My Life Stories
My Life Stories
Ben had already completed a life story book using a weekly Q&A prompt service.
It was meant to be a meaningful family gift: a way to collect his memories, stories and reflections in one place. But once the book was finished, it didn’t look or feel the way Ben had hoped.
The template-based format was limiting. The layout was difficult to control. Photos didn’t sit the way he wanted. Captions, spacing, font sizes and cover design were all restricted by the software.
Most importantly, the finished book didn’t feel like Ben. Rather than abandon the project, Ben’s son, Rick, reached out to My Stories Matter. They didn’t just want the words printed. They wanted a proper memoir, something the family would be proud to keep, read and pass down.
My Life Stories
Rick and Benjamin “Ben” P. Patch
Memoir redesign and transformation
A printed Q&A-style book that felt disorganized and difficult to follow
Transform Ben’s stories into a polished, keepsake-quality memoir for him and his family
A cohesive, professionally designed memoir that preserves Ben’s stories in a meaningful family keepsake
- Reorganized questions and stories
- Improved text formatting and flow
- Thoughtfully arranged photos
- Created a professional book design
With a newfound confidence in his memoir, Ben ordered 6 copies, and re-ordered 3 more copies for his family later that same year.
Ben had done the hard part: he had gathered the stories. But the original template made it difficult to create a book that felt polished, personal and worthy of the memories inside.
The main issues were:
- The layout felt inconsistent and hard to control
- Photos could not be sized, centred or arranged properly
- Captions and text formatting felt restrictive
- The preview didn’t always match what Ben expected
- The book read more like a collection of prompts than a life story
- The final result felt like a software export, not a legacy memoir
As Ben put it, the book simply didn’t feel like him.
The original book contained valuable stories, reflections and conversations, but the content needed shaping.
We reorganised the material into five clear sections:
- Part 1: Life Stories
A chronological journey through Ben’s life. - Part 2: Conversations with Rick
A dedicated section for the questions and conversations between father and son. - Part 3: Life Advice
Ben’s wisdom and reflections, given their own space so they wouldn’t get lost. - Part 4: Reflections
Personal thoughts and memories gathered into a more natural reading flow. - Part 5: Family Pictures
A visual section to celebrate family moments and shared history.
This helped the book read like a memoir rather than a collection of unrelated answers.
For example, Ben’s Air Force memories were originally spread across several different areas. We brought them together into one cohesive chapter, creating a smoother and more meaningful reading experience.
The result: a life story that felt organised, intentional and easy for the family to follow.
With My Stories Matter: An organized Table of Contents with clear, easy-to-follow sections.
Original version: Content appeared out of order and disconnected.
With My Stories Matter: Images are thoughtfully placed where they naturally support the story.
Original version: Images were poorly positioned and sized for the surrounding content.
With My Stories Matter: Stories and photos are carefully arranged to use each page effectively—without unnecessary blank pages.
Original version: Photos were not sized appropriately for the available space, resulting in random blank pages.
With My Stories Matter: Text is consistently aligned, and photos are placed at natural breaks in the story.
Original version: Inconsistent text alignment made the pages feel unpolished, while photos interrupted the story in awkward places.
With My Stories Matter: Questions from Ben’s son are clearly separated and paired with the appropriate responses.
Original version: Questions appeared out of order, with an unanswered list at the beginning and no clear connection to the responses.Ben’s writing was warm, direct and personal. Our role wasn’t to rewrite him. It was to make the book easier to read while keeping the words feeling like his own.
We focused on:
- Correcting typos and small errors
- Improving grammar and sentence flow
- Standardising punctuation and formatting
- Breaking up long blocks of text
- Making conversations easier to read
- Keeping names, dates and style choices consistent
- Preserving Ben’s natural tone throughout
The goal was simple: make the memoir feel polished without losing the personality behind it.
Many family memoirs include older photos, faded prints or low-resolution images. These are often some of the most meaningful parts of the book, but they need care to look good in print.
For Ben’s memoir, we restored and enhanced selected photos by:
- Correcting fading and discolouration
- Improving sharpness
- Adjusting contrast and exposure
- Preparing images for high-quality print
- Making sure photos looked balanced within the page design
This helped the visual side of the book feel as considered and professional as the writing.
A professional designer rebuilt the memoir into a premium 8” × 10” coffee-table hardcover. This gave Ben’s story the space, structure and presentation it deserved.
We created:
- A custom cover design
- A clean, readable interior layout
- Consistent typography
- Balanced spacing and page flow
- Thoughtful photo placement
- Properly centred captions
- A finished design that felt personal, polished and timeless
Unlike a template, every design decision was made around Ben’s story.
Ben’s finished memoir became a 172-page hardcover book that looked and read like a proper published memoir.
The final book was:
- Professionally organised
- Carefully edited
- Beautifully designed
- Printed as a premium hardcover
- Something the family could proudly keep, share and pass down
Ben was so pleased with the result that he ordered nine copies for family members.
Many families start with template-based Q&A services because they seem simple. They can be a useful way to begin collecting memories. But collecting stories is only one part of the journey.
Turning those stories into a book that reads well, looks beautiful and feels worthy of passing down requires care, structure, editing, design and real human guidance.
Templates can help you start. But if you want a finished memoir your family will be proud to share, the details matter.
We don’t hand you software and leave you to figure everything out alone.
Our team works with you personally to shape, edit, design and print your memoir from start to finish. Whether you need help organising the story, improving the writing, restoring photos, designing the layout or simply staying motivated, we’re here to guide you.
Our job is not to create a template book. It’s to help you finish a memoir that feels like you, a beautiful, bookstore-quality book your family can treasure for generations.
Whether you have a completed manuscript, rough notes, or even a memoir you've already started elsewhere, our team can help.
Discover how we can turn your life story into a book you'll be proud to share.
