There comes a time
when the decades behind us
stretch further than the years ahead of us
for many the decades pass in silence
telling stories changes that
through a series of gentle conversations I create
Memoir
Legacy Letter
& Last Words
Echoing your own voice
Begin while the story is still yours to tell
Writing Services
Some people want the whole story told properly, that's a memoir. Some have silent words they want to write to come one they love at an important time in their life, that's a legacy letter. Some want the words ready for when it matters most, that's the last word. And some have a story they've never said out loud, that's the unspoken.
Different purposes, the same starting point,
a life worth putting into words.
Investment
Memoir $2890 Your life, gathered and given back to you as a book.
Guided recollection and conversations
Your memories gathered, organised and shaped into a beautifully written narrative
Edited hardback book of 55–80 pages, professionally printed with cover design
Completed over 12–14 weeks
Legacy Letter $670 What you'd say, if you finally let yourself say it.
A beautifully written letter for children, partners, family or dear friends, written in your voice
Approximately 2–5 pages
Presented on premium archival paper, in calligraphy or your own sampled handwriting
Completed over 2–4 weeks
Last Word $880 Your voice, carried by the people you leave behind.
Your final reflections, memories, guidance and personal messages, preserved in your own words
Includes a professionally written obituary, eulogy and order of service, final inscriptions and a will-reading preamble
Presented in a personalised A5 colour folder for guests to receive and be guided by
Completed over 4–6 weeks
The Unspoken $680 For what you've never felt safe enough to say aloud.
A gentle, allied-support writing service to sit alongside therapy, reflection or personal healing
For the stories around grief, estrangement, trauma, regret, survival and identity
Approximately 3–7 pages, presented on parchment in calligraphy or your own sampled hand
Completed over 2–3 weeks
Audio Narration, on request. Your voice, kept for those who come after.
Professional narration or voice recreation where possible
Captures accent, dialect, humour, personality, tone and emotional presence
Whether you tell your story in your own voice or create a lasting recording for future generations, narration adds what words alone can't
Are payment plans available?
Yes. If cost is holding you back, please still reach out. Your story doesn't lose its importance simply because life becomes financially difficult — wherever possible, every effort will be made to help preserve what matters.
How do I begin?
Book a complimentary 30 minute clarity call to get started!
Your questions answered
What’s Telling Stories all about?
Telling Stories is a private writing studio committed to recording the parts of our lives that are too precious to disappear. Stories that were never fully spoken. Memories that still ache decades later. Conversations families never knew they needed until it was too late to ask.
My work focuses on four literary offerings: Memoirs, Legacy Letters, Last Words & The Unspoken
With the optional additions of Audio Narration and Print Editions.
Do I need to have my thoughts organised?
Of course not. We begin with fragments. Memories rarely return on call and often emerge unexpectedly — a song that comes on the radio, lying awake at night or catching sight of somebody in the street who reminds you of someone.
Sometimes memory hides itself inside ordinary things. An old birthday card tucked into a drawer. Wrapping paper kept for no reason. A faded newspaper clipping. Receipts from places long gone. The colour of a kitchen wall. The scent of perfume on an old coat or leather handbag stashed at the back of a wardrobes
Memories surface gently around real life, allowing stories to return in their own way and in their own time.
How does the process work?
It starts with a complimentary 30 minute clarity call — a quiet first conversation to explore your story, no preparation needed.
From there, if you choose to begin, you will be guided on the next steps whereby memories are gathered gently. Guided conversations then help uncover the deeper stories beneath the surface — the people, places, the joy, the turning points, the humour and significant turning events that shaped your life.
Are the conversations formal interviews?
Not at all. They are relaxed, guided conversations designed to gently uncover the moments and memories that matter. Many people describe the process as reflective, emotional and considered. If you prefer you can have a trusted loved one present to support you!
Can I review the draft?
Yes of course. You will receive a draft copy to refine details, add memories, request edits and ensure everything feels completely and unmistakably yours.
What do I receive?
All projects include a professionally prepared digital copy ready for private keeping, printing or sharing with loved ones.
Optional additions include hardback books, premium keepsake printing, audio narration and memorial presentation copies.
How long does the process take?
Every story moves differently. Generally speaking: Memoir projects take about 10–14 weeks depending on the pace and depth of the story. Legacy Letters within 2–3 weeks. Last Words within 3–4 weeks.
The Unspoken within 2-3 weeks. The process is not rushed — it is considered and adaptable.
Stories evolve naturally
Inside the stories
How I work with you in ten steps
One | My Writing
I don't write to record events. I write so you can step back inside them.
This work is sensory, visceral and emotionally intelligent. Together we'll return to the smallest moments — the ones that rarely vocalised. The warmth of a kitchen. The sounds that signalled the time of day. The pattern on your mother's dress. The weight of their hand finding yours when words were no longer enough.
It's often the quietest details that carry the greatest emotional truth.
My language is deliberately plain. I don't believe powerful writing needs complicated words. Instead I choose a considered and restrained tender vocabulary that lets the emotion do the work. Every memoir develops its own voice, because every life has one. I listen closely to how you naturally speak, and the writing gradually begins to sound unmistakably like you.
Two | Your style
Every memoir develops its own visual identity. Together we'll create a visual style that belongs only to your memoir.
Typefaces, chapter titles, image placement, captions, photographs, family documents and the overall rhythm of the finished book. Some memoirs feel quiet and understated; others are rich with photographs, maps, recipes, letters or memorabilia.
No two memoirs will ever look the same.
Three | Our Rhythm
A memoir isn't written in a rush.
Over approximately 10–12 weeks we'll meet every ten days for 45 minutes to an hour.
Each conversation has its own purpose. Some weeks I'll introduce memory-collecting techniques. Other weeks I'll send prompts or a theme before we meet so you have time to ponder what you might like to revisit. Sometimes our conversations are completely free flowing; sometimes I'll gently guide you with questions that help uncover stories that have been sitting quietly for decades.
Around week nine I'll usually be able to give you a preview of how your memoir is taking shape
Four | How we Communicate
Memories rarely arrive while we're looking for them. An old photograph. A recipe card. A familiar song. The pattern on a dress. Someone passing in the street who reminds you of a friend you haven't thought about for forty years. Those moments matter. When they arrive, send them to me.
We'll use Messenger, text message or WhatsApp for those moments. You can send photographs, voice notes, memories, or simply a message saying, "I'd like to talk about an old friend next time."
For our scheduled conversations, I use Microsoft Teams. It's reliable, free to download, and lets me record our sessions (with your consent) — so nothing you say is ever lost to a bad connection or a faulty memory (mine, not yours). But I'll happily adjust to whatever you're already comfortable with — Messenger, Instagram, FaceTime, or an old-fashioned phone call all work just as well.
The communication method is whatever feels easiest and most comfortable for you.
Five | Behind the Scenes
Every memoir has its own project notebook.
I build yours in Microsoft OneNote as the work unfolds. It's where I gather timelines, notes, memories, research, sequencing, edits, rewrites, photographs and contributions from family if you'd like them included.
It is a living working document rather than a polished manuscript.
Once your memoir is complete, I'll give you the notebook as part of your project — a record of how your story came together.
Six | A small practice
I write every word myself.
I don't outsource interviews, editing or writing because, I want this work to remain personal, intimate and deeply considered. Quality matters more to me than quantity.
Each year I write around thirteen memoirs, alongside Legacy Letters and Last Word projects. Although those pieces are shorter, they carry just as much emotional responsibility and care.
When you work with me, you're working with the same person from our first conversation to the final printed page.
Seven | Community
Alongside my commissioned work, I run complimentary memoir workshops throughout New Zealand in retirement villages, hospices, prisons, community groups and adult learning centres. They continually remind me how quickly memories disappear unless someone simply asks.I've learned how precious it is to help someone remember a few more stories while there is still someone there to tell them.
I do this because if someone isn’t invited to share memories, they not be inclined to give them, Thinking nobody would be interested - do it for yourself, first and foremost.
Eight | Craftsmanship
Every memoir is designed individually to reflect the life it contains. All workshop materials and printed pieces are produced in house on carefully chosen made in New Zealand paper.
Your finished hardback memoir is produced by a professional book printer to create an heirloom that is made to last for generations.
Nine | Where I Write
Every memoir is written from my old 1940 wooden home in Ngauranga Gorge, Aotearoa. I write from dawn til dusk, I wake up hungry for words. Words come easy to me. I spend my days clattering on a keyboard. I listen for the sound of silence to hear the right descriptors. Sometimes I look up and notice the changing light on the water, watching the southerlies approach.
I have to be in the mood to write, and Wellington with its hills, winds and village feel gives me that mood.
Ten | Privacy
Your memoir belongs to you.
Everything you share is treated with complete confidence and will never be published, circulated or used by me without your written permission.