Capture a life story — your own or a parent's/grandparent's — into a keepsake, using good interview questions and a structure that turns memories into readable stories. Use when asked to help write a memoir, capture my parent's/grandparent's story, record family history, or preserve someone's life story. Produces a question set that unlocks real memories (not just dates), a session plan for interviewing over time, a structure to organize stories into chapters or themes, prompts to draw out detail and emotion, and options for the final form — so the stories are saved before they're lost.
“Help me capture my grandmother's life story before it's too late.”“I want to write a memoir but don't know where to start.”“What questions should I ask my dad about his life?”“How do I turn my parent's memories into a keepsake?”“Help me record and organize my family's history.”
What to give it
▸Whose story — your own or someone else's, and their situation (age, health, willingness)
▸The scope — a full life, a particular era, or specific themes
▸The method — interviewing in person, recording, or writing directly
▸Time available — a little urgency (health) vs. an open timeline
▸The final form — what you'd love to end up with
✅ The bar it holds itself to
Every skill in this library self-verifies — these are this skill's own quality checks, straight from its definition.
✓Questions unlock real stories, not just dates/facts
✓Includes a manageable multi-session interview plan
✓Provides follow-ups that draw out detail and emotion
✓Offers a structure to organize stories into something readable
✓Gives final-form options matched to effort/wishes
✓Stresses recording and backing up the raw material
✓Prioritizes capturing fast if time is short (health)
⚠️ What it refuses to do
**A dry timeline** of dates instead of stories.
**One marathon session** that exhausts an older person.
**Not recording** — losing the exact words and voice.
**A jumble of transcripts** with no structure.
**Over-planning the perfect book** while the chance to capture slips away.
Install
npx pm-claude-skills add --agent claude # or codex · cursor · gemini · hermes
# or one-line MCP (every skill, any client):
claude mcp add pm-skills -- npx -y pm-claude-skills-mcp