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Prompts & chapter structure

Ten chapters shape a life story. A fuller weekly bank (toward 52 questions) is planned for the email product; this preview includes a representative set.

Chapters

Beginnings

Where you came from

Where and when were you born?
What is the earliest memory you can still picture clearly?
Who lived in your childhood home, and what did an ordinary weekday feel like?

Family & roots

People who shaped you

Describe a parent or caregiver in three specific scenes, not adjectives.
What family tradition do you hope someone remembers?
Was there a relative whose advice you still hear in your head?

School years

Learning and early friendships

What subject or teacher changed how you saw yourself?
Tell the story of a friendship that mattered then — what did you do together?
A moment you felt out of place, and what you did next.

Work & craft

How you made a living

What was your first paid job, and what did a typical day look like?
Describe a project or shift you are still proud of.
A mistake at work that taught you something lasting.

Love & partnership

Chosen people

How did you meet someone who became central to your life?
A small ordinary moment that still feels like love to you.
What do you want a future reader to understand about that relationship?

Home & place

Where life happened

Describe a kitchen, street, or landscape that feels like home.
A move that changed everything — what did you pack, and what did you leave?
Sounds and smells of a place you miss.

Hard years

What you survived

A difficult season: what happened, and who helped?
What did you learn that you wish you had known earlier?
How do you want this chapter framed — carefully, without sensational detail?

Joy & celebration

Moments worth keeping

A celebration you can still feel in your body.
A joke, song, or meal that always comes back.
Someone you loved to make laugh — tell one story.

Lessons & wishes

What you would pass on

What do you believe now that you did not believe at twenty?
Advice you would give a grandchild about money, kindness, or courage.
Unfinished dreams — name one without apology.

Letters to the future

Closing the book

Write a short letter to someone who will read this after you are gone.
What should they know about how you saw them?
How would you like the last page to end?

Sample weekly prompts

Illustrative schedule — not a live email cadence.

#	Chapter	Question
1	beginnings	Where were you born, and what do you know about the day you arrived?
2	beginnings	What is your earliest clear memory? Include sights, sounds, or smells.
3	family	Describe your childhood home in as much concrete detail as you can.
4	family	Tell a story about a parent or caregiver that shows who they were.
5	school	Who was your best friend growing up, and what did you get into together?
6	school	A teacher, coach, or mentor who changed your path.
7	work	Your first job: what you did, what you earned, and what you learned.
8	work	The hardest day at work you remember — and how it ended.
9	love	How you met someone who became important. Stick to scenes.
10	love	A small kindness you still remember receiving.
11	home	A place that felt like home. Walk the reader through it.
12	home	A holiday or seasonal ritual your family kept.
13	hardship	A challenge you faced. You control how much detail you share.
14	joy	A day you would live again exactly as it was.
15	wisdom	Something you believe now that surprised your younger self.
16	letters	Write one paragraph to a future reader of this book.

Write with these prompts