Leave your mark on the world by writing your queer memoir
If you’ve grown up, or come out, or lived life as a queer person, chances are you’ve got a pretty interesting story to tell. Have you ever thought of putting it down on paper to both memorialize yourself and also leave your mark on the body of knowledge our community represents?
Increasingly in an age of flux it seems people are seeking ways to preserve their legacy, and while blogging and social media have been a quick and easy fix, there is something less than authentic about digital media’s hall of mirrors with its filters and distortions. Many of us prefer to hold a book in our hands — if we want to know the truth. What is you could turn your life’s story into a book? Isn’t an autobiography just for famous people?
That’s where memoirs come in. How well do your friends, relatives, dependents and loved ones really know you? What are the things you’ve learned in this life? What are your achievements and triumphs over struggle? What lessons would you like to hand down? And most importantly, how would you like to be represented? Enter StoryTerrace, the top biography-writing service that specializes in giving people an opportunity to leave behind their most treasured memories, written by professional ghostwriters.
Stemming from the pandemic, bringing mortality to our front doors, many of us have been forced to reckon with the ways that we will eventually be remembered. When one searches “How to leave a legacy” on Google, the first three recommendations are ‘writing down family stories’, ‘write down family traditions’ and ‘write down stories about yourself’ – yet it’s a daunting task to examine our lives retrospectively. StoryTerrace’s team of professional writers make the process as smooth as possible, allowing ordinary people to leave behind an extraordinary legacy.
Rutger Bruining, Founder and CEO of StoryTerrace, comments on how family stories leave the largest impact: “In my experience, the stories that have left the biggest impact on me are ones that I hear from my family. Most profoundly, the stories my grandfather used to tell me when I was younger which have resonated with me since I was young. It’s easy to get caught up with the lives of other people, most commonly, the celebrities in the media, but sometimes you needn’t look so far to hear about someone’s incredible story. Often the most touching experiences we hear about are from our grandparents or people we know.
“It is easy to forget the minor but significant details which happen to us in our everyday lives. From the wins to the drawbacks, we are all navigating our life story as it plays out. The beauty of StoryTerrace is that we get the privilege of gaining that extra insight into the lives of people all over the world – embracing and documenting diversity and individuality in its best form.”
StoryTerrace is LGBTQ+-inclusive and commissioned data which found that:
- 48% of LGBTQIA+ people say that writing about their experiences in a creative way has allowed them to understand themselves better
- 43% of LGBTQIA+ people say they are more comfortable writing about their experiences rather than talking about them
- 65% of LGBTQIA+ people say that reading stories they can relate to has a positive impact on their mental health
- 44% of LGBTQIA+ people say they would love to share their experiences so that other people facing the same issues would feel more accepted and understood
- 34% of LGBTQIA+ people feel that journaling has been the most beneficial aid to their mental health to date
- 49% say that a member of the LGBTQIA+ community has often felt lonely because they didn’t hear about people who were going through similar things to themselves
At the beginning of the process, clients are carefully matched to a professional ghostwriter according to client preference, the experience of the writer, and the genre of the book. The client is able to have a lot of input in the selection of their paired ghostwriter, StoryTerrace told Queer Forty. If the client is LGBTQ+ and wishes to have a ghostwriter that is also LGBTQ+ then this can be organized. StoryTerrace has over 750 professional ghostwriters with varying backgrounds and expertise.
Age and life/work experience is also a factor. StoryTerrace has 3 levels of writers: Critically Acclaimed, Senior and Junior. Critically Acclaimed writers are very experienced with extensive publishing experience, including books of their own. Senior Writers have published work and experience, and Junior Writers have less professional experience – but are still fantastic writers.
StoryTerrace author Roger Moreau shared his heartfelt story of dealing with divorced parents, standing up for himself, and opening up about being gay. Roger revealed how his journaling experience evolved into the formulation of his life memoir. He comments: “It means a lot to me to be able to share my story in this way. Having written a manuscript of my life growing up in such a personal way and not being able to find the words to put it together, to now having it written in a way that makes me feel understood is amazing. I was emotionally tied to it and wasn’t sure I could tell my story properly.”
When discussing the representation of non-heterosexual protagonists in the media, Moreau says: “I think we have come a long way. When I was a teenager, seeing a gay character on television was rare. If you did see a gay character, it was mostly portrayed as something negative. It was either the person who was sick and dying from an illness or was a victim of gay-bashing. Today, there is so much acceptance and support – I absolutely love reading LGBTQIA+ memoirs and stories of someone overcoming adversity. It shows that there is hope, and to keep on going, no matter what you are going through in life.”
And dare we suggest that such a powerful service might make the perfect gift for someone you love.
About StoryTerrace
StoryTerrace‘s mission is to ensure that every life story is captured and passed on in a meaningful way. Its award-winning memoir writing service takes care of the whole process – matching clients with one of over 750 professional writers, interviewing, photo gathering, editing, designing, and printing their very own book. Books are on average 100 pages long, meaning that everyone can have their life story – or those of their loved ones – documented in a professionally curated biography or series of memoirs.
Powered by its proprietary technology platform, StoryTerrace continues to scale globally and has sold over 3,500 packages to date since it was founded in 2014. The company was a winner on BBC Dragons’ Den in 2020 and has gained traction in the likes of Sky News, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, Forbes, and CBS News.
