What's your personal story? Anyone who has lived a full life surely has some fascinating stories to share with the rest of the world. The key to writing an autobiography is to treat it like a good novel: there must be a protagonist (you), a major conflict or problem, and a set of charismatic secondary characters that capture the interest of readers. You should think of an important theme or recurring idea in your life around which to build the story. Read on to learn how to shape storytelling and how to perfect your writing to make it a great publication!
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Create a Map of your Life
Step 1. Write a history of your life
Start the job with research on the highlights of your life. By organizing the events that have involved you in a time line, you will have the certainty of including all the important dates and events, immediately obtaining a rather complete basic structure from which to start. You can consider this as a brainstorming phase, so fearlessly write down everything that comes to mind, even if some arguments don't fully convince you.
- The autobiography does not have to start from your birth: you could also include a short history of your family. Write down information about your ancestors, the lives of your grandparents, your parents, and so on - starting with a brief overview of your family will give readers a preliminary idea of what made you the person you are.
- What happened during your teenage years? What prompted you to make the decisions that have directed your life?
- Did you go to university? Write something about these transition years.
- Don't forget about your career, your relationships, your children, and any other major events that have happened to you.
Step 2. Identify the main characters
Every good story has interesting secondary characters, both helpers and antagonists, who help the plot move forward. Who are these people in your life? Certainly your parents will be important, as will your partner and other close relatives. Try to think outside your family as well and identify others who have influenced your story and who should play a role in your personal story.
- Teachers, coaches, counselors and leaders are always very important in everyone's life. Decide whether someone who has been a role model for you (or the opposite) should have a part in your work.
- Ex-boyfriends may play a small part in some interesting anecdotes.
- Who were your enemies? Your story will be boring if you don't include some major conflict.
- Other particular characters, such as animals, famous people you've never met, and even cities and places that you care about are often points of natural interest in an autobiography.
Step 3. Find the best stories
A complete story about your life would certainly become very long and verbose, so you will have to decide which anecdotes to include and which to discard. Start building the preliminary draft by writing the main stories, which you will then need to stitch together to get an interesting picture of your personal narrative. There are some fundamental topics that are almost always included in autobiographies, as readers find them particularly fascinating:
- The story of your childhood. Whether it was happy or traumatic, you should always share some anecdote that represents who you were and what you went through in your early life. You can tell your childhood by breaking it down into small episodes that give an idea of your personality: the reaction of your parents when you brought home a stray dog, the time you ran away from the school window and didn't come back for 3 days, your friendship with a homeless man who lived in the woods… Unleash your creativity!
- Your adolescence. This impetuous period, often peppered with spicy episodes, is always very interesting for readers. Remember that you don't have to write unique and unheard-of stories: everyone goes through these stages. The important thing is to tell something fascinating.
- The story of your great loves. You could also write the exact opposite, which is to tell your long but vain search for love.
- The identity crisis. This usually occurs between the ages of 40 and 50, which is why it is also called a "midlife crisis".
- The moments when you faced evil forces. Don't leave out the most important conflicts in your life, like a battle with an addiction, a possessive partner, a madman who wanted to exterminate your family, and so on.
Step 4. Write as if you were speaking in the first person
A reader who appreciates autobiographies wants to put himself in someone else's shoes: writing as if you were the one to narrate verbally is a sure way to keep the audience interested. If your writing is too formal and rigid, or if the book looks like a school essay instead of a heartfelt exposition of your story, readers will have a hard time reading the entire work.
- Write imagining that you have to tell everything to a trusted friend, using clear, precise prose and not too stuffed with complex words that you rarely use.
- Try to reveal your personality: are you a witty person? Intelligent? Do you have a developed spirituality? Do you tend to be dramatic? Don't hold back, it's important that your character traits show through the way you tell.
Step 5. Tell truthfully
You don't need to be too explicit, but it's still important that you reveal the truth (and even some secrets) about yourself and your life. Prevent the book from becoming a list of your achievements by hiding negative events like dust under the carpet. Introduce yourself in the round, pointing out both strengths and weaknesses, so readers can relate to you and always be on your side as they advance through your narrative.
- Try not to always just put yourself in a positive light. You can also have your own particularities and negativity by always remaining the protagonist. Reveal your mistakes and do not omit the times when you have disappointed both you and the people around you.
- External your inner thoughts. Share ideas and opinions, including those that would cause discussion. Always stay true to your personality throughout the book.
Step 6. Capture the nature of the context
How has your life been influenced by the historical moments you went through? What wars have changed your political views? What cultural events inspired you? Discussing the big changes in the world throughout your life is a great way to make your story more interesting and engaging.
Method 2 of 4: Modeling the Storytelling
Step 1. Create an overall texture
Now that you've decided what content to include in your autobiography, think about how to structure it: like any good book, your work needs an engaging plot. Use the material you have collected to create an interesting story that develops in a crescendo to the moment of maximum tension and eventually finds its resolution. Design your story arc by organizing and completing the memories and anecdotes you have written, so that they are smooth and logically connected.
- What was your main problem? What obstacle took you years to overcome or resolve? It could be a disease diagnosed in childhood, a tumultuous relationship, a series of career problems, a goal you had to work for years before you could reach it, or any other kind of similar event. Think about your favorite books and movies for more interesting ideas.
- Create tension and suspense in the reader. Structures the narrative so that there are various stories leading to the climax of the conflict; if for example the focus is on trying to participate in the Winter Olympics, guide the reader to this moment with stories of small successes and big failures. You're going to have to get the audience to ask, “Will he make it? Will he be able to be successful? What will happen next?”.
- Face the climax. You will come to a point where the conflict will have to reach its climax: the day of the most important competition has arrived, you come face to face with your worst enemy, your gambling addiction becomes heavier and heavier. lose all your savings, and so on.
- Finish by solving the problem. Many autobiographies have a happy ending, because the author has managed to write the story (and hopefully even get it published). Even if the ending of your tale isn't overflowing with joy, it should still leave a feeling of deep satisfaction: Either way you have achieved your goal or overcome the main problem. Even if you have not achieved the decisive victory, you have come to terms with defeat and gained in wisdom and judgment.
Step 2. Decide when to start the story
You can safely write a simple chronology of your life, starting from birth and ending with the present, but if you mix the episodes a little, you'll get a much more engaging story.
- You could frame the narrative with current reflections on the events being told, using a series of flashbacks.
- A good idea would be to start from a pivotal moment in your childhood, go back in time to tell the story of your ancestors, then proceed to college and continue with your working life, inserting childhood anecdotes here and there as a moment. humorous and relaxing.
Step 3. Intertwine the themes
Use the main themes of your life as a "glue" between the episodes, combining the past with the present. Besides the main conflict, what topics have been important in your life? The predilection for some particular holidays, your passion for a special place that you have visited many times, a type of person for whom you have always lost your mind, a rich spirituality that has always distinguished you, etc. Refer to the important themes often, so as to provide a well-cohesive picture of your life.
Step 4. Take a step back and think
You are narrating the achievements of your life, but what exactly have you learned? Tell about intentions, desires, feelings of defeat or joy, wisdom lessons that have marked you, and so on, describing your deep thoughts throughout the book. Detaching from the unfolding of the story to reflect on the inner meaning of the events is an optimal way to give depth to the story.
Step 5. Break the story into chapters to give the book a basic structure
This will be very useful to you, because it will allow you to smoothly transition to different topics and periods of your life. The expression “a new chapter has opened” (or “a life chapter has closed”) is used often and for good reasons, so it's okay to use the same idea in writing an autobiography. By dividing the story into chapters you can jump 10 years forward, go back in time, describe a different theme and so on, without risking confusing the reader.
- Try to end chapters touchingly or leaving a sense of suspense, so that the reader can't wait to move on to the next.
- Starting a new chapter is a good time to see your past from a greater distance, describing the setting for new events and setting the tone for the story of what follows.
Method 3 of 4: Review the Book
Step 1. Make sure you are telling the facts correctly
Check carefully the dates, names, descriptions of events and other details you want to include in your story, so you can be sure there are no mistakes. Even if it's your story, you don't have to enter incorrect information about what you tell.
- You can take some little liberties about your goals and intentions, but don't make up conversations with real people and don't alter actual events. Of course, it is impossible to remember everything perfectly, but always try to represent reality as truthfully as possible.
- Ask for permission to mention people's names or include quotes if you want to include things that have been said or done by others. Some do not wish to appear as secondary characters in other people's autobiographies, so try to respect their wishes when you describe them (or change their names if necessary).
Step 2. Correct the draft
When you have finished writing the first draft, reread it carefully. Rearrange the various passages, paragraphs, and even entire chapters, if that seems necessary to you. Replace words that are too colloquial and make your vocabulary clearer and more interesting. Thoroughly check the grammar and spelling of words.
Step 3. Share your writing with other people
Introduce the autobiography to your reading club or to some friends who can give you an outside opinion - even anecdotes that are incredibly funny to you may be boring to others. Collect the opinions of as many people as possible, in this way you will have a complete idea of how your book will be perceived by readers.
- If many advise you to delete a certain part of the story, think thoroughly about the suggestion.
- Try to get the opinions of people outside of your family or circle of friends. Those who have known you for a long time may not want to disappoint you with negative comments or may give you a deviant opinion, especially if it appears directly in the story.
Step 4. Hire an editor
A good editor will eliminate the imperfections in the writing and will definitely improve the less interesting parts. Whether you want to hire a professional publisher, or want to publish the book yourself, it's never a bad idea to hire a professional editor when you've completed the draft.
Step 5. Decide on a title.
This should reflect the tone and style of your book, as well as be intriguing and grabbing the audience's attention. Choose a short and particular title, rather than one that is too long and difficult to remember. You could also title the book with your name followed by "My Autobiography", or choose something less direct. Here are some examples of famous autobiographies with a title that perfectly represents the content:
- The Pilgrim's Tale, by Sant'Ignazio di Loyola.
- The Confession, by Lev Tolstoy.
- Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela.
- My Inventions, by Nikola Tesla.
Method 4 of 4: Publish the Story
Step 1. Learn about the procedure for self-publishing your book
Even if you don't intend to try to sell your book to the public, you may want to have it printed and bound, so that you have some copies to keep for yourself and to give to your relatives and other characters who appear in the story. Look for companies that offer page layout, printing and home delivery services, even deciding how many copies to order. Many companies in this field produce books of a quality comparable to that of traditional publishers.
If you'd rather skip paying for a professional printing and binding service, you could still get a nice version of your book by going to a copy shop and asking them to print and bind some copies
Step 2. Think about looking for an agent
If you want to publish your autobiography and share it with the world, seeking the help of such a figure will help you along the way. Look for agents who know about autobiographies and send them a written question, including information about your book, about you, and how you think your work will be advertised.
- Begin the letter with a brief description of the basic elements of the book. Identify the appropriate literary genre and indicate what can make your work stand out from the rest of the publications. Tell the agent why you think he (or she) is the right person to sell your autobiography to publishers.
- Send sample chapters to agents who show interest in your book.
- Sign a contract with a trusted agent. Read the clauses carefully and check his professional history before making a permanent commitment.
Step 3. Send a letter directly to the editors
If you prefer to do without an agent you can write directly to some publishers and see who is interested. Especially target companies that publish books of the same genre. Avoid sending the entire manuscript on the first try, rather wait for the publisher to ask you for a copy of the book.
- Many publishers do not accept requests or manuscripts from those who have not first been contacted by them. Be sure to write only to those who do not apply this policy.
- If a publisher agrees to collaborate with you, you will need to sign a contract and organize the various stages of proofreading, layout of the book, final revision and, at the end of everything, publication of the work.
Step 4. Research online publishing
This method is gaining in popularity and is a great way to save on printing and postage costs. Look for online publishers who publish works of the same genre, send your request letter and proceed with the review and publication of the book.
Advice
- Tell your story comprehensively, but don't get bogged down in negligible elements. Your autobiography needs to be memorable and not boring: too many minor details (like listing all the attendees at a party or including all the events of each day) will only be detrimental.
- You might also include a dedication, preface, demographic statistics, timeline charts, your family tree, and an epilogue.
- If the purpose of your autobiography is to pass on your story to future generations, consider including items that are important to you (such as photos, family heirlooms, medals, souvenirs, letters, etc.) and create a book in the form of a scrapbook.. Obviously, you will not be able to have multiple copies of some items accompanying your autobiography, so you will have to decide how to deal with your original manuscript and with medals or other unique memorabilia.
- If your writing isn't pleasant, or you just need help sorting out your thoughts, think about hiring a ghostwriter or a professional biographer (famous people always do!). There are also computer programs that allow you to organize the topics in a basic project already built, in order to solve this problem. Many also decide to write directly on specially created Internet pages.
