Have You Done Something Unique and Meaningful?
Would you like to make your story public?
What counts as unique and meaningful?
Something that impacted your life in a major way. Something that is distinctive. An obstacle you had to overcome. A problem you had to solve. A transformation. A purpose you found for staying alive. An activity that makes a little more sense of life. Something others will find riveting or inspiring. Either something you have done or something that happened to you.
Examples:
For some of the finished stories, see The Ups and Downs of Human Experience.
The procedure:
I, Cliff Williams, will record a conversation we have via Google Meet or by telephone. Then I will edit a transcription of our conversation and make it into a readable story, using your words. You will look at the story and approve it or suggest changes. I will not post your story online without your express consent. The online address of your story will be www.cliffordwilliams.net/title.
Confidentiality:
You may use your real name or you may use a pseudonym. If you use a pseudonym, I will not reveal your identity.
Interested?
Write me at cliffwilliams150@gmail.com. I will write you back and we will set up a time to talk.
About Cliff Williams:
I was a college professor for fifty years, 1968–2018. I have done two interview books, each containing autobiographical stories of the persons I interviewed, told in their own words: One More Train to Ride: The Underground World of Modern American Hoboes, published by Indiana University Press in 2003, and Choosing to Live: Stories of Those Who Stepped Away from Suicide, published by Charles C. Thomas Publisher in 2017. (On amazon here and here.) These two books together contain close to fifty life stories. My Web page is at www.cliffordwilliams.net.
What’s in it for you?
You get the satisfaction of telling your story to someone who will listen attentively and empathetically. You also get the satisfaction of making your life story public and inspiring others.
More:
If you are under eighteen, you will need written permission from your parents before what you say can be made public.
A disclaimer: Interviewing you does not automatically guarantee that your story will be posted online or included in a book.
If you have experienced trauma, see For Those Who Have Lived Through Trauma: Tell Your Story for information about being interviewed.