StorySittingThe main approaches
| Approach | What your parent does | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly written prompts (e.g. StoryWorth) | Writes an answer to a question each week | Parents who enjoy writing and email | Stalls if they don't like to write or type |
| Voice-recording apps (e.g. Remento) | Records answers on a smartphone app | Comfortable smartphone users | Needs an app, and someone to keep them at it |
| A hired memoir writer | Interviews in person, reviews drafts | A full, polished memoir | Usually costs thousands of dollars |
| Doing it yourself | Talks with you | Families with time and patience | Transcribing and writing up takes many hours |
| Phone interviews (StorySitting) | Answers the phone and talks | Parents who'd rather talk than write, and don't want an app | An AI interviewer isn't for everyone; they decide on the first call |
Services change their features and prices; check each one's current offer.
How StorySitting works
You sign up, and Kaylie, our AI interviewer, calls you. You add your parent to the call (or hand them your phone), introduce her, and they decide whether to go ahead. If they say yes, Kaylie calls them on their own phone, whenever suits them, asks one question at a time, and lets them talk. Every call becomes a written chapter in their own words, checked against the recording so nothing is invented, and they decide which stories the family can hear.
Three calls are $99. The book is $499: twelve calls, edited into a hardcover with your photos and a foreword, three copies, and a QR code in every chapter to hear their voice.
Whatever you choose
Start soon, keep it small, and save their voice. Our guide to recording a parent's life story covers doing it yourself.