There\u2019s a tendency to believe that a biography, and more so an autobiography, is meant to be written by only a subject who\u2019s a stellar performer in their career and highly popular for it. This is far from true. Sure, such a person could have a great ability to inspire their fans and readers, but even an ordinary person is capable of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You see, it\u2019s in how<\/em> you tell your life\u2019s story that the inspiration lies, not necessarily in the popularity<\/em> of it. Famous or not, every one of us deals with hardships in life and does one thing or another to overcome them. And therein, lies the narrative for every gripping autobiography… <\/p>\n\n\n\n In this article, I\u2019ll help you understand what an autobiography is; go through the differences between biography, autobiography and memoir; provide some autobiography examples; tell you what to include in an autobiography; highlight the things that make for a compelling autobiography; and tell you how you can research your own life (yes, you read that right) to make your autobiography as authentic and balanced as possible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When thinking about the meaning of the word autobiography, it can be helpful to compare the subgenre with others which it’s confused for (biography and memoir). So, in this section, I’ll highlight the nuances of each genre\/subgenre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An autobiography is a non-fictitious<\/a> story by a person about their own life. It\u2019s a subgenre of the larger genre of biography. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Let’s look at biographies in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A biography is typically written by a writer who\u2019s highly knowledgeable about an individual and their life. They might be written post-humously (sometimes, the individual could still be alive), and may or may not be authorised (given express permission by the individual or their family). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Take, for instance, the award-winning Elizabeth the Queen: The Life of a Modern Monarch<\/em> by author Sally Bedel Smith. This book does the behemoth task of showing the reader what it meant for a young woman \u2013 Queen Elizabeth II \u2013 to take on the monumental task of being a monarch and do so successfully for decades. This book is certainly a magisterial biography. Though it doesn\u2019t explicitly mention whether or not it is authorised, it certainly seems like it was, because the writer met the Queen on various occasions during the course of her research. So, if watching The Crown<\/em> on Netflix has left you thirsting for more, you need only read this biography. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another highly compelling biography is Walter Isaacson\u2019s Steve Jobs<\/em>. Openly authorised, this book is a testament to not only its visionary of a subject, Steve Jobs, but also life in the digital era that we live in. In over forty interviews with Jobs himself, and more than a hundred interviews with his friends, family, colleagues and competitors, Isaacson chronicles Jobs\u2019 rollercoaster life as a creative entrepreneur. Jobs was known to irk his friends and foes alike with his brutal honesty and this is reflected in his biography too. He holds nothing back and neither does anyone that talks about him, making this book one of the sincerest biographies ever written. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An autobiography, however, is written by the subject themselves. The writer looks back on their life, putting all major events from their birth up until the time they complete the book under the microscope. They explore their past with the wisdom-filled lenses of their present. Needless to say, the authenticity of such a story is arguably higher than in a biography. I mean, who better to write your life\u2019s story than you! Here are some great examples of autobiographies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most-read autobiographies of all time is perhaps Nelson Mandela\u2019s A Long Walk To Freedom<\/em>. The book details the story of the man who spent twenty-seven years in prison for marching against South African apartheid and then went on to become the president of a free country. It\u2019s not only the narration of a revolutionary man (which in and of itself is significant), but also a story of triumph over racism and colonialism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar\u2019s Playing It My Way<\/em> was a stellar record breaker with a pre-order of 1,500,000 copies of the autobiography, easily overtaking even Walter Isaacson\u2019s Steve Jobs<\/em>! The man was a legend on the cricket pitch and it\u2019s no wonder fans want to read about what his life is really like, directly from the horse\u2019s mouth. Suffice to say, Tendulkar\u2019s penmanship matched pace with his batsmanship; his innings began even before the match did! <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m one of those people who\u2019s rather reluctant to watch a movie unless they\u2019re certain it\u2019s an inspiring, or at the very least a positive, one. One such movie that\u2019s an all-time favourite of mine is The Pursuit Of Happyness<\/em> starring Will Smith (who incidentally happened to publish his own autobiography Will<\/em> earlier this year). The movie is an adaptation of Chris Gardner\u2019s own autobiography by the same name. We\u2019ve read many a story of single mothers struggling to make ends meet. But Gardner\u2019s is that of a single father\u2019s rags-to-riches story, which also shows him doing his best to be a good father to his son. For someone who grew up without a father, Chris\u2019 own parenting is both heart-warming and inspiring, even keeping his overnight rags-to-riches story aside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Where there\u2019s a woman of colour who runs a Fortune 50 company, there shall be an autobiography of her. Ex-CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi\u2019s My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future<\/em> isn\u2019t simply a story of her life but also a critique of the lack of work-life balance that society so readily accepts. Somewhat cut-and-dry, this autobiography makes the reader picture a rather ditch-feelings<\/em>–be-formidable<\/em> Indra Nooyi. But, perhaps, that\u2019s exactly what it took her to get where she did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s common amongst all these autobiographies is that they are highly inspirational, some with a big message for society in general. Where there\u2019s talk of autobiographies, Anne Frank\u2019s Diary Of A Young Girl is never far behind. The epistolary by the teenager lays bare her experiences as a Jew during World War II. The progression of her diary shows the maturing girl\u2019s growing difficulty in maintaining self-awareness, a direct reflection of the impact of the Nazi regime. However, though the book falls under the umbrella genre of biographies, it\u2019s more accurately a memoir. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A memoir is another subgenre that\u2019s all about a real person\u2019s story written by the subject themselves, making them autobiographical. It is a long non-fiction<\/a> narrative of the writer\u2019s memory of their own life. Memoirs<\/a> are often known \u2013 and read \u2013 for their exquisite literary quality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We had a memoir as part of the curriculum for my bachelor\u2019s degree in English Literature. I recall a week during that semester when our whole class was really glum. When one of our professors asked us what was wrong, we all sighed collectively and told her we were reading Elie Weisel\u2019s Night<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine that. A whole class of students were deeply saddened by the subject of a memoir, some even on the verge of tears, as we explained to the professor why we were all low. Elie Wiesel sure knows how to translate his pain into poignancy for the pages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The memoir<\/a> (it also falls under another subgenre called faction) is heartbreaking to readers as it details the harrowing experiences that the writer lived through and perhaps relived as he wrote it. Night is a haunting rendition of Elie Wiesel\u2019s experience of the Holocaust as a teenager. This event in history marks the failure of humanity, and to intimately feel a survivor\u2019s account of this horror is a grieving experience. This, right here, is what memoirs are capable of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A memoir and an autobiography are similar on these counts \u2013 they\u2019re both about real people and the real lives they lead. One way in which\u00a0they differ is in their goal \u2013 memoirs are written to move<\/em> the reader, to connect<\/em> with them by way of emotive storytelling, while autobiographies are generally meant to inspire<\/em> the reader, through a detailed exploration of who the writer really is. This is how they function primarily, even though both memoir<\/a> and autobiography could potentially move and inspire just the same.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, autobiographies might be marketed as memoirs and this can be quite confusing. Even experts make the mistake of using \u2018autobiography\u2019 and \u2018memoir\u2019 as synonyms. A key difference is that autobiographies record the subject\u2019s life from birth to present time, chronologically, whilst memoirs may go back and forth in time and often cover smaller time spans. Autobiographies place importance on facts and history, whilst memoirs lean heavily on emotional experience. This also means that autobiographies are more general in terms of the topics they cover, even though certain events may be highlighted more than others. On the other hand, Memoirs can be thematic with a singular event or experience or emotion taking the forefront. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re excited to write your life\u2019s story, then you\u2019re in the right place. Here are the steps to writing an autobiography: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, it\u2019s your own story. You might even assume that you\u2019re the foremost expert on the topic of you. But think again. You might be surprised by how much you don\u2019t know about your past, by simply going through family photos, and talking to your family and relatives about your childhood. They could give you several anecdotes that could brighten up your autobiography. Even talking to your ex-employers and bosses about the great and not-so-great things about your time in their company could give you a whole new perspective about yourself that you can then share with your readers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing an autobiography might seem like a mammoth task, especially if you\u2019re not clear on what your narrative is. Are you telling your rags-to-riches story? Are you looking at the work-life balance battle you lead throughout? Or are you depicting your struggle against the societal restrictions placed upon you? If you have the narrative clear in your mind, then the outline is simply about listing all the various events of your life and seeing what aspects of them fit your narrative. Jot these aspects down; they\u2019ll be the key points in your chapter breaks. Voila! You have your narrative, outline, and key points per chapter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you start writing your autobiography, try to get through it as quickly as possible. Aim for progress, not perfection, at this stage. The thing is, you\u2019re bound to second-guess your own perspective the more you dwell on it, simply because everything seems important. After all, it is your life you\u2019re writing about. However, this is exactly what could keep you stuck. Instead, move through it at a good pace, and later, when you edit it, you can slow down and decide what works and what doesn\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I never edit my writing soon after I\u2019m done. To have a fresh outlook on my own writing, I need some time and distance from it. So, I give it at least two days, when it\u2019s a small piece. But for an autobiography, I\u2019d suggest giving it much longer; perhaps a month or two. Completing the manuscript in itself could take you months, if not years, and tire you out at the end of it. Take a long break, maybe even a vacation, where you work on something else completely. That way, when you return to edit<\/a> your autobiography, you\u2019ll have a renewed eye for error and detail. After this, maybe give it another two weeks before you fact-check and proofread. Once this is done, you\u2019re ready to send it off to an agent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another thing to consider is that most agents will want a book proposal<\/a> from you when you query them. Of course, before you do that you need to know which non-fiction agents<\/a> to reach out to and what they are looking for. Be prepared for rejections; you knew this was never going to be easy. Do not take the rejection to be a personal critique of your life. Just keep pitching your book to agents until the right one picks it up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from the obvious \u2013 write in the first person \u2013 if you\u2019re considering giving autobiography writing a go, then, you\u2019ll need to bear in mind the following: <\/p>\n\n\n\n An autobiography compulsorily covers the subject\u2019s whole life until the point they are done writing it. This means you\u2019ll need to cover your childhood, upbringing, education (or lack of it), adolescence, career, relationships, lifestyle and more. So, knowing what to include in your autobiography can be tricky. Of course, you can\u2019t place equal importance on each of these. If you\u2019re a fitness expert, then it makes sense to spend more time on your lifestyle section than any other. Still, it\u2019s important to let your readers know everything that shaped you into who you are today. So, whilst the emphasis might be on you as a fitness expert, the reader will also want to know how you handled life as a parent, child, employee, friend and more. They\u2019ll want the full picture, the complete you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The best autobiographies provide as much information as a reader might crave about the subject, yet know when to stop. Keeping the reader \u2013 who doesn\u2019t know you \u2013 in mind is crucial at every turn. The things you think are very important to you, might not be very interesting for the reader. Yes, this is your<\/em> story, but once your story reaches the reader, it\u2019s their<\/em> review that decides how impactful it really is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Life is messy; it\u2019s hard to sort through the clutter and find the thread that ties it all together. But this, you must do, for your autobiography. Even though it will contain various aspects of your life, they need to have a common narrative. At the end of the day, it\u2019s a book. It is a story<\/em>. So, you\u2019re going to have to write it like one. Here are some examples of narratives: transformations throughout life, lessons you learnt from every stage or area of life, you versus your public persona, you versus the society. These narratives don\u2019t have to be combative, just problematic enough for any human to relate with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By its very nature, an autobiography is revealing. It can unfurl the good, the bad, and even the ugly. How elegantly each of these is handled can make or break the autobiography. Walter Isaacson\u2019s Steve Jobs<\/em> does this with a flair unmatched by most other books of the biography genre; the extensive research he did makes for a balanced view. Despite the candid voices, none of it reads like a smear campaign. You can take a leaf out of his book and apply it to your own autobiographical writing. If you can research your own life, by way of getting varied perspectives from friends, family, and even foes, then, you might have a nuanced approach to the storytelling of your own life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are lots of things to include when you’re writing an autobiography. Autobiographical stories cover an entire lifetime, pay close attention to detail, are often written in chronological order, and have a clear narrative. They also have balanced characters and are well researched and fact checked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Autobiographical writing is generally written with the aim of depicting an important experience, topic, or challenge in the writer’s life. Beyond this, the aim tends to be much more personal, and dependent upon the subject of the book. Writers may hope to entertain, educate, or inspire their readers, or showcase a different perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There aren’t any specific rules when it comes to the length, or word count, of an autobiography, but they tend to be between 250-450 pages long. Autobiographies written by people who are well known and already have an audience tend to be longer, as their readers are more likely to commit to the text and take the time to read a lengthier tome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing an autobiography is a highly intimate affair; it\u2019s bound to bring back certain uncomfortable memories, perhaps even trauma. If at any point, you feel it\u2019s getting too heavy to handle, put the project on hold, seek out a therapist and come back to your book once you feel it\u2019s safe to do so. Let your therapist know that this is in fact the reason you\u2019re there \u2013 to be able to write your book from a safe space. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You may want to consider not talking about your book with loved ones until you\u2019ve completed the first draft. Then, let them know that your book might include them and not all of it might be easy to digest. They might not like it, but in the end, this is your<\/em> story and you get to tell it from your point of view. If you ensure to focus on your own journey in the book, rather than blame others, then this shouldn\u2019t be an issue. If someone still feels uncomfortable with the contents of your book, know that there isn\u2019t much you can do about it. It\u2019s their job to deal with their own feelings. Don\u2019t let them guilt trip you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Try not to worry too much about the repercussions of writing your life\u2019s story before you even begin. Remember why you\u2019re writing this in the first place \u2013 your life is<\/em> inspirational and there are readers who\u2019d love to read about you. With that in sight, just get started and complete your autobiography. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve always felt that writing is an intimate activity; neither the writer nor the reader misses the inner workings of the writer\u2019s mind. More so is the case with writing an autobiography. You\u2019ll not only delve into the nitty-gritty of your thoughts but also critique your own life in the process of penning it down. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17576,"featured_media":504689,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[262],"tags":[27486],"class_list":["post-504645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-topic-creative-non-fiction-memoir","tag-get-published"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Is An Autobiography?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Autobiography Definition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Biography <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"autobiographical-writing\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/article-image5.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAutobiography <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Memoir <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"writing-autobiographically\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/writing-autobiographically.jpg\" "\\"writing-autobiographically\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow To Write An Autobiography <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Do Your Research <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Create An Outline <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Write The Draft <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Give It Time Before Editing It <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Write A Book Proposal <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"writing-autobiography\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/autobiography-writing.jpg\" "\\"autobiography-writing\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTips For Writing An Autobiography<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Gives The Full Picture<\/strong>?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Much Is Too Much?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Ties It All Together?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Balanced Is It?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"how-to-write-an-autobiography\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/how-to-write-an-autobiography.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nFrequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Do You Write An Autobiographical Story?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Is The Purpose Of Autobiographical Writing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How Long Is An Autobiography?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Autobiographical Writing<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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