Writing Your Life Story: A Simple Exercise

Introduction

• Speaker: Kelly Notaris
• Topic: Writing your life story
• Objective: Provide an exercise to help start writing
• Background: Kelly is a book editor with experience in major US publishing companies, and founder of knliterary.com.

Importance of Writing Your Life Story

• Humans are built to share and understand life through stories.
• Sharing personal stories can impart wisdom to others.
• Writing your life story helps others learn and grow.

The 100 Moments Exercise

• Purpose: Identify key moments in your life that could form the basis of a memoir.
• Set-up:
  • Allocate 20-30 minutes of uninterrupted time.
  • Use paper and pen, not digital devices, to write.
  • Number a page or poster board from 1 to 100.

Steps to the Exercise

1. Preparation:
   • Set aside a quiet, uninterrupted time and space.
   • Gather materials (paper, pen, journal).
2. Writing:
   • Write down 100 moments from your life.
   • Use stream of consciousness; don’t overthink.
   • Include sensory memories (sight, smell, tactile).
   • Capture specific moments, not general themes.
3. Post-Exercise:
   • Let the list sit for a while.
   • Revisit and circle moments that feel "alive".
   • Use circled moments for deeper writing sessions.

Example Moments

• Childhood Memory: Saying goodbye to family dog at two years old.
• Adolescence: Falling in love with Elvis at 13.
• Adulthood: First meeting with best friend at a restaurant.

Key Considerations

• Aim for a variety of memories, from childhood to recent experiences.
• Don't worry about the order or relevance at this stage.
• Focus on memory triggers rather than complete stories.

Bonus Content

• A worksheet is available for download with pre-listed numbers to ease the process.

Conclusion and Call to Action

• Encouragement to start the exercise.
• Invitation to share experiences and questions in the comments section.
• The exercise is a foundational step in writing your memoir.

Additional Resources

• Downloadable worksheet link provided in the video description.
• Kelly's engagement: She reads and responds to comments.

Final Words

• Encouragement to continue the journey of writing your memoir.
• Best wishes and happy writing!