Telling a story on paper is as easy as telling it to a friend. Here are a few tips to get you started:

Choose a Title

Short and snappy titles are best. What are you writing about? Think of the title as the hook that will catch your readers’ attention.
Examples of titles: “Remember Pearl Harbor!” or “Blackout on the Iron Range” or “My Mom, the Shipbuilder!”
Jot down several ideas. Once you’ve written your story, go back to your list of titles and choose the most appropriate one.

Write up a brief outline to help organize your thoughts, using the guide below:

Beginning: Set the time and place of your story, and introduce the characters. Share where the story came from. Did you experience the story yourself? If not, who told you the story?
Middle: Give an account of the event(s), and what happens to the characters in the story.
End: How does the story end?
Conclusion: Why is this story important to you? What did you (or your family member/friend) learn from this experience?

Write Your Story

Write a draft. It can be helpful to write the story on paper first, or in a word processing program on your computer. The second option allows you to cut and paste your story into the form on the Share Your Story website.
Be concise. Stories must be kept to a maximum of 8,000 characters. Longer stories can be broken down into chapters and sent as installments.
Give details. Give as many details as you can about the person/people and event(s) you are describing. Details will engage the reader’s imagination (e.g. When describing characters, provide a physical description and explain your relationship to them. Where is your story set? Provide both the name of the town and the country, and a brief description of the place.)
Be honest. Record the story just as you remember it, or as it was told to you. Don’t embellish. If you are uncertain about the truth of your facts, let your readers know.
Proofread carefully! Double-check your story for accuracy and errors. Once the story is submitted, you will not be able to make any changes.

Story Ideas

What should you write about? We are looking for first-hand accounts of both momentous and everyday events experienced by all Minnesotans during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. A single story may include several topics. Some examples:

Minnesota in the Great Depression – Scarcity and Perseverance

home life: country, small town, city – all regions of Minnesota
growing up: going to school, children’s pastimes, chores, friendships
parents working or not working
hardships faced and compromises made
the Works Progress Administration: parents’ employment opportunities; participation in, or benefits from, WPA projects in Minnesota
Civilian Conservation Corps: employment opportunities; participation in, or benefits from, CCC projects in Minnesota
memories of politics and politicians: the rise of the Farmer-Labor Party, Governors Floyd B. Olson, Elmer Benson
labor strikes
influenza epidemic
pastimes and entertainment: sports and games played, movies, music, books
what the end of the Depression and return to prosperity meant to your family

Minnesota in World War II – Sacrifice and Survivorship

stories of those in the military and on the home front, from the perspectives of all populations and from all regions of Minnesota
the draft; memories of Fort Snelling, Fort Ripley
recollections of personal or family reactions to important news from the front: the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into the war, D-Day, VE-Day, VJ-Day, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the wounding or death of a loved one in military service, experiences in military hospitals
the Holocaust
prisoners of war
German POWs in Minnesota
women in the service: WACs, WAVEs, WASPs, Nurses
women in the workforce and its impact on family life
stories of a wartime childhood
living with wartime shortages
scrap drives
Victory Gardens
Civilian Defense: air raid wardens, sirens and drills; blackouts
life on the farm: wartime programs, impact of changes in technology, impact of labor shortage…
the peace movement; conscientious objectors
the importance of the radio
the importance of the mail
pastimes and entertainment: Big Bands, the jitterbug, war movies…
veterans’ homecomings and adjustment to civilian life
the impact of world travel on veterans
the benefits of the G.I. Bill

Minnesota in the Post-War Boom – Prosperity and Thanksgiving

stories about home life: country and city; foods eaten, cars driven, technology/appliances used, family vacations in Minnesota…
remembering the War: memorials, American Legion/VFW, films and television
stories of veterans and civilians of the Korean War
moving to suburbia: decline of inner cities, evolution of freeways
impact of the Baby Boom and stories of childhood in 1950s Minnesota: school, children’s pastimes, chores, friendships
parenting in the late 1940s and 1950s
the Civil Rights movement
the Cold War: creation of “superpowers”, anti-Communism, the disappearance of isolationism.
pastimes and entertainment: the impact of TV, rock & roll music, drive-in restaurants and movies…
the advent of the shopping mall: a first visit to Southdale, the first indoor shopping center in the country

Visit the Story Archives for examples of stories.

Have more questions? Visit Help and Guidelines for more information.