Here are some more fun writing exercises for your memoirs!  

1. The 10-7-5 Exercise: This is a great writing exercise that will help jumpstart you on your memoir journey.  It comes from Dr. Phil (who's kind of a weenie, but whatever) who states you can trace who you've become in your life by these three different external factors: ten defining moments, seven critical choices, and five pivotal people.  Even though your numbers may be different than these, you can use them as a starter.  So begin with writing 1-10, then 1-7, then 1-5.  Then start brainstorming your top in each one.  After you're done brainstorming, then start fleshing out each one.  Write as much as you can, and when you're done, see where each one can fit into your memoir (if any).  Check out Dr. Phil's page here that explains each one: Defining Your External Factors. 
2. Rites of Passage: Make a list of your biggest rites of passage. 
3. Archetypes: Everyone has an archetype.  Most of us have many.  
4. Food: How did you share and create food in your family?  
5. Physical Environment: What was important about your physical environment?
6. Your Body Tells a Story: What's your body story?  What were you told about your body?  
7. Celebrities: Who was important to you and why?
8. Shadow Work:  What do you hate in others that you really hate about yourself?
9. Sensory Impressions: What was missing?  What did you have an abundance of? 
10. Family Traditions: What were your most important family traditions and did those things shape your life?
11. Write a Letter: to your younger self.  What would you say?  Write several letters to different ages of yourself.  Tell them all the things you needed to hear back then.  What would have made a huge difference to you?  Those younger versions of you still live inside of you.  Be their safe space and give them a place to flourish, rather than hide and shrink.   
12. Hall of Heroes: Who do you admire and why?  And how do you already embody what you love about them? 
13. BATS: Create a list of your blessings, achievements and talents, no matter how small or large (both the hall of heroes and BATS are from the amazing book "Creating Your Best Life: The Ultimate Life List Guide" by Michael B. Frisch, and Caroline Adams Miller")
14. Fairytales: What are your favorite fairytales and why?  How do they apply to your life?  Give everyone in your life a corresponding fairytale character, and rewrite the story the way you want it to go. 
15. Therapy: You could start your memoir when you start therapy and keep notes at all your therapy appointments and go from there.  Keeping therapy notes in a specific notebook will not only help you write, but also will help you remember everything you've talked about and learned.  

Do you have an ache in your soul to get your life down on paper?  Maybe you want the world to read it, maybe you don't.  You just know you need to write it.  So, where to start?  

Today, I'm going to share with you the idea gathering exercises I use for my books (some are mine, some are ones I've read about).  So before you make the outline, before you get bogged down with a hundred ideas of what you want your memoir to be about, idea gathering exercises is where to start.  Because from these ideas you can create: chapter ideas, several memoir ideas, titles, and a ton of other great aspects to your book(s).  I set out to only write one.  But here, I am, knee deep in memoirs and insanity.  

So here's how I do it: 

1. The Massive Fact List

You can start in several ways.  If you already have a great subject and a great theme and now you just need ideas, skip this part (or, do it for fun!) and go to #2.  (this is adapted from a Toltec Recapitulation exercise)

Get out a big notebook that will only serve for your memoir writing.  This going to take awhile.  

A. Start with people.  Or places.  Doesn't matter.  You'll be doing both.  Start in early childhood.  Write down every single person you knew.  Then go to grade school.  The middle.  Then high school.  And beyond.  Write down jobs and all the people you knew at your jobs.  When I said this list is massive, I wasn't lying.  Every time you remember someone, jot them into your notebook.  

Another way to write down the people to take these headings at the top of each page in your journal (each get their own page, front and back), and use these categories: 

• Parents (if you have a lot to work out for each one, then create a page for each one)
• Children (our kids)
• Siblings (same as above)
• Relatives (2 pages-then on these pages create categories for each type of relative)
• Friends (depending on the amount of friends you had/have, you can make this several pages)
• Classmates (people you knew, but not called friends)
• Coworkers (categorized into specific jobs)
• Neighbors
• Others (like strangers and the such)

B. Then start the next section and write places and other things.  Draw maps in your notebook if you like.  Write down all the places you lived, played at, had important and not-so-important memories of.  WRITE IT ALL.  Chronologically is great, but you can add in different classifications, too as you see fit.  

If you want to use the categories, here are some to use:

• Places lived
• Pets I’ve had in my life
• Schools I went to
• Jobs I’ve had
• Groups I’ve belonged to
• Churches I’ve belonged to
• Hangouts/special places as a child/teen/adult
• Vehicles owned
• Money inherited/lost
• Court Battles
• Hobbies you’ve had
• Vacations taken as a child/teen/adult
• Accidents/violent crimes/assault 
• Surgeries
• Injuries/hurt I’ve caused others
• Crimes you’ve committed
• Other (you fill in specific places/incidents)

C. Then, when it's all filled out, go back and reach each one and see what weight each name, event, item, etc. carries for you.  Anything that springs an idea or a memory you want to capture, write it down. 

2. The Memory Idea List

Open up your notebook, and draw a big circle across the page and write a title across the middle.  Like "firsts" or "graduation weekend" or some other event (either general or specific).  Then just start writing memories as the pop up in each one.  On each page make a new circle with a new title in the middle and write out your memories.  

3. The Random Memory Book

Carry a notebook with you wherever you go in order to capture memories as they come to you.  

In the beginning of the notebook (or on your phone), number the chapters as so: 

1. Early childhood
2. Grade School
3. Middle School
4. High School
5. Young Adulthood