If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn't matter a damn how you write. - W. Somerset Maugham
Write about small, self-contained incidents that are still vivid in your memory. If you remember them, it's because they contain a larger truth that your readers will recognize in their own lives. Think small and you'll wind up finding the big themes in your family saga. - William Zinsser