Never make a definite judgment about someone whose entire life story you haven’t heard.
Here’s why:
Every person leaves behind a legacy. It might not have touched millions, but it can have profoundly affected those close to you. Your story, your journey, may have inspired or changed the lives of a few. By sharing your experiences, you might help others who don’t even know you, offering them solutions or motivation through your words.
So, where do you start when it comes to writing your one-of-a-kind story? Your life is unlike anyone else’s — and it deserves to be told in a way that’s uniquely yours.
Autobiography vs. Biography vs. Memoir
Before you get started with writing all those pages filled with memories, you should also take look at the terms. Autobiography, biography, and memoir are all related to someone’s life story, but they have different meanings. The biggest difference between autobiography and biography is who is writing it. A biography is generally written by another person, often a professional author to tell someone else’s life story. An autobiography is written by the person themselves.
Biographies and autobiographies typically cover much broader aspects of a person’s life and talk about different events and the result of those events. Memoirs focus on a particular period or aspect of someone’s life, and provides an in depth examination of that period or aspect. For example, and autobiography would cover all of your experiences while you were in school, college, and university. It would give a view on how each phase provided you a lesson in attaining successful outcomes. A memoir would concentrate on your troubled years after college, and how those issues were leading to building your business empire.
Making the Truth Stand Out
Writing a book about your life is a highly personal and fulfilling endeavor. It can help you reflect on where you have been, provide a record of memories for your children and grandchildren, and share your life’s experiences with others. However, writing an entire book can be overwhelming; you may not know where to begin or where to go in order to develop your story and writing.
Tips to Get it Right
If you are asking how to start writing a book about your life, you are not alone. In this article, I list 12 detailed suggestions to help you overcome the initial first steps, and help you write your life story in a meaningful way.
1. Free-Write or Keep a Journal
One excellent way to start is to free-write. Free-writing is simply writing continuously and without concern for grammar, spelling, or structure. Just let your memories flow naturally onto the page. If you have been keeping a diary or journal, you can gather up those entries to present a valuable source of raw material. If you have never kept a journal, start now! No excuses! Just write for a few minutes each day and record your typical memories, feelings, or events. Not only will this process help you develop a writing habit but it will allow you to identify themes and stories that you might not have recorded otherwise.
2. Create an Outline
After you have accumulated some stories or thoughts, you will want to organize them. An outline will provide your book with shape and structure. While most autobiographies tend to follow a chronological format starting from childhood and moving to the present, you can also organize by themes (“family”, “career”, “life lessons”), or begin with a specific event and let the reader learn about your past through that event to pull them in from the beginning. Building an outline will provide you with a map which will make the writing process easier and which will help the reader on your journey.
3. Choose Your Genre: Memoir or Autobiography?
Comprehending the distinction between a memoir and an autobiography is important. Typically, an autobiography is a complete life history covering many years and important life stages. Memoirs will focus on specific time periods or themes (i.e., overcoming hardships, transformation). Recognizing early on what genre, you will be using, will help you determine what things to include and what tone to engage with. Genre will also affect a reader’s expectations and how to market your book, later on.
4. Pick a Theme
Every good story has some type of theme that lends itself to the story. You will want to think about the central concept or experience you want to discuss. Maybe you are chronicling a period of resilience, forgiveness, adventure, or self-growth. Your theme acts as kind of filter into which your readers can engage with your story, making it more interesting and approachable to read and share. For example, if memoir accounts a journey of illness you would expect to be relationally flooded with hope and courage.
5. Select What to Include and What to Leave Out
It is easy to want to include each and every memory because, well, they’re all your memories! But remember, not every story line is going to add to your theme. As a writer you have some creative license to pick out moments that sharpen the theme of your book and also allow your characters to develop. By editing the irrelevant stuff out, you strengthen your narrative and its effectiveness. For instance, if your book is centred around your development of a career, you probably don’t want to include childhood stories that don’t connect to your journey. Simply choosing this way ensures your book breathes and remains interesting.
6. Pick a Theme
Memories are subjective and sometimes, forgotten. You can always consult with friends, family or colleagues that were part of your life story, as they can probably give you a fresh perspective, and possibly confirm dates and the occurrence of events. They may also provide stories that you perhaps have forgotten. The more perspectives you can offer to your reader, the more authentic and balanced a written account.
7. Use Old Photos and Mementos
Visual reminders can be strong memory retrieval cues for us. Old photos or letters or other keepsakes can help us recall a number of details—including the kind of day it was, what people were wearing, how you or others may have felt, etc. Sometimes, watching old video footage can spark memories of days gone by even better than photographs alone. These reminders will help your writing have layers, and will ultimately allow you to create scenes that will pull your reader in to experience the story with you.
8. Start Writing Your First Draft
Phase one of the draft is simply to get the story down on paper. Don’t worry about it being pretty; it may look rough and ragged at this stage. Just ensure that you tell your story with truth, honesty, and emotion as best you can. Include rich descriptions, dialogues if applicable, and bring your characters to life on the page. This draft is not everything but your starting point—decisions about your voice and tightening your writing will come in editor reviews.
9. Handle Sensitive Topics with Care
Writing from personal experience involving personal hardships or painful events can be hard. With difficult topics, thoughts can evoke feelings that are sensitive to your discussion; think about the details you plan to write, how you may word hurtful information, or shape emotional passage. If you intend to do a story that involves other people, think about their privacy, as well as their feelings. Gentle soft language along with cautiously discussing difficult subjects will help reduce any misunderstandings and protect the relationships you have with others.
10. Keep Your Readers in Mind
While it is about you, you also must remember you are writing for an audience, so employ any storytelling techniques to capture your readers interest—building suspence, comedic relief, or creating relatable characters (including yourself). Of course you want to create an emotional investment so that readers do not merely read the book, but start to feel connected to your journey as they read. They will also have questions, like what may they glean from how you have expressed from your experience. You will consider, where the reader might want to learn or feel from, and develop your writing from that.
11. Stay Motivated and Don’t Give Up
Writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint. There will be times of doubt, and you may even encounter writer’s block. To stay feeling motivated, set achievable goals for yourself (ex. write a specific number of words each day or week). Joining a writing group, or workshop can also help you stay focused and accountable. Always celebrate the little wins, and remind yourself of why you began this journey. Remember, persistence is the key to completing your book.
12. Proofread and Revise
Once you finish typing your first draft, take a little break. Make sure to give yourself enough distance from the manuscript to gain a fresh perspective. When you return, you will need to read carefully for grammar mistakes, and then assess the clarity and flow of the story itself. You may need to rewrite chunks of the story that you feel weak or confusing. Do not hesitate to ask trusted friends, family, or professionals editors for some feedback. Remember that it usually takes multiple rounds of revision before your story appears publication ready.
Final Thoughts
Writing a book about your life is a brave and worthwhile pursuit. It is an opportunity to preserve your legacy, and perhaps to share some lessons learned along the way. By following these 12 tips, you can help turn what appears to be an overwhelming goal into a lighter and joyful process. Your life story deserves to be told… and there is no time like the present to start writing, so, take to the page and watch your memories unfold!
