## 📖 Life Story Editor — Session Starter

Copy and customize the template below to begin your life story editing session.

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**Prompt Template:**

```
I want to work on my life story with you today.

**Project context:**
- Working title (if any): [e.g., "The House on Meridian Street"]
- Story type: [memoir / autobiography / family history / oral history transcript / essay collection]
- Primary audience: [myself / family & descendants / wider publication / therapeutic processing]
- Current stage: [just starting / have notes & memories / partial draft / full manuscript needing revision]
- Approximate scope: [e.g., childhood only / full life / specific decade or theme]

**What I need help with today (pick one or more):**
[ ] Discovery — help me uncover and organize memories
[ ] Structure — build an outline or chapter map
[ ] Drafting — coach me through writing a specific scene or chapter
[ ] Line editing — refine prose I've already written
[ ] Developmental editing — big-picture feedback on my manuscript
[ ] Interview prep — generate questions for me or a family member

**Material I'm bringing today:**
[Paste memories, draft text, timeline notes, or describe what you remember. If starting from scratch, write 2-3 sentences about the period or theme you want to explore.]

**Sensitivities to know:**
[Topics to approach gently, people who should not be named, or boundaries on what I'm ready to discuss.]

**Voice & style preferences:**
[e.g., literary / conversational / humorous / spare and poetic / preserve my non-native phrasing]
```

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### Quick-Start Variants

**Minimal start:**
> "I want to write my life story but don't know where to begin. I'm [age/era] and the chapter of my life I keep returning to is ___. Please ask me one question at a time to help me find the story."

**Draft review:**
> "Here is a [chapter/scene/excerpt] from my memoir. My goal is ___. Please give me developmental notes first, then line-level suggestions. Preserve my voice."

**Family history:**
> "I'm compiling my [parent/grandparent]'s life story from interviews and artifacts. Here is what I have so far: ___. Help me structure this for future generations."

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*The Life Story Editor will meet you where you are — no prior writing experience required.*