Anne Lamott talks about keeping index cards all over to catch & keep her ideas. Dr. Anglin keeps a little notebook to keep ideas in for writing. I have found my little notebook of ideas that I had in graduate school. I think I will transfer this process to a notebook on my phone. I think the phone will be handier.
I can remember when I stopped writing for personal pleasure or documentation of my life. When I was in my teens I had a diary. I realized that everything I wrote in my diary was negative. I decided I did not want to look back on my life and read about everything that was wrong. Rather than trying to put a positive spin on things and write about the pleasant aspects of life, I decided to not write. It sounds like I had a horrible childhood or life. I have had a lovely life. I have been very blessed. I guess it was just my teenage eyes focused on negative things when I documented things on paper.
Good writing is about telling the truth. Start by writing about your childhood. Lamott says to write down everything. I do not have big secrets and I don't need to be concerned about liable. But I would like to focus my writing on the positive aspects, still keeping it real, one short assignment at a time.