Does the world need another blog, Andy? And why memoirs?

Good point.

No, the world doesn't need another blog. That was easy to answer. But... Ever since my own memoir was published a few months ago, many people who've read it or who've just heard about it have, well, started telling me their life story.
"Oh, I've got some hilarious stories from the time I was a banjo straightener," or "Oh that really reminded me of the fifties when I used to work in the pantie-hose factory - you wouldn't believe what happened."

So, I usually listen and some of the stories are funny and interesting and vivid and intriguing, so I usually say, 'Well why don't you write them down and make them into a memoir?'
At this point they either mumble that they could never write them well enough or they suggest that they might think about it. I assure them that it's an excellent thing to do for all sorts of reasons:

• Writing about your own life is therapeutic
• It brings back good memories
• It's creative, challenging and absorbing
• It's not as hard as you might think
• It's a wonderful thing to do for family (and maybe even friends if you're brave)
• There's a market for these things: people love reading true-life stories.

You don't have to have been president of a medium-sized Asian republic, or a TV chef, or a professional shinty player to write a memoir. Anyone can do it. In fact, some of the most commercially successful autobiographical books of the past 20 years have been written by people who did everyday jobs: midwife, teacher, police officer. In fact, I've just looked on Amazon and in the top 30 books in the biography section is a memoir called The Checkout Girl (and it's really just that - tales of a supermarket - go on, er, check it out). So there we are: your life, your memories could even get you a publishing deal. Don't believe it? It happened with me.

So, this blog is for those people: it's to help get you started. It's for anyone who has a good story to tell or simply wants to write down the tale of their life in an entertaining, appealing way. I'm going to let you in on a few secrets, dish out one or two tips, make a couple of cheeky suggestions and give you the wherewithall to crack a proper memoir.

In future, when people start telling me their life story and I laugh I'll say: read my blog. And do it!