Writing prompts for memoirs

A colleague, Fran Morley of Fairlane, Alabama, shared a great tip for getting into the mindset of life writing.

My favorite trick, Fran writes, is to invite students on a memory walk through a virtual room from their past. I have everyone relax and close their eyes and put themselves back in a favorite room from their past. I have them step into the room, and I lead them around the room, asking them to look up, noting the ceiling, lighting fixtures, etc., look down at the floor (and maybe remove their "virtual" shoes and feel the carpet or flooring), look out windows as they pass them, noting what's in the yard or on the street, and look into other rooms as they pass by doorways. I have them listen to sounds from the room or other rooms (clock on the mantle, whistle of a tea kettle, dog barking outside, etc), and I have them take a deep breath and recall the smells of the room - grandpa's pipe tobacco, musty drapes, mom's perfume, etc.

After going through this virtual stroll down memory lane, by engaging all the senses, people will remember much more about the room than if I just said, "write a paragraph about a room from your past," Fran said.

For people who think writing about the past — writing their life story — is too daunting a task, this can be an outstanding exercise. Your history, one room at a time! After all, a life story is really just a series of small stories woven together with a single thread: you.

A virtual stroll through a room of your childhood might be a way to get you started.