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February 23, 2026 Leave a Comment

Penning Your Past – A writer’s guide

Everyone has a story worth telling. Not everyone knows how to write it.

Penning Your Past a writer’s guide is designed for those who want to document their life experiences but aren’t sure where to start. Whether you are capturing childhood memories, your travel adventures, a career or business story, elements of your family history or a spiritual journey, this guide, written in a simple, clear, supportive style, will help you to capture what matters most.

Packed with practical tips, reflective prompts, real-life examples, and oodles of support and encouragement you’ll learn how to begin, how to structure your story, find your voice and write with confidence, even if you have never considered yourself to be a writer.

Your experiences, achievements, challenges, and hard-won lessons deserve to be documented, celebrated, preserved, and shared. This guide will inspire you to move from wanting to write your story to finally doing it. Penning Your Past is available now on Amazon (Kindle & Paperback) https://www.amazon.com/Penning-Your-Past-Writers-Guide-ebook/dp/B0GKWTY9PP

Feedback from our Write Your Story community has been overwhelmingly positive. Several groups have already expressed interest in using the book for workshops and discussions. I’m also open to collaborating on author talks, workshops, or events if this is of interest to you in your community.

Angela Robertson is a writer, inspirational speaker, and workshop facilitator. Her non-fiction books are available in paperback, Kindle, and eBook formats from online bookstores.

December 15, 2025 Leave a Comment

Your Christmas, Your Way: Honouring This Season of Life

There’s a freedom in retirement that often goes unnoticed; the freedom to choose.

Your Christmas doesn’t have to look like it once did. Or like anyone else’s. It can be quieter. Smaller. Reflective. Or joyfully full – if that’s what suits you. One retiree described it perfectly: “I stopped trying to recreate old Christmases and started enjoying the one in front of me.”

A stress-free Christmas begins with permission. Permission to celebrate in a way that honours who you are now. When you do, Christmas becomes less about expectations and more about peace, gratitude, and stories worth carrying into the new year.

In retirement, gift-giving can become simpler and richer. A story shared. A memory revisited. A promise of time. When gifts reflect relationship rather than obligation, Christmas feels lighter, and far more personal.

As this year draws to a close, enjoy the holidays in a way that feels gentle, meaningful, and truly your own. May there be moments of rest, connection, and reflection, and may you carry forward what matters most into the year ahead. Wishing you a peaceful Christmas, a refreshing break, and all the very best for 2026.

August 6, 2025 Leave a Comment

Winter Wellness Tips

Kia ora, It’s been a while. Hope you are keeping well and staying grounded. During winter, it’s easy to retreat indoors and lose touch, but let’s not allow the cooler months steal our spark. Staying active, engaged, and connected is the key to thriving during this season. In our community workshops we often talk about nurturing our wellbeing, so here are some simple ways we can share to keep your wellbeing in check:

Let the light in: Open the curtains early and soak in some natural light. It does wonders for your mood!
Walk and talk: A brisk stroll with a friend warms the body and the heart.
Move a little every day (stretch, walk, dance!)
Stay social: join a group, class, or community event.
Schedule catchups: Whether it’s for tea/coffee at a café or a chat over the phone, connection nourishes us.
Feed the soul: garden, meditate, listen to music, and/or write – perhaps a letter to a family member or a friend, or maybe begin writing a short cameo story a week about your life.
Keep warm with nourishing food and cosy layers.
Rest. Deep sleep is your superpower!

Remember, self-care isn’t a luxury, and later life is not the end of the road. It’s a new path we walk together. If you tick one or two of these ideas off this week, you’re doing just fine. Do you have ideas on this theme, and if so, would you like to share it with us?

Stay warm, stay well, and stay connected!

Angela Robertson is a writer, inspirational speaker, and workshop facilitator. Her non-fiction books are available in paperback, Kindle, and eBook formats from online bookstores. Amazon.com: Angela Robertson: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle

January 5, 2025 Leave a Comment

Why Your Story Matters

Have you ever stopped to think about the power of your own story? Each of us carries a lifetime of experiences, lessons, and memories that are as unique as our fingerprints. Yet, too often, these stories remain untold, locked away in the corners of our minds or whispered only to a select few.

But what if your story could inspire someone else? What if the challenges you’ve overcome or the dreams you’ve chased could offer hope, guidance, or even just a moment of connection to someone walking a similar path?

Your life story matters, not just to you, but to those around you—family, friends, colleagues, and even future generations. When you capture your story, you’re creating a legacy. You’re giving others a chance to see the world through your eyes, to learn from your journey, and to appreciate the richness of the human experience.

Getting Started

If the idea of writing your life story feels overwhelming, start small. Begin with a single memory that’s meaningful to you. Maybe it’s a childhood adventure, a pivotal career moment, or a conversation that changed your perspective. Write as if you’re talking to a friend. Don’t worry about grammar or structure just let the words flow.

And remember, your story doesn’t have to be dramatic or extraordinary to be valuable. Sometimes, the most relatable and impactful stories come from everyday moments, the quiet resilience, the simple joys, the lessons learned in unexpected ways.

Why Now?

There’s no perfect time to start capturing your story, but there’s also no time like the present. Life is fleeting, and memories fade. By taking the time to write down your experiences now, you’re ensuring that they won’t be lost.

So, grab a notebook, or open a blank document. Start with one sentence, one paragraph, one memory. Your story deserves to be told—and there’s someone out there who’s waiting to hear it. If you need a hand, reach out. I’d be happy to help. Write Your Story community workshops, and one-on-one professional personal support tailored to your needs is available.

December 30, 2024 Leave a Comment

Every Life has a Story

Every life has a story. Yes, even yours. Your experiences, achievements, challenges, and lessons learned deserve to be celebrated, preserved, and shared. It’s not difficult to do as nobody knows your life story better than you do. For thousands of years, storytelling has been a fundamental way for individuals to connect with others. It’s an inherent, purposeful process. You don’t need any fancy or expensive tools; you can start your project at any age and stage and work at your own pace. All you need to get your project off the ground is a dollop of inspiration, a notebook and a pen.

I’m fascinated with people and their stories, which is why I write. It’s also why I encourage and support others to capture their life stories for themselves, their whanau and friends, and for future generations. In my experience, those that take the time to document their story, do so because they want to leave a sense of who they are for the important people in their lives, and for those who come after. Sharing your experiences, expressed within the context of the time and the cultural and social norms of the day provides insight into a world that is so different to what our children and grandchildren experience today. Reflecting on your experience you may also be in a position to offer words of wisdom and hope to others who may be faced with a similar situation or set of circumstances. Regardless of the nature and scope of your writing project, your story will be memorialized in your own words. How cool is that.

Life is short. Don’t let your life stories go untold. Start today. If you need a hand, reach out. I’d be happy to help. Community Write Your Story workshops and one-on-one personalized professional support tailored to your needs is available. Or tune in to the Write Your Story programme, 11.30am each Sunday on Coast Access Radio 104.7FM when I share tips and examples from my own experience and the experiences of others within our Write Your Story community, who are on a similar journey.

October 29, 2024 Leave a Comment

Starting Small – Why “Micro” Family History Projects are Perfect for Beginners

Are you intrigued by your family’s history but daunted by the task of documenting it all? You’re not alone! Writing a full family history can seem overwhelming, but there’s no need to tackle it all at once. Instead, think small; consider capturing one person, one event, or one era at a time. Taking “micro” steps can be the key to unlocking your family’s story. By focusing on one manageable project at a time, your small stories can create a compelling, layered narrative over time.

I’ll give you an example based on my own experience. My initial goal was to write the story of my parent’s early life, their courtship and their marriage as a single project. Both of my parents have been deceased for more than 20 years, but I had a stack of letters, some photos, a few newspapers, and historic books on my hometown where my parents met, married, and raised their family. I didn’t want their story to go untold, and now we siblings were the older generation, the grownups, I felt it was our responsibility to do something about it.

With a burst of enthusiasm, I applied for my dad’s service record and paid the requisite fee. It arrived in due course. Although scanty, it proved to be invaluable when supplemented with additional research into the Royal Marines and the Second World War, the details of the ships that dad served on, and a few photographs.

I drafted a rough outline to guide my writing project, shared my intentions with my siblings who live on different continents, and immersed myself in the task. By the time I had written the first two chapters I realised:

a) The boundaries of my project were way too big if I was going to do their stories justice.

I needed to split the massive project into separate smaller projects to make it manageable for me as the writer, and engaging for the family as the readers.

b) Whilst I had a lot of information, I was missing vital data.

I would need to do additional research and reach out to extended family overseas to find out if they were privy to information that I was unaware of.

c) I had not factored in the emotional impact of my learning journey, not only on me but on my siblings, our children and our grandchildren.

Author Elizabeth St John said that writing a family history can be a profound emotional journey for the writer and this certainly was the case for me. Writing my dad’s story was a labour of love, and a treasure for our family.

With the benefit of hindsight, I have huge respect for anyone who takes the time to research and document their family story for perpetuity. These stories are not only valuable for our family, but these stories are also valuable to historians of the future.

If you feel ready to start capturing the essence of your family’s history, try tackling it one “micro bite” at a time. It works. If you need a hand, reach out. I’d be happy to help. Community workshops and one-on-one professional personal support tailored to your needs is available.

October 19, 2024 Leave a Comment

Capture Your Life Story and Enhance Your Wellbeing

Working with individuals, groups and communities I encourage men and women to broaden their perspective on ageing, continually expand their horizons, take advantage of the opportunities around them, and channel their energy into activities that matter. Every day I get to meet and interview awesome people of all ages and stages, from wildly different backgrounds that have a wealth of experiences and perspectives on life. My fascination with people and their stories is one of the reasons why I write, and why I encourage and support others to capture their memories and family histories for themselves, their whanau, friends, and for future generations.

Documenting your life story needn’t be a solitary endeavour; it can be an opportunity to strengthen your social connections. In my popular series of Write Your Story Community Workshops, participants meet weekly in a supportive fun environment. As part of the learning experience, they are guided through every step of the writing journey, from concept to completion, and everyone is encouraged to share their stories. By sharing your experiences, you create bridges with others who may have similar stories to tell. In this way a ‘Write Your Story’ project becomes a catalyst for community engagement, fostering a sense of belonging and enhancing social wellbeing. I appreciate that some don’t want to attend workshops but still require support to get started and maintain momentum with their project in the comfort of their own home. In these circumstances I provide professional one-on-one support and encouragement tailored to meet the individual’s specific needs.

We all have a unique life story filled with lessons, triumphs, challenges, and growth. Capturing that story, through whatever means, goes beyond simply recalling and documenting your memories. The process can also foster a deeper connection to our sense of well-being. Reflecting on your personal journey has the power to improve your mental, emotional, social, and even physical health. I believe that the process of writing your life story taps into every dimension of well-being. We’ll explore four of these dimensions here.

Mental Well-being: Gaining Clarity and Insight

Writing about your life helps provide a sense of purpose and brings clarity to your thoughts and experiences. As you reflect on your past, you may begin to see patterns in your decisions, relationships, and habits. This type of reflection promotes self-awareness and encourages problem-solving, which often gives you a clearer understanding of who you are. For many, writing becomes a way to process difficult moments, making sense of complex emotions and life events. By organizing your memories and thoughts, you may find a greater sense of peace and mental clarity.

Emotional Well-being: Healing Through Expression

Putting your feelings into words can be incredibly therapeutic. Revisiting both joyful and painful experiences allows you to process unresolved emotions and even heal old wounds. Writing about these moments provides emotional release, helping you to work through feelings that may have been repressed or unspoken. This emotional catharsis can reduce anxiety and lead to emotional growth, resulting in greater resilience and balance.

Social Well-being: Strengthening Connections – this is a biggie

The process of documenting your life story can be a powerful tool for building deeper connections with others. Sharing your journey—whether in conversations with loved ones or with others within the Write Your Story community helps build and develop relationships and foster empathy and understanding. By opening up and sharing your experiences, you may inspire others to reflect on their own lives and experiences, creating a strong sense of community. Sharing your story can also strengthen family bonds, allowing future generations to understand their heritage and appreciate the experiences that shaped you.

Physical Well-being: Reducing Stress Through Creativity

Surprisingly, the process of writing your life story can even benefit your physical health. Engaging in creative activities like writing has been shown to lower stress levels and reduce cortisol, the hormone associated with stress. This mindful act of reflection helps you slow down and relax, promoting better sleep, reducing tension, and improving overall well-being. In short, writing can serve as a form of meditation, bringing calmness to both the mind and body.

In Summary

Capturing your life story is more than just preserving memories—it’s a journey into deeper self-awareness that touches every part of your well-being. Through reflection, healing, connection, and creative expression, writing your story can enhance your mental, emotional, social, and physical health. If you start documenting your journey today, and you’ll not only create a meaningful legacy but also nurture your holistic well-being.

Capturing your life story is a creative and rewarding project and you get to choose what’s included, and what will remain a mystery. The act of writing is like food for the soul. Your experiences, achievements, challenges, and lessons learned deserve to be celebrated, preserved, and shared. After all, these experiences and the people you met along the way helped shape you into the person you are today.

Life is short. Don’t let your stories go untold. Start today. If you need a hand reach out. With professional personalized support you’ll be amazed how quickly your story will take shape.

June 25, 2024 Leave a Comment

Capture Your Travel Stories – Preserve Your Globetrotting Experiences

Travel stories are like hidden treasures waiting to be shared. But sadly, the memories fade into oblivion if we don’t take the time to reflect on our adventures and document the untold stories. Yes, we may collate our photos, either digitally or in photograph albums, but without the narrative – the who, what, why, when, where and how, the stories and the feelings associated with them, are lost. Documenting your travel stories helps to preserve your unique experiences; the characters you met along the way, the joyful moments, the mishaps, the adventures, the tastes and smells, the scenery and the impact these had on you at the time. In essence, capturing these memories gives the writer a sense of fulfilment achievement that can be cherished for a lifetime.

There are four basic components to consider if you are keen to capture your travel stories.

The Planning Phase
The Reality of the Trip – the adventure
Reflection on the Trip – what you’ll document.
Tips on Structuring Your Travel Story

The Planning Phase

Most of us spend considerable time planning the details for our trips. This includes but is not limited to:

Who we’ll travel with
Where we’ll go and why
What we’ll do on route and when we get to our destination
When we’ll go on this trip and why
Transport options/choices
Accommodation
Budget
Luggage – what we’ll take with us and what we’ll bring back
Travel insurance

If travelling with others there are likely to be countless discussions to refine the details. What is the story behind your trip? Reflecting on the planning stage, what were your expectations once you’d made the arrangements?

The Reality of the Trip – the adventure

What took place? Refer to the memorabilia you would have collated along the way e.g., postcards, maps, tickets, photos etc. Chart your experience.

Reflection on the Trip – what you’ll document

Be selective when choosing what you’ll write about. Consider the plan versus the reality of the trip. Focus on the highlights, the enjoyable moments, the mishaps, and the unexpected. What was interesting, funny, frightening, surprising? Include geographical details, the customs the practices, and the historical background if relevant. Incorporate your personal insights – what you experienced, how you felt, lessons learned, and the impact your travel adventure and the characters you met along the way have had on you. Bring your story to life with colourful examples, dialogue, photos and other pertinent memorabilia.

Tips on Structuring Your Travel Story

Like structuring a speech, a story can be divided into three distinct parts.

The Introduction. This is where you set the scene providing a sense of time, place, situation, and where you determine the focus of your story.
The Body of Your Story (the content). This is where you share your adventures, your personal experiences. The reality of the trip based on your personal insights, reflections and reactions. Capture the essence of your unique experiences using examples and photos. Be sure to eliminate irrelevant and unnecessary information so the narrative is engaging and doesn’t read like a train timetable.
The Conclusion. Conclude with a summary of the highlights of trip, reflections on the lessons learned, and key takeaways – what you’d do the same or differently next time around.

Documenting your travel stories helps to preserve memories of your globetrotting experiences that can be cherished for a lifetime. The purposeful process provides an opportunity to recount the sights, sounds, and the adventures you encountered. It also creates a huge sense of perspective and personal achievement and enables you to share your travel experiences with family, friends and the wider community.

Life is short. Don’t let your travel experiences go untold.

May 22, 2024 Leave a Comment

Why Write Your Travel Story?

We’ve just experienced the trip of a lifetime. After a year of planning the details with family overseas, and only weeks before the departure date, my husband had a minor stroke. The incident happened out of the blue. It was a huge shock. In a moment our lives had changed. We began to take stock of our situation, reflect on our lifestyle, and reprioritise our goals. Luckily, my husband made a good recovery, and eventually we were given medical clearance to travel. When the departure date finally arrived, we set off on our 30,000 kilometre ambitious expedition to visit places we’d previously only dreamed about.

We’ve always found that travel opens the door to new experiences, cultures, and personal growth. As our family is spread across the globe, it’s not possible to spend time with them as often and for as long as we’d like. Wherever we go, each journey is unique, filled with moments of discovery, challenges, and joy. Like many, we take lots of photos, purchase maps, and collect memorabilia. We enjoy soaking up the historical context, traditions, experimenting with local cuisine, and have learned to roll with, and in retrospect, enjoy the unexpected and unplanned events that make the trip unique. But if these memories and mementoes are not organised into a coherent whole, are these boxed up souvenirs and the faded memories enough to savour the experience over time? No. I don’t believe this is the case.

Writing your travel story can be a rewarding way to preserve these memories. It’s an opportunity to recount the sights, sounds, adventures, and the emotions associated with them. It allows you to process your experiences, understand the impact of your journey, and recognize the lessons learned. This introspection can lead to greater self-awareness, and a deeper appreciation of your adventures, and the people who shared these experiences with you. This is especially so in our case. Given the shocking diagnosis, we are so grateful to have been able to make this trip.

Writing your travel story is a rewarding endeavour that allows you to relive your adventures and capture a snapshot of the world as you experienced it. It’s an opportunity to express yourself creatively, connect with a community, and leave a legacy for family and future generations. Don’t leave it until it is too late. Take the plunge and start writing your travel story today!

March 1, 2024 Leave a Comment

Celebrating Community and Creativity: A Recap of Our Book Launch Event

We all get the collywobbles when we put our creative work out there into the wider world. In the lead up to a book launch event, it’s common for authors to question one’s own ability. When the event actually takes place, it’s evident that our stories really do matter – they matter to us, and they matter to our whanau and friends. For many, the compilation of stories in Memories of the Royal Family A Kiwi Collection is even more special as it contributes to our community’s social heritage and illustrates the diversity within our population.

I was thrilled with the turn-out at the community book launch event as family members, friends, neighbours, councillors and staff from the Kāpiti Coast District Council, fellow writers, and book enthusiasts gathered to meet the contributors, connect with one another, and generally join in the fun over morning tea. The buzz in the room was a testament to the power of storytelling, and the strength of our community. It was clear that this collection of stories holds a special place in the hearts of many and generated lively discussion at the tables. It was inspiring to see the outpouring of support from the community, especially when our Mayor Janet Holborow led the impromptu rendition of ‘God Save the King’. It was a reminder than when we come together as a community we can achieve incredible things.

The journey from concept to publication of this book has been a labour of love. Seeing this collection of stories in the hands of the contributors, and other readers was a dream come true. It is a reminder that every story matters, and that our voices have the power to inspire, educate and unite us. A couple of people remarked that this publication, which includes intimate family photos and original newspaper cuttings lovingly preserved in scrapbooks by our community, was collector’s item!

Reflecting on the event I am filled with gratitude for everyone who played a part in making it a success and loved the way in which people got into the spirit of the celebration and dressed up for the occasion. So many people have been involved in addition to the contributors who shared their personal stories. Kāpiti Coast District Council, who administer the local Creative Communities Fund, awarded the grant that contributed to the cost of the design and print of the book for the people that feature in it. Numerous individuals shared their Royal Family memorabilia on the display table at the event for others to enjoy. Family and friends helped me to organise, cater and bring the celebratory event to life, and of course there were people who remained behind afterwards and helped to clean up. Whether it was spreading the word, lending a helping hand, or simply showing up with enthusiasm, the community support made all the difference 😊

Looking ahead, I’m excited to see where this Kiwi collection of stories takes us. Whether it’s sparking meaningful conversations, inspiring others to share their own stories, or fostering community connection and engagement, we know the impact will be far-reaching. Huge thanks go to everyone who have been part of this incredible journey. Ngā mihi nui.

In the coming weeks and months, we’re committed to creating opportunities for our community to engage with the book and with each other in meaningful ways. This will include author talks for libraries, book clubs, service clubs, and community events in various locations in New Zealand. We’ll also continue to offer the popular series of Write Your Story community workshops for men and women who are inspired to capture their own memories for their families and friends.

Copies of Memories of the Royal Family A Kiwi Collection are available from your favourite bookstores in paperback, kindle and e.book formats. Copies can also be purchased directly from the author and at in person events. For more information email Kiaora@angelarobertson.nz