Questions that Motivate Memories

Part 2 in a Series: Writing a Treasured Family Member Biography

Oct 23, 2008 Tania Kidd

You're hungry for information and eager to ask questions!

Before beginning the very first interview, you have some preliminary business to handle. Ask your subject if there are any topics he considers off-limits. He may choose to discuss things you need to understand, but may not wish for them to be published. Be sure this is clearly written down in your notes - and spoken on the tape recording for good measure.

The easiest format for questioning your subject is a simple chronological outline. Start wth the obvious:

• parents, their ages and occupations
• year of subject's birth
• place of subject's birth
• birth order and siblings' names and ages

And then, a bit more detail if you wish:

• who was present during the birth
• was there anything unusual about the circumstances or the birth itself
• reactions of father, siblings or other relatives
• (fill in here later with memories of secondary subjects)

Continue with earliest memories of subject:

• the first house subject lived in
• friends and neighbors
• earliest pets
• earliest responsibilities around the house

Major topics to be covered include:

• Primary School Years
• favorite subjects and teachers
• school trips, fairs, activities
• Boy/Girl Scouts, 4-H, Soap Box Derby
• High School Years
• hobbies and awards
• participation in sports, clubs, etc.
• employment, bosses, and co-workers
• travels
• dating
• Young Adult Years
• college or higher-level education
• military service, volunteer service
• marriage and children

• Miscellaneous
• health incidents - subject or subject's family
• other emergencies - fires, car accidents, arrests, etc.
• individuals of major influence in subject's life
• national and world events of significance to subject
• participation in and influence of religion
• parenting experiences
• favorite music groups or specific songs
• first automobile and learning to drive
• favorite books and magazines
• radio/television programs preferred
• family traditions & holiday gatherings

You may find that some of these topics provide enough material to form a chapter or sub-section alone; other topics may need to be combined. If you are writing on a strictly chronological format, they will fall into place if you have dated each event.

The Wandering Mind

If you are interviewing an elderly person, you may experience some "mind-wandering." It may be beneficial as your sessions progress to sit down alone after each one and listen to the tape (or go through your notes) to isolate & pull out information that may have come out on new topics you have not addressed, or new information from a topic already covered.

Certain authors prefer to transcribe tapes soon after a session to files on the computer. This allows for easier re-location of information in the draft. Color-coding is also possible; for example, if you identify a memory you want to verify with others, color the text a bold red. Perhaps some information is pertinent in more than one place and you plan to move it; simply color that text a bold green. Setting up such a color-coding system will make it easier to spot editing needs later.

Any person, any age, may experience a blocked memory in the process of developing the biography. As suggested in Part 1 of this series, bringing along some photos or items to jog the memory may be useful. Look around the subject's house and ask about photos and other interesting items on display. Open a map of the area where the subject grew up. You never know what memories might be stirred!

Related articles:

Part 1 of this series: Write a Family Heirloom Biography