A bit about me.
Reality is overrated. But words have the ability to transport and enchant us. I’ll share a little story with you . . . A long time ago, my lovely grade four teacher took me out of class. She removed her wristwatch and put it to her ear, moving it slowly away. Next, she repeated this to the side of my head and asked me if I could hear the ‘tick-tick’. After repeating the process on my other ear, I realised she was testing my hearing. Such personal attention made me feel important. My hearing, it seemed, was OK. But my nine-year-old mind had a tendency to wander.
At the end-of-year autograph book signing session at this country school, the teacher wrote, ‘To Mark with his head in the clouds, may he have lots of nice dreams and maybe one day bring one back’.
A couple of years later, my absent-mindfulness paid off when I received the school’s book prize for writing and designing a word & picture book.
So I have my feet firmly planted in mid-air.
Early jobs included fruit picking, house painting, milking cows. I trained as a teacher and took up professional tennis coaching. I travelled and explored the Franklin River in Tasmania’s south-west wilderness; then bought an old Remington cast-iron typewriter and started thumping away at the keys to document the adventure. Later, I disposed of the typewriter – one bloke reckoned it might make a pretty good boat anchor.
At the University of Canberra I studied journalism and was awarded a Bachelor of Education in Professional Writing in 1991, majoring in journalism and freelance writing.
Along the way, a wife appeared, followed by three fantastic kids. I blinked a few times, and the kids turned into grandkids. As we increase chronologically, I’m sure time becomes more elastic. It seems to slingshot us along our journey.
Working as a journo and photographer for regional newspapers helped me with the discipline necessary for writing and publishing. The Canberra Photographic Society awarded me Photographer of the Year in 2001. Photography led to a couple of exhibitions and thousands of images being published.
I wrote a couple of books for the government, on health and transport. And handled media for a couple of CEOs and wrote on business, medical, environmental and social justice issues.
Then published two books: a coffee table travel memoir entitled Fiji and Tavewa – In Search of Robinson Crusoe; and my dear mum’s life story, This That and the Other, which propelled me into memoir.
I’m fascinated by the lives of ordinary people and the way they can transform their lives.
In 2016, I founded the LifeStory Writing project to help people create their memoirs – to provide professional editing and high quality ghostwriting services. It led to the book, Life is a Story: How to write your memoir to assist first-time and experienced authors through the autobiographical writing process.
Ten years later that book has now been re-released as an expanded 2nd edition for 2026, called: How to Write Your Memoir: The ultimate guide to writing your life story and leaving a legacy.
It’s exhilarating to see client’s stories come together and books published. Contact with them is the high point of my day. Having written or ghostwritten 15 books (and substantively edited many more) I’m astounded at these stories, their passion and humanity and insight.
LifeStory Writing has now joined with MemoirWrite.com to continue the work.
My predisposition for a dream world is still with me – the world my kindly teacher was so concerned about. But there are so many good stories where words can transport us – it’s great to be involved with people developing wonderful gifts of legacy and creativity.
Mark Koehler, founder LifeStory Writing
BA Professional Writing
Member Australian Society of Authors
Founding member, Life Stories Australia