All-access membership for life story writers (bundle, personal track)

Includes the January Jumpstart, weekly live classes, and an on-demand learning library

Course Pricing

  • Monthly membership - life story writers (personal)

    $39 USD

    per month

    Live classes. Learning Library. Cancel any time.

  • Enroll now

A powerful tool for good 

When we share a story with heart, people learn something about themselves and find courage to face difficult circumstances.
Personal stories are like love letters to the future, sharing our own life lessons and wisdom from previous generations.
You can learn to write, make easy video stories, and preserve voice. 

Writing is a joy

It's a joy to get in the zone, and when inspiration shows up that you had no idea would be there.
You will feel thrilled to finish a beautiful story and know that it meant something to others.
With technical help, a supportive community, and regular instruction you will stay inspired.  

FINISH your projects with confidence

Our students are finishing their videos, oral history interviews, written vignettes, storybooks, family history tales, and their full autobiographies. This process is designed to support every phase of your journey with resources and practical help. 

Bonus Vault of Courses
Live January Jumpstart + On-demand courses

What students say about our classes

"Class started on time. Ended on time.  Excellent, useful information shared expeditiously. I loved that both Rachel and Rhonda shared personal examples to make their points, that helped clarify concepts, and it made me feel connected. 😁 Storyboarding concept helped me visualize that the whole book, and even the chapters should have specific elements in a specific order to create a pleasing, satisfying story. There should be a rise and fall of action, conflict, interesting word choices and varying sentence lengths.  The storyboarding formula made so much sense in helping me understand the steps and elements I need to focus on to create a well rounded story.” 
Dawn, Canada
"Taking that first step into family story telling, even just dangling your toes over the edge is so so so hard! I wanted to compile histories before the story tellers are gone and their histories lost but just didn’t know where to begin and didn’t want to do it wrong. The tips and tricks I am learning give me to confidence to leap. If you aren’t quite ready to start but know you will someday, or if you do this all the time and are looking for ways to better utilize your time and/or improve and develop your process, I think you will find some really useful information here. You won’t regret this!” 
Tammy, U.S.A.
"I did an Animoto video of my Mom using photos and clips of her voice, bought a microphone and did my 1st voiceover. Did an accompanying story using dictate feature (on my MacPro) you taught me, and did an accompanying timeline on Venngate. So I am using the tools you gave us!! More please of how to do this. I love the writing exercises each week which have jumpstarted many different topics which I then continued on. I love the class each week as it inspires me!!"
Carol, U.S.A. 
“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 loved the books you showed – great ideas, and the twenty minute time has really helped me get my ideas down. You were very clear and your powerpoints were great.
Ginny, 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.
"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.
"Your classes have inspired me to get going on a number of family writing projects. I have various ones on the go which may not be the best as I can get scattered but 'stuff' is getting done as I am motivated. I really have appreciated hearing from others in the class as they read out their efforts.  Very worthwhile. Thank you!!"
Roberta, U.S.A.
"You are an answer to prayer and are giving me lots of ideas."
Mary, U.K. 
“Your class was a delightful learning experience. It was nice to realize that a few well-told stories of the most impactful lessons of your life are enough to pass on to posterity. Thanks again for your inspiration.”
Nina, U.S.A.
"I loved this class and I am so excited. I can see this work as a way to bring together all my interests & everything that I love—family, other people & cultures, writing, photography - everything. Also, I love the energy you bring to your work— you bring so much light and enthusiasm!"
Lynette, Philippines
“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.
"There are lots of things I’ve learned from the weekly classes. I think the most important has been the encouragement to try new things and keep going."
Anonymous
"Just wanted to say thanks to Rhonda and Rachel for the great crash course in personal life writing. They're hitting every essential point and it's a joy to follow their presentations. And I need to thank a dear friend for extending this opportunity to me to be in this class. Thanks! "
Colleen, U.S.A.

Membership Includes: 

  • Our full slate of online courses in the personal track, templates and printables. Access these courses on demand when you need to study materials or return to brush up. This is a great value included in your membership. 
  • Weekly live sessions. The first Thursday of the month is live group coaching and Q&A. The third Thursday is an advanced seminar. The second and third Thursdays are writing prompts with work time in class, followed by discussion. There is always a replay. 
  • These are held Thursdays at 10 AM Mountain time. (That's noon Eastern, 11 Central, 10 Pacific and 5 PM in London
  • Replays on demand, with transcripts. 
  • Access to a full learning library of tutorial videos, templates, and transcripts 

Bonuses & Benefits!

  • Bonus #1: January Jumpstart, a live 4-week course to get you through the whole process of writing one story. 
  • Bonus #2: If you enroll during Black Friday, you also get a gift certificate to give a friend the January Jumpstart class. Attend with a pal. 
  • Bonus #3: Get a welcome package with booklets and printed templates mailed to you. 
  • Bonus #4: Writing group training, group starter kit, and matchmaking to help you put together a feedback group. So valuable! 
  • Benefit: A vault of self-paced courses including: How to do oral history, Ancestor video stories, and How to write a memoir/life story
  • Benefit: A full learning library of tutorials to browse if you need a topic right away. 
  • Benefit: Membership dues will not increase increase for life, regardless of inflation or how much the rate may increase for future groups. (As long as you remain current). 
  • Benefit: Cancel any time. We can part as friends whenever you have met your goals or you have what you need. 

Rachel's favorite class moments

Instructors

Rhonda Lauritzen

Rhonda Lauritzen is a professional biographer with multiple published books. She specializes in life stories, collecting oral history, and historical storytelling. She earned an MBA from the University of Utah and was selected as the Outstanding Graduate in her undergrad major. Before she founded Evalogue.Life in 2016, she served as a college marketing director, Vice President, and a corporate CEO. In 2007, her writing journey began with her parents’ family business saga, which became her first book. Since then, she has been hired to help tell the stories of families, cities, and nonprofits. She believes that when you tell your story, it changes the ending. This is why her passion is teaching, coaching, and presenting at conferences.

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.

Some Tutorials Already in the Learning Library:
(browse when you need a topic on demand)

•When YOU should write it
•Easy video stories your family will love
•Choosing POV & tense for your story
•Writing strong characters
•Setting a scene: sensory details & dialogue
•Story structure – The Sound of Music
•Writing ancestor stories
•How to write an autobiography
•Beautiful interior book layouts
•Writing groups
•Journaling
•What are your superpowers?
•Inspiration & clearing the mind
•Finding the angle
•Organizing large projects
•Read-aloud sessions
•Curate your canon of stories
•Digitizing large quantities of material fast
•Editing
•Capturing stories during the holidays
 

•Making storybooks for your family using Shutterfly
•Ancestor story case study – story structure
•Preparing to write
•Procrastination & habits
•Grief & storytelling
 â€˘Writing about war & hardship
•What if it did not end well?
*  Writing stories where it’s hard to see an upside
•Vacations & the power of place
•History in your history
•Oral history: apps, recorders & microphones
•Transcribing resources
•Interviewing
•Publishing: industry expert speaker
•Digitizing for making a video
•Enlisting the help of young people
•Case study – Kerry’s family history story

•Writing about home & country
•Writing about fathers
•Rite of passage & coming of age stories •Narrate video in your own voice
•Open lab/Q&A session
•Tips from Stephen King’s “On Writing” •Immigration & ancestor stories
•Family reunions
•Intuition & your decision-making process •Descriptive writing
•Timeline techniques
•Editing audio
•Types of editing
•Stories of buildings & places
•Stories at end of life
•Student show & tell
•Shifting to work on your own story
•Verbal storytelling- onstage or informally
•Student readings

Speaking experience:

Organizations who have hired us:

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