• Look at each page carefully and visually imagine what was happening in that photo or event. What was the setting?  Who was there? What were they doing? Let the details transport you back in time.
• For group photos, focus on each person one at a time. What do you know about them? What role did they play in the family’s history? Imagine what they were thinking and feeling at that moment.
• Pay attention to little details in photos and memorabilia. A medal, a uniform, a hairstyle, an old car…these clues can help piece together untold stories.
• Go through scraps of old letters, postcards or journal entries. These give insight into thoughts, experiences and emotions that photos may not capture.
• If you have relatives in the scrapbook that you can talk to, ask them detailed questions about specific events and people in the photos. Record their memories.
• Recreate a day-in-the-life for family members based on clues in photos of their clothes, possessions, activities. Imagine their routine.
• Write a fictional inner monologue for a family member describing their thoughts and feelings around a photo/event
• Craft a narrative around ‘before and after’ the photo – what events led up to that moment, and what might have happened next
• Use photos as writing prompts to draft mini-stories of important family moments like weddings, births, holidays, vacations.

Let the scrapbook visuals and artifacts spark your imagination. Fill in the gaps between snapshots with stories of your family’s history, personalities, and experiences.