Living Legacies: How to Write, Illustrate and Share Your Life Stories [Hardcover]

Duane Elgin (Author), Coleen LeDrew (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 2001 | ISBN-10: 1573245526 | ISBN-13: 978-1573245524

Creating stories allows individuals and their families to see and honor their connection to older and younger generations. The authors believe that through such writing, individuals not only communicate the meaning and spirit of their lives to their loved ones but also gain perspective on the larger world. This beautifully designed and illustrated guide escorts readers through the process of writing down their stories and illustrating them with photographs, memorabilia, and other images, including digital format. By offering readers questions to draw out events and memories, the book emphasizes a person's full life, in all of its highs and lows, magic moments, and simple pleasures. The book's supportive approach will inspire even first-time writers to forge a collection of stories to share and pass on to the important people in their lives.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

We at Conari Press are very pleased to be publishing LIVING LEGACIES because we believe it fits right into our mission of "books that make a difference." All of us, no matter our age, no matter our circumstances, have important stories to tell. And the more we tell our stories, the more we connect deeply to ourselves, to our loved ones, and to future generations. LIVING LEGACIES offers a simple process for recording and preserving our stories for posterity. We encourage you to try it.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Conari Press (January 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573245526
• ISBN-13: 978-1573245524
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Duane Elgin is an internationally recognized speaker and author. His books include The Living Universe, Promise Ahead, and Awakening Earth. In 2006, he received the international Goi Peace Award in recognition of his contribution to a global "vision, consciousness, and lifestyle" that fosters a "more sustainable and spiritual culture." He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Living Legacies, April 11, 2003

By 

Cassandra Barnes "Cassandra" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Legacies: How to Write, Illustrate and Share Your Life Stories (Hardcover)

All of us have personal life stories to share, but many of us don't really know how to best preserve those stories for future generations. Living Legacies: How to Write, Illustrate, and Share Your Life Stories, from Duane Elgin and Coleen LeDrew, is filled with practical suggestions on how you can "uncover the seeds of stories in your life, [and] follow a simple process for writing them."

Elgin and LeDrew on focus on what they call the "life story," which is more than photographs or a biography. Life stories delve into feelings about what happened or why it mattered. They incorporate visual images and memorabilia as well as the written word. As well as sharing events with others, "when we record our life stories, we enter a process of self-reflection that often leads to new insights about our lives."

Recording a life story can be very simple, and often only takes only a page or two. Elgin and LeDrew provide step-by-step instructions for deciding what stories to share and how to get to the essence of each one. They also explain how to choose the visual images that best illustrate the story, with lots of examples.

Stories can be simply typed out on plain paper, or they may incorporate fonts and backgrounds that enhance them. The authors explain how to choose what materials and techniques that best communicate what you want and how to best use your personal information and style.

Life stories aren't just for the older generations-one chapter is devoted to helping children tell their special stories.

The authors present their guidelines in a practical, easy-to-understand manner that allows lots of room for individual creativity. They also provide a resource guide with additional tips, organizations, and vendors of speciality materials.

Your life is filled with unique and priceless experiences. Living Legacies provides all the information and tools you need to share those experiences with others.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "For it is in giving that we receive...", June 23, 2001

By 

Lisa (Forestville, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Legacies: How to Write, Illustrate and Share Your Life Stories (Hardcover)

"For it is in giving that we receive," is a phrase from the Prayer of St. Francis. I remember it so well from my childhood and am struck by how true this is in reference to this book. "Living Legacies" is the perfect gift to ourselves and our loved ones because, through Coleen's and Duane's gentle coaching, we open up memories that can bring healing, restoration, enrichment and so much more. Putting this inspiration to paper and sharing it makes both this process and the product a precious gift to the writer/giver and the recipient. I have given this book to more than 50 people since its publication in January of this year. Every single recipient has remarked on the quality of the information and the simple beauty of its message. This is a sure thing if you're looking for a special gift that communicates how much you care!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life Memories, June 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Living Legacies: How to Write, Illustrate and Share Your Life Stories (Hardcover)

Rarely does one see such a comprehensive work involving this subject. Thus book has just enough detail included to help the reader to become the writer. Anyone with a family needs to read this and heed it's advice so as to be able to leave a history to the generations to follow. How often do we see folks struggle to find their heritage? Had previous generations followed the wisdom found in this book the knowledge would be readily available. Good work. I shall certainly recommend it to anyone who cares to leave their own legacy.