My First Kiss

Do you remember your first (serious) kiss? Tell the story of how and when it happened, and how you felt afterward. This is truly a “kiss and tell” story.

Preparation

• Before you start the story, take a minute to reflect on what you remember about your first kiss. Jotting some notes to yourself can aid recall.
• If possible, get out your old photo albums, year book, or access your digital photo storage account, to find photos of that time period. Perhaps you have an old photo of the person you kissed?
• Remember the setting, the person, and how you felt before, during, and after the kiss.
• Jot down key memories, emotions, and sensory details that stand out to you.
• Focus on a Single Moment: Don’t try to write a whole love story. Pick a specific moment – the lead-up, the kiss itself, or the aftermath – and expand on that.

Audience

Are you writing this story primarily for fun and self reflection, or will there be an audience for the story? If the story is primarily for your own consumption and reflection, don’t worry too much about structure or flow. Simply reminisce freely without worrying about spelling, grammar or sentence structure. Your virtual biographer will compile your memories into a coherent story for your enjoyment.

If you are writing the story as part of a memoir, or to share with your kids, grandkids and great grandkids as part of your larger life story, give some thought to what they would enjoy most about the story. Are you writing for a younger audience who can relate to the innocence of a first kiss, or for a more mature audience where the focus might be on the underlying emotions? What is the key message you want your audience to takeaway from your first kiss experience? Share this insight with your virtual biographer.

Structure and Flow

A story written for others starts with a good “hook” and unfolds with authenticity and emotion. Life stories can be told both chronologically and thematically. A chronological structure is good for a ‘coming of age’ story. It is told in the order events happened. A thematic structure is focused on the ideas, thoughts and feelings of the characters in the story. Your virtual biographer can weave both approaches.

One of the most important choices to make about writing the story is what point-of-view the story will take. Do you want to tell it in the “First Person” (you as narrator) or the “Third Person” (an objective narrator). Most autobiographies, memoires, and life stories are told in the first person because they are character-driven stories. They are more intimate. However, writing and telling the story in the third person offers objectivity and omniscience. Most biographies are written in the third person. So if you are telling the story of someone else’s wedding, you should use the third person point-of-view.

Answer the Important Questions; Skip Those Less Relevant

The ‘Times of My Life’ app provides you with a Virtual Biographer (VB) to interview you about your first kiss. Yes, it’s an AI bot, but a very smart and intuitive one. Your VB has instant access to similar stories written and shared by millions of other people. It can help you relive the moment, illuminate the essence of your experience, and then tell a story that is uniquely yours. If your VB asks a question that doesn’t seem relevant to your experience, just skip it and move on to the questions that assist your recall and are important to how you lived that moment.

Add Details

If your virtual biographer fails to ask you a key question about your first kiss, simply tap the “Add Details” icon to add the memory when it comes to your mind. To add a detail, you can type it or use the microphone to record it. The VB will use your answers and the extra details you add to write a great story.

• Use Sensory Details: Describe the sights, sounds, smells, and sensations that you recall in that moment.
• Be Authentic: Share your true thoughts and emotions. Authenticity will resonate with readers and make your story more powerful.
• Include Dialogue: Put sentences in quotation marks to let your virtual biographer know that it is a direct quote, and who said it. If there was a conversation or words exchanged between you and the one you kissed, include them to add depth and realism.
• Express Your Emotions: Don’t shy away from sharing the range of emotions you felt—joy, excitement, nervousness, awkwardness, disappointment, etc.
• Reflect on the Experience: Discuss how this first kiss impacted you. Reflect on what it meant to you at the time and how you view it now. Discuss how your first kiss changed you. Did you feel more grown up? More confident? More awkward?

Don’t Just Tell; Show

Instead of just stating facts, show what happened through detailed descriptions and actions. For example, instead of saying “I was nervous,” describe how your heart raced and your palms sweated. Photos, narration, and music will also help you “show” the story. The ‘Times of My Life’ app is excellent at helping you visualize the story in multimedia formats.

Write the Story; Add Media

• After the interview and after you add whatever details you think are important, you will have the option of writing the story yourself, or having your virtual biographer write the story. It only cost $0.00 to have your VB write the story — and will save you hours of work writing it yourself. You can always edit what the VB writes.
• If you prefer to write the story yourself, use your answers from the interview and the details and notes the app captured, to guide your writing. Tips for writing the story yourself can be viewed by tapping the “Tips” icon in the app. Additional tips are listed below.
• After the story is written you will end up at the ‘Enhance Story’ screen. This is where the magic happens.
  • Tap “Add Media” to insert images and/or video clips into the narrative of your story.
  • Tap “Narrator” to choose a narrator. NOTE: A narrator is great if you ask your virtual biographer to write the story in the Third Person. If it is written in the First Person, then YOU are the narrator of the story.
  • Tap “Music” to add background music to your story, assuming you plan to publish it as an audiocast or a video.

Edit and Revise

After the story is written by you or your virtual biographer, you can “share” it for free with friends and loved ones. Their feedback can provide valuable perspective and help you improve your story. After you get their feedback you can go back and edit the story as desired — or ask your VB to rewrite it with the feedback!

Publish Your Story

One of the best features of the ‘Times of My Life’ app is that it will produce the story in multimedia formats.

• Tap PDF to create a nicely formatted printed version.
• Use Audiocast to download an MP3 file.
• Click Video to download a high resolution video, complete with narration (if you choose a narrator), background music, and your uploaded images and video clips.

Sample Outline

Introduction

• Start with a captivating detail or moment to draw readers in.
• Briefly introduce the context and the person involved.

Lead-Up

• Describe how you knew the person and the relationship you had with them.
• Build anticipation with stolen glances, playful banter, or a moment of shared vulnerability that sets the stage for the kiss.
• Detail the setting and atmosphere of the moment leading up to the kiss.
• Share your thoughts and emotions as the moment approached.
• Describe the anticipation, the shyness, the surprise, the giddiness, or even the disappointment if it wasn’t what you expected.

The Kiss

• Paint a picture of the location. Was it under a starry sky, in the crowded school hallway, or maybe in a friend’s messy bedroom?
• Walk through the moments right before the kiss.
• Describe the kiss itself with sensory details and emotions. Don’t rush it! A well-described kiss can be the emotional climax of the scene.
• Include any dialogue or notable reactions. Include snippets of awkward conversation or funny fumbles leading up to the kiss.

Aftermath

• Share your immediate thoughts and feelings after the kiss.
• Describe the other person’s reaction and any conversations you had.
• Reflect on how the kiss impacted your relationship with the person.
• Describe the lingering touch, the surprised expression, or a moment of shared laughter, depending on the tone you want to create.

Reflections

• Discuss what the kiss meant to you at the time and how you view it now.
• Reflect on what you learned about yourself and your feelings about romance or intimacy.

Conclusion

• End with a poignant or significant moment.
• Offer any advice or closing thoughts about the experience.

Misc. Tips for Writing the Story of Your First Kiss

• Include personal anecdotes and unique aspects of your experience to make the story truly yours.
• If appropriate, add a touch of humor or sweetness to make your story more engaging and relatable.
• Highlight the heart of the story. Was it a culmination of a long-held crush, a playful moment with a friend, or something entirely different? Identify the central emotion of the memory.
• Elaborate on your feelings in the moment. Don’t just say, “The kiss was sweet.” Was it a gentle brush of lips, a clumsy exploration, or a surge of unexpected passion? Instead of saying “I was nervous,” describe sweaty palms, a racing heart, or fidgeting with your clothes.
• Describe stolen glances, shy smiles, or the way the light hit their face.
• Was the kiss tentative, clumsy, or soft?
• Did you catch a hint of their perfume, bubblegum, or nervousness?
• Was there nervous laughter, whispered words, or just the sound of your own heartbeat?
• First kisses are rarely Hollywood-perfect. Embrace the awkwardness! A dropped book, tangled hair, or a misplaced foot can add humor.
• Let your emotions shine through! Describe the butterflies in your stomach, the excitement, or maybe even a touch of disappointment if it wasn’t what you expected.
• Engage the reader’s senses by describing:
  • The taste of lip gloss or a breath mint.
  • The texture of the other person’s skin, soft or maybe a little chapped from nervousness.
  • The scent of their cologne or shampoo.
  • The sound of your own heart pounding or their nervous laughter.
• Your voice matters. Let your unique perspective and personality shine through.

By following these tips, you can create a heartfelt and engaging narrative that captures the essence of your first kiss, preserving the memory and sharing it meaningfully with others.