While researching a question on taking notes for a client, I came across some good advice on writing memoir:

• Write short scenes and reflect on what they mean to you.
• Write one short piece every day, or a few days a week. This could be a letter, a description, a scene, a story.
• Write with an audience in mind.

Listen to what William Zinsser has to say about how to get started on writing your memoir in this 8-minute interview. (If you don’t see the NPR audio box below, click here to access the interview on NPR.)

• In his essay “Looking for a Model,” Zinsser, now in his late eighties, says he found his style in his mid-fifties. That’s heartening for those of us who are writing in mid-life.
• Oliver Sacks has written a beautiful essay on turning 80 for The New York Times.
• Here’s a glimpse into the difference between personal essays and memoirs.
• Cheryl Strayed offers advice about writing memoir in this quote-of-the-week post.