Identify your reasons for writing your autobiography. There are many reasons you might wish to put your life into print. You might wish to pass along pieces of your life to your family, especially family members too young to appreciate your stories. You might wish to complete the work for yourself and to help you organize your memories. You might have something important you wish to express regarding your life. Your reason for writing your autobiography is important because it helps you focus your life story in a particular direction.
Determine for whom you are writing. If you are writing your autobiography to pass along to your family, include facts throughout your writing but also focus on how things are important to you and how you see them. Information like this helps them connect to you and gives them an image through your eyes. If you are writing for yourself, remember to include as many dates and names as you can recall. Indulge your writing in areas that you find emotionally appealing. If your writing is meant for a more general audience, avoid such indulgences that your readers might find unnecessary.
Map out your life using dates and specific events. Pay close attention to the order in which things occurred during your life and create a list of names and brief descriptions of people you have met. Take careful notes. Keep a diary with you at all times and make notes as you remember important events. This can be the longest part of the prewriting process. But when writing your autobiography, it is crucial for you to revisit your old memories and note anything that you recall.
Revisit places you have lived or places that were important to you. Take a camera with you and take photographs of everything that feels familiar. Return to your old school and take pictures of the hallways that you walked as a child. Look at these pictures while you are writing and use them to help jog your memory of specific places and events. Keep these pictures after you finish your writing as they can become a valuable addition to your autobiography.