What is Autobiography?
An autobiography is a nonfictional story written by the person himself about their own life according to their own personal viewpoint. Autobiographies are the subgenre of biographies.
These autobiographies are also known as personal stories written by the subject itself.
Writing a book on your own life is a common example of an autobiography.
A biography is written by someone else, whereas autobiographies need to be written by the person himself. These autobiographies are commonly read by the general public. The autobiography of any famous political personality or a film star can easily top up the New York Times bestseller list.
Autobiography vs. Biography
Following are the features that help us understand autobiography vs. biography in detail. Consider this before writing a biography.
| Autobiography | Biography |
| It is based on memories and opinions. | It is based on facts and research. |
| It is written by the person him/herself. | It is written by someone else, other than the person itself. |
| It is written in a first-person narrative. | It is written in a third-person narrative. |
Autobiography vs. Memoir
Although autobiography or memoir look the same but they have many differences. By looking at the following table of autobiography vs. memoirs, you can also understand their differences easily.
| Autobiography | Memoir |
| It focuses on an entire life. | It focuses on the main incidents and experiences of life. |
| It has a chronological order. | It doesn't have a chronological order. |
| It emphasizes emotional truths. | It emphasizes factual truths. |
6 Elements of an Autobiography
Since it's your life story so it should include every event that happened in your life. It should not focus on some memorable events or memories rather, it should include events from birth to death.
Following are some key components that you must include in your autobiography:
- A description of your own personal history - This section includes your childhood experiences, your loved ones, your hometown, and your educational background.
- Accounts of significant events - This includes your special life experiences that influenced your current viewpoint. And determine your approaches to life.
- Recollections of key events of your life - These are the turning points in a person's life. This section is more liked by the reader so it should be focused more while writing.
- Personal narrative of facing failure - This section includes your failures in life. You must follow it with a strong motivational thing that how you respond to your failures.
- Use simple language - Use simple language and avoid phrases like “my story” obviously it's an autobiography people know it's your story.
- The first-person narrative voice - You must use the first person to narrate an autobiography.
How to Write an Autobiography - Outline?
Whether it's an autobiography or a short story about a subject it must have an outline. Making an autobiography template first helps to add things in an organized manner while you start writing the final draft.
Let us see how to craft a perfect autobiography outline.
- Introduction
First paragraph is the introduction. In this, a writer has to explain himself. Mention your name, age, and personal traits. But do not overload the introduction with your information.
Keep it less and simple. You can also demonstrate your family story to get the reader hooked.
- Body
All the detailed information about your family comes in the body section. Make sure your provided information is descriptive, clear, and detailed in an accurate way.
Make different paragraphs and connect them through transitions. They should look like they are interlinked. These techniques emphasize the reader to keep reading till the end.
- Conclusion
In the conclusion section you should sum up your achievements in life. You can also end the autobiography with some motivational life lessons derived from the happenings of your life. Or an incident that helped you become the good person you are today!
To ensure a smooth flow of information, you must follow this autobiography structure.
How to Write an Autobiography in 8 Simple Steps?
It might seem a daunting task to write the tale of your life. But with this step-by-step procedure, it is very easy now. Following are the steps that you must consider to craft a hassle-free autobiography.
1. Brainstorming
The first step in writing a story is to think about any life events that could be interesting to a reader.
As you remember different parts of your life, focus on each phase from birth to the present. This will help you organize your thoughts and keep your story moving forward in chronological order.
Not all of these events will make it into the final story! But, for now, try to remember as many details as possible.
2. Create an Outline
If you want to keep your readers' attention, it is important to organize the most compelling life episodes into a story. This will help keep their attention from beginning to end. This will create a gripping story of your life that real people will want to read.
3. Conduct Proper Research
After you have the first draft of your outline, do some research to help you remember the details when you are writing. This will help make your writing more accurate.
This might include interviewing friends and family members to help you remember everything, as well as doing some cultural research. Remember that nobody can remember everything about their entire life. So don't worry! if you can't remember every detail of your childhood.
4. Write the Autobiography’s First Draft
If you have chosen the important moments in your life that you want to focus on. Then you are ready to write the first draft. This draft may be very long and include a lot of information. But professional writers know that even the final drafts can be based on a longwinded first draft.
5. Give Yourself Some Time
After you write your first draft, take a break. This will help you to read your work from a new perspective. It is easier to see things more objectively if you are not involved in the project for a few days.
6. Proofread Your Draft
It is important to start proofreading as soon as you have finished your autobiography. This means looking for mistakes in grammar but also looking for areas where you could improve the narrative. Think about what you would look for if reading about someone else's life and apply it to your own story.
7. Prepare Your Next Draft
After you have made notes to yourself, write a second draft of your essay. Show it to trusted friends or a professional editor for feedback. Outside eyes can give you a valuable perspective that you cannot possibly have on your own work.
And then write the final draft while keeping all the suggestions in mind.
8. Repeat the above Steps
You will need to revise your writing many times. You should get feedback from others, and make sure that your writing is accurate and true to your life story. When you are finished, you will have a much better version of your autobiography than the first draft. But it will still be true to who you are.
How to Write an Autobiography - Examples
Following are some autobiography samples for your consideration.
These are all well-written examples that you can download and keep safe. If you need more help, don't worry, and contact us at EssayHours.com anytime for answers to your questions.
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