Your story is worth telling.
The funny parts. The hard parts. The little things your family should never forget. Tell me your story. I'll write it and turn it into a small, printed keepsake you can hold onto or give to someone you love.
Hi, I'm Jason.
I've been writing stories most of my life. For years, they've mostly been my own. My family. My mistakes. The things that made me laugh, and the things I needed a little time to understand.
Now I'd like to help you tell one of yours.
I'm not going to hand you a questionnaire and send back something that sounds like a greeting card. We'll sit down, talk like people, and find the story underneath the story.
We talk. I listen. I write.
You don't need to be a writer. You don't even need to know where to start. That's what our conversation is for.
Tell me about it.
We have a 45 to 60-minute conversation on Zoom. I'll ask questions. You tell me what you remember.
I find the story.
I turn our conversation into an 800 to 1,200-word personal essay that sounds like you, not a corporate biography.
Hold onto it.
You review the draft. We make one round of changes. Then I turn your approved story into a printed keepsake booklet. You also get a PDF and editable copy.
Almost any one that matters to you.
Maybe it's how you met your wife. Maybe it's the summer you got into trouble with your best friend. Maybe it's a story your dad has told a hundred times that you'd hate to lose.
Things your kids or grandkids should know.
How you met, fell in love, and stayed.
One day that changed a lot.
Funny, odd, messy, or worth another telling.
Not just a file. A little book of your life.
Your finished story becomes a personal, 5.5-by-8.5-inch printed keepsake booklet. Small enough to tuck into a drawer. Meaningful enough to hand to someone you love.
Think of the story of how your parents met. The childhood adventure your grandfather still laughs about. Or the moment you knew this was the person you wanted to spend your life with.
I'll write the story in a natural voice, give you a chance to review it, and put it into a booklet with a custom illustrated cover inspired by your story.
Booklet imagery is a sample mockup. Your finished cover will be made for your story.
A story worth keeping. $349.
We have one good conversation. I write your story. You get a little book you can hold and share.
A custom-written personal story, a printed keepsake booklet, and digital copies.
Printing of one booklet is included. Shipping costs, if any, will be confirmed before you pay. I take on up to three stories each month.
- 45 to 60-minute Zoom conversation
- 800 to 1,200-word personal story
- One round of revisions
- Custom illustrated cover inspired by your story
- One printed 5.5-by-8.5-inch keepsake booklet
- PDF and editable copy of your story
- Private by default
- Payment arranged after we agree on the details
These are the moments I love writing about.
Not everything worth remembering is a big event. Sometimes it's the small stuff that sticks.
How it all began
The first dates, wrong turns, and unlikely beginnings.
The everyday stuff
A moment that didn't seem like much until years later.
The stories we repeat
The ones everybody at the table already knows by heart.
These are example story themes, not customer testimonials or finished client projects.
"You don't need to have lived an extraordinary life to have a story worth telling."
Tell me what you have in mind.
Tell me a little about the story you'd like written, or ask for a gift certificate. Two or three sentences are plenty. I'll read it myself and get back to you.
You won't pay anything just to ask. If we decide to work together, I'll send you my PayPal payment link and we'll schedule the interview.
Give someone their own story.
Some people are impossible to shop for. They don't need another sweater. But they might love having a story from their life written down and made into a little book.
A Stories Worth Keeping gift certificate covers the same $349 package. The person you give it to can tell me their story later, when they're ready. No need to rush an interview before Christmas.
It works for parents, grandparents, a spouse, or anyone whose stories you'd like to save.
Gift certificates cover the writing and one printed booklet. Any shipping cost will be confirmed before payment. No Christmas delivery date is promised for completed books.
A gift now. A story later.
In the inquiry form above, check the gift certificate box. I'll follow up personally with the details and payment link.
Then you can give the certificate at Christmas. Your recipient chooses the story and schedules the conversation afterward.
I'll send the certificate details after payment is arranged. You don't need to tell me the story in advance.
Don't take my word for it. Read my stories.
I've spent years writing about my family, my mistakes, and the strange little moments that make a life. Here are three stories that will give you a pretty good idea of how I write.
I'm 58, and My Teenage Daughter Thinks I'm a Walking Historical Reenactment
Apparently, being 58 makes me a walking history lesson. At least according to my teenage daughter.
Read the story →
I Spent Thirty Years Turning What I Loved Into Work. Last Week I Finally Remembered How to Just Enjoy It.
After thirty years of turning what I love into work, I'm learning how to enjoy it again.
Read the story →
The Night Glen Hansard Talked to Us Like We Were Old Friends
One night, one musician, and the kind of personal encounter that stays with you.
Read the story →
These are my own stories. Yours will sound like you, not me.