Finding Your Memories

Are you having a difficult time wondering what to write about, or where to begin your personal life stories? If this is the case, then read on…I think this email will help you.

When choosing to write a story, it also needs benefit you and/or the reader in some way.

If you decide on a story to write and then you start wondering if the story is worth writing, you can ask yourself the following questions. If you can answer “yes” to at least one of them, then your story is worth writing because you know it will benefit someone (you and/or the readers).

Questions to Ask About Your Story

• Does your story represent you well in helping others understand who you are?

• Does your story teach a lesson?

• Does your story have meaning?

• Does your story tell about “the way things were” so it's interesting to compare to the current life of the reader?

• Does your story make the reader laugh?

• Does your story have a good outcome?

• Does your story explain something that others need to know the truth about?

Remember, you only need to say “yes” to ONE of these to make your story worth writing.

Now lets talk about where to find your stories…

Prompts - Finding Your Memories

There are so many ways to “dig up” your memories from the past and, to keep things simple, I will give you three of the easiest ways:

1. Photos – when you look at a photo, don’t just look at what is happening in the photo, or why the photo was taken. Look beyond the actual photo to see if you can find other memories unrelated to the photo itself. Here is an example (you may have seen this before, but I have added a few topics):

2. Prompt Questions - Asking yourself questions can bring up some memories that you might not otherwise think about. Here is a PDF of questions that just might help you.

​Prompt Questions.pdf​

3. Memory Placing - this is a technique that has helped me find memories from my past. Think back to your school friends, neighborhood, siblings, church, home, etc. and visualize yourself in those places or with those people – what do you remember that would make a good story. Close your eyes if it helps you focus on those memories.

Well, there you have it! I hope these prompt ideas help you find your stories!

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