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Oct 18, 2019 · Learn how to write your life story with an easy autobiography template that uses interview questions. Find out how to turn your answers into a professionally designed book that you can share with your family and friends.
- Overview
- Preparing to Write
- Structuring Your Story
- Writing the Story
People choose to write about their lives for a variety of reasons, including a desire to leave a memoir for their children and future generations, to create a record for themselves so they can be reminded of their youthful adventures when they're old and forgetful, and to offer something of value to the rest of the world. Writing a memoir is a very...
In a memoir, you are the main character of your own life story. Many memoirists use the facts of their life story to create an engaging tale for the reader. Because you are relying on your own memories as source material for the story, you may end up describing things differently than others might remember it. The key is to write down things as you remember it, in the most honest way possible. Keep in mind memoirs are different from autobiographies in that memoirs should only cover certain key aspects of your life, not your life from birth until the present day.
Most memoirists struggle to begin their life story and are not sure where to start. Depending on your life story, you may reach out to other family members for details on a childhood memory or event. But it’s important that you also focus on your personal experiences and your recollection of a childhood memory or moment, even if it may be flawed. Often, the best memoirs are about the process of remembering an event, or are about processing a moment in the past that felt important.
Identify your narrator’s desire line.
In your memoir, your narrator is you. You will use the first person, “I”, to lead the reader through your story. But it’s important to focus your memoir on specific need or desire. Your want will drive the food forward and make your story worth reading. Think about your desire line, or what motivates your narrator to tell her story. Your narrator will then struggle to achieve her desire line through telling her story and reaching a realization about a pivotal moment in her story.
Try to sum up what your narrator wants in one sentence. For example: I wanted to understand my mother’s decision to move our family to America. Or, I wanted to become healthier after a brief brush with death. Or, I wanted to explore my experiences as an air force pilot in World War II.
Be specific in your desire line and avoid vague statements. Your desire line may change as you write your memoir. But its good to have a clear desire in mind before you start writing.
This will help you determine how long it is going to take you to write a draft of the book. If you are working under a deadline, you may make your schedule more tight than if you have the luxury of more time to write.
Try to organize your schedule around word count or page count. So, if you normally write about 750 words an hour, factor this in on your schedule. Or if you feel you may actually write two pages an hour, use this as an estimate in your schedule.
Determine how long it will take you on average to compose a set number of words, or number of pages, per a day. If you are working towards a final word count goal, like 50,000 words or 200 pages, focus on how many hours per a week it will take you to reach this goal.
Write a rough first draft.
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- Decide whether you’ll write non-fiction or fictionalize. There are many ways to approach life writing. You could follow a non-fiction approach and set down dates, facts and memories as close to events as they occurred as possible.
- Choose an approach to time. Time is an interesting element to conside r when deciding how to write your life story. For example, will your book cover birth to the present day?
- Do what you need to set aside any fear. Many writers feel daunted when embarking on a new project. This is often particularly acute when writing about more personal experiences or real life where you don’t have the protective veil of fictional characters.
- Summarize significant events to cover. Any one person’s life is a massive archive or trove of significant experiences and memories. As Hermione Lee says, the immensity of this ‘source material’ can feel overwhelming.
Feb 21, 2024 · If you're thinking of writing a memoir to share with the world, here are some tips and strategies to make the process easier. Introduction to writing personal memoirs and autobiographies. An autobiography, sometimes called a memoir, is a story about your life written by you.
Jun 10, 2021 · Learn how to write your life story with narrative non-fiction techniques, focusing on key events and turning points. Find out the difference between memoir and autobiography and get tips to remember details and find your theme.
May 15, 2020 · 8 Steps for Writing Your Life Story. How You Can Publish and Share Your Life Story. If you want to write your life story, either to have for yourself or to publish as a book, here are some steps to help you through the process.
Aug 5, 2020 · Whether you’re 20, 90, or anywhere in between, it can be fun and instructive to write your life story, even if only briefly and told only to yourself.
