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How It Works

Getting to the throughline

Getting to
the throughline

Gathering a new story is like taking off on a new adventure—I'm excited for every leg of the trip, from researching and planning its details to experiencing its sights and sounds to coming home with a reflective heart and sharing what I've learned. The steps of great storytelling mirror the best journeys.

Like a story concierge, I'll plan, guide and record your Voice & Vellum journey from start to finish, bringing all the details together with meaning while you enjoy the experience and keep the memories.

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Learn

A warm hello and a chat about you. We’ll talk by phone about the story you want to tell and the people who will be telling it. I’ll gather the broad strokes that drive it and any special, timely reasons you have for capturing it.

I’ll ask a few questions and answer any you may have about me, my process, and what to expect. When you’re ready, we’ll set a date, time, and details for the interview, to be conducted in-person or by Zoom.

By the end of our hello, I'll have begun to visualize the heart of your story and use it to guide my preparation and research for the next step.

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Interview

Truth is, the word interview is a bit too stuffy, too formal, too impersonal to describe the way we get to the heart of our stories. What I love to create instead is a conversation. That's what we'll have during this step: a friendly exchange that eschews the stiff outlines of a traditional Q&A for the comfortable rhythms of a kitchen-table chat.

This is the most dynamic portion of the Voice & Vellum journey—and often the most surprising and impactful.

I’ll guide us as we connect through your anecdotes and memories, listening for opportunities to expand or deepen your story. I'll help you hold out and turn over the moments that matter most, the landmarks you've overlooked, and the signposts that have shaped you along the way.

That's how we get to your throughline.

I'll record our conversation, transcribe and polish its sound, and return it to you for a rare keepsake.

Truth is, I've always found the word interview to be too stuffy, too formal, too impersonal for getting to the heart of our stories. What I love to create instead is a conversation. That's what we'll have during this step: a friendly exchange that eschews the stiff outlines of a traditional Q&A for the comfortable rhythms of a kitchen-table chat.

This is the most dynamic portion of the Voice & Vellum journey—and often the most surprising and impactful.

That's how we get to your throughline.

I'll record our conversation, polish its sound, and return the transcription and audio files (video, if by Zoom) to you for a rare keepsake.

The man is laughing with a pickleball paddle.

Write

Here is where context meets creativity and craft.

Your Voice & Vellum interview is an instant archive of introspection and recollection. When you choose to turn that experience into a written piece, I’ll create an original feature that captures the emotion, texture, and throughlines uncovered in our conversation, with art and with care.

This is yours to share, use, and reproduce however you wish—at receptions, celebrations, and special events; as a script for videos and slide shows; on websites; or to pass down to future generations. It's in your hands.

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"Powerful words"

You are a storyteller extraordinaire! What you beautifully captured resonates.

"Powerful words"

You are a storyteller extraordinaire! What you beautifully captured resonates.

"Powerful words"

You are a storyteller extraordinaire! What you beautifully captured resonates.

"Extremely compelling"

Well-written, fun, educational, heartfelt, and emotional. This profile is ‘felt’ rather than ‘read.

"Extremely compelling"

Well-written, fun, educational, heartfelt, and emotional. This profile is ‘felt’ rather than ‘read.

"Extremely compelling"

Well-written, fun, educational, heartfelt, and emotional. This profile is ‘felt’ rather than ‘read.

What You'll Receive

All yours, for all time.

Interview Recording

Enhanced audio or Zoom recording of each participant from the interview phase of your project, delivered in .mp3 (audio) or .mp4 (video) format.

Polished transcript of each recording from the interview phase of your project, delivered as a PDF.

Play a Sample

Original Feature*

An original work of feature writing using resources from the learning and interview phases of your project and additional research, capturing the context and throughlines of your story. Delivered in PDF and .doc format, reproducible in any way you wish.

View a Sample

*Included with selection of premium package. Contact me for details.*I