On With Your Story

Tip #1 for getting your writing going

If you want to write your life story or memoir but are having trouble getting started, remember this:

Your life started at the beginning but your telling of it doesn’t have to.

Starting at the beginning–“I was born on October 11, 1949 in Spokane Washington”– is fine if that is your choice. However, starting at birth can pose some problems for writers:

• The beginning may not be very interesting to us. After all, we don’t actually remember any of it personally.
• We may not know much about the events of our birth, so lack of knowledge can block progress.
• Starting on the first day of our life can make the project look long and overwhelming
• Starting at the beginning can make us feel locked in to a rigid chronological order.

Free yourself from the tyranny of the chronological. The order in which you write about events, does not have to be the order in which they occurred or the order in which they will ultimately appear in your memoir. It’s your life, start anywhere your want. The day your daughter was born, your first day of school, the day met your spouse. The day the bee sting sent you to the hospital. Or what your bedroom looked like when you were a kid. Or start with today.

Next: So I’m free, now what