There are so many types of story projects. Let’s use one of my projects as an example. Many months ago I decided I wanted to learn more about my great-great-grandmother, Mary Taylor and share some of that with my family. This has lead to several story projects about her that I’ve already done and many more that I would like to do. I’m sure there are even more that I haven’t even thought of yet. Let’s see how many different story projects I can come up with about Mary Taylor:

1. go to Martin’s Cove for a hands on experience (did that)
2. make a video from our experience in Martin’s Cove
3. make a simple book to share with family about her life and her journey with the Martin handcart company (did that)
4. build a handcart replica
5. live for one day or even one meal on the rations that the Martin Handcart company had
6. reenact the journey of the Martin Handcart company from its start in Liverpool England to its arrival in the Salt Lake Valley
7. build a diorama of Coton-on-the-Elms
8. build a model of the ship Horizon
9. follow the journey of the Martin Handcart company day by day in 1856 (did that)
10. make a serial graphic novel based on the experiences of the hardcart pioneers
11. share it to coincide with Mary’s journey to Zion
12. travel to England the area that Mary grew up
13. write about my experiences and share it with my family
14. use google earth to take a virtual journey to Mary’s birthplace
15. use google earth to follow Mary’s journey with the Martin Handcart company
16. make it into a video to share with others
17. using google earth create a virtual scavenger hunt about Mary’s life and the places she has been
18. make a story book with illustration of Mary’s childhood and journey to Zion (did that – it is so close to being ready to publish)
19. make that story book into an ebook
20. make that story book into an enhanced ebook with sound etc.
21. make that story book into a video with narration and background music
22. using family members make a video about Mary Taylor
23. make a music video with Mary favorite song “The Handcart Song”
24. learn the Mary’s childhood song “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland” similar to “Old McDonald“
25. make an illustrated video of “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland”
26. make an illustrated children’s book inspired by “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland”
27. create a board game inspired by the handcart pioneers
28. learn and then teach how to play the game “Going to Zion”
29. learn to make simple toys from Mary’s time and share them with my family
30. make a video game inspired by the experiences of the handcart pioneers
31. Gather photos of all the known possessions of Mary Taylor and put them into a book form to share with family, including stories about each item
32. also share that book as an ebook
33. learn about cooking in the late 19th century in England and Utah
34. make how to videos to share what I learn
35. make a cookbook with recipes that Mary probably cooked
36. learn homemaking skills for the late 19th century
37. learn about dressmaking in the 1850s
38. learn about the French surge dress we have that Mary made
39. create a modern-day pattern for her dress
40. create craft and/or home decor ideas using Mary’s dress making skills
41. make a quilt about Mary’s Life
42. make a quilt about the Martin Handcart Company
43. make patterns for those quilts to share with others including the stories behind the blocks chosen
44. learn about the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when that Mary joined the church in England
45. watch “Seventeen Miracles” and/or other pioneer movies as a family
46. organize a Mary Taylor descendants reunion
47. compile all the descendants of Mary Taylor into a book
48. make a Facebook page for the descendants of Mary Taylor
49. design a charm necklace/key chain in honor of Mary Taylor
50. visit Mary’s grave site
51. visit all know locations that she lived
52. do a “decades” book about Mary’s life
53. do something everyday for one year to honor Mary
54. compile those experiences into a book
55. compile those experiences into a video
56. write a book about what Mary has taught me
57. design surprise balls that tell a story about Mary Taylor
58. create a memory jar in honor of Mary and/or my experiences learning about her
59. put together a story box about Mary Taylor
60. make a music cd inspire by Mary Taylor including “The Handcart Song”, “In the Merry Green Fields of Oland” and other songs from the late 19th century
61. make a shadow box about Mary Taylor (I’ve sort of done this with a tea-cup that was hers but there is much more that I could do)
62. make a coloring book about Mary’s life (I could probably adapt the illustration from “My Grandma Mary” for this)
63. give a gift basket inspired by Mary Taylor – include other story project like “My Grandma Mary” in the basket
64. make a memory wreath about Mary Taylor
65. make an old-fashioned Christmas wreath inspired by Mary Taylor with decoration from the late 19th century
66. make a doll house inspired by one of Mary Taylor’s homes
67. research the history of each of Mary’s last names: Taylor, Upton, Simmons and Robinson
68. put together a book about Mary’s names
69. find any coat of arms from Mary’s history or design a coat of arms inspired by her life
70. make t-shirts inspired by Mary Taylor
71. find and/or create maps about Mary Taylor’s life
72. make a calendar for the coming year with all the important dates in Mary Taylor’s life
73. celebrate Mary Taylor’s birthday
74. make a trivia game with facts about Mary Taylor and life in the late 19th century
75. make an audio record of stories about Mary Taylor – recruit family members to help with this project
76. make puppets to act out stories from Mary Taylor’s life
77. make a video of the puppet show
78. pick one of Mary’s home and research the history of that spot
79. make duplicates of the photo we have of Mary Taylor and make sure everyone in the family has a copy
80. create a collage about Mary Taylor
81. make a Christmas ornament with Mary Taylor’s photo
82. make or find Christmas ornaments like those common in Mary’s Life time
83. plan a Christmas meal similar to what Mary Taylor would have enjoyed
84. decorate your house and/or Christmas tree in the way in would have been done in the late 19th century
85. make flash cards about Mary Taylor’s life
86. make flash cards about the Willie and Martin Handcart companies
87. make a memory game inspired by Mary Taylor
88. gather family traditions from the late 19th century and choose a few to make a part of your traditions in honor of Mary Taylor
89. keep a record of your new family traditions so that future generations will know where they came from
90. set up a photo shoot inspired by the late 19th century and invite family members to get their photos taken
91. compile these photos into a book to share with everyone
92. make an advent calendar inspired by Mary Taylor and/or the late 19th century
93. make a puzzle with Mary Taylor’s picture or a collage or a set of puzzles from the illustrations in “My Grandma Mary” book
94. make a family tree that shows the connection between Mary Taylor and each family member
95. make a Christmas card inspire by Mary Taylor (did that)
96. make a time capsule with all the things we all the Mary Taylor story projects
97. write a song about Mary Taylor and what she means to me
98. make a family planner with facts about Mary Taylor and important dates in her life
99. make an infographic about Mary Taylor
100. have “Mary Taylor” come for dinner

Most of these idea could be applied to your ancestor and there are many more story project ideas that you could come up with. There is no shortage of ideas. The challenge is to choose one and make it happen. Remember to start with smaller simpler projects.

Did my list inspire you? If you don’t already have a story project you are working on, I challenge you to decide on one today.