Start by finding a helpful 'digital print-on-demand' printing company (they're all in Yellow Pages). Ask to see a selection of self-published books that they have already produced and also ask them how much of the 'pre-print' process they can arrange. Most of these companies can supply everything apart from the editing, although some do now have contacts with freelance editors. You'll also find editorial agencies advertising in Writers' News.

A life in verse...

If you enjoy poetry, whether or not you're experienced in writing it, you can tell your story in a sequence of individual poems. The different scenes will evoke a mixture of emotions, so it would be appropriate to use different poetry forms for contrasting effects.

There's information about useful poetry forms in How To Write About Yourself (see above) and guidance on poetry writing in The Craft Of Writing Poetry by Alison Chisholm. Your completed collection will make an attractive printed anthology.

...sound or vision

Memoirs don't necessarily have to be preserved in written word format. These days, we can record our memories in sound and vision. If you leave your own voice for future generations, your gold will be studded with diamonds! Don't confine yourself to 'dictating' to a tape-recorder.

The results can be quite stilted and unnatural. Ask a friend to prompt you into different areas, to make it a natural conversation that reveals you as a person. The Reminiscence Group books would be very useful here.

You could make the result even more engaging by doing the recording in front of a video-camera. And there are further possibilities. You can put photographs, transparencies and video-clips together on a video cassette (or DVD), with you doing the voice-over describing the scenes and pictures. Ask about this kind of service at any photo processing shop. Or approach your local senior school or college about having a group of students doing it as a project.

Many people like to make a scrapbook or journal of their holidays and this idea can be extended to cover any part of your life. Make your 'album memoirs' picture-based, and add explanations of what the pictures show. Include other relevant treasures such as certificates, invitations, theatre tickets or baby's hospital wristband. Make it a fascinating mix of pictures, souvenirs, facts and, importantly, feelings. If your explanations include how you felt at the time, or how you feel now about these items, you really will be putting 'your life in their hands'.

Patchwork of the past

Perhaps the most beautiful way to preserve your personal photographs for the future is to stitch them into a patchwork quilt. The idea is not to construct the whole quilt out of original photographs, but to have pictures printed on fabric pieces fitted into the quilt at regular intervals, as a pattern against a background of pale, plain patches.

Choose the pictures carefully. You may wish to use only black-and-white pictures for effect. Or you could work chronologically, stepping suddenly into colour like Dorothy in the film of The Wizard of Oz.

Transfer your photographs on to fabric using 't-shirt transfer' paper, available from large stationers and computer shops. You (or a helpful friend) will need a computer, scanner and colour printer. Each photograph needs to be scanned, mirror-reversed and saved at a suitable 'patch' size. They can then be arranged in groups to fit on A4 pages, leaving a good margin around each picture.

You need one A4 sheet of transfer paper for each page of pictures. When the pages are printed on to the transfer sheets, they become iron-on transfers. And because you place them picture-side down for ironing, your mirror-reversed pictures will appear the right way round on the fabric. You will find a memory quilt and other craft projects in Making Memories by Penny Boylan.

When it comes to turning memories into memoirs, there are so many lovely options, and this list is by no means complete. You may be inspired to weave and leave your 'gold' some other way. But however you do it, do it! The lucky person who finds your priceless gift one day will love you forever, treasure it and carefully pass it on.

Brenda Courtie is a freelance writer and member of Stoke St Gregory WI, Somerset. She is available to give talks to WIs about the importance of writing your memoirs and can be contacted on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it