Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Preparing your essay
• Part 2 of 3: Writing your essay
• Part 3 of 3: Improving your essay
• Tips

An autobiographical essay is simply an essay about something you have experienced. However, that certainly does not make writing the text any easier. You can write an autobiographical essay for your studies, an application or application, as well as for your own pleasure. Whatever the reason, there are some rules and strategies to keep in mind when writing. Read on to learn more about writing an autobiographical essay.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Preparing your essay

1. Pick a story you really want to tell. One of the best ways to write a good story is to choose a topic that you like to share. Keep in mind that you should write about a specific aspect of your life and not about your life as a whole. Your life story could fill an entire book. Therefore, choose a topic that is concise enough to be explained in detail in an essay. For example, think of:
   • something you have accomplished, such as winning an award, getting a job, or getting your degree
   • an ordeal, such as a difficult subject, an injury, or the loss of a close friend or family member
   • a valuable experience such as discovering a hobby, the first meeting with your best friend or a period abroad
2. Determine your writing goal. Think about what you want to achieve with your autobiographical essay. Why do you want to tell this story? What do you hope to achieve by telling the story?
   • If you are writing an autobiographical essay for a job application or a university application, make sure you read the instructions given carefully. After all, if your essay needs to have a theme or answer a question, you have to make sure that your text is consistent with this.
   • If you are writing an autobiographical essay for a school subject, make sure you read the guidelines carefully. Make sure you choose a story that fits well with the assignment. Ask your teacher any questions about the assignment.
3. Consider your audience. Think about who will read your autobiographical essay. Then, before you start writing, try to estimate the needs or wants of the readers. Make some notes about the audience to consider while writing your autobiographical essay.
   • If your essay is part of an application or application to a university, try to imagine what your reader will be most interested in.
   • If you are writing your essay as a school assignment, keep in mind what your teacher expects from your essay.
4. Get ideas for your autobiography. Before you start writing your essay, it's a good idea to write down some ideas for your text. You can do this, for example, by making lists, writing freely, making a word cloud or asking yourself questions.
   • Make a list. List the ideas for your autobiography and then see which ideas relate to each other. Add ideas to each row or continue on one of the ideas using a different brainstorming method.
   • Try to write freely. Write nonstop for 10 minutes. Simply write down what you think and don't try to improve yourself. Then look at what you have written. Underline or highlight the most useful information for your autobiography. Repeat the exercise, using the underlined parts as a starting point. You can repeat the exercise as many times as you like to narrow down and develop your ideas.
   • Create a word cloud. Write a short explanation of the subject of your autobiography in the middle of a blank paper and draw a circle around it. Then draw three or more lines out from the circle. Write ideas related to your main topic at the end of the lines. Keep developing your word cloud until you have made as many commitments as possible.
   • Ask yourself questions. Write on a piece of paper the questions “Who? What? When? True? Why? How?" Leave some space between the questions for the answers. Now answer each question in as much detail as possible.
5. Write the structure of your essay on paper. Once you've collected some ideas, try to put them in a logical order before you start writing. This way you can determine the structure of your essay, develop more ideas and see whether you may have forgotten something.

Part 2 of 3: Writing your essay

1. Write your essay in the I form. When writing your autobiographical essay, use words like me, me, and mine. After all, you share your own experiences and so the I form is very suitable.
   • Don't use a you form and try to stick to one perspective. Use the I form throughout your essay.
2. Open your essay with a catchy sentence that immediately draws the reader into the story. In your introduction you immediately start telling your story. Think about the topics you want to cover in your essay to determine what should and should not be included in the introduction. Your introduction should also include the main idea of ​​your autobiographical essay and a taste of the rest of your story.
   • Immediately invade the story. A good way to start your story is to immediately describe what happened, even if this puts you right in the middle of your story. Consider, for example, "There I stood, in front of the entire third grade, reading the story I had written."
3. Describe the environment in which the story takes place. Use vivid details to convey the setting of your autobiography to your readers. Provide the context and background information necessary to understand the rest of your essay.
   • Write something to arouse your reader's curiosity. For example, start with a sentence like, "I never thought I would be so happy that day." Or, "A lot has happened to me in my life, but this was the worst I've ever experienced." Make sure the opening fits your story.
   • Avoid a too general opening sentence. For example, do not write: "It is common knowledge that ..." Such a sentence does not give your reader a picture of what your story is about. "Too general" opening sentences are also very boring.
   • Do not open your story with a quote unless it is crucial to your story or very important to you. If you want to add a meaningful quote to your autobiographical essay, it must have something to do with your story. In addition, explain why the quote is so important to you.
4. Let your introduction flow smoothly into your story. Once you have written the opening of your story and your readers hang on your every word, you will have to move on to your actual story. End your introduction with a sentence that makes your readers curious about the rest of the story.
   • For example, write, "Under these circumstances, I entered the most exciting year of my life." Or, "Before this happened, I had no idea I was capable of such a great thing." Choose a transition that fits your introduction and that fits smoothly with the content of your next paragraph.
5. Tell your story. After introducing your story, you will have to tell your readers what happened step by step. The content of your second and subsequent paragraphs will depend on the end of your introduction. Make sure not to skip important details.
6. End your story with a conclusion. Your conclusion should be memorable and interesting. The best way to complete your story is to answer all possible questions and reflect briefly on your experience.
   • Share why this story is so important to you and what you learned from it.
   • Return to the beginning of your story by finally identifying a situation or person who played an important role in your introduction.
   • Tell your readers something unexpected that emerged from the experience.

Part 3 of 3: Improving your essay

1. Include lots of vivid detail and dialogue where appropriate in your story. Vibrant details and dialogue bring your story to life. Describe the people, the environment, and other relevant aspects of your autobiography.
   • For example, do not write that your teacher was wearing a blue dress, but that the dress was ocean blue and the sleeves were trimmed with white lace.
   • Do not write that you were nervous, but name your trembling hands, the stone on your stomach and your trembling knees.
   • Do not write that you discussed something important with your teacher, but turn the conversation into dialogue.
2. Don't consider telling your story chronologically. A chronological sequence of events is effective, but there are also other ways to structure your autobiography. Before choosing a story structure, consider several options.
   • Tell your story chronologically if you want to start at the beginning and name events in order.
   • Start in the middle of your story if you want the reader to start in the middle of your story and then look back at the beginning.
   • Start at the end of your story if you want to tell your readers how your story turned out before you mention how you got to that point.
3. Be yourself. One of the stupidest mistakes you can make when writing an autobiographical essay is to present yourself as different from what you really are. Make sure your essay includes your experiences and personality.
   • Don't be afraid to show your sense of humor as long as it fits the tone of your essay. If you are telling a sad story, sarcasm or a joke may not be so appropriate.

Tips

• Be brief. If you are writing a story about your life, it is best to do it simple and straightforward. Try to include as little useless information as possible in your autobiographical essay. Instead, only include important details and describe those details well.
• Share your work with friends and family. Ask for feedback and ask, for example, what they think is good or bad about your text or how you can improve your story.