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Guidelines to Writing a Autobiography

An autobiography is the story of an individual's life told with more authority and expertise than a regular biography. This is because it is written by the subject. Autobiographies are a way for individuals to explain who they are, what life means to them and what their outlook to the future is. They often write down details from their past that motivated them to get to where they are now.
  1. Introduce Yourself

    • Introduce readers to who you are, what you do with your life and what you enjoy. Your introduction should be charming and intrigue readers so that they will want to know more about their life.

    Family

    • Talk about your family. Tell the reader any interesting stories that your family has about you from the day you were born. Talk about your siblings and if you remember any of them being born. Mention memories of visits with grandparents, aunts, uncles and family reunions. If there is something unique about your family---whether it be a tradition, pleasant memories or not-so-pleasant memories---explain it to the reader in detail. Make the reader feel as if they watched you grow up and knew your family intimately.

    Childhood

    • Your childhood was more than just who your family members were. Who was your best friend growing up? Tell the story of the most interesting, frightening or exciting adventure you had with your best friend. Talk about the hobbies you had growing up and what you were like in school. If you were a good student, than describe your favorite subject. If you were a bad student, then discuss what you would have rather been doing other than studying. Describe any childhood crushes in detail.

    Travel

    • Write about the places you have visited, the people you met and what you learned from each location. If you traveled alone, discuss what that was like. Or, if you always traveled with the same person (wife, sibling, friend, etc.) then explain to the reader why you enjoyed taking trips with that person.

    Major Events

    • Discuss the major world events that occurred in your lifetime and explain the impact that they had on you. Write about where you were when those things happened and how they changed the way you see yourself and the world. Also, discuss the major events that occurred in your life that may have changed you either for the better or for the worse. What events led you down the path to become the person you are today?

    Conclusion

    • Conclude strongly with your outlook for the future---both for your own life and for the future overall---based on what you have learned in life. Make some conclusions on the events that motivated you to have the experience you had, to become the person you are, and to have made the decision to tell your own story.

Nonfiction

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