Prompt 1 - My First Memory

For the first prompt, I want you to think back as far as you can into your childhood. What is the earliest memory you have?

Does it involve family? A favorite toy? A certain place? What emotions did you feel? What was the weather like? Is there a certain smell associated with this memory? Did music or other noises play a role in this memory?

Try to recall all of the details involved with this memory and record them. Try to recreate the moment or the event through description. Involve all of the senses. And even though you should try to remember as many details as possible, don't get caught up worrying about the accuracy of your memory--the way you remember it is how you should record it.

If you don't remember very much, that's absolutely fine. Just record what you do remember. My first memory is only one or two paragraphs long. The memory is vivid in my mind, but only covers a few short seconds of time.

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Thanks for joining me in my journey to write my personal history! If you participated in this prompt and would like to share your memory, email me! You can send me your whole memory or just a brief part to be posted or linked on the blog. If you want to share it with me but don't want it posted, just let me know in your email.

Let's Get Started!!

Before getting started, take time to do a couple of things:
1. Determine how much time you can dedicate to writing your personal history, and schedule specific writing time for yourself every day or every week.
2. Choose and prepare a format for recording your history. This could be a regular pen and paper, typing into a word processing program, creating a personal history website or blog, or recording into a tape or video recorder. Work with the format that best suits your preferences.
3. Regardless of the format you are using to officially record your memories, keep a small notepad and pen handy so you can jot down memories that come to you at unexpected times. It's surprising how quickly these memories can surface and then disappear again. (I love this notepad from Wellspring because it doesn't get all bent or torn apart in my purse, it comes with a pen, and it closes securely so I can stick Post-Its or other scraps of paper in there until I have a chance to go through them.)

And remember to always keep these two things in mind:
1. Don't feel overwhelmed. Thinking about writing the story of your whole life can feel daunting, but if you capture it memory by memory, soon you wil have a rich treasury of stories, memories, and thoughts.
2. Take it at your own pace. I'll post prompts pretty regularly, but they shouldn't dictate the pace of your writing. You don't need to finish with one prompt just because I've posted another. In fact, one prompt could lead you to think of so many stories and memories, you might spend a month working on a single prompt!

So, here's what you can expect from me:

• At least once a week I'll post a prompt that is meant to guide your writing or get you thinking of other related memories to write about.
• The prompts will come in many different forms: pictures, single words, questions, a story or news article to respond to, etc.
• I may include short examples or stories from my own life. (I promise not to bore you with super-long self-indulgent examples.)
• Sometimes I will ask for a visual response along with/in place of your writing (i.e., a drawing, photograph, cartoon, collage, or whatever visual medium you can use to portray a certain event or memory in your life). If you don't want to do a visual response, you can just write.
• The interpretation of the prompt is entirely up to you. (It's your life, I'm just here to help you get started.)

If you have prompt ideas, questions, or need to contact me for anything else, you can drop me a line any time using the email on the sidebar. I love feedback, and I take constructive criticism really well, so if you have thoughts on journaling, personal histories, or this project in general, I would love to hear them.

This Time It's Personal

I have never been very good at keeping a journal.

I've tried many times (and I've got storage bins full of partially-used journals to prove it), but I've never been consistent. So, I'm giving up on the idea of a journal that records my day-to-day activities and I'm focusing on writing a personal history.

In my mind a journal always seemed more like an accounting of where my time went that day, rather than focusing on the funny, interesting, sad, thought-provoking, or otherwise note-worthy details. Because I have had that mindset, my journal entries tend(ed) to lean towards the dry and boring side of things. (i.e., I did this, then I went there, then I hung out with so-and-so, then I came home and went to bed. Nothing about the emotions I felt, things I saw, or the little details of the day. How boring am I???)

But a personal history... Wow. It sounds so much more intriguing, don't you think? It instantly evokes different images in my mind--images that are much more personal, lively, and warm. A personal history is also meant to be shared with others, so it immediately gives me an audience to address, which helps me recognize that I'm telling a story, not just documenting the logistics of my life.

I hope you will join me as I begin this project. I think it will be a lot of fun!

Please Note:I am not a professional writer, personal historian, geneology buff, or otherwise considered an expert on personal histories, writing, biographies, or any related topics. This is purely for my own development as a person, so I hope you'll give me some leeway in that regard.