What if I need help?
Our Story Coaches are available to help you with a variety of tasks. Just go to the Story Coaches tab and hit Schedule an Appointment or call 833-767-2411 or 833-PORCH11.
- Check the Frequently Asked Questions below – many of your questions will be answered here.
- Email us at inquiries@porchswingstories.com and we will get right back to you.
- Call us at 833-767-2411 or 833-PORCH11
How do I get free help?
Story Coaches: Our Deluxe Package comes with four 30-minute sessions with your Story Coach to help with writing, story ideas, editing, or help with your StorySite.
Personal Biographers: With our Personal Biographer package, we write your life story for you. You will have 10 45-minute sessions with your Personal Biographer who will write your story for you.
To ask questions or place an order, call 833-767-2411 Ext 700.
How do I get a Story Coach?
Go to the Story Coach tab and hit Schedule an Appointment or call 833-767-2411 or 833-PORCH11.
To ask questions or place an order, call 833-767-2411 Ext 700.
Story Coaches: Our Deluxe Package comes with four 30-minute sessions with your Story Coach to help with writing, story ideas, editing, or help with your StorySite.
Personal Biographers: With our Personal Biographer package, we write your life story for you. You will have 10 45-minute sessions with your Personal Biographer who will write your story for you.
What is a Story Coach?
A Story Coach offers several benefits, including:
- help getting started
- help staying on track
- help with editing
- help with photos and videos
- help navigating your StorySite
- avoiding writer’s block
- motivational help
- and much more.
How do I begin my story?
How do I see all my chapters?
How do I see a specific chapter?
Go to the My StorySite tab, click View My StorySite, then select the chapter you want to view.
How do I edit a chapter?
How long should the process take?
How do I enter a picture into a chapter?
Go to Edit My Chapter (see above) and go to the bottom of the page where you can upload photos, then click the save button at the bottom of the page to save your pictures to your chapter.
Who are you writing for?
What kind of stories should I save?
This is up to you, but we have Chapter Topics to give you some ideas. Find them in the upper right corner on the Create a New Chapter page
Where should I start?
We recommend you avoid the temptation to start at birth. Start with whichever memory seems important at the moment – it might be from your youth, school days, raising your family, or your career. Sometimes it’s easier to write about others– perhaps a story about your parents or your ancestors.
How do I avoid writer’s block?
Underneath each Chapter Topic we have memory joggers. Just pick one and make a few comments. We also offer Story Coaches to help you stay on track (see Story Coach tab or call 833-767-2411 or 833-PORCH11).
What if I’m not great with grammar and punctuation?
We can help. Go to Edit My Chapter to get spell check and grammar recommendations. Also, we offer editing services for a reasonable charge. Go to the Story Coaches tab and hit Schedule a Story Coach or call 833-767-2411 or 833-PORCH11.
How do I go back and make changes to a chapter?
What about sharing stories with loved ones?
Your StorySite has a section titled, In Others’ Words, where you can share your stories with others and if you want, have them provide their memories of your stories as well.
What about videos?
How can I speak my stories into my phone?
If you are able to speak a text message into your phone, the process is very similar to speak stories. Log into your StorySite on your phone, go to Create a Chapter, and put your cursor in the text box where you would normally type a story. As the keyboard shows up on your phone, near the space bar there should be a microphone image. Click the microphone and start speaking your story, and you should see it appear in the text box for your story. You can go back and clean up grammar and spelling later.
Do you offer publishing help?
If you have a book you’d like published, , we walk alongside you in editing, styling, and graphic design work, as well as publishing setup so you can begin selling your book online through Amazon.
StorySite
Your StorySite is like a digital shoebox. Use it to build your book and save your most important stories in many formats
Example StorySite
My Videos
Save the videos that mean most to you. Perhaps it’s you reading to a child or grandchild, baking your famous stew, or dancing at the disco in the 70’s.
Me At A Glance
This is a quick summary of who you are in short-answer form. Examples include favorite song, first date, and favorite book.
Photo Box
Here’s a great place to store extra photos. Upload up to 100 photos with captions. And don’t forget, each chapter holds 12 pictures, (and you can have as many chapters as you want).
Personalize My Site
In this section, you can add a title and a picture that will appear in the header of your StorySite.
Intro Video
Greet your guests with an introductory video. Give them highlights of what they will find on your site or relate a special story. Feel free to get creative.
My Audio Recordings
Tell a family story, sing a lullaby, or upload a recording of great-grandma’s voice.
Create A Chapter
Write your stories here. Plus, get suggested Chapter Titles and Memory Joggers.
In Others’ Words
Invite your friends and family to give their take on your story. This gives it depth and they will enjoy sharing their feelings.
Print My Book
Each Porch Swing book is hard covered and in an 8 x 10 landscape design. Your photos adorn the front and back, and stories are printed on sturdy semi-gloss paper. You receive a free book with the Standard, Deluxe and Personal Biographer packages.
