Half the people in American seem to be writing a memoir!

"Since the 1990's I've also taught an adult course on memoir and family history at the New School. My students are men and women who want to use writing to try to understand who they are and what heritage they were born into. Year after year their stories take me deeply into their lives and into their yearning to leave a record of what they done and thought and felt. Half the people in America, it seems are writing a memoir. The bad news is that most of them are paralyzed by the size of the task."

- William Zinsser in "On Writing Well"

This is a universal longing. People want to reveal to themselves more completely who they are and what has been the story of their lives through writing. They are doing it because it works. Writing is therapeutic. A memoir helps both the reader and the writer. it helps the reader understand their roots, the shared trials, tribulations and victories in life. It helps the writer connect the dots of critical life moments and articulate feelings and thoughts.

Don't be paralyzed by the size of the task. Just write a letter. You can write a letter, can't you?

"Any invention that reduces the fear of writing is up there with air-conditioning and the lightbulb."

- William Zinsser in "On Writing Well"

Here are three great writing 'inventions.' First, just answer questions. Second, just start. You aren't going to complete it today, but you can start today. Third is make it a habit to write. You do most things out of habit. If you wait for inspiration, you will be stifled by fear. Make writing a habit. Twenty minutes a day or twenty minutes a week.