Make a list of potential paper topics. While an autobiography may be a linear tale of your life, it can also focus on an overarching theme, according to the website Educational Writing. The topics may include life lessons you learned by traveling, your childhood, your marriage or other specific events and time periods. Make a list of events you know you can write about thoroughly and coherently.
Choose a topic that you believe would enable you to tell your story well. If you want to write about your entire life rather than specific events, focus on a few general themes: what you've learned throughout your entire life, points that shaped who you are or your favorite times in life. Some autobiographies also discuss the first time people did certain things: the first time they traveled, their first summer away from home, their first brush with death. This can be a strong theme.
Write your autobiography with an interesting leading first sentence. This will reel the readers in and make them interested in continuing with your story. Then, according to Educational Writing, introduce yourself to your readers. State your name, birthplace and age. Introduce your theme in the beginning. For example, you may want to say, "I realized more about myself when I moved to Mexico than ever before. It all started when I touched down in Mexico City airport ..." This gives the reader a desire to find out what happened next. Continue by elaborating on some of the events you believe changed your life and made you realize more about yourself.
Focus on details when writing about events in your life. Don't write generally--give the reader specifics about your feelings and thoughts. When writing about your first experience in a new country, for example, let the reader know what you thought about the country, who you met, what impact it made on you and some of the feelings you had while there. First experiences are filled with new emotions, so be sure to really let the reader understand your experience. Don't be vague.
Close your autobiography by ending it on a meaningful note. Summarize some of the points you brought up to drive the paper home and nail down your theme. Edit the paper when you've finished to make sure it reads clearly and you've written honestly about your experiences and feelings.