How to Leave a Written Legacy

Everyone has a story to tell. What if your ancestors, or even just your grandparents, could tell you in detail what their lives were like? Did they live in this country? Were they immigrants? What made them decide to leave their home country and come to this one? Were they rich or poor? Written documentation of those lives are invaluable, especially in journal form. For your own sake, for your children's sake, for the sake of those who are yet to live, write down what your life is like.

Things You'll Need

• Pencil
• Paper
• Computer

Instructions

1. Start by limiting your writing. Allow yourself two pages and no more to say something specific about your life. Writing is a way to carry your experiences with you. It is a way to find out what you have done that makes you who you are. Find out who you used to be, and how you got to be who you are.

2. If you can't think of what to write, just pick a topic and go with the flow. Write two pages about being too hot or too cold. Write two pages about yesterday or tomorrow, what you love or what you don't love. What makes you angry? What is a pet peeve? Write about a birthday party or a special present that you wanted and loved when you got it. Write about childhood dreams.

3. Start at the beginning of your life and write as much as you can remember up to today. That's going to take more than two pages, so leave it until you are ready, or start and come back to it.

4. Write about any ten years of your life, or any five years. They don't have to be earth-shattering years, just everyday years, maybe even boring or bad years. Write about something you regret or write about someone who died and you were, and maybe still are, filled with grief. Write about how you feel.

5. One day, one of these two-page exercises is going to light a spark in you. You will be so excited to be leaving a life story for your children or their children. Write it in two page sections and don't throw them away. You can make them fit later.

6. Remove your personal layers like you'd remove the layers of an onion. You will soon have enough words on paper to put together a life story--one that your children will love having and you will be proud of writing.