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Writing a Memoir: how do you decide where to start?
The secret word is “when”
So many times I hear people who want to write their memoir stumped by the idea of, where do I start?
There’s an old joke, “Where do I begin?” Answer “At the beginning.”
Beyond the humor, you can ask yourself this, “When did my story begin?”
Remember that memoir is NOT THE STORY OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE! It’s about a specific time period in your life when you had a challenge or adventure and you overcame or completed it.
So when did your story begin?
When you moved to Chicago for that great job?
When you discovered your father was a “clean-up” man for the mafia?
When you joined the Peace Corps?
When you were molested, the first time?
When you married the man you thought was the gentlest soul in the world?
When you became a widow?
I find the best way to begin is to establish a TIMELINE.
You can use old photo albums, letters, diplomas, calendars, even old emails (if your story takes place within the past few years), to establish times and places that you can begin to list in…
