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How to Write Your Life Story

How to Write Your Life Story. Some ideas from Ralph Fletcher. Brainstorm a List. Include any possible events , people , and things that might appear in your memoir. My second home: Kim’s house Black Butte Ranch Horses Cereal

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How to Write Your Life Story

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  1. How to Write Your Life Story Some ideas from Ralph Fletcher

  2. Brainstorm a List • Include any possible events, people, and things that might appear in your memoir. • My second home: Kim’s house • Black Butte Ranch • Horses • Cereal • Animals: Bandit’s 9 lives, Finding Hobbes, Misadventure with Magic, Pepper in the Fire

  3. Write About Your Name • This simple technique can help you unearth lots of great material for your life story. Ask yourself: • Who were you named after? Is there a story connected to that? • What nicknames have you had? • Were you ever teased about your name? • Do people often misspell or mispronounce it? • How do you feel about your name?

  4. Sketch a Map of your Neighborhood • Close your eyes and try hard to imagine all the details of your neighborhood. • The more your sketch, the more details you add, the more you’ll remember. • Pick a place you know super well—a neighborhood you lived for several years, a relative’s house or apartment you often visited, a vacation home, or a summer camp you return to every year. • Don’t try to make it look professional, just detailed.

  5. Ralph Fletcher’s Map

  6. Sketch a Map of your Neighborhood • As you make your map, label to mark: • Where something happened (you lost a tooth, found a pocket knife, , or buried a beloved pet) • A “power spot” (where all the neighborhood kids gathered) • A “danger spot” (a place you had to avoid) • A favorite place • A secret place

  7. Make a “Heart Map” • Similar to a map of your neighborhood, but with a twist—it’s an emotional map of what matters to you. • Things near and dear to your heart (family, friends, hobbies, interests) • Some things included on a “heart map” can be serious, while others can be more playful.

  8. Example “Heart Map”

  9. Still need some topic ideas?

  10. Gather Artifacts • At home tonight, get a box to gather things that have been important to you. • Examples: a beloved stuffed animal or doll, your first baseball glove, a scrap from your baby blanket, an old photograph of you, Girl or Boy Scout badges, old journals or trading cards • Hold the object, close your eyes, and see what rises into your memory. • Where did you get it? Who gave it to you? Did it ever get lost? How did (does) it make you feel?

  11. Collect Family Stories • In your family, are there certain stories that get told again and again at holidays, weddings, reunions? • Jot down a list of those stories, especially if one of them happens to involve you. If you can’t remember it in all it’s detail, ask a relative later tonight. Ask lots of questions!

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