The Questionnaire.

First, the essentials. Whose story is this, and how shall we name them on the cover?

1. 01Full name of the subject·
   As you'd like it printed on the cover
2. 02Other names they're known by
   Nicknames, maiden names, pen names
3. 03Date & place of birth·
   e.g. 14 March 1948, Belfast
4. 04If they have passed, when & where
   Leave blank if they are still with us
5. 05Your relationship to the subject·
   Self, daughter, husband, friend…

The people who made them. Don't worry about being neat — fragments are wonderful.

1. 01Their parents — names, occupations, what they were like
2. 02Siblings — names, birth order, relationships then and now
3. 03Grandparents or earlier ancestry you'd like preserved
   Origins, migrations, family legends…
4. 04The home they grew up in — describe a typical scene

Small moments make the best memoir scenes. Be specific where you can.

1. 01Their earliest memory
   A smell, a face, a feeling…
2. 02A favourite childhood place
3. 03What they wanted to be when they grew up
4. 04A defining moment from childhood — good or hard
5. 05Childhood friends or first loves

From first day in shoes to graduation day, however far the road went.

1. 01Schools, colleges or universities attended
   Names, towns, years, what each was like
2. 02A teacher who shaped them
3. 03How school made them feel about themselves
4. 04A school friend they would still recognise in a crowd

Leaving home, falling in love, finding work — the first taste of being one's own person.

1. 01First job, first paycheque, first independence
2. 02Where they went when they left home — and why
3. 03First love (you can be as private or as candid as you like)
4. 04The world events of their young adulthood and how those touched them
   Wars, moon landings, Diana, 9/11, pandemics, anything…

If they had a partner or partners, this is where the love story lives.

1. 01How they met their partner (or partners)
2. 02The wedding day — or the closest equivalent
   Where, who was there, what was eaten, what was wrong, what was perfect
3. 03Years together — the chapters of the partnership

Skip this section if it doesn't apply.

1. 01Children — names, when each was born, a sentence on each
2. 02Hopes they have, or had, for their children
3. 03Family traditions worth preserving on the page
   Sunday lunches, Christmas Eve rituals, songs, recipes…

Whether one career or twelve, paid or unpaid. The work that filled the days.

1. 01The career arc — the main chapters in order
2. 02A proudest day or achievement at work
3. 03A hardest day at work — and how they got through it
4. 04What the work gave them, beyond the wage

The geography of a life — every home and every journey that changed them.

1. 01Every home they've lived in, in order if possible
2. 02A journey that changed them
3. 03The place that feels most like home, and why

What they stand for, lean on, or quietly disagree with.

1. 01Faith, philosophy or worldview
2. 02A cause or politic they've stood by
3. 03A book, song or film that changed how they see the world
4. 04Three words friends would use to describe them

The peaks and the troughs. Be brave; we will hold these gently.

1. 01A happiness they return to in memory
2. 02A loss they carry
3. 03A regret — and what it taught them
4. 04A reconciliation, or a relationship that healed

How they sound on the page. The sayings, the quirks, the laugh.

1. 01Phrases, jokes or sayings they repeat
   "Right, that's that." / "Onwards."
2. 02Quirks the family teases them about
3. 03What makes them laugh
4. 04What makes them angry

The final pages of the memoir — what they'd leave behind in words.

1. 01A lesson they want grandchildren (or great-grandchildren) to know
2. 02A hope they hold — for the family or the wider world
3. 03A letter to whoever opens this book in fifty years
   A few lines or a few pages — entirely up to you.

Last housekeeping — a sense of what you can send. Don't worry if some answers are 'not sure yet'.

1. 01Roughly how many photographs are available, and where are they?
   e.g. 'About 200, mostly in two old albums'
2. 02Audio or video recordings of the subject — yes / no / what
3. 03Letters, diaries, scrapbooks — yes / no / what
4. 04Family or friends we may interview — names & relations
5. 05Anyone the book should be dedicated to?