Your story
Write your life story, one question a day.
You can write your life story by answering one question a day by text. Cortie, Books of My Life’s AI biographer, turns your answers into a private online memoir with photos and voice messages, and an optional printed hardcover book. No app—just iMessage on your iPhone.
What is writing your life story with Cortie?
Books of My Life (booksofmylife.com) is the U.S. maker of Cortie, an AI biographer that writes parents' and grandparents' stories into a private online memoir. It is not affiliated with the UK memoir ghostwriting service "Book of My Life". Cortie texts you one thoughtful question a day in iMessage (WeChat is also supported). You reply when it suits you—by typing, voice message or a photo of an old print. Cortie turns your answers into chapters in a private online memoir, and you can add a printed full-colour hardcover whenever you are ready.
How do I start writing my life story?
You do not need to begin at birth or write a full outline first. A practical method that works with or without Cortie:
- List 10–20 specific moments you would want a grandchild to know— a first job, a kitchen you loved, a trip that went wrong, a person who changed your path.
- Start with one vivid memory, not your birth date. Pick the scene you can still see clearly.
- Tell it out loud first. Record a voice memo or talk to someone you trust. StoryCorps’ Great Questions are a useful prompt list if you want help choosing a first topic.
- Write scenes, not summaries. Include names, places, weather, what people said. The University of Nevada, Reno Extension suggests thinking, talking, writing and sharing as natural steps in building an autobiography.
- Keep a steady rhythm. One story a week is fifty-two stories in a year. With Cortie, that rhythm is one question a day in a text thread you already use.
How does Cortie work for your own story?
- iMessage on your iPhone—no app, password or account. We also support WeChat.
- One question a day in a private chat, with at most one gentle follow-up. Cortie slows down if you go quiet.
- Answer your way: type, send a voice message or snap an old photo.
- Skip or stop any time. Skip a question or reply STOP to end texts.
- Family optional: invite people to read along and suggest questions, or keep it to yourself.
How much does it cost?
It’s one gift: Cortie’s daily questions in iMessage, for life, their memoir online and the printed, full-colour book. You can pay $99.90 for all of it now, or start for $9.99 and add the printed book later for $99.90, whenever you’re ready. Paying for everything now saves $9.99. There’s no subscription. Extra printed copies are $59 each.
What do you get?
- Private online memoir: chapters, timeline, restored photos, voice messages
- Cortie’s daily questions for life—no subscription
- Printed full-colour hardcover included with Everything now ($99.90), or add later for $99.90
- Extra printed copies $59 each
Writing alone, a journal, or Cortie?
| On your own | Journal / prompt book | Cortie | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time to start | Whenever you sit down to write | When you open the book | One text reply a day |
| Structure | You choose the outline | Fixed prompts in print | Daily questions that follow your stories |
| Output | Files or pages you manage yourself | Handwritten or typed pages | Private online memoir + optional hardcover |
| Photos and voice | You add them yourself | Usually text only | Photos restored; voice messages in the memoir |
| Typical cost | Free (your time) | Price of the journal or prompt book | $9.99 to start, or $99.90 with the book included |
Questions about writing your life story
Do I need writing experience?
Can I tell my story if I am not buying a gift for someone else?
How much does it cost?
Who can read my memoir?
Can I stop or skip questions?
Is Cortie a person?
What if I prefer talking to typing?
What do I get at the end?
Giving this to a parent instead? See our gift guide for parents or start a gift. More on the FAQ.