Before
Day one
What they came with
After
4 months later
Family memoir
Name withheld
A family memoir written for the next generation
words
start to finish
chapters
How we got there
Month 1
Nearly a month of conversations before a single chapter was written.
20+ hours
Long talks and simple questions, to find why each moment mattered.
Months 2–4
Every chapter shaped around how he naturally speaks and what he wants his children to remember.
Month 4
The manuscript was complete and, more importantly, it sounded like him.
The full story
The challenge
One of my first clients wanted a book that would outlive him. Not for the market. For his children: where he came from, what it cost him, and how he got here.
He had tried writing it himself. Scattered files, half-finished chapters, notes in a dozen places. He had the stories. He needed someone who could write as him.
How we worked
I spent nearly a month on him before writing a line. More than 20 hours of talking, all about why each moment mattered.
I listened for how he speaks, which memories carry weight, and what he wanted his children to remember. Then I started writing.
The outcome
Four months later the manuscript was done, and it sounded like him. It became a legacy for his family, and made him one of the first published authors in his industry.
Founder, name withheld
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