Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

What's your life story? Anyone with a rich life with many levels has interesting stories to tell everyone. The advice here is that the autobiography should be like a good story: there must be the main character (you), the main conflict, accompanied by attractive supporting roles to attract readers. You can tell it to revolve around a topic or idea that is present in your everyday life. The following article will teach you how to sketch a story and refine the word so that the autobiography sings onto your song.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: Sketching your life

1. 

   Record the timeline in your life. Start writing your autobiography with the research of your own life. Timeline is a great way to make sure not to miss out on important events and dates, while also creating a storyline. You can think of this as the "brainstorming" part, so don't be afraid to write down all the things you remember, even if you don't think those memories will stay in the final version of the story.
   • The autobiography doesn't have to start with your birth. You can also include some details about your family history in the story. Write down information about your ancestors, about the lives of your grandparents, your parents, and so on. The family information will give readers an idea of ​​how you grew up to be who you are today.
   • What events happened when you were a teenager? What led to the decisions you made at that time?
   • Do you go to university? Those transitional years may also be included in the story.
   • Write about your career, relationships, children, and anything important that changed your life.

2. 

   
   
   Choose the main character. Every good story has interesting characters, friends and villains to develop the storyline. Who are the characters in your life? Your parents must play a role, along with your partner and other close family members. A little further, think of other people who have influenced your life and can play a role in your autobiography.
   • Teachers, coaches, mentors and bosses are extremely influential people in your life. Consider who might be an ideal (or villain) role model for you to portray in the story.
   • Your ex-boyfriend or girlfriend can co-star in interesting stories.
   • Who is the enemy in your life? Your story will be very boring without some conflict.
   • Cool characters like animals or celebrities you've never met, even strange cities are interesting highlights in an autobiography.

3. 

   
   
   Filter out the best stories. Your lifelong story can be quite lengthy, so you will have to choose which anecdotes are worth telling. You can start writing your manuscript by writing down key stories that will then be linked together and woven into a picture of your life. There are a few main topics that many authors include in their autobiography because they appeal to readers.
   • Childhood story. Whether your childhood was happy or stormy, you should include some anecdotes to paint your portraits and the things you went through as a child. You can tell about your childhood by breaking it down into smaller stories that illustrate your personality - your parents' reaction when you bring home a wandering dog, the time you climbed go out the classroom window and run away for three days, close friendship with a homeless… be creative.
   • Story during puberty. This rebellious and often sensitive period has always fascinated readers. Remember that the important thing here is not to write nicely; Everyone goes through puberty. Your story needs to make readers sympathize.
   • First thrilling story. You can also write an opposite story - that of you searching for love does not exist.
   • Psychological crisis. This usually happens in your thirties or forties, sometimes referred to as the middle age crisis.
   • Coping with bad forces. Whether it's a battle with addiction, with a controlling lover or a crazy guy trying to kill your family, you need to write about your conflicts.

4. 

   
   
   
   
   Write in your real voice. Readers look at the autobiography to have a thorough understanding of the author's person. Showing who you really are is one way to ensure that readers are interested. If your writing is too formal and rigid, or if your story sounds more like a college essay than a life story, it will be difficult for readers to finish the book.
   • Write as if you were confiding in your best friend with a clean, clean writing style and not too cluttered with vocabulary you rarely use.
   • Express your personality through writing. You are a humorous person? Warm? Wisdom? Emotionally rich? Don't hesitate; You should express your personality through storytelling.

5. 

   
   
   Open. There is no need to fully expose yourself, but it is important that you tell real stories about yourself and your life. Don't turn your autobiography into a record of negativity that is carefully kept hidden. Show all of you, both your talents and weaknesses, so that readers can sympathize and support you when reading your story.
   • Don't always cover yourself with brilliant aura. You may have shortcomings and remain the main character. Reveal your mistakes and the times you've let yourself and others down.
   • Share your thoughts. Speak out your opinions and ideas, including controversial ones. Be yourself through your autobiography.

6. 

   
   
   Capture the breath of the times. Does your story have a hint of the historical period in which it took place? What wars influence your political trends? What cultural events inspire you? Discussing the world events of your time is a great way to make your story more relevant and interesting to the reader. advertisement

Method 2 of 4: Crafting the story

1. 

   Create an overarching storyline. Now that you know what you want to include in your autobiography, think about the structure of your story. Like any good storybook, your autobiography needs a compelling storyline. Use the materials you have to create an interesting story leading to climax and ultimately conflict resolution. You can create a plot by arranging and connecting memories and anecdotes so that the plot flows properly.
   • What is the main conflict of the story? What is the biggest obstacle in your life that you have to overcome or cope with for many years? It could be a childhood illness, a troubled relationship, a bunch of career hurdles, a goal you've been striving for decades to achieve, or whatever problem you have. Browse your favorite books and movies for more examples of conflict.
   • Create tension and tension. Arranged to have a series of stories leading to the climax of the conflict. If the conflict in your autobiography is about striving to achieve your Olympic goals, lead the story to its climax with small successes and multiple failures. You need to let the curious reader want to ask, then does she get it? Can he do it? What will happen next?
   • Create climax. Your story will evolve until conflict is climaxed. The day of the competition is here, the showdown against your biggest competitor, the gambling craze has taken you down, you lose all your money - and you have your eyesight.
   • End with conflict resolution. Most autobiographies have a happy ending, because the writer is living to tell the story - and hopefully the book gets published. Even if the ending is not very happy, you should also please the reader. In a way, you either achieved your goal or won the competition. Even when you fail, you understand and wiser.

2. 

   Determine the start time of the story. You can enter the story chronologically, starting when you are born and ending with the present time, but the art of chronological reversal can make your story more interesting.
   • You can frame an entire autobiography with current thoughts and tell the story through a series of flashbacks.
   • You can also open the story with a touching childhood moment, go back in time to tell the story of your family's traditions, go to college and step into a career story, in it are childhood anecdotes to create a few gentle humorous dots.

3. 

   Bring the topic to the story. Use the main themes of your life to weave stories together, connecting past and present. In addition to major conflict, what are the topics that follow through in your life? Romance is associated with certain holidays, a lovely place that you visit many times, a guy who makes your heart beat, a rich spiritual life that you often immerse yourself in. Please include the above topics to paint the cohesive picture of your life.

4. 

   Take a step back to think. You are recording the lessons of your life, but what have you learned from them? Plans, dreams, feelings of loss, joy, accumulated wisdom, and other inner thoughts should be incorporated throughout the story. Stop describing the actions in a story to mull over the meaning of things is a good way to deepen your autobiography.

5. 

   Divide into chapters to create story texture. Story chapters are useful because they allow you to move on to discuss life stages and events. Don't we often say that "closes a chapter" or "opens up a new chapter in life", and that's all the more appropriate when it comes to autobiography. The chapter breaks allow you to skip the next ten years, step back into the past, or start a new topic without overwhelming readers.
   • Consider ending the chapter at an emotional or dramatic point so that readers will eagerly continue to read the next chapter.
   • The chapter opening is an opportunity to look back over the past, describe the background, and give color to what happens next.
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Method 3 of 4: Editing the book

1. 

   Make sure to write all the facts correctly. Double-check the dates, names, details of events and other issues in the book to make sure your descriptions are correct. Even though this is your life story, you should still not give misinformation about events that happened.
   • You can exaggerate a bit about your own goals and plans, but don't weave conversations with real people, or create a different version of events that actually happened. Of course, no one can remember everything perfectly, but you should reflect reality to the best of your ability.
   • Please use human names or quote other people's words if you include them in your autobiography. Some people may not like appearing as a character in someone else's autobiography, and you should respect that by changing their description or changing their names if necessary.

2. 

   Manuscript editing. When the first draft has been completed, review the entire draft and refine it. Rearrange paragraphs, even chapters, if needed. Refine the use of words and re-express the sentences so that they are clearer and more interesting. Correct grammar and spelling errors.

3. 

   Share the storybook with others. Introduce your autobiography to a reading club or friend to get an outsider's perspective. Stories that you enjoy can be bland to others. Get feedback from as many people as possible to get a better view of how your book has been communicated to readers.
   • If a lot of people suggest cutting out a part, seriously consider this.
   • Try to gather opinions from people outside of your family or friends who you know may share feelings or prejudice - especially when they appear in your autobiography.

4. 

   Hire a manuscript editor. A good editor will make your text more chord and the faint parts will be brighter. Whether you're planning to get a publisher to print the book or publish it yourself, it's never superfluous to have a professional refine it during the final stages of story writing.

5. 

   Place the title. The title must match the tone and style of the autobiography, in addition to attract attention and arouse the interest of the reader. Keep titles short and easy to remember instead of lengthy and confusing. You can title it with your own name along with "My Autobiography", or choose a less direct title. Here are a few titles from famous autobiographies that perfectly capture their content:
   • Bossy Pants, (roughly translated: "The boss") by Tina Fey
   • My Confession, (My Confession) by Leo Tolstoy
   • A Long Walk to Freedom (Long Journey to Freedom) by Nelson Mandela
   • The Sound of Laughter (roughly translated: The sound of laughter) by Peter Kay
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Method 4 of 4: Publish the book

1. 

   Follow the steps for self-publishing. Even if you are not thinking about selling books to the public, you may still want your autobiography designed and printed to keep and present to your loved ones and those mentioned in the story. You can find companies that provide design, printing and shipping services and decide how many copies to order. Many companies can produce products that are not inferior to books printed by traditional publishers.
   • If you don't want to pay for publishing, you can still have a beautiful book by taking it to the photocopy shop to print and bind.

2. 

   Consider finding a literary agent (representing the writer). If you want to publish your autobiography and make it available to the public, getting the help of a literary agent could pave the way. Find literary representatives specializing in autobiography and send them a recommendation letter with information about your book, about yourself, and the reasons why your book is notable.
   • Open the proposal letter with a coherent and concise introduction that describes the book's bright spots. List the right genre and describe what makes your book stand out. Tell the agent why you think they are the right person to present your book to publishers.
   • Send some chapters of the book to the representatives who show interest.
   • Sign an agent you trust. Remember to read the contracts carefully and check their history before you put pen to paper on anything.

3. 

   Send suggestions directly to publishers. If you don't want to waste time looking for an agent, you can send a message directly to the publishers to see where you are interested. Look for publishers that specialize in publishing books of the same genre. Don't send the full manuscript right away; you should wait for a letter requesting a draft from the publisher.
   • Many publishers do not accept unsolicited manuscripts or suggestions. Make sure to send mail only to publishers that agree to receive it.
   • If the publisher decides to negotiate with you, you will need to contract and schedule the editing, design, revision of the manuscript, and eventually the book's publication.

4. 

   Find a way to publish your book on the internet. This is an increasingly popular trend in book publishing and is a great way to save on book printing and shipping costs. You can search online book publishers of the same category, send recommendations, and go ahead with editing and publishing your book. advertisement

Advice

• Write your story vividly, but don't get lost in unimportant details. Even if you want your autobiography to be memorable, you also need to keep the story from getting bored. Putting in too much detail - listing everyone at the party or describing every day's events - will bog down your story.
• You can consult your personal journal if you have one. Journal is a useful resource because it contains events that happened during the day or during other periods. People often record their experiences in journals so it can help with writing an autobiography.
• Your autobiography may include a dedication, a preface, important statistics, a chronological table, a family tree, and an afterword.
• If the purpose of your autobiography is to pass on to the next generation, you should consider including souvenirs (such as pictures, heirlooms, badges, mementos, letters, etc.) and Format your autobiography as a scrapbook. Of course you can't copy all of the mementos, so you still need to consider what to do with your originals and other objects, such as badges or heirlooms. big size.
• If you don't have a good sense of writing or just need someone to help you organize your ideas, you might consider looking for a hired writer or a personal biographer. This is how famous stars usually do. There is also software that allows you to type your answers into computer templates, thereby solving the problem of writing as well. Many people choose to type directly on an online form.

Warning

• Beware of content that may be considered libelous. If you write something disrespectful or maliciously false about someone in your autobiography you plan to publish, consider changing their name (if they are still alive). If not, you may face a lawsuit. If you are unsure of what to change, consult a defamation attorney.