How to Write Your Own Biography: Step-by-Step

Everyone has a story to tell. No matter who you are, your life is worth talking about. The best way to preserve your personal history is by recording it on paper as a biography. Follow these steps to write an interesting biography others won't be able to put down.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Identify your audience. Are you writing this as a record for your children to know and understand your life? As a record for yourself? Are you hoping to have it published and sold in bookstores? Once you have identified your audience, keep them in mind the entire time you write. Imagine yourself talking directly to "dear reader".

2. Brainstorm categories that describe major aspects of your life. Possibilities are: career, love life, life changing moments, personal accomplishments, passions, interests, volunteer activities, etc. Choose three to five of these categories to cover in your biography.

3. Think about how you have grown and changed. What made you who you are. This will involve a look over the span of your life from beginning to present. But don't make the mistake of writing a chronological report of your life. It's possible your birth was a major factor in who you are. For instance, you may have been born with a health problem you've had to battle. But don't give an account of birth, elementary, junior high, high school, college, first job, marriage, . . . ad nauseum.

4. Write anecdotes which support your main topics, not just details. The name of your first grade teacher or friends are not important or interesting. But a story about the time you got caught skipping school and learned an important lesson is interesting.

5. Open with an interesting anecdote, preview your three to five topics, cover each topic thoroughly with plenty of stories to elaborate, and close with what you have learned or want to share with others.

[rickmac]

on 7/3/2009 Writing an autobiography is a priceless gift to your children and great grand children.