Childhood

  • Describe the view from the window of your childhood bedroom.
  • Tell the story of your earliest memory, and how sure you are that it happened.
  • Talk about an adult outside your family who noticed you as a kid.
  • Describe a game you played with other kids, with all its rules.
  • Tell the story of a time you got in real trouble and what happened next.
  • Talk about what your family did on a Sunday when you were eight.

Growing up

  • Describe the friend who mattered most to you at sixteen.
  • Tell the story of your first night living somewhere new on your own.
  • Talk about your first job and the first thing you bought with the money.
  • Describe a teacher, book or film that changed what you thought was possible.
  • Tell the story of a time you were braver than you expected to be.

Turning points

  • Describe a phone call, letter or message that changed your plans.
  • Tell the story of a place you moved to and what you expected before you arrived.
  • Talk about a loss that shaped you, only as much as you want to say.
  • Describe the year you'd choose to live again, and the year you'd skip.
  • Tell the story of how you met someone who became important to you.

Who you are now

  • Talk about a belief you held strongly at twenty that you've since changed.
  • Describe a recipe, skill or saying you learned from someone older and still use.
  • Tell the story behind an object you'd save from a fire.
  • Talk about what you'd want someone born this year to understand about the times you lived through.
  • Describe an ordinary day in your life now, for someone hearing it in fifty years.

How to use these prompts

Tell one scene a day or one a week, in any order. Say names, places and years, even rough ones, because they help later readers and make entries easy to find. Don't worry about telling it well, since you can shape the words later. Dawn Light keeps each story as a dated entry, and Export everything in Settings saves every entry as Markdown, JSON and PDF, with the recordings.

Questions about telling your life story

How do I write a memoir if I don't like writing?

Tell it instead. Record one scene at a time and keep the transcripts. After a few months you'll have a rough draft to shape, or to hand to someone who can help.

What order should I tell my life story in?

Any order. Start with the scenes you remember most clearly. Each entry keeps its date, and the years you mention let you sort the stories later.

Can I record a parent's or grandparent's story the same way?

Yes, with their permission. The questions to ask your grandparents page has prompts for someone else's story and ways to record it honestly.

Tell your story in your own voice

Tell one story at a time and Dawn Light writes down every word as you speak. Export everything whenever you like, as Markdown, JSON and PDF with the recordings.

Get Dawn Light free

Unlimited entries, transcripts, search and iCloud sync. For iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Works with iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and watchOS 26 or later.