How to Share a Favorite Apple Memory and Storytelling
In this article, we’ll discuss how to tell stories using the Legacy Storytelling method, specifically how to write about a favorite apple memory or insert your own favorite fruit. Yes, it sounds silly, but stick with me. This article will teach you how to write an apple story using the Legacy Storytelling method with specific tips on how to do this.
What is “52 Weeks of Storytelling”
We reached week 19! In the blink of an eye, we've made it this far. I'm so excited you're here, we are in week nineteen of this experiment and experience.
Every single video is set up so that you can write one page of your story. That is the gist of what 52 weeks of storytelling is. It's giving you an opportunity and allowing you to set aside some time each week to write one page of your story.
Main Idea
The main idea is to have you write one page, each week. That way you can create 52 pages for a book that's never been written before! What an incredible feeling and accomplishment it would be if you did this. Additionally, you can work with someone else to tell their story. Helping someone else tell their story is a rewarding way to get to know someone and spend your time.
If you're feeling like this is too much of an undertaking, don't worry. There's a video for each week and they are all less than ten minutes long. You are not behind!
Legacy Storytelling Method
I would like to walk through the legacy storytelling method. What you'll find in those journals, and in all the videos is the legacy storytelling method, which is how I coach and walk people through and train them, how to have storytelling conversations and how to write their story.
What I found over the years is that when people use a storytelling method, it leads them to write better stories more easily, and it gives them a chance to have meaningful storytelling moments.
The Five W's
The first five questions are the five W's who, what, when, where, and why, in that order.
The Why is where people get a little tripped up. The why for me is what was happening.
- How did you get to this moment?
- What was going on?
- Was it because someone told you to go do something, etc.
You are answering the why of how you got there and how the moment happened.
Digging Deeper
The next few questions have to do with feeling and impact…
- What do you want people to remember about this moment?
- When did this memory happen?
- How do you feel about it now that then maybe there's some distance between you in the memory?
- What impact did it have on your life?
- Did it change the trajectory of what you did?
- And then finally, what do you want people to remember about this moment?
When you answer this last question or when you ask someone else this question, it's pretty amazing the answers you'll get. You'll find that it may lead to other storytelling conversations and other things that you didn't know about the person or that you didn't realize about yourself until you walk through this reading method or storytelling process.
Working with someone else
Following this method of interviewing and storytelling with someone else allows you to build rapport and create a stable connection. This means that your Storyteller will be more likely to share harder, more emotional memories later. This relationship-building takes time and shouldn't be rushed whenever possible. If you are working with a grandparent, parent, or someone else you love, you may be able to skip some of these but I still encourage you to start with the prompts and 52 weeks of storytelling.
Grab the Journal
You didn’t think I would leave you without a map, did you? I’m using the 52 Ways to Write Your Story in a Year With Guided Prompts to guide the prompts every week. You can grab it as a printable PDF from Etsy or head over to Amazon and order a hot off-the-press-bound copy.
Some things that have happened for people as they have been writing and using the journal and could happen for you…
- Become more mindful and aware of your decisions in life
- Learn more about yourself by exploring your family history
- Get to know who you are and what makes you tick
- Get inspired to write a memoir
Intro to the Weekly Writing Prompt – Favorite Apple Memory
Fruit memories are always sweet. They remind us of the good times and can be a source of joy when we need it most. The prewritten prompts you can find here are focused on your favorite apple memory. Feel free to choose whatever fruit or other food works best for you.
Gael’s Story Example of Her Variation of the Favorite Apple Memory
My dad was originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland, which is where all of his family still lives and where he and his parents (my grandparents) are buried. My favorite memory with fruit has to do with my Granny (paternal grandmother) making rhubarb pie and having fresh rhubarb from her garden when we would go over in the summer.
We would go out and we would pick it, and she would cook it, and we'd eat it on the same day. It was my favorite part of the mornings. She would make homemade custard with it. It was just so good. We'd also have ice cream with it. That's my favorite fruit memory. Being in Ireland with her was a big deal. She always would do something to like make it a little nice. We'd get something extra there'd be I'm sure that was always something more than what she normally had. It always made me feel special and loved.
The 5 W's of my memory
The who was my granny, the where was Northern Ireland the one was just growing up we got to go back every other year. The what was rhubarb fresh from the garden. Why how we were there, is because my parents thought it was really important that we had a relationship with his family which was cool. How do you feel about it? I love it. It still makes me a little sad. And it's something that makes me feel good when I think about how it changed my trajectory.
Why this moment is important to me
The importance for my parents for us to have a relationship with my grandparents, on my dad's side of the family meant that when I met someone who lived in a completely different state than I did, and we had lived in Arizona for a long time, I thought it was really important. But we spent a lot of time traveling back and forth with kids so that they would have a relationship with my husband's parents. And I don't know if I would have done that if my parents hadn't done that for me.
What I want people to remember
What I want people to remember is that sometimes our memories can be the ones that make the most impact and that we remember the best are simple. Her taking the time to pick through rhubarb letting me go out and pick the rhubarb. I remember the first time she let me go pick the rhubarb, that was a really big deal. Just remember that those small moments can be the ones that make it that fill in the blanks on these other pieces of your life. Don't forget to talk about them!
Keep on Writing
The struggle to keep writing when you're a caregiver, family member or parent can be very real and taxing. There are many reasons you might find it difficult to write. Maybe you have too much on your plate: taking care of children, an elderly person, managing the household tasks and working full-time outside the home. Perhaps your loved one is in a hospital or nursing home – so they're not available for conversation while at work or away from their bedside.
The reality is that people who care for others often neglect themselves in order to take care of those they love; but there's no need to feel guilty about this! I hope these prompts help you keep writing and help you encourage those you care for to keep writing too!