True confessions: I love dictionaries. I own eight. My husband claims I’m obsessed. But in my defense, I am a writer.

So I’m calling on my go-to dictionary guy, Noah Webster, to create a dictionary that defines categories that will corral your stories.

BTW: Did you know that Mr. Webster learned 26 languages before he devoted 27 years to creating his first dictionary?

Anyway, once you start using categories, you will create your own definitions. For now, I invite you to enjoy Mr. Webster’s:

ACHIEVEMENT: an accomplishment

Example: “I’m proud to say I was the first in my family to graduate college.”

ANCESTORS: family members who lived before you were born

Example: “My ancestors immigrated to America from Germany in 1723.”

BLESSING: a person, place, or thing that promotes happiness or wellbeing

Example: “My grandson is the light of my life.”

EDUCATION: formal or informal learning

Example: “I quit school in the eighth grade, but what I learned on the streets made me the person I am today.”

FAMILY: people united by a common connection

Example: “I grew up with two brothers and three sisters. That was well and good, but my true family ended up being friends I made after I left home.”

GETTING STARTED: Mr. Webster doesn’t define “getting started.” Click on the “getting started” tab for directions that will help you start to write your stories.

HEALTH: the general condition of your body, mind, or spirit

Example: “I was never sick a day in my life until a car knocked me off my bike, and I spent two months in the hospital.”

INSPIRATION: influencing, suggesting, advising, advocating

Example: “I can’t draw a stickman. But visiting museums in Paris inspired me to start painting.”

INTERESTS: something, someone, or some place that captures your attention

Example: “I played golf forty years before I got my first hole in one.”

LIFE LESSON: something learned by study or experience

Example “My grandfather’s stories always had a lesson.”

LOSS OF LIFE: death

Example: “My sister was my best friend. When she died unexpectedly, I was a lost soul. Eventually, the rawness disappeared. But I still miss her every day.”    

MILESTONE: turning point that results in change

Example: “I drove across the Minnesota state line and headed south. Life was never the same.”

MILITARY: serving in the armed forces

Example: “I joined the Air Force when I was eighteen. Three bloody wars later I retired as a full colonel.”

PLACES LIVED: any place you once lived

Example: “Believe it or not I once lived in Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans speak 16 languages. I have trouble with English! You’ll never believe what happened.”

SPIRITUAL: mystical, transcendent, otherworldly, divine, sacred

Example: “When I was a child, I’d climb the hill behind our house, pick daisies, and listen to the birds. Then I’d lie in the tall grass and stare at the clouds. I felt totally at peace.”

TRADITIONS: customs, rituals, habits, practices, norms

Example: “Mom baked three pies every Thanksgiving: pumpkin was everybody’s favorite; my cousin, Jon, ate the pecan all by himself. Then there was mincemeat—only Mom even smelled the mincemeat.”  

TRAVEL: trip, holiday, journey, visit

Example: “I never wanted to cruise. I mean spending a week with 4,000strangers on a five-story rocking-n-rolling ship is just not my idea of fun. Then I took a river cruise. Oh my! I’m hooked.”

WORK: job or career

Example: “I worked my way through college by plucking chickens.”

A FINAL NOTE: One is not a magic number. You might want to assign two, three, or even more categories to some stories. Or you might even want to create your own categories.

Enjoy.

And remember I’m here for you.

Judith