Writing Your Life Story
One of the many forms of writing is an autobiography. We have all heard celebrities, politicians, and other famous figures coming out with a "Tell All" book that will shock the reading audience. But, what exactly does an autobiography entail? Let us take a look…
What is an autobiography?
An autobiography is a book about your life, written by you. It is a collection of your life events and memories, explained in a story format, for others to read.
An autobiography is considered a subjective view since the content opinions are coming from you, the main character in the book. It typically focuses on who you are (in your opinion), what life means to you, and what your outlook is for the future. These topics are explained by describing life events, timelines, and your history.
How to write an autobiography?
To start writing an autobiography, you need to choose a direction or focus for the book. Do you want to explain your views or experiences in a purely informational format? Do you want to present what you have gone through in life in hopes of helping others? Or do you want to create a gift for your family, preserving your legacy? Answering these questions can help you determine which route you wish to take.
After choosing a direction or focus, start gathering facts about yourself, your background, your culture, and your family upbringing. This will help the reader create an image in their head about who you are. Include your full name, your birth year, the area you live, your credentials, and descriptive words that explain the type of person you are.
When you have a good hold on how you will illustrate yourself to the reader, consider the stories and characters (family members, friends, mentors, coworkers) that you want to use in your autobiography. These should be your best memories, your worst memories, and events that moved you emotionally or changed your view on life.
Begin to organize the story line for the book. The obvious, and most used, method is in a chronological order. You can begin describing who you are and then get into the stories that help portray the life you led. These can start at birth and work up to present day or they can start at a significant time in your life. You can even go back, before you were born, and write about ancestors that have contributed to making you who you have become.
Once you are organized and feel that you have enough material for the autobiography, get to work writing. Have others read through and critique the autobiography so that you can make edits. The final product might not come until after a few rough drafts but the more input you have, the more enjoyable and reader friendly it will be in the end!
What is an autobiography?
An autobiography is a book about your life, written by you. It is a collection of your life events and memories, explained in a story format, for others to read.
An autobiography is considered a subjective view since the content opinions are coming from you, the main character in the book. It typically focuses on who you are (in your opinion), what life means to you, and what your outlook is for the future. These topics are explained by describing life events, timelines, and your history.
How to write an autobiography?
To start writing an autobiography, you need to choose a direction or focus for the book. Do you want to explain your views or experiences in a purely informational format? Do you want to present what you have gone through in life in hopes of helping others? Or do you want to create a gift for your family, preserving your legacy? Answering these questions can help you determine which route you wish to take.
After choosing a direction or focus, start gathering facts about yourself, your background, your culture, and your family upbringing. This will help the reader create an image in their head about who you are. Include your full name, your birth year, the area you live, your credentials, and descriptive words that explain the type of person you are.
When you have a good hold on how you will illustrate yourself to the reader, consider the stories and characters (family members, friends, mentors, coworkers) that you want to use in your autobiography. These should be your best memories, your worst memories, and events that moved you emotionally or changed your view on life.
Begin to organize the story line for the book. The obvious, and most used, method is in a chronological order. You can begin describing who you are and then get into the stories that help portray the life you led. These can start at birth and work up to present day or they can start at a significant time in your life. You can even go back, before you were born, and write about ancestors that have contributed to making you who you have become.
Once you are organized and feel that you have enough material for the autobiography, get to work writing. Have others read through and critique the autobiography so that you can make edits. The final product might not come until after a few rough drafts but the more input you have, the more enjoyable and reader friendly it will be in the end!
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