Yarne life story project

A field guide to noticing life

Most of us move through our days quickly.


Many moments pass before we have time to notice them.

Do you remember your first day at school?

Did you notice the patch of dappled sunshine as you walked under the tree this morning?

Yarne is a place for slowing down and paying attention to those moments.

Through stories, reflections, and prompts, it offers ways to notice life more closely and to capture what you find.

The ordinary moments of life are often the ones that shape us most.

When we take the time to notice them, memories become clearer and small details return.

Experiences begin to form stories…

A woman sitting outdoors on lush green grass, writing in a notebook with a pen, surrounded by a white mug and other items.

Life story guide

We have developed a short guide that offers a generous and less conventional starting point for anyone who wants to explore their own stories. Rather than telling you how your life story should be written, it opens up different ways to begin.

Inside you’ll find reflections and exercises designed to help you notice memories, shape them into writing, and begin capturing the moments that matter to you.

Some people arrive with plenty of memories but feel unsure how to write them. Others come with skills to write but struggle to find the memories they need.

The guide helps with both. It offers gentle ways to unlock memories and space to explore them without pressure.

The downloadable guide has 64 A5 pages. This would be a total of 16 sheets of A4 paper if printed booklet style, double sided.

If you’d like to begin noticing and writing the stories of your life, you can download the guide and start today.…

Life story guide

Life Story Survey

In 2023, 109 people took our Life Story Survey. We asked people how they feel about their own memories and the memories of their loved ones.

  • Percentage 89% displayed on an orange background.

    89% said they'd want to read the memoiries of loved ones no longer here

  • Blue background with white text displaying '72%'.

    72% worry about losing their own memories and the memories of their loved ones

  • White text displaying '95%' on a yellow background.

    95% think that everyone has memories and experiences that are of value

  • Grey background with white text displaying '69%'.

    And yet 69% are not sure if anyone would be interested in their own life story

  • Purple background with white text showing '56%'.

    While 56% wish they'd captured more memories by writing things down

Close-up of a child's and adult's boots standing on dirt near a puddle in a wooded area.

How do you feel about your own memories? And the memories of the people you love?

Field note

Try this.

Think of a place you remember clearly.

  • Where were you standing?

  • What sounds were around you?

  • What small details return when you picture it?

Write the moment as if it is happening now.

When we take time in small details, it can unlock something quite special…

Black and white line drawing of a feather quill pen

Would you like to keep in touch?

You can join the mailing list to receive occasional field notes from Yarne — stories, reflections, and prompts for noticing the life you are living.

You can expect things like:

  • Stories drawn from everyday life

  • Reflections on memory and attention

  • Prompts for writing and noticing

  • Small practices for slowing down and observing the world around us

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, you’re very welcome to join.

Join the community