Writing your book may seem to be a daunting task. How do you do justice to a lifetime of experience in just a few pages? Writing about your life is a gracious gesture that is worthy of thought and effort. It is an opportunity to make a contribution that your friends, family and the public will remember for a long time.

Yet, how many people do you know who will do justice to your journey once you have gone? This is your opportunity to guide them and our opportunity to guide you. You will not regret the effort that it takes.If you have very little time or are not comfortable with your writing skills. We have a few generic questions on the web site, which are designed to assist you.

When you contemplate writing about your life, it is important to overcome the inertia that fear and doubt can create. So many questions come to mind: "What will I say?" "How will I say it?" "Can I actually write about my life?" and then the most important question, "How do I get started?"

Please put your fears aside and be assured that you can do it. It is important to realise that the opening of any written piece can be the most difficult part to write. Your opening may not come right away. That's okay. Skip it. Instead start by stating the topic plainly, "This is my life." You can come back later to create a better opening sentence. Ideally, an opening sentence should draw in your audience. It should be thought provoking. A powerful, philosophical, spiritual or amusing quote can be very effective.

The trick is to break it down into small, manageable tasks:

1. Brainstorm the outline.
2. Organise your material.
3. Write the first draft.
4. Put it aside for a while.
5. Round it off.
6. Read it again, edit and polish.

1. Brainstorm the outline.
Mind-mapping, clustering, file cards? Use what works best for you and allows you to jump from one thought to the next without them needing to be related. Remember, not everything you write down needs to be in the final draft, so allow your mind to explore without the limitations of logical order.

Start with your name. Select the first question and write your answer in the space provided. Don't just answer the question. Write a story about each question. There are so many aspects to talk about. To stimulate your thoughts and help you focus on important ideas, you may find it helpful to answer some of the questions listed below in any order. As you read these questions, jot down notes. Where possible, think of stories, preferably humorous, which illustrate the qualities that you will write about.

Fill in the missing details that one often takes for granted: date of birth, Mother, Father, place of birth, siblings, include places where you have lived, marriage dates etc. Think of stories those images bring to mind.

2. Organise your material.
Write your notes in point form on sheets of paper or on cards with one idea to a card or page. Now group the cards / pages into piles of similar topics. Then sort each pile of cards into a logical order.

3. Write the first draft.
Don't expect the first draft to be perfect - it is exactly that - the first draft. It is not easy to put your thoughts on paper. If the words do not come to you easily now, please don't panic or give-up. You will have an opportunity later to adjust your first draft.

Don't be afraid of the unknown. Start writing without the need to know exactly what you will say or where the writing is taking you. Simply follow your outline and let the words pour out. Also, do not expect to sit down and immediately write a stream of well-organised thoughts. Be content with starting slowly.

Write as quickly as possible and make absolutely no judgements about what you have written. Don't stop to search for the perfect words or to correct spelling errors, do that later. Instead tap into a stream of thought and let them flow uninterruptedly.

Should you choose to include anecdotes, bear in mind that they should reveal qualities that you possess. Ensure that humour is relevant and in good taste. Humour will provide some reprieve from the sadness your loved ones will be experiencing, reminding them of the joys shared.

When writing the body of the book, use your topic outline and write as much as possible. Try to write with an informal, conversational tone, as if you were speaking or writing a letter to a friend. Keep the sentences fluid and simply go from one question to the next, addressing them as best you can.

Your discussion of a question can be as short as a paragraph or as long as several pages. It doesn't matter, as long as the length is proportionate to the importance of that topic to you.

Insert relevant stories where possible. It is the stories that make your journey come to life.

4. Round it off
The ending should be a brief paragraph that wraps everything up. A good conclusion gives the listener a feeling of closure. It accomplishes at least one of the following:

It restates an important point briefly.
It raises an important question and answers it.
It uses a quote to support one of the themes of your life.
It illustrates the need for a change in attitude or behaviour.

5. Put it aside for a while.
This will allow you to come back to your story at a later stage to look at it more objectively. Remember that after your first anniversary year, you are able to put the book on hold and not pay for the months you are not working. Remember to contact the office and inform them.

6. Read it again, edit and polish.
When editing, use linking sentences to make each topic flow easily into the next. Again, try to write as if you are speaking. Revisit your beginning and ending.

In the end, the true measure of a person is not the wealth left behind, but the richness of the memories given to others.