This course is not open for enrollment

Make an ancestor video story

An interactive 1-day workshop via Zoom - June 4

Make a video in class.

Enrollment now closed

By popular request

If you want to reach others with your family stories, there is no better way than video. New technologies make the process easy, even for beginners. This interactive live workshop will help you write a script that hits compelling emotional notes and then put it into a video template. You will complete the bones of your video right in class so you will feel confident finishing it up on your own.

This class was created by popular request - we've had a ton of readers and students asking for it, so we finally found space on our teaching calendar.

We will cover:
     - How to write a story that showcases an interesting character
     - Where to find additional images in the public domain
     - What to include and where to trim your script
     - How to put it all together in a video format that your family will love


Class will include heaps of encouragement for beginning writers and those with more experience. No matter where you are in your family history journey, this class will get you off and running with video stories. Your stories matter, and they should be shared and loved by others.

And if you enroll before Midnight on May 14, you will receive the early-bird price AND an extra gift certificate to invite a buddy, or gift both enrollments to someone you love for Mother's Day, an early Father's Day, or just because.



Course Pricing

How it works...

Date for live Zoom workshop

Saturday, June 4, 2022
9 AM to 3 PM Mountain time

Interactive

There will be time in class to create the bones of your video story and ask questions. You will leave feeling confident to finish it up on your own. 

What's included

The interactive workshop will be taught via Zoom, with a workbook and replays. Instructors are  professional writers, Rhonda Lauritzen & Rachel Trotter.

Get a gift certificate to invite someone else, or to give both enrollments to people in your life. 

Receive a BONUS gift certificate to invite someone else

After purchase, you will be sent instructions for how to give your extra bonus gift certificate or transfer both enrollments. You will also get a printable gift certificate. 

Rhonda Lauritzen

Rhonda Lauritzen is a professional biographer with multiple published books. She believes that when you tell your story, it changes the ending. This is why her passion is teaching, coaching, and presenting at conferences. As an author, she specializes in writing life stories, collecting oral history, and historical storytelling. Before she founded Evalogue.Life she served as a college Vice President and a CEO. In 2007 her family history writing journey began with the story of her parents, which became her first book, Every Essential Element, which was followed by others. Most recently she was the writing coach to Rob A. Gentile, author of the #1 bestseller, Quarks of Light – A Near-Death-Experience (What I saw that opened my heart). 

Rachel Trotter

Rachel J. Trotter is a senior writer/editor at Evalogue.Life – Tell Your Story. She tells people’s stories and shares hers to encourage others. She loves family storytelling. A graduate of Weber State University, she has had articles featured on LDSLiving.com, lds.org, FamilySearch.org and Meridian Magazine. She has been a speaker at RootsTech, Weber State University Family History Conference, Conference on Family History at BYU and the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree. She helps people tell and write their life stories and has written six life stories with several more in production. She has also helped several others write their own stories. She and her husband Mat have six children and she recently became a grandma! She and her family live on the East Bench in Ogden, Utah.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This is a live, 4-week class

No, this is an interactive class with live instruction and group feedback. 

We will have ideas on how to start, continue or even finish your life story and leave with a completed writing project. The workshop will be virtual, but will be engaging, with lessons on writing, opportunities for writing, plus reading your work and receiving feedback and coaching throughout the day. 

It is great if you have already done some writing, but all skill levels will feel welcome here. Everyone will learn and can benefit from the structure to complete a story in class. 

What Students Say About our Live Classes

“I never realized how important writing is to me...I feel blessed to have found your class! Thank you for giving me the tools, and now the confidence, to take the words from my head and place them on paper. You are a fabulous teacher.”
Denise, U.S.A. 
“I thoroughly enjoyed the 'Life Story' class. The storyboard was marvelous and extremely helpful.”
Bryan, U.S.A.
“I had a terrific time in your class. It has provided a necessary means of accountability. I felt inclined to write some life stories but just wasn't applying the chair glue to do it.”
Valarie, U.S.A.

Course Curriculum

“Thank you for teaching this class. It is making my life better and giving me the encouragement I need to finish my book.”
Stephanie, U.S.A.
"Thank you! Best class I attended at RootsTech."
Craig, U.S.A.
I finished the course “How to Write a Memoir…” this morning!!! It was SO WONDERFUL! (The course AND the feeling of finishing.) I will be reviewing the course again and again to make sure it all “sticks.” My review is a glowing one and well deserved. 
Nancy, U.S.A.
"I really enjoyed your class and feel like I was set to go on a journey. I have to confess that I was not sold on the storyboard idea at the beginning of the class, but as I have studied it and learned a bit more, I can see and recognize it not only in books and movies but in real life. Very interesting!"
Santiago, U.S.A. 
"Using what you taught us, I posted photos and short stories about my husband who died thirty years ago. I transferred his voice from cassette to flash drive. I uploaded his voice to FamilySearch. I am amazed at the reticent relatives and friends that appreciate these stories! The process showed me all I've lived through already. I can do this, too. Thank you"
Chris, U.S.A.
“Thank you for teaching this class. It is making my life better and giving me the encouragement I need to finish my book.”
Christina, U.S.A.
“I started searching for someone who could teach me to write with passion and something more powerful. Then Google led me to Rhonda's website and she has been that person for me. I did my research, read a lot of helpful information on her website, and I watched the previews.”   
Bruce, Australia
"Thank you, you helped me realize I am the hero in my own story." 
Kelly, U.S.A.
"I finished your course this morning!!! It was SO WONDERFUL! The course AND the feeling of finishing. My review is a glowing one and well deserved."
Nancy, U.S.A.

Teaching & Presentation Experience

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