There’s No Place Like Home—Especially in Memoir

It’s like the girl from Kansas said: There’s no place like home… that is, to evoke hundreds of memories, stories, and emotions that you can use for writing your memoir. (The second part of the sentence, Dorothy did not say.)

When it comes to memoir writing, there are few better ways to start pulling out your story than by thinking about home. All of your homes. Home is often where we’re most ourselves, where we experience the profoundest emotions, where the most treasured objects in our lives lie. When thinking about who you are and the path you took to become that person, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my earliest memory of home? What sights, smells, feelings, etc. most stand out to me in this memory?
• What did my childhood home look like? (Be detailed. Draw a floor plan to help you remember, and write as much as you can.)
• What did my childhood room look like? What stuffed animals, trophies, posters, photos, etc. did I have throughout the room? What did they mean to me?
• Where in my childhood home did I spend the most time? Why? What did I love about that room or rooms?
• Where did I spend the least time? Why?
• Where did my family spend the most time? Why? What are some memories from those times we spent together?
• What is my least favorite memory of home?
• What is my most dramatic memory of home?
• What was my most joyous memory of home?
• What key phrases do you associate with home?
• What traditions do you associate with home?
• What was a typical meal in my childhood home? Did my family eat together? Who cooked? What used to be my favorite meal?
• What other homes have I lived in (including dorms, apartment, military barracks, etc.)? Which were my most and least favorite? Why?
• When I was younger, what did my “dream home” look like? How does that compare to my current home?
• What smell do I associate with home? Why?
• What is my favorite (a) piece of furniture, (b) thing to do at home, (c) room of the house? Why?

These are just a few of the dozens of questions you could ask yourself about home. Remember to be as detailed as you can in your answers. That will call to mind other stories and memories, which you should investigate and explore as deeply as possible. This is where you might find your story!