Step 3: Writing or Record Your Story

Writing your life story doesn’t have to be complicated. Start writing your story by breaking it down into 10-15 stepping stones and turning points. Making a list of the major turning points in your life will help you find the structure of your story.

You don’t have to remember every event in your life, that would also be impossible. Focus on key events that brought you to where you are today. Start writing your story by remembering the life-changing moments that have shaped you.

Identify the key events that changed your life for better or for worse. These can be positive events such as getting married, the birth of your children, graduating from university, creating a business. And they will also include big and tragic events such as the loss of a loved one, migrating to a new country or surviving an illness. 

Photographs are great memory triggers. You can use them as writing prompts and to recall forgotten details.

Another help is to make a list of ten random memories of when you did something for the first time. My first day in a foreign country, my first day of marriage, my first kiss, my first day at work, my first day as a parent, my first bicycle, the first time I ate sushi, the first time I went to the cinema on my own.

Choose one and write about it. Be specific. Give details. Was the bicycle you rode to school red or blue? Did it rain on your first day at work? What did you eat for lunch on your first day as a mother? You never know what will happen when you allow the pen to lead the way.

Remembering the details, all of our writing comes from memory. Memories are, by definition, subjective. Every time we recall a memory, we recreate it, we embellish it or expand on it. In other words, we are being creative. Don’t worry, nobody expects you to remember exactly what you said as a 12-year old or even as a 45-year old.

You can always add to your story anytime once your Tribute has been created.