Over a decade ago, when I went back to school to get a second master's degree, I had a long commute to and from the university. I made a list of all the books I wanted to read and searched the catalogs of my local libraries for those available on CD so that I could use my commute time doing something I liked.
During those two years, I had the pleasure of listening to dozens of books, including a few by Isabel Allende. Many parts of her stories reminded me of events in my own life. I believe this was when I first thought about writing a memoir.