• Find a method of writing your life story that suits your schedule and personality. It can be autobiography, memoir, diary-writing or a collection of personal essays.

• You don't have to begin with the day you were born. Think about one of the most interesting or exciting episodes in your life, and begin there.

• Consider your audience. While it may be mostly family members, if your life story survives for generations, it may also be valuable to a social historian one day.

• Try to find a class or writers' group (or start your own) to help motivate you and to give you feedback on your writing.

• Read other people's autobiographies and memoirs to get a feel for how other people have written their life stories.

• Think of your life-story writing as one of the most important things you can do.