The Stories of Our Ancestors
Draft a biography of your own family, tracing back as many generations as possible. Use personal stories, historical context, and family myths to paint a picture of who your ancestors were and how their spirits, successes, and struggles have shaped the family’s identity over the decades.
Suggested length: A personal essay: 1,000 to 3,000 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Write about one day, not one year.
- Let someone else in the story have the best line.
- Write the part you'd rather skip.
Writing biography and memoir books
A real life, told with the shape of a story.
A biography tells someone else's life; an autobiography tells your own, start to finish. A memoir is narrower: one stretch or theme of the author's life, told with a novelist's tools. Memoir is where most new writers start.
What readers expect
- A true story with a narrative arc
- An honest, distinctive voice
- Scenes, not just summary
- Meaning drawn from experience
A tip before you start
A memoir isn't your whole life. Pick one thread, such as a year, a relationship or a question, and cut everything else.
More Biographies and Memoirs prompts
- The Hardest RoadCraft a narrative about your most challenging journey—whether a physical trip, a psychological or emotional adventure, or a career path. Detail the…
- The Family Heirloom's MemoriesWrite a memoir from the perspective of an object that has been in your family for generations. Describe the historical and emotional events it has…
- The Mentor Who Changed My LifeCreate a narrative about the most influential person in your life who is not a family member. Explore how they have influenced your decisions, values…
- Stories Passed Through GenerationsExplore a generational story within your family. Start from your grandparents or even earlier, and recount the traditions, beliefs, or pivotal moments…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
Chapterly gives a draft somewhere to grow: chapters, daily word goals, and readers when you're ready.
Plans from $9.99 a month. Cancel any time. Your words are always yours.