Some of my advice will be repetitious, but, sometimes basics need to be driven home more than once. If your main objective is writing about your life and the past do not start out as if you are going to write about your life your LIFE STORY all in one swoop.
In other words, don't sit down and think you have to start when you were two years old and keep going. This technique will terrify most people out of ever writing. Don't try this technique on your mother or Grandma either. How would you like someone to stick a microphone in front of you or pen and paper and say "start writing" or "start talking." If you can do that more power to you. On 85 plus year old lady from the Grinnell area did that and the last I knew she was up into the 1950's.
There is the old saying I like to use: "HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?" -"ONE BITE AT A TIME." Sometimes it is best not to look at the big picture all at once. Your reader will enjoy short stories or vignettes just as well. When walking up a steep hill, never look up to the top.
It is all right as you think of a story to write it even though it mat be a story at a time when you were an adult in your 30's. Then another story pops up from your list about when you were a teenager. It doesn't matter the order. Eventually, as you write more stories, you will put your stories in a chronological order.
It doesn't take long to develop a technique or style that you are comfortable with. You may even want to sub-divide your writings into other ways such as: people, events, school happenings, and so on. Have fun with it.
No matter what you want to call it: a technique, style, or format, what is important is putting down those memories into the written word that makes you comfortable and telling it like only you can.
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