This is a practical—and encouraging—how-to book from a long-time teacher of personal and family history writing. Katie Funk Wiebe helps beginning memoir writers get started collecting the stories of their lives. She gives hints for recalling distant memories and tracking down family heirlooms. This is a serious but accessible resource for undertaking your personal or family history writing. In these pages, you'll find:Tips on writing,Exercises to prod the memory,And advice on looking at the broad scope of a well-lived life.As Wiebe writes, "You've been living 24 hours every day, making decisions, objecting to certain ideas, endorsing others, and interacting with family and coworkers," the author writes. "I plan to convince you that if you took time to reflect, you'd find lots of meaningful stuff going on."