are a fantastic time to reconnect with your family, so instead of having the same conversations you do every time you get together this summer, why not delve into your family's history?

Recently, I've been toying with the idea of trading my smartphone for a flip phone and getting a landline for the house. I doubt I'm alone in this desire to disconnect and return to a simpler life.

But for now, without doing anything drastic, I'll turn off my phone or keep it out of sight. The summer offers an opportunity to unplug and reset, and there’s no time like the present.

There's much more to generational storytelling than listening to the same stories over and over. While those stories will certainly give you insight into your parents and grandparents' lives, they also offer other clues. Clues about your family's physical and mental health, relationship dynamics, religious and spiritual practices, and traditions and values.

Writing a memoir requires thinking about how you plan to structure your story. This is why an autobiography can seem much more straightforward. The typical structure for most autobiographies is chronological. However, with a memoir, you have a lot more creative freedom.

A well-written memoir is usually curated around a single theme in a person's life. Whatever theme holds true for you, use that as your North Star. Assigning a theme will allow you to recognize which stories to include and which don't support your theme or add value to your book.

When it comes to milestones, we often let society determine which ones are worth celebrating. Whether it's a "0" year birthday or not, your first home purchase or your last, a new baby or a new dog (or cat), shouldn't we be the ones to decide which events mark the most meaning in our lives?

There are a few key differences between Biographies, Autobiographies and Memoirs. However, what makes memoir writing so approachable is that you can write several types of memoirs, and you can even write more than one.

Writing a memoir can be incredibly cathartic and even eye-opening. Of course, when and how you decide to share your story with them is up to you.

As we enter the busy holiday season with all its dinner parties, social events and family gatherings, we have an opportunity to connect and reconnect with the many people in our lives. The start of December is the perfect time to set an intention for your holiday season, to get clear on what’s most important to you, and make that your priority.

Proxemics is similar to body language in that a subject’s positioning will either subconsciously or intentionally offer clues to help you make sense of your family’s photo albums. Therefore in addition to reading a subject’s body language, recognizing the spatial distances between family members in old photos will give you a better understanding of their relationship dynamics.

Photographs hold a lot of clues to our past. By decoding body language, you'll have a better understanding of what was happening at the time the photos were taken. When decoding body language in photographs, almost everything can be split into two categories. Read to learn more…

I am thankful for every reminder that we don't live forever, even when it brings sadness and grief. You've probably heard the saying, "Live each day as if it were your last." It's been quoted by many and challenged by many more. Paulo Coelho countered this idea with, "Don’t live every day as if it were your last. Live every day as if it were your first.". Yet, most of us do neither…