6. Repeat steps of drawing arrows and circles and writing down words or phrases that come to mind.

7. At some point in exercise, you will suddenly think of an introductory sentence and you will feel a STRONG urge to start writing. Do not ignore urge. Take another sheet of paper and start writing immediately. Do not try to edit what you are writing. Do not try to over-think what you are writing. Let yourself write what comes to mind.

8. Write for as long as words keep coming.

9. When you feel that you have nothing more to say on subject, put down your pen or pencil and relax for a few moments, then read what you have written. Whether it's one paragraph, a whole page, or several pages — congratulations! You have just written first of your life stories!

10. Set your story aside for an hour or two or even a day or two. When you read it again, you may find that you have remembered more details that you would like to add. If so, go ahead and add them. If not, and you are satisfied with piece, that's fine, too.

This exercise can be repeated for virtually any subject. You can also use it to help flesh out parts of your story to add more detail. Focus on a key word for a certain section of story and see where clustering technique takes you.

If you are interested in interviewing family members to record their life stories, be sure to check out LeAnn's e-book: "Preserve Your Family History (A Step-by-Step Guide for Writing Oral Histories)" at http://ruralroute2.com -- "Preserve Your Family History" ($7.95) contains more than 400 questions on 30 different topics to help you conduct your interviews. Even if you only record those interviews on tape (and don't actually write oral history), you will still have collected some of your family stories. And isn't that important thing?

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Copyright LeAnn R. Ralph 2004

ABOUT THE AUTHOR; LeAnn R. Ralph is an expert at writing her life stories. She is author of books "Christmas in Dairyland (True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)" (July 2003) and "Give Me a Home Where Dairy Cows Roam" (October 2004). "Highly recommended reading…" James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief/Midwest Book Review. You are invited to read sample chapters and to sign up for FREE! monthly newsletter from Rural Route 2. Visit http://ruralroute2.com

Another consideration also contributed to her decision to publish monthly.

"If it comes down to putting out inferior writing just to send newsletter weekly as opposed to putting out a monthly newsletter with a better quality of writing and better content, I would rather put out a monthly newsletter," Ralph said. "After all, it does have my name on it."

What do subscribers think of newsletter and monthly publication schedule?

"I know you send this out to a lot of people every month, but when I get it, I feel like it's written just for me," one subscriber wrote in an e-mail.

"I wish there were more things like this on Internet. More things with good, down-to-earth stories and recipes," said another subscriber when Ralph talked to her on telephone about a book order.

"I look forward to your newsletter each month," another subscriber wrote in an e-mail.

"I didn't grow up on a farm, but I would love to live in country some day, and your newsletter helps me feel closer to my dream," another subscriber wrote.

"I love your stories. Keep up good work," wrote still another subscriber.

To read sample chapters and blog entries, and to see back issues of Rural Route 2 News and/or to sign up for newsletter, visit -- http://ruralroute2.com

Contact Information: LeAnn R. Ralph E6689 970th Ave. Colfax WI 54730 (715) 962-3368 mailto:bigpines@ruralroute2.com

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