The autobiography genre is one of the most robust nonfiction writing categories of today. Look at any bestseller list, and you will find several autobiographies from musicians, teachers, politicians, child stars, and the like. Why is this so? As a firsthand account of the life of the author, an autobiography allows a level of intimacy with the author that is unmatched anywhere else. But how do you write such a piece, and how can Autobiography Examples help? Read on to learn more.
What Is an Autobiography?
An autobiography is a non-fiction account of the personal life of the author, as written by the author themselves from their point of view. It is a subgenre of the biography – a much broader category – but biographies are written by someone other than the subject of the story, usually a historian or expert.
Autobiography Templates & Examples
How Can Autobiography Examples Help You?
As already established, an autobiography is a personal story about the writer’s experiences. Because it is based on facts that only apply to the writer, it can be difficult to draw inspiration from autobiography pieces. However, in the real sense, reading autobiography examples can help you write your own by, one, inspiring you to tell your story. You might feel bolder about discussing events in your life if you see that another author did it. Secondly, examples can help teach you about format structure and guidelines.
Autobiography Format for Students
Just as with any subgenre, there are many types of autobiographies from which to choose when writing about yourself. Here are the most common formats for students:
- Personal Narratives – This is an essay about yourself that generally focuses on one aspect of your life – i.e., one moment in time – then builds on it through dialogue.
- Vignette – This is a short chapter about one specific event in your life. Think of it as a brief episode or account of something that happened to you.
Note: Sometimes, an author will combine several vignettes to create a complete piece, but the pieces don’t exactly need to be interconnected or dependent on each other for context.
- Memoir – This autobiography talks about certain themes or moments in your life such as history, religion, philosophy, sexuality, etc.
- Script or Drama – This format uses stage or film dialogues to tell a personal story.
- Traditional Autobiography – This one covers the author’s life from birth till date.
- Graphic Novels – This format tells a true story through cartoon panels and drawings.
Essential Elements of an Autobiography Format
As long as you know what to include in an autobiography, you will not have a lot of trouble formatting your story. Here are some key elements of this genre:
- Title in bold font at the top of the page.
- Dedication describing who to whom you are dedicating your work.
- Table of Contents to help readers easily navigate the story.
- Acknowledgments thanking all the people that have helped you.
- Foreword containing all your reasons for writing your autobiography.
- Introduction that should grab and maintain the reader’s attention.
- Body Section containing a story based on events and locations and divided into subheadings or chapters for continuity.
- Conclusion summing up your final thoughts.
- Memorabilia such as medals, letters, pictures, etc.
- Index to help readers locate details in the autobiography.
How to Write an Autobiography (Step-by-Step)
Overall, the most accepted autobiography format is chronological – where the story is written in the order, it happened. Here are the steps to accomplishing this format:
- Start by recalling all the important events in your life and note them down. You can also reach out to family and friends that can flesh out the details.
- Collect mementos like pictures, letters, personal belongings, souvenirs, trophies, paintings, etc. They might jog your memory and remind you of some life events.
- Create an outline or some subheadings that you would like to shape your story.
- Draft a rough copy of the first chapter, which you will polish later.
- Fill in your story, writing in your personal style.
Key Points to Consider When Writing
Generally, there is no set-in-stone format for writing an autobiography, and you have the creative form to write your story in any form. The catch is that the story must be informative and written expressively. Here are some key factors to consider when writing:
- Always determine your motivation for writing. Do you wish to entertain your family, leave a legacy for your kids, or record an unusual event or achievement?
- Understand that it takes everyone a different amount of time to record their life. It could take you weeks, months, or years, so be prepared to see it through.
- You can tell the story exactly in the order it happened or use vignettes or flashbacks.
- If you encounter chapters that are too difficult to write without becoming very emotional, give yourself a break from writing and do something else.
- Always ask permission when describing events that involve other people.
- Some people might feel offended or hurt by your content. You can try to lessen this effect by notifying them of what you plan to write and how you will frame it.
- Alternatively, try to be tactful and diplomatic in your writing.
Dos and Don’ts
Do
- Research certain periods from your childhood or youth by talking to relatives, old neighbors, local leaders, village people, etc.
- Use a writing style that matches your personality.
- Save your work regularly and back it up.
- Try to remember events as accurately as possible and show your enthusiasm in your writing.
- Connect parts of your story with well-known events that were happening around the same time. For example, ‘Alexander Graham Bell had just invented the telephone, and I was….’
- Write in a friendly and engaging way without coming off as narcissistic or self-absorbed.
Don’t
- Include insubstantial information.
- Be overly formal in your language but also don’t use cliché phrases.
- Add embarrassing or personal details about another person.
- Leave out any pertinent information.
- Leave big gaps in the story.
- Ignore grammar, punctuation, word choice, and syntax.
Difference Between Autobiography and Biography
As mentioned earlier, autobiographies are a subgenre of the broader category of biographies. Autobiographies are introspective and are written by the author about their personal life experience. Biographies, on the other hand, are written about other people of note by experts on the subject. Great examples are the Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln biographies written by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Difference Between Autobiography and Memoir
While an autobiography documents the author’s entire life, a memoir captures a selected time or theme within the writer’s life. It is more focused and usually has a main theme, such as religion, philosophy, spirituality, health, marriage, etc.
Final Thoughts
Are you planning to share your personal story with the world? Start by reviewing some Autobiography Examples online and learning what to do or not do when giving an account of your life. Remember, writing a story is a relatively long process – even when the story is about you – so give yourself time to research and talk to people that can help. This includes relatives, old teachers, and the like.
