In this age of computers and the Internet, it’s a wonder anyone writes by hand anymore. I grew up keeping a diary…writing my thoughts and feelings in a private little book.

With the advancement of technology, I switched over the years to keeping my diary on a word processor. And now with the availability to store information on the World Wide Web, many post to their journals in cyberspace.

Probably the easiest way to record your history, you may want to start keeping a journal if you haven’t done so already. No matter how you maintain this document, the fact that a personal journal/diary exists will no doubt be a treasure to future generations.

These days with emails, instant messages and chat rooms galore, it’s a wonder anyone writes letters anymore.

When I was a child I had a prized stationery collection, how I loved to write letters. Now email is my preferred choice because I spend most of my days behind a computer.

Unlike many people, I’m sure, I often print out my email exchanges with friends. In fact, I met my husband online and for months we corresponded before actually meeting face to face. I kept every written word exchanged, and now look back on those pages with fond memories.

Letters written back and forth tell dynamic stories…another cherished treasure to pass on to loved ones.

Scrapbooking has become very popular the last several years. For some it’s a passing fancy (like myself)…to others it’s a die hard occupation.

I started a scrapbook when I was a kid, containing newspaper clippings, ticket stubs and letters from Broadway stars (like Sarah Jessica Parker). I collected many items over the years to fill numerous albums, but haven’t made the time to showcase them all.

Two years ago I put together a scrapbook of my wedding. It was a big undertaking but nonetheless a worthwhile endeavor. I know I enjoyed reviewing the album my mother put together of hers 35 years ago.

However involved you become in starting such a project, the end result will be well worth your time and effort. Whether it is a simple photo album with detailed captions or an elaborate spread of snippets and scraps, this work will prove to become a family keepsake.

Talk about expanding your audience! Some people create blogs. They are kind of like journals or diaries on the Internet but these are not private…they are viewable by anyone who finds it.

I’ve never done this myself, since I only found out about them a few months ago. I’m still unclear about how to create them, but for the person who wants to share their thoughts with the world as they happen, that’s one way to do it.

Another method is having stories published on websites. You write your story and find a website who might be interested in publishing it on their site. Then not only will it be available for all to see, but also the traffic generated by that particular site will drastically increase your exposure. And you can send the URL (web address) of your story to friends and family, and they can view it instantly from their Internet browser.

Although this may not be something you can pass down to next generations, you can save the story on a CD or disk and have that as your heirloom piece.

For those who like the idea of a create-your-own memoir book, you can create a Memoirs By: Me Album.

Basically, we supply you the skeleton and you put the meat on the bones. With a suggested list of chapters, we provide a syllabus of objectives and assignments to help you complete each chapter.

There’s just something about seeing your work published in a hard-covered book…you then feel like a real author. There are two ways you can go about this…self-publish or submit your work to a publishing house.

Read about the different publishing options in I Have A Dream...Now Where Do I Print It? These options include traditional publishing, vanity publishing, self-publishing and print-on-demand.

Self-publishing would be recommended for this type of writing. The reason being the cost of having the books printed can be significant. Unless you have a large audience to sell your books to, you might find it difficult to find a publisher willing to pay that price. However, if you self-publish you make the decision to put your work in print regardless the size of your audience. Of course you still have to pay for the books printed, but you are not at the mercy of someone else deciding the fate of your story.