How do i start an autobiography about myself
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How to Write an Autobiography: A Beginner’s Guide
Why to Write an Autobiography
Everyone has a good story to share. An autobiography is an opportunity to tell a life story and shape how others remember us. It’s an entire lifetime of experiences and memories, and a unique path through life’s ups and downs that is worth recording. This blog post will provide guidance and tools on how to write an autobiography.
A Memoir is an Autobiography, but an Autobiography is Not a Memoir
The difference between a memoir vs. autobiographies is that a memoir is a subset of an autobiography. Both a memoir and an autobiography tell the tale of a life, but an autobiography captures the whole story while a memoir describes a mere chapter. An autobiography walks the reader through a chronology of life, while a memoir moves back and forth through time as needed to illustrate the point. While an autobiography truly is a life story, a memoir can focus on certain aspects or time periods to tell a specific story.
What’s Included in an Autobiography?
An autobiography should include at least the followi
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How to Write an Autobiography: The Story of Your Life
Anyone who’s lived a long, interesting life (as many of us have in one way or another!) may dream of someday turning their life into a book. However, the practicalities of how to write an autobiography can be daunting — especially to those who don’t have much writing experience.
If you feel ready to write your autobiography but aren’t sure where to start, this guide will take you from opening lines to (hopefully) publishing your autobiography for all the world to read.
1. Understand what an autobiography entails
When asked to picture an autobiography, you might think of a celebrity tell-all or political memoir. This isn’t inaccurate; a memoir would definitely fall under the autobiography umbrella. But to be really precise, there are a few key differences between memoirs and autobiographies:
- Memoirs tend to be more thematic and focus on a central narrative (similar to a novel), whereas an autobiography is highly factual and reads more like “classic” nonfiction.
- Memoirs focus on a specific period or theme in a person
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Autobiography story structure
by George Odhiambo
(Mombasa, Kenya)Question: I am working on my autobiography and would like to get guidance on the structure. Can you please help?
Answer:The principles of story structure are the same, regardless whether the story is true or not.
The challenge with a real life story is that one life often contains many stories. So you have to carefully select which aspects of your story are the most relevant to the meaning you wish to convey.
Generally, a biography or autobiography covers an entire life. So the four acts of the story generally look like this...
Act 1: Setup (Childhood)
Here you convey the early influences, including the environment you grew up in and the significant people and events. Set a context for what comes later.
Act 2: Complication (early adulthood)
Here you describe the aspirations and challenges you faced early on, how you took advantage of opportunities, setbacks, etc. Sometimes this is where friends and enemies are made. It is the journey through life.
Act 3: Crisis
Here you describe the major turning
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