Every individual and family has a story worth telling and preserving. And the best way to perpetuate memories is to write them down and turn the writing into a book. Indeed, the story of your life is a gift to yourself and family members that only you can give. However, many people sit down to write their memoir, biography or family history just to realize that putting the information in a coherent and organized fashion can be a daunting task. This is when the assistance of an accomplished professional writer can turn a frustrating endeavor into a pleasant experience. Let us show you how The Write Work can help you fulfill this dream while you secure additional benefits during the creative process—and don't forget to check the Discovery Writing ProjectTM at the bottom of the page.
The Benefits of Writing Your Life Story
Dozens of scientific studies have found that most people, from grade school children to nursing-home residents, feel happier and healthier after engaging in expressive writing. A study published in April 1988 in the "Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology" found that college students had more T-lymphocytes cells, an indication of immune system stimulation, six weeks after writing about stressful events. Another study, published in the April 14, 1999 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association," shows that expressive writing can even ease the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. These are just two examples of the vast medical literature attesting to the health values of writing. But the benefits that are most evident and immediately observable are on the personal and social level.
In addition to the enormous personal satisfaction of documenting your memories in a book format, there are other equally valuable benefits intrinsic to the process of writing your life story, and some of them are:
- It is an excellent therapeutic activity
- It helps heal old emotional wounds, resentments, and conflict
- It promotes understanding among family members
- It stimulates the faculty of memory
- It fosters a sense of personal and social productivity
- It is an enjoyable and highly fulfilling experience
- It is fun!
The Write Work principal editorial consultant/writer has the perfect background to guide you through the wonderful journey of writing the story of your life and family.
Sebastian de Assis Ph.D., is a professional writer, editor, publisher, and the author of two books and numerous articles. In addition to being equipped with superior writing and editorial skills, he has extensive experience working with mature adults in professional and educational settings. His undergraduate academic training in human relations has bestowed upon him the know-how to create a safe and nurturing atmosphere in the process of writing of life stories. He is a member of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors.
The Process of Writing & Publishing Your Life Story
Naturally, the first step in the process is to get acquainted. Then, the client receives a list of questions designed to help facilitate the recollection of important events that will be used in the production of the book. Once the client has answered the questions and jotted down relevant notes for the project, we will schedule an initial interview in order to compile information for the writing. After the interview material has been transcribed, a second interview is scheduled to verify the details and authenticity of facts as transcribed by the writer. Subsequently, a first draft is produced and turned in to the client for approval before the manuscript is revised, edited, and sent to the final production stage. Our priority is to keep the client's voice while refining the standard of the language without compromising the original message and individual style. The client always has absolute control over the content of the book.
Services and Products Fees
Fees vary depending on several factors, e.g., the nature of the project, length, objectives, etc. There are many creative alternatives for your project. Below are just a few examples of services and products available. Please contact us to determine the best option for your particular interests and budget. We will work with you to meet your needs.
The Complete Package: Includes gathering data, researching, writing, revising, editing, proofreading, typesetting, and publishing copies of your book on 60# white paper in the binding format of your choice (see a few binding options below).
Writing and Editing: Can be calculated by the hour, per word, per page, or per project. There are many factors that contribute to the final cost of a project. Contact me at sebastian@thewritework.com for a free estimate of your project.
Binding: Prices on binding options also vary considerably depending on the type and number of copies requested, number of pages, etc. Below are three standard options available:
- Casebinding (hardcover) book on 60# white paper with lettering on the cover and spine.
- Perfect Binding (softcover) book on 60# white paper with full color cover on 10 point white C1S (coated one side) stock.
- Settle Stitch (stapled) books on 60# white paper with a simple cover design.
Note: There are several other creative options available. Please contact us for a free consultation on your project.
Take advantage of our new client introductory offer
If you want to sample our services before committing to a longer project, we invite you to consider our new client introductory offer. For a nominal fee we will work with you on a 300-word essay of an important time or event in your life. Then, if you decide to commit to writing a book project, the fee you paid for the essay will be deducted, and the essay is yours to keep. This is an opportunity for you to see how you can benefit from our services while we have a chance to show you what we can do for you. There is no risk or obligation. The only risk you take is not contacting us today!
Excerpt Samples
Mr. and Mrs. Silva (50th Anniversary Celebration)
I still remember the first time I looked into her eyes. I was walking through the crowd in a train station when I fortuitously saw Theresa stepping off the train flashing her radiant smile and waving her delicate hands to her parents. Suddenly, destiny connected our eyes and we fell in love, just like that. Indeed, it was love at first sight. It happened in the month of September in 1945 when the world was enthusiastically celebrating the end of World War II. Theresa and I, however, celebrated the beginning of what was going to be a lifelong love and commitment to each other. Although we were only teenagers at the time, the intensity of our love was so profound that neither her parents nor mine had any objections to our dating—better that way since there was absolutely nothing they could do to stop us. In fact, it was just a matter of time and our relationship took a very serious course. Four years after that momentous encounter at the train station, we walked the aisle of marriage, and we have been happily walking together for fifty years. Today, after having raised three beautiful children as I now indulge in pampering my three grandchildren, I still see in Theresa's eyes the same radiance that captivated me more than half a century ago, for she is the love of my life. So when our children asked us how we wanted to commemorate this hallmark in our marriage, Theresa and I looked at each other and answered in unison: "We are going to go on a train trip." Where? It doesn't really matter, for all we want is to go back in time not to any particular place. We are going back to where it all began. We are going to fall in love all over again!
A Tribute to Ms. Polanski's Parents
I used to sit on my mother's lap by the fireplace during the cold Ohio Valley winters listening to her stories about how my great-grandmother endured the Cherokee Trail of Tears in the 1830's. I vividly remember her face lighting up brighter than the embers in the hearth every time she proudly referred to her Native American heritage. I, too, learned to honor the half-part of my ethnicity, though I never discounted my father's contribution to my mixed ethnic background. My father immigrated to the United States from Poland with his parents and two younger brothers in December of 1914, six months after World War I broke out in Europe. By the time the war ended four years later, my father had moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where he met the woman with whom he was going to build a family. He was 19-years-old at the time and my mother was only 16. From their union, six children were born, but to the desolation of our family, the last two of my siblings died in infancy. Because I was the eldest of the offspring, I always felt responsible for looking after my brother and two sisters when my parents were out struggling to feed the family during the difficult years of the Great Depression. And yet, in spite of their precarious financial situation, they managed to raise their children to become successful and productive citizens of society: my youngest brother Joe was a medical doctor, my sisters Mary Ann and Joann became teachers, and I was a librarian for almost forty years. I have no doubts that neither one of us could have succeeded without our parents' inexhaustible amount of love and support, while constantly assuring both my siblings and me that we could achieve anything we wanted if we only believed in ourselves as strongly as they believed in us. Today, when I am the last bastion of the tightly knit Polanski family, I, once again, take upon myself the responsibility of caring for the family, but this time it is my parents' legacy that I must look after. And I believe I can do it—as strongly as they believed in me.
At the basic level, writing can be a hobby and a pastime. Taken seriously it becomes a profession. But when writing reaches its highest plateau, it turns into an adventurous discovery activity. The latter is the ultimate objective of Discovery Writing ProjectTM.
Through a series of activities ranging from memory gathering exercises to the publication of manuscripts in book format and other creative alternatives to publishing, The Write Work offers this exclusive service to anyone interested in exploring writing as a tool for discovery and understanding that often derive from the process. It is a unique opportunity to engage the mind, emotions, and the body in a rewarding creative activity that fosters an enormous sense of personal satisfaction and social productivity. It gives a new meaning to life's purpose, especially for older adults.
Discovery Writing ProjectTM employs several writing related activities that facilitate reminiscing and turns writing into an exciting experience for the participants, regardless of literary skills or educational background. In fact, all activities are custom tailored to meet the needs of individual and group clients so that no one is left out of the process; on the contrary, it becomes a support group that utilizes writing as a means of reestablishing connection with self, family, and the world. It offers an opportunity to reflect on the wealth of past experiences while absorbed in a present activity whose end product transcends the future itself: a book.
How Discovery Writing ProjectTM Works
Once the identity and objectives of the client/group have been determined, The Write Work implements a program that emphasizes the goals the client/group aims at achieving. Client-focused writing activities are established in a fun-filled atmosphere that yields numerous benefits to the participants.
A few examples of activities in the program are:
- Journal Writing: The Documenting of Memories
- Photo Writing and Captioning: Giving Life to Images
- Creating a Timeline of Your Life
- The Fiction of My Life
- My Family History
- From Another's Viewpoint
- Past, Present and Future: The Spectrum of Life
- It is My Turn