Before we begin interviews to shape the material for your memoir, you may want to get started on your own. Probably, you already have. Perhaps you were looking at some old photo albums. Maybe a milestone birthday or wedding anniversary has come up. Or someone in your family just got ill or moved away. Getting the idea to do a memoir is the first step. I will offer a few other tips for those who may wish to dive right in.

Gathering Mementos
Yes, those old photos are priceless. Each one can tell a story by itself. Look them over. Remember. Wonder. Become curious. Consider other resources you can track down: diaries and journals, scrapbooks, report cards, old clothes, jewelry, awards or certificates, programs, ticket stubs, etc. If you are writing a memoir about a loved one, ask them (or their children) what contributions they may have for the book. Begin to put your materials in some order. Make notes about what you see and remember.

Interviewing
Get a tape recorder or video camera and begin some interviews on your own. If you are interviewing a family member or other loved one, choose a time and place that is convenient and comfortable for them. Take on a beginner's mind. Ask open-ended questions (yes/no responses don't help) and focus on one specific time or subject at one sitting. Keep your sessions short. If you are writing your own memoir, imagine that you are sitting down to coffee with a friend you haven't seen for years. Think about the questions that person might ask you and how you would respond.

Writing Exercises
You may believe you are simply not a writer at all. I hear this often in my writing classes. I encourage you to try some simple exercises.

• Sit down with a pen and notebook and write the words "I remember." Then write for five minutes, without stopping, about anything that comes to mind, whether it's in a list, a specific experience, or a bunch of jumbled feelings and images. You also can do this with periods of your life: "When I was five…" or "When I was twelve…"


• Frame questions to yourself in opposites: What was the best part about growing up when and where I did? What was the worst part? What am I the most proud of? The most regretful over?


• Explore your memories through the form of a letter to someone you know, whether living or deceased.

After any of these writing exercises, look at what you have written and see what most intrigues, stirs, or agitates you. Then write about that. No matter how much or how little you start on your own, I am ready to help!

Suggested Links
As you begin to learn about the world of writing and publishing, you may find it helpful to explore some websites that offer additional guidance and support. Here are a few ideas:

www.publishersmarketplace.com
www.writersmarket.com
www.authorhouse.com
www.personalhistorians.org
www.writersdigest.com
www.publishersweekly.com
www.iuniverse.com
www.internet-resources.com/writers
www.writerswrite.com
www.turningmemories.com
www.memoirsandmemories.com

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