The following is excerpted from Evalogue.Life. To read the full post, CLICK HERE. 

Some great question prompts center on writing about friendship. If you are working on your autobiography, life story, or memoir, the role of friends can be pivotal. This is true not only for living a rich life (obviously) but for the narrative arc in your tale. In this article, we explore question prompts that elicit stories and then we delve into tips related to story structure. This article will help you think about the role that friendship or romantic love plays in a strong story arc.

In our professional oral history interviewing, we find that people love to talk about their hometown, growing up, dating and friendships. They light up when describing the food of home, holiday traditions, and school memories. Friendship is also one of the great themes, and here are some questions we like to ask.

1. Use these question prompts related to writing about friendship (childhood).

  • Who was your best friend from childhood?
  • Who was your “partner in crime” or sidekick? (Or were you the sidekick?)
  • Tell me about a time you got into some mischief. What did you learn from that experience?
  • Who did you date in high school?
  • What did you do for fun in your youth?
  • If you were to put together a mix tape, what would be the soundtrack of summer while you were in high school?
  • Who was your date for any special occasions? Describe that dance or other important occasion? What happened to make it memorable, or a disappointment?
  • Who was your first kiss?
  • Were you befriended by any adults who became important role models in your life? What did this person or people teach you?

2. Be mindful of sensitivities around bullying, betrayal, or not fitting in.

Note: Recalling friendships and social situations might not bring up happy memories. Bullying, betrayal, and feelings of not fitting in can be a difficult part of youth. If this was the case for you or if you are asking the questions and you sense that this line of questioning is entering into painful territory, proceed with sensitivity. If your interviewee seems willing to discuss it, then listen intently and with empathy. It is okay if he or she expresses emotions.

Don’t try to suppress difficult subjects or gloss over them.

To read the full post, CLICK HERE.