In her book "An Old Friend from Far Away," author Natalie Goldberg recommends writing a list of smells to use as prompts. Be specific listing sources such as toothpaste, fresh-brewed coffee or a brand of perfume. Write a scene for each scent. This process triggers memories and draws in more senses. Repeat this exercise for colors, sounds, textures and taste. It's not important that the scenes make sense, only that you learn to incorporate the senses in your writing.
Many people drag along boxes of stuff and photographs as they move from home to home and often forget the contents. Examine the contents of one of your keepsake boxes, pick up an object and let a memory come to you. An old concert stub may bring you back to a first date. Your high school diploma can put you back on the stage with the old gang where even more memories will spring to mind. Select an object and let it tell its story through you.
Lisa Dale Norton, author of "Shimmering Images," has developed an exercise called "The Mountaintop." Since tension draws a reader in, this exercise helps you find the times in your life when you had a problem to solve. Imagine you are standing on top of a mountain looking out over the peaks and valleys below. A peak is an event when something life- changing happened. For example, it could be your first kiss, the day your child was born or getting fired from your job. Personal history is best viewed from a distance. In some cases, you may remember the effect and have to follow a path down the mountain to recall the subtle cause. Write about this turning point with a beginning, middle and end.
Think back to all the places you've lived. For some, that list may be short, but for those whose families moved around a lot, it could be pages long. Begin writing down the first things you remember about each place. Was it a house or an apartment? Were the halls filled with the smells of strange foods and kids' roller skates? Is this where you met your best friend or future spouse? Select one and write a paragraph or a page about how it felt to move in, what it was like to live in that house and in that neighborhood.