autobiography word in sentence

• Dictionaries home
• American English
• Collocations
• German-English
• Grammar home
• Practical English Usage
• Learn & Practise Grammar (Beta)
• Word Lists home
• My Word Lists
• Recent additions
• Resources home
• Text Checker

Definition of autobiography noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

autobiography

• In his autobiography, he recalls the poverty he grew up in.
• in an/​the autobiography

Take your English to the next level

The Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus explains the difference between groups of similar words. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app

• How grateful and enlightened he must be to have that cleared up: one wouldn't want a thicko to write one's autobiography . 0 0
• Well, you can wait for the autobiography or you can come with me to shop for formalwear. 0 0
• One final irony: In 1950, at age 82, Millikan published his Autobiography , with Chapter 9 entitled simply "The Experimental Proof of the Existence of the Photon--Einstein's Photoelectric Equation. 0 0
• Her mother, Jackiey, the daughter of a market trader, was described in her daughter's autobiography as a petty thief and "clipper" - a woman who pretends to be a prostitute but runs off with the money instead. DUFF & NONSENSE! 0 0
• As he accepts, it would have been dishonest to write an autobiography without touching on this subject. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• After all, in her 1993 autobiography she disclosed one or two juicier titbits contained in the files, which she was allowed to see soon after the Wall came down. 0 0
• Between these two positions lies a range of literacy activity, such as personal autobiography , diaries, functional lists etc. 0 0
• Indeed there is probably more fiction in autobiography than there is autobiography in fiction. 0 0
• While at the BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas next week, I’ll be signing copies of my autobiography I’ll Do It Myself in which I intimately share living with cerebral palsy to show others that cp is not a death sentence, but rather a life sentence: Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt » 2007 » November 0 0
• It is not everyday that you find an autobiography so disarmingly direct and candid. 0 0
• Along the way he offers a sort of autobiography of his bibliomania, which takes him across New England and the rest of the country searching for old books. 0 0
• There are elements of autobiography in these acute, erudite, elegant and amusing essays. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• Matilda of Canossa had obsessed Maureen for the better part of the last two years, possessing her first when Maureen read the autobiography of the controversial countess, and then as she wrote her latest book in honor of this remarkable woman. The Poet Prince 0 0
• Jack . Welch Autobiography & gt ; praised as " the Holy Bible of CEO ". 0 0
• And he found time to write two volumes of autobiography in which he could give full vent to his views on theatre. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• While going through such varied sources, it is a great joy when one finds an autobiography or a biography or an unpublished piece of writing. 0 0
• She wrote in her autobiography that The Manchurian Candidate was ‘a dynamite film,’ though she had worried about working with Frank Sinatra. 0 0
• Autobiography used to be the preserve of hammy actors, gammy lieutenant commanders and superannuated hangers-on to the Bloomsbury Group. 0 0
• It is a famously unclassifiable book, part cultural criticism, part autobiography , mixing participant ethnography with literary analysis. The Times Literary Supplement 0 0
• In her autobiography she said curiosity had made her take the job, but 60 years on she admits she failed to let herself see the atrociousness of the regime she worked for. 0 0
• I thought, 'Doing this autobiography is more serious than I thought. With No Ax to Grind 0 0
• Beyond the headlines inspired by his recent autobiography , it is easy to recognise just how the modern game has transformed his life. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• These texts, written in the style of 1980s bonkbuster novels but with the content of newsy autobiography , could change the face of publishing. Bonk-bios, the perfect beach books 0 0
• As well as being erudite, witty and utterly shameless, his autobiography shows he was capable of great mercy. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• These and other insights into a distinguished writer 's life are reason enough to read this chronological autobiography . Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• George is the survivor, the cat with nine lives, and he has an autobiography for every one of them. 0 0
• He re-read his father's autobiography and realised they shared many character traits. 0 0
• This autobiography will appeal most to those interested in the history of the Chattahoochee Valley. 0 0
• In four volumes of autobiography and three books of journals he distilled much of the flavour of each decade of a remarkable century. 0 0
• Certainly this critique of autobiography has validity; how many autobiographers are truly honest even with themselves, let alone with their readers, about themselves in narrative? 0 0
• After Lacroix, Man Ray spent about six years with the famed Parisian demi-mondaine Kiki de Montparnasse, to whom he devoted an entire chapter in his autobiography . 0 0
• As he wrote in his autobiography : 'I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• Still, autobiography may be the land of the invented past but, when the person is interesting enough and the life is large enough, the compensations are considerable. 0 0
• There is a story told in his otherwise unrevealing autobiography which nicely illuminates the practical side of this pursuit of goodness. 0 0
• Known as a master of tokiwazu bushi, a Japanese song featured in Kabuki plays, she published her autobiography two years ago. Autopsy Disclosed 0 0
• He said he'd been working hard recently on his autobiography , which was now half finished. 0 0
• In his autobiography , he explains in detail why it did not become a worldwide business. 0 0
• In his Autobiography he reports a personal experience of racial harassment. 0 0
• In his autobiography , King mentioned that when he "chivved" someone (interesting that the slang hasn't changed), he was always careful to draw the blade downwards across the face, never upwards or sideways, so as not to slash a major artery. A Night With Annie Nightingale; Mary Anne's Send Off Show; Bandits of the Blitz; Jamie Cullum 0 0
• He was reading the Russell autobiography in order to steady himself for the selection procedure. 0 0
• Burderop farmer Charles W Whatley recalls his schooldays at Swindon High School in his autobiography Farming And Foxhunting published c1940, where Mr Snell had the reputation of pushing on the smart and forward boys. Undefined 0 0
• I was intrigued to read in your autobiography that your relationship with your parents was starchy and formal, while you were close to your grandmother. 0 0
• Tebow's autobiography , audaciously written when he was merely a 23-year-old second-string quarterback most critics called a miscast running back, came out in June. USATODAY.com News 0 0
• In her autobiography , she describes the song's genesis late one night in a Dublin bar. 0 0
• Rowlandson intersperses her autobiography with numerous quotations from the Bible. 0 0
• For now Ricky is busy attending book signings around the country to promote his autobiography Ricky. 0 0
• As it cools, write another autobiography . The Sun 0 0
• His autobiography is set to become a massive hit - but it seems not even the England captain can topple Harry Potter from top spot. 0 0
• Further, Langdon deems the sculpture — which depicts St. Teresa of Avila in spiritual ecstasy, based on a description in her autobiography — as pornographic, as it supposedly depicts the saint “on her back in the throes of a toe-curling orgasm.” Ron Howard, Angry & Demeaning? 0 0
• While trying to help starving villagers, Yunus met a 21-year-old woman named Sufia Begum, who was burdened by a tiny yet crushing debt, Yunus recalled in his autobiography , "Banker to the Poor. 0 0
• I, Dreyfus takes the form of its eponymous hero's autobiography , penned while in prison. 0 0
• IT was supposed to be his grand comeback - a new album and autobiography out on consecutive days after months of hard work. The Sun 0 0
• In his autobiography , My Life, he tells of his lifelong passion for golf both as a player and a commentator. 0 0
• It went right across the board - from literary fiction to celebrity autobiography . 0 0
• Note the dramatic narrative and implicit autobiography that emerge from this penetrating insight. 0 0
• According to Evans's autobiography , Mascarenhas told him that the army's outrages against Bengalis far outweighed those of Bengalis against non-Bengalis. It's not the arithmetic of genocide that's important. It's that we pay attention | Ian Jack 0 0
• In this untypical but engaging sports autobiography , he portrays himself as a man of destiny, overcoming all obstacles in the way of England's Rugby World Cup victory. 0 0
• Ireland, in short, has no monopoly on the use of memoir, fiction, biography or autobiography as a political tool. 0 0
• Government lawyers have been encouraged by a 1997 Appeal Court judgment preventing the spy George Blake from receiving royalties on his autobiography . 0 0
• The details, he says, are pretty much straight autobiography , the sentiments also. 0 0
• In his autobiography Russell reports this sad interlude with agonized regret. 0 0
• Esposito's book is part autobiography , part travel story, part food diary, and part oenological tale. The Wine Book Club Wrap-Up for May 0 0
• If he was the quintessential Parisian (in his autobiography , he describes himself as “a Parisian from the heart of Paris”), she was the fiercely ambitious arriviste. The King Is Dead 0 0
• One wishes one of her many friends and admirers had advised her not to make her autobiography sound like a list of testimonials from famous people interspersed with anecdotes. 0 0
• I told him time after time to write his autobiography . Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• The film is not quite a confessional cry for help, but on some level it functions as scrambled autobiography . 0 0
• As hard as it can be to truly open up and mine the meaning of one's existence, and then stake that meaning out for public display, this is what it means to write a worthwhile autobiography . 0 0
• The book is not so much a formal ‘ autobiography ’ as a free-floating memoir. 0 0
• In his autobiography , he recalls the poverty he grew up in. 0 0
• If an autobiography is the true and full story of one's life -- the entire trip so to speak -- a memoir examines recurring scenes along the way. Will Weaver: Making Sense of the Memoir 0 0
• As is so often the way with writers, paradox seemed not to detract from but strengthen his work, as this collection of novel extracts, short stories, travel writing and autobiography proves. 0 0
• The rugby union star has vowed to address all the claims surrounding his personal life in his autobiography , due out in September. The Sun 0 0
• Because people have ripped her off and sold kiss-and-tell stories (which, presumably, her autobiography is not). 0 0
• This image of a monastic, reclusive author, wilfully at odds with much of modernity, was confirmed by the posthumous appearance of Brown's autobiography . 0 0
• “I sent him another challenge, and another and another,” he wrote in his autobiography , “and the more he did not want to fight, the bloodthirstier I became.” LIGHTING OUT FOR THE TERRITORY 0 0
• Her autobiography refuses to give the reader anything more than a blandly introspective narrative. 0 0
• This book clearly falls into the category of fictionalised autobiography . 0 0
• Autobiography prevails over shop talk, and every voice flickers with creative passion. 0 0
• There is an unusual emphasis on ghosts in herautobiography . 0 0
• He specializes in American literature, African-American culture from 1940 to 1960, Afro-American autobiography , nonfiction prose, and popular culture. 0 0
• In sharp contrast to the autobiography , it tends to be prolix and muddled with excessive detail, and it often reads like a jumbled mix of fantastic stories. 0 0
• A man's face is his autobiography . A woman's face is her work of fiction. Oscar Wilde  0 0
• Surely knowing that he was writing his own epitaph, Frank, who lived in Piccadilly Village, last year published a candid autobiography , I Am What I Am. 0 0
• A pastiche of autobiography and post-modern plot twists, it was haunted by an off-putting tone of smug precociousness. 0 0
• VIctoria Beckham, in her autobiography Learning to Fly, talks about how legendary corsetier Mr. Pearl made hers for her wedding dress. Ava and Lana BFF - A Dress A Day 0 0
• The cover for a bestselling autobiography , or what? Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• It is a unique record that pushes at the boundaries of autobiography and fiction. 0 0
• If we accept the testimony of his Autobiography , his attention was mainly turned to religion and to chemical and cabbalistical studies; from his correspondence, on the other hand, it would appear that his thoughts at least occasionally ran on subjects that had little to do with his spiritual welfare. The Youth of Goethe 0 0
• According to his online autobiography , Mr. Unger recently retired from the practice of cosmetic dentistry and decided to devote his life to painting in oil, acrylic and watercolor, which he called his “passion and first love.” St. Paul’s Hosts Art Show & Sale « Beachwood Historical Alliance 0 0
• Fry said in a "valediction" on his website www. stephenfry.com that he intends to disconnect himself from his multimedia chatter on Twitter, blogs and websites to write a follow-up to his autobiography "Moab Is My Washpot. Reuters: Top News 0 0
• If all fiction is autobiography , then we must suggest that perhaps all autobiography is fiction. 0 0
• The novel is a thinly disguised autobiography . 0 0
• Broyard wrote this before the boom in what Joyce Carol Oates has called “pathography,” or biography and autobiography that focus on the sordid. 2007 January « One-Minute Book Reviews 0 0
• The autobiography covers the author's early years up to the threshold of university. 0 0
• I expect his forthcoming autobiography will have the same effect. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• Very few guessed just how complex until he published the first volume of his autobiography . Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• Moore has just finished his autobiography , One Voice - My Life in Song, a funny, moving and searingly honest book, as you would expect from an unblinking chronicler of Irish ways and Irish laws. 0 0
• Excerpted and condensed from Glenda’s recently released autobiography ‘I’ll Do It Myself’, in which she intimately shares her life story to show others cerebral palsy is not a death sentence, but rather a life sentence. Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt » 2007 » April 0 0
• KING: He wrote in his autobiography ten years ago he started dating you to escape cocaine which he described as comparable to jumping in a lake to avoid getting wet. CNN Transcript Mar 23, 2004 0 0
• A New Yorker cartoon reprinted in Lee's autobiography epitomizes her appeal: A pot-bellied, bald man shaving at the bathroom sink glances at his wife, who is speaking to him from behind a shower curtain. More Than a Girl With a Gimmick 0 0
• In this semi- autobiography , Simon experiences the remoteness and instability of growing up on a reservation. 0 0
• What gives to this autobiography its particular value is its inversion of insider-outsider positions. 0 0
• Political anoraks who want to get ahead of the game should read Winning Back America, the former Vermont governor's recently published campaign autobiography . 0 0
• This wit, who has bequeathed to us no wit; this man of genius, who has formed no work of genius; this bold advocate for popular freedom, who sunk his patriotism in the chamberlainship; was indeed desirous of leaving behind him some trace of the life of an _escroc_ in a piece of autobiography , which, for the benefit of the world, has been thrown to the flames. Literary Character of Men of Genius Drawn from Their Own Feelings and Confessions 0 0
• He went so far as to write his autobiography in the third person and in Welsh - a language few of his admirers could read. 0 0
• It was in the only way--I give most all of the credit to (Bhutto producer) Mark Siegel (who coauthored Bhutto's autobiography Daughter of Destiny), who is a colleague and the person who made the family connection possible and available to me. Dan Lybarger: A Complicated Legacy: Duane Baughman on Bhutto 0 0
• In business matters, like who was going to ghost Jett's autobiography , Kevin's word was obviously law. DEAD BEAT 0 0
• She would later write in her autobiography that she "used to try more and more cunningly to hide my feelings." 0 0
• The past six months had been spent ghostwriting the autobiography of a twenty-five-year-old pop star. LOST SUMMER 0 0
• Just here I rise to remark: For effective purposes one must not be unduly sensitive or overmodest in writing autobiography -- for, being the events and memoirs of his life, written by himself, the ever-present pronoun "I" dances in such lively attendance and in such profusion on the pages that whatever pride he may have in the events they chronicle is somewhat abashed at its repetition. Shadow and Light An Autobiography with Reminiscences of the Last and Present Century 0 0
• A vitrine contains parts of the original manuscripts for his 15,000 page novel and his 5,000-page autobiography . 0 0
• (in French) by Gerard DepardieuIn his autobiography , this giant of French cinema -- who calls himself "bulimic" -- engagingly describes his 56 years of binging on food, alcohol and, above all, work. SNAP JUDGEMENT: BOOKS 0 0
• I'm always reluctant to do so because I don't want this blog to turn into autobiography by other means. 0 0
• The celebrity autobiography is a way of binding celebrities to their fan base. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• Charles Darwin complained quite crossly in his autobiography that, despite many denials, people still kept saying he thought natural selection was the sole cause of evolutionary development. A valuable onslaught on neo-Darwinist simplicities « Anglican Samizdat 0 0
• In this autobiography , Manning portrays himself as a humble but highly intellectual and sage man who is driven by a love of country and his Christian faith. 0 0
• This is autobiography , and since when have we been worried about autobiography being indulgent? 0 0
• (The sentence, "Following in the footsteps of Miley Cyrus, he just came out with an autobiography ," is one of the predicted thirty-six pop culture signs of the Apocalypse.) Welcome back, Chilean miners! 0 0
• Her autobiography , The Kindness of Strangers, published last year, is exceedingly short on personal detail. 0 0
• I cannot forbear observing the philosophical significance of the fact that Autobiography fails to include a photograph of LeWitt himself. 0 0
• Putting it more starkly, he was a mythomaniac, but the autobiography itself, "Each Man in His Time" 1974, is among the most entertaining books about Hollywood ever written. We Shall Not See His Like Again 0 0
• While exploring ideas of anxiety, autobiography , and taxonomy, Amundson and Gour's work goes beyond posing the question of why people collect, and seeks to understand how people delineate their existence through the amassment of things. 0 0
• Will my words find their way into some new tell-all autobiography ? Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• In her autobiography she often refers to her unhappy schooldays. 0 0
• Adrian Glew, who works on the Tate collection's archives in London, was studying the seven-volume handwritten autobiography of 19th-century British sculptor Henry Sibson when he came across a reference to a Frenchman whose nickname was "le bossu," or hunchback. The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed 0 0
• The stories about Dan are legion, and don't bear repetition here - although his autobiography is highly recommended. 0 0
• Agent, asking for me, somebody, anybody to ghost write an autobiography for Alex Higgins. 0 0
• And the Bill Clinton autobiography hits stores this week. 0 0
• To write a biography of another can involve one in autobiography . 0 0
• Thanks largely to shameless self-promotion in his autobiography , a vivid and amusing account written in the vernacular, he is one of the best documented and most widely reputed Mannerist artists after Michelangelo. 0 0
• He also gets £50 and a personally inscribed copy of my autobiography . 0 0
• Finally, by facilitating self-discovery and personal growth, autobiography has therapeutic power. 0 0
• She is in talks for a 5million fee to write her autobiography , something she always said she would only do at the end of her career. The Sun 0 0
• He penetrates deeper into the artist's life in the second volume of his autobiography . 0 0
• The autobiography accompanying the new album appears to be redundant. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• Both texts direct the reader to attend to the saving and comforting power of God; both also provide ostensive biblical legitimization for Equiano's autobiography . 0 0
• In her autobiography she occasionally refers to her unhappy schooldays. 0 0
• Although he claims that his films should not be read as autobiography , he is a past master at transforming his life into art. 0 0
• Also, where is his autobiography , supposedly finished over a year ago? 0 0
• Some feminists turned towards poetry, fiction and autobiography . The Past is Before Us - feminism in action since the 1960s 0 0
• A fresh surprise is sprung by this long-awaited autobiography , which turns out not to be an autobiography at all. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• The Book of Margery Kempe, the spiritual autobiography of the wife of a Lynn burgess, exemplified the virtues which lay men and women sought, and the revelations, visions, and ecstasies by which they came to possess them. 0 0
• On a related note has any one read his autobiography ? 0 0
• His autobiography (ghost-written, like all the publications that came out under his name) was serialized in magazines and on radio, bought by a major book club, and reprinted a number of times. 0 0
• Oskar has convinced Bruno to buy him a ream of blank white paper (Oskar terms it ‘virgin’ paper) so that he can write out his autobiography . 0 0
• This would lead one to expect a fat, dense and detailed autobiography . The reverse is true. The book is short and spare. 0 0
• Autobiography and biography have provided more intimate insights into the lives of homosexual men. 0 0
• In a more recent portion of his autobiography , Rexroth reports that he and his first wife, Andree, also a painter, carried on correspondence with Theo van Doesberg, Moholy-Nagy, and other European post-Cubist abstractionists. 0 0
• As the two parts of the title imply, it contrasts the recent Axelrodian hagiography of Obama as the biracial transcender with the man's own evasively written but ultimately quite clear autobiography . Steve Sailer's iSteve Blog 0 0
• In his autobiography he points to influences from punk, reggae, rock and pop with hip-hop, which really gave him his sense of direction. 0 0
• This autobiography is the unrepentant rant of a violent sex offender, Nathan McCall, who participated in gang rape and violent assaults and shows no remorse but instead pride. Thirteen (!) School Board Applicants at cvillenews.com 0 0
• A film based on his autobiography , Hooleygan: Music, Mayhem, Good Vibrations - described as "anarchic, dishevelled and hugely entertaining" - is scheduled to begin production later this year. The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 0 0
• She has written her autobiography , Memoirs Of An Unfit Mother, which unpicks her marriage. 0 0
• The Improvisatore," upon which, next to "The Wonder-Tales," his fame rests, is a kind of disguised autobiography which exhibits the author's morbid sensibility and what I should call the unmasculine character of his mind, [19] To appeal to the reader's pity in your hero's behalf is a daring experiment, and it cannot, except in brief scenes, be successful. Essays on Scandinavian Literature 0 0
• And I thought you might enjoy hearing one of the toughest ones I had, which was a very earnest fourth-grader that wanted an autobiography of a caveman. Librarian Kee Malesky Considers 'All Facts' For NPR 0 0
• They put his photograph on the dust jacket of his autobiography . 0 0
• His autobiography provides an illuminating insight into his mind. 0 0
• According to his autobiography (Hoxsey, 1956, 62-64), it was his great-grandfather, a horse breeder named John Hoxsey, who developed it at mid-nineteenth century, out of grasses and flowering wild plants which John took from the pasture where a favorite stallion, afflicted with a cancerous growth, grazed daily until the growth necrotized. Ron Paul Wins! | Campaign for Liberty at the Daily Paul - Blog 0 0
• It is in that episode that the larger implications of Schreiner's intricate weave of fiction and autobiography become apparent. 0 0
• This year, a century after Mark Twain's death in 1910, the University of California Press is posthumously publishing "The Autobiography of Mark Twain," a three-volume 'unexpurgated' collection that promises never-before-seen glimpses into a man who continues to defy hard-lined definitions. Apartment Therapy Main 0 0
• It is part autobiography , part history, part psychological investigation of the Scottish character. 0 0
• I've tried to keep this ‘ autobiography ’ as brief as possible but I can't ensure you a weariless reading. 0 0
• Since starting the whirlwind publicity tour to promote his autobiography , he has done his best to seem high-minded. 0 0
• She wrote her autobiography , besides authoring books on the status of women, handicrafts and embroidery. 0 0
• The relation between autobiography and your writing is a complicated one. 0 0
• In his autobiography , "Tales Out of School," he described the central board of education as a "nettlesome" body whose "time-wasting intrusions and demands" made his job impossible. Who Would Want This Job? 0 0
• He has also just signed a megabucks deal to write his autobiography . The Sun 0 0
• Deanna Favre, who alluded to her husband's infidelity in her 2007 autobiography , is promoting a new book and was asked about the allegations on "Good Morning America" Thursday. This just in...: Harvard Club says "No thanks" to Eliot Spitzer; Deanna Favre breaks silence on sexting-scandal 0 0
• Her autobiography opens with an epigraph by Virginia Woolf that firmly sets this metanarrative within a matriarchal tradition of storytelling. 0 0
• He was one of the most best-natured and cheerfullest persons I have in my time met with," writes his pious daughter-in-law (_ Autobiography of Lady Warwick_, ed. Croker, p. 27). Characters from 17th Century Histories and Chronicles 0 0
• It's something else - a hybrid text - combining elements of fiction, autobiography , philosophy, poetry and prose. 0 0
• In an autobiography , I will have to write the truth, I should not hide anything. Just to avoid people’s feelings, I should not be hiding things. If I don’t present events as they happened, truthfully, it is not an autobiography at all. I have read Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography and if I can muster up the kind of courage that he had, I will write one. Rajinikanth  0 0
• They're my particular way of writing my autobiography , the fragments of my day which make up an impression of my state of mind in a particular place. 0 0
• Honesty, Amos says, is one of the advantages of committing her autobiography to CD rather than to paper. 0 0
• Nobody writes an autobiography saying I was a loser, a failure and a fool. 0 0
• Lee Iaccoco's Autobiography was acknowledged to be number one on the best - seller list of 1985. 0 0
• This is really an autobiography as much as a book about heroines. Times, Sunday Times 0 0
• It was published in 1937 so is probably unobtainable now (though you could try abebooks), but it was a marvellous autobiography by a man who edited pulp magazines. 0 0
• The translation represents Dante's autobiography as a prolepsis of the culminant visions in the Paradiso. 0 0
• In "Vivre Dans le Feu: Confessions" Éditions Robert Laffont, or "Living in Fire: Confessions," Mr. Todorov has organized extracts from nine volumes of her letters, notes and diaries into what he calls the autobiography she never wrote. Languagehat.com: TWO FROM THE TIMES. 0 0
• Let's just say that by 30, I want to have had an international best-selling autobiography . 0 0

Report a problem

Please indicate a type of error, additional information (optional):.

AUTOBIOGRAPHY in a Sentence Examples: 21 Ways to Use Autobiography

Have you ever wondered what goes into writing an autobiography? An autobiography is a self-written account of one’s own life, detailing personal experiences, memories, and moments that have shaped the individual.

Table of Contents

7 Examples Of Autobiography Used In a Sentence For Kids

14 sentences with autobiography examples, how to use autobiography in sentences.

Autobiography is a noun that refers to a written account of a person’s life, written by that person themselves. To properly use autobiography in a sentence, follow these guidelines:

Introduce the Autobiography: Begin your sentence with a clear introduction that the text is an autobiography. For example, “In his autobiography,” or “Her autobiography details.”

Use Correct Punctuation: Place the title of the autobiography in italics or quotes, following the appropriate punctuation rules.

Proper Grammar: Ensure that your sentence is grammatically correct and clearly conveys the intended meaning.

Example: In her autobiography, “Becoming,” Michelle Obama shares her journey from a young girl in Chicago to becoming the First Lady of the United States.

By following these steps and tips, you can effectively use autobiography in a sentence to accurately convey the subject and context of a person’s life story.

Autobiographical sentences serve as powerful tools for self-reflection, self-expression, and storytelling. They offer a unique window into the author’s inner life, allowing readers to connect with the author’s journey and gain a deeper understanding of their perspectives and values. Through autobiography sentences, authors create a lasting record of their lives, leaving behind a legacy that can inspire, educate, and resonate with others for generations to come.

Related Posts

In front or infront: which is the correct spelling.

As an expert blogger with years of experience, I’ve delved…  Read More » In Front or Infront: Which Is the Correct Spelling?

Targeted vs. Targetted: Correct Spelling Explained in English (US) Usage

As per request or as per requested: understanding the correct usage.

• Daily Crossword
• Word Puzzle
• Word Finder
• Word of the Day
• Synonym of the Day
• Word of the Year
• Language stories
• All featured
• Gender and sexuality
• All pop culture
• Writing hub
• Grammar essentials
• Commonly confused
• All writing tips
• Pop culture
• Writing tips

Advertisement

autobiography

[ aw-t uh -bahy- og -r uh -fee , -bee- , aw-toh- ]

• a history of a person's life written or told by that person.

/ ˌɔːtəʊbaɪˈɒɡrəfɪ; ˌɔːtəbaɪ- /

• an account of a person's life written or otherwise recorded by that person
• A literary work about the writer's own life. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa are autobiographical.

Derived Forms

• ˌautobiˈographer , noun

Other Words From

• auto·bi·ogra·pher noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of autobiography 1

Example Sentences

In so doing, she gave us an autobiography that has held up for more than a century.

His handwritten autobiography reawakens in Lee a longing to know her motherland.

His elocution, perfected on stage and evident in television and film, make X’s autobiography an easy yet informative listen.

The book is not so much an autobiography of Hastings — or even Netflix’s origin story.

By contrast, Shing-Tung Yau says in his autobiography that the Calabi-Yau manifold was given its name by other people eight years after he proved its existence, which Eugenio Calabi had conjectured some 20 years before that.

Glow: The Autobiography of Rick JamesRick James David Ritz (Atria Books) Where to begin?

Hulanicki was the subject of a 2009 documentary, Beyond Biba, based on her 2007 autobiography From A to Biba.

And it was also during the phase of the higher autobiography.

“Nighttime was the worst,” Bennett wrote in his autobiography.

Then I picked up a book that shredded my facile preconceptions—Hard Stuff: The Autobiography of Mayor Coleman Young.

No; her parents had but small place in that dramatic autobiography that Daphne was now constructing for herself.

His collected works, with autobiography, were published in 1865 under the editorship of Charles Hawkins.

But there is one point about the book that deserves some considering, its credibility as autobiography.

I thought you were anxious for leisure to complete your autobiography.

The smallest fragment of a genuine autobiography seems to me valuable for the student of past epochs.

Related Words

Autobiography in a Sentence  🔊

Definition of Autobiography

the story of an individual’s life written by that individual

Examples of Autobiography in a sentence

To learn about the deceased celebrity, you should read the autobiography he wrote about his life.  🔊

It was interesting to listen to the actress share a memory she had included in her autobiography.  🔊

During the interview, the singer took a few moments to promote the autobiography he penned about his college days.  🔊

Writing my autobiography has been difficult because my childhood was unpleasant.  🔊

While an autobiography is self-written, a biography is written by someone other than the book’s subject.  🔊

Other words in the Books and Reading Material category:

Most Searched Words (with Video)

Voracious: In a Sentence

Verbose: In a Sentence

Vainglorious: In a Sentence

Pseudonym: In a Sentence

Propinquity: In a Sentence

Orotund: In a Sentence

Magnanimous: In a Sentence

Inquisitive: In a Sentence

Epoch: In a Sentence

Aberrant: In a Sentence

Apprehensive: In a Sentence

Obdurate: In a Sentence

Heresy: In a Sentence

Gambit: In a Sentence

Pneumonia: In a Sentence

Otiose: In a Sentence

Use "autobiography" in a sentence

Autobiography example sentences, autobiography.

1. Title of David Horowitz"s autobiography , in which he shows that a

2. She laughed at the autobiography he had concocted for Kazowskis, and repeated her amazement at his ability to construct plausible stories on short notice

3. in his autobiography , that initially, when sex energy is retained, the

4. him in my autobiography but I was not able to find out whether or not he would be pleased to see this small detail of his life in print

5. Beijing, he gave a copy of his autobiography to the guide, a lady who looked young and open minded, promising her, with the best of intentions, that he would write an article about his visit to China

6. autobiography , Soros on Soros, is told again and again that the main premise of his

7. Putting aside his seductive and well-written autobiography (Soros on Soros), we must look at his actions

8. In his post-war autobiography General Schwarzkopf paid tribute to the military forces of the international Persian Gulf coalition, and the success achieved by “all of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guard, National Guard and reserves who took part in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm” (Schwarzkopf, p

9. (The autobiography of a yogi, 1946)

10. In the jail, he spent his time writing his autobiography

11. In the introduction to his autobiography Gāndhiji writes that this ‘title has deeply pained me’ because:

12. There is also a provision to read Gāndhi books online including his Autobiography and more

13. “A Sailor's Tales” is an autobiography tracing the twists and turns in the life

14. In Michael Caine’s autobiography he writes about his theatrical initiation with the irascible Alwyn D

15. In his autobiography , David Hockney reckons he said something like that in a life drawing class at the RA during those years, so it might have been him… but then again it might not

16. Autograph collectors wave magazines with interviews or even copies of your brief autobiography

17. hacker type," recalls Torvalds in his 2001 autobiography Just for Fun

18. In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Alex Haley gives readers

19. You can read more on Anderson in her autobiography and in the 2009 book by Raymond Arsenault, The Sound Of Freedom: Marian Anderson, The Lincoln Memorial, And The Concert That Awakened America

20. “She’s trying to piss us off with her autobiography !” the woman said, leaning over the table

21. Proctor wrote in his autobiography that he was raised in Norfolk’s Huntersville neighborhood

22. In his autobiography , Proctor expressed gratitude to Sparks Melton, the liberal white pastor who arranged a full scholarship to a liberal white seminary

23. Proctor’s high moral standards were evident in his autobiography and in Rev

24. From Samuel Proctor’s autobiography , The Substance of Things Hoped For, I conclude that he grew up in the black middle class

25. In his autobiography , therefore, Proctor provided evidence that he aspired to achieve the higher, second stratum that he called the “heirs of the missions schools

26. You can find more information about the Boggs in her 1998 book, Living For Change: An Autobiography

27. Leakey’s 1983 book, One Life: An Autobiography , though thirty years old, delves somewhat into how it was done and highlights some of his health issues

28. I learned by writing my autobiography for Chapter 1, with the

29. This is an historic autobiography of a knucklehead growing up in the 50’s and 60’s

30. Searching in a drawer of her work desk, Ingrid took out an extra copy of the book Bateman held, plus a copy of her autobiography as a fighter pilot

31. For many of us, it is our own autobiography in verse

32. ” < From The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, Little, Brown and Co

33. He’s busy writing his autobiography and feels confident that it will make record sales

34. Ghost writing is where a book, usually an autobiography , comes out in a

35. ‘Wow,’ I said, ‘plenty to choose from here for an autobiography

36. Autobiography Project, Third Meeting

37. press is clearly stated even in the Fifth Dalai Lama’s autobiography

38. later autobiography , referring to him in passing only as his Junior

39. 126 His earlier autobiography

40. Lama claims in his most recent autobiography that just before the

41. parts of an autobiography that are a witness of God's power

42. Save that for your autobiography

43. Fortunately he was so much absorbed in autobiography that he didn't notice

44. Churchill and Roosevelt in his autobiography ?

45. exhilarating,”(18) he says in his autobiography

46. days,”(20) he also says in his autobiography

47. autobiography , because he was a small child detached from his parents

48. * I have based all the Dalai Lama’s biography of this chapter on his autobiography

49. the adventure that lay ahead was very thrilling,”(5) he says in his autobiography

50. he left the palace, as he says in his autobiography

51. A man who becomes totally silent loses boundaries, loses definitions, loses autobiography

52. [14] Frederick Douglass in his autobiography writes about the same sort of phenomenon that occurred in the slave owner

53. Oh no, I hear you cry, dear reader, not another celebrity autobiography , replete with tales of a

54. When would you have time to write an autobiography

55. I had read Lord Byron's autobiography and I felt privileged to hear the famous man tell

56. it not been for the fact that I had a love of autobiography film documentations, I probably

57. Rose’s new relationship with Saint Coletta developed at the same time that she was collaborating with ghostwriter Robert Coughlan on her autobiography , Times to Remember

58. In her enormously self-serving and revisionist autobiography , she asserted that she agreed to make the film only after Hitler promised to keep Goebbels at bay

59. My discussion of Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will is based on Trimborn, Bach, and Brendon, cited above, but also in part on Riefenstahl’s own autobiography , Leni Riefenstahl: A Memoir (New York: St

60. (The first public person to come out in a big way with bipolar disorder was actress Patty Duke, in her 1987 autobiography and in a bold 1992 book just about her experience with the illness

61. It was a gift that seriously perplexed me once I was old enough to read Mingus’s autobiography , Beneath the Underdog

62. But passages of his autobiography portray an angry and disillusioned man

63. Marshall, Autobiography ,” The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2005, Nobelprize

64. Dorothea was led on to this bit of autobiography without any sense of making a revelation

65. I remember that when I’d read Bill Clinton’s autobiography , I couldn’t help thinking that when he was confessing to the hurt he’d caused his wife and daughter, he couldn’t seem to resist looking for forgiveness too, and even hugs from the reader

66. She also enjoyed both volumes of The Autobiography of Lincoln Steffens

67. But in her autobiography , By Myself, Bacall wrote about how irritating it was with Marilyn, prompted by Natasha Lytess sitting just off camera, calling for take after take, “often as many as 15 or more

68. He reveals in his 1983 autobiography , Confessions of an Actor, that preparatory to beginning production on the movie, he was convinced he was going to fall in love with Marilyn

69. He points out in his autobiography , Time-bends, that he wrote the screenplay as a gift to her and as she read an early draft she would “laugh delightfully at some of the cowboys’ lines but seemed to withhold full commitment to playing Roslyn

70. I also referred to his autobiography , written with Ms

71. Guilaroff’s five decades in the motion picture business and intimate friendships with the biggest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age made his memoirs the most eagerly awaited autobiography of its kind

72. But this is not to be a regular autobiography

73. "" Baruch responded in his autobiography ,

74. In fact, if a romantic lady should chance to come across my autobiography she woidd ■certainly turn up her nose

75. You could never have employed your leisure time more profitably, my ever precious Arkady Makarovitch, than in writing this autobiography ! You have given yourself, so to say, an unflinching account of your first stormy, perilous steps on the path of life

76. " But such an autobiography as yoiu-s might serve as material for a future work of art, for a future picture of a lawless epoch already passed

77. " The poor woman who had fallen into his hands found much that was obscure, especially when his autobiography almost passed into a complete dissertation on the fact that no one had been ever able to understand Stepan Trofimovitch, and that "men of genius are wasted in Russia

78. I will observe, in parenthesis, that Heine says that a true autobiography is almost an impossibility, and that man is bound to lie about himself

Synonyms for "autobiography"

"autobiography" definitions.

a biography of yourself

• Help Center

Sentences with Autobiography

30 examples of autobiography in a sentence - how to use it in a sentence.

Alternatively

Related Topics

• Author Overview
• Types of Writers
• How to Become a Writer
• Document Manager Overview
• Screenplay Writer Overview
• Technical Writer Career Path
• Technical Writer Interview Questions
• Technical Writer Salary
• Google Technical Writer Interview Questions
• How to Become a Technical Writer
• UX Writer Career Path
• Google UX Writer
• UX Writer vs Copywriter
• UX Writer Resume Examples
• UX Writer Interview Questions
• UX Writer Skills
• How to Become a UX Writer
• UX Writer Salary
• Google UX Writer Overview
• Google UX Writer Interview Questions
• Technical Writing Certifications
• Grant Writing Certifications
• UX Writing Certifications
• Proposal Writing Certifications
• Content Design Certifications
• Knowledge Management Certifications
• Medical Writing Certifications
• Grant Writing Classes
• Business Writing Courses
• Technical Writing Courses
• Content Design Overview
• Documentation Overview
• User Documentation
• Process Documentation
• Technical Documentation
• Software Documentation
• Knowledge Base Documentation
• Product Documentation
• Process Documentation Overview
• Process Documentation Templates
• Product Documentation Overview
• Software Documentation Overview
• Technical Documentation Overview
• User Documentation Overview
• Knowledge Management Overview
• Knowledge Base Overview
• Publishing on Amazon
• Amazon Authoring Page
• Self-Publishing on Amazon
• How to Publish
• How to Publish Your Own Book
• Document Management Software Overview
• Engineering Document Management Software
• Healthcare Document Management Software
• Financial Services Document Management Software
• Technical Documentation Software
• Knowledge Management Tools
• Knowledge Management Software
• HR Document Management Software
• Enterprise Document Management Software
• Knowledge Base Software
• Process Documentation Software
• Documentation Software
• Internal Knowledge Base Software
• Grammarly Premium Free Trial
• Grammarly for Word
• Scrivener Templates
• Scrivener Review
• How to Use Scrivener
• Ulysses vs Scrivener
• Character Development Templates
• Screenplay Format Templates
• Book Writing Templates
• API Writing Overview
• How to Write a Book
• Writing a Book for the First Time

How to Write an Autobiography

• How Long Does it Take to Write a Book?
• Do You Underline Book Titles?
• Snowflake Method
• Book Title Generator
• How to Write Nonfiction Book
• How to Write a Children's Book
• How to Write a Memoir
• Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Book
• How to Write a Book Title
• How to Write a Book Introduction
• How to Write a Dedication in a Book
• How to Write a Book Synopsis
• Business Writing Examples
• Business Writing Skills
• Types of Business Writing
• Dialogue Writing Overview
• Grant Writing Overview
• Medical Writing Overview
• How to Write a Novel
• How to Write a Thriller Novel
• How to Write a Fantasy Novel
• How to Start a Novel
• How Many Chapters in a Novel?
• Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Novel
• Novel Ideas
• How to Plan a Novel
• How to Outline a Novel
• How to Write a Romance Novel
• Novel Structure
• How to Write a Mystery Novel
• Novel vs Book
• Round Character
• Flat Character
• How to Create a Character Profile
• Nanowrimo Overview
• How to Write 50,000 Words for Nanowrimo
• Camp Nanowrimo
• Nanowrimo YWP
• Nanowrimo Mistakes to Avoid
• Proposal Writing Overview
• Screenplay Overview
• How to Write a Screenplay
• Screenplay vs Script
• How to Structure a Screenplay
• How to Write a Screenplay Outline
• How to Format a Screenplay
• How to Write a Fight Scene
• How to Write Action Scenes
• How to Write a Monologue
• Short Story Writing Overview
• Technical Writing Overview
• UX Writing Overview
• Reddit Writing Prompts
• Romance Writing Prompts
• Flash Fiction Story Prompts
• Dialogue and Screenplay Writing Prompts
• Poetry Writing Prompts
• Tumblr Writing Prompts
• Creative Writing Prompts for Kids
• Creative Writing Prompts for Adults
• Fantasy Writing Prompts
• Horror Writing Prompts
• Book Writing Software
• Novel Writing Software
• Screenwriting Software
• ProWriting Aid
• Writing Tools
• Literature and Latte
• Hemingway App
• Final Draft
• Writing Apps
• Grammarly Premium
• Wattpad Inbox
• Microsoft OneNote
• Google Keep App
• Technical Writing Services
• Business Writing Services
• Content Writing Services
• Grant Writing Services
• SOP Writing Services
• Script Writing Services
• Proposal Writing Services
• Hire a Blog Writer
• Hire a Freelance Writer
• Hire a Proposal Writer
• Hire a Memoir Writer
• Hire a Speech Writer
• Hire a Business Plan Writer
• Hire a Script Writer
• Hire a Legal Writer
• Hire a Grant Writer
• Hire a Technical Writer
• Hire a Book Writer
• Hire a Ghost Writer

Home » Blog » How to Write an Autobiography in 31 Steps

How to Write an Autobiography in 31 Steps

Generate Full-Length AI Book Instantly

Table of contents.

If you’re thinking about writing an autobiography, then you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we will be telling you all about how to write an autobiography – breaking it down and helping you along with the process.

Writing an autobiography is an opportunity to reflect on your life and share your experiences with others. The process can be enjoyable and rewarding, offering a chance to revisit key moments while helping you shape your story in a meaningful way. With the right approach, you can craft a narrative that resonates with readers and captures the essence of your journey.

1. What is an Autobiography?

So you want to know how to write an autobiography? First off, let’s start with what an autobiography is. Put simply, a biography is a book written about someone’s life. It includes all elements of their life, particularly featuring any significant events that took place.

The word ‘autobiography’ is made up of the two Greek words ‘autos’ and ‘bios’, meaning self and life. Put them together and you get a book that is a mix of who you are, and the life you have lived.

2. Memoir vs. Autobiography

Before you start any kind of writing process, it is important to know what kind of book it is you want to write. There is no way to know how to write an autobiography if you can’t distinguish the two. Memoirs and autobiographies are often plumped into the same genre because they are both about someone’s life.

But they are two genres of their own. So here’s the difference:

It’s pretty simple – if the book is about the person’s entire life – it’s an autobiography; if it’s about one or two events, themes, or memories within their life, it’s a memoir .

Knowing the difference will save you time and energy. It will also help you to shape and plan your book (if that’s your style).

You can always change your mind and switch genres, but at least you will know what you are doing and how both of them work. Whichever you choose will change a lot about your book – particularly the content you choose to include and the structure of the entire piece.

Memoir is the perfect platform to share your personal life experience, and you don’t have to share every other significant moment of your life. (A wise decision if only one really interesting thing has happened to you during your lifetime.)

Writing an autobiography is much different. While they both to do with the author’s life, biography is more to do with what happened throughout your life.

That means all significant events from birth ’till now.

If you set out to write a biography and it turns into a memoir, this is not a problem. The problem is when you don’t know what you’re doing at all. This leads to confusion in the writing process. And a lack of professionalism outside of it.

A great way to learn how to write an autobiography is to read. A lot. Reading other autobiographies will give you an idea of which direction to go in and how this genre is structured. It can also help you to develop your style and tone of voice, and to pinpoint which writing techniques you find most effective. All good tools to have in your writing toolbox.

Here are a few examples of autobiographies you might want to read:

• My Autobiography, Charlie Chaplin (1964)
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Franklin
• Long walk to freedom, Nelson Mandela
• The story of my experiments with truth, Mahatma Gandhi
• The story of my life, by Helen Keller
• The autobiography of Malcolm X, Alex Haley, Malcolm X
• An Autobiography, Agatha Christie (1965))
• The confessions of St. Augustine, Augustine of Hippo
• Scar tissue, Anthony Kiedis, Larry Sloman
• Open: An Autobiography, Andre Agassi
• Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
• Autobiography of a yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda

4. When to Write an Autobiography

Experience and youth. Photograph by Ivette Ivens. Source: abcnews.go.com

Cellini (1500-1571) wrote one of the finest autobiographies of the Renaissance. He stated:

“No matter what sort he is, everyone who has to his credit what are or really seem great achievements, if he cares for truth and goodness, ought to write the story of his own life in his own hand; but no one should venture on such a splendid undertaking before he is over forty.” Cellini

Knowing how to write an autobiography can have a lot to do with your life experiences. This fact brings into question the age of the reader.

Many biographies are written later on in life when experience has been gathered and there are many exciting moments to draw from. But this isn’t always the case.

If you are a younger writer and feel that your life has been sufficiently fantastic, or you feel a growing desire to get down all of the details of your childhood days, there is no rule that says you can’t. So don’t let others’ perceptions stop you.

Twenty-one-year-old Edouard Louis, for example, published a hugely successful fictional autobiography (aka an autofiction), The End of Eddy about his childhood and adolescence. So it is possible. Sorry Cellini.

That said, an older, more experienced writer may have an easier time writing an autobiography, simply because they have more material to draw from.

Like memoirs, autobiographies tend to center around a theme, even though you are including many life events. That is because people tend to also be themed, in a way. Want to know how to start an autobiography? Thinking about a theme can be a useful way in.

If you are a professional dancer, and that is the passion of your life, it makes sense that your book would also center around the theme of dancing and how you reached that success.

If you are ghostwriting for a celebrity, naturally they will be famous for something in particular.

The main theme, of course, is the person’s life. But that is not enough to sustain interest across time. So bear in mind a secondary theme that ties it all together.

If your theme or themes are relatable, then that will stand you in good stead. If you are not writing a glitzy celeb autobiography, then having a very relatable and original theme is more likely to find a readership than any other. Be careful not to choose and manufacture your theme, however. If you are meant to write an autobiography, you will likely already feel compelled to write about your life. So try not to put too much thought into it. Just keep it in mind, as it will keep you on track.

6. How to Pick a Theme

How to start an autobiography? One way is to pick a theme. And stick to it.

One way of picking a theme is to choose an aspect of your personality that you feel is awesome and make that your sole focus. Maybe you’re great at maths, for example. Perhaps you made it to the world championships in mathematics or something. That would be a story worth telling.

Another is to look at your philosophy in life and make that the focal point of your book. Showing your values throughout the book can inspire and uplift the reader as it can show a good example of a life well-lived. It also reveals quite clearly who you are as a person, without you having to explicitly spell it out.

A third would be to consider the things that are most important to you in your life and to make a reference to these as you work your way through each significant event mentioned in your book. (This works especially well if you are writing an autobiography for those who know you.)

If you are looking to get started right away, then generate a full-length book with AI:

7. Exceptions

You might also want to know how to write an autobiography because you want to share your story with your family. This is an admirable reason to write a story. It means that your family will always have a special connection to you through a story, no matter what. It also means that generations to come will have that link to their own past and history.

From that sense, everybody should write one!

This kind of story can even be compiled as an oral history of your family’s history and lives, which makes for an extremely personal keepsake.

Autobiographies are sometimes written in short form, as essays for college assignments. This is a similar exercise to writing a full book but in a condensed format.

Another form of autobiography is as an autofiction. This book is based mostly upon autobiographical content but is also a work of fiction. This is an easy way of avoiding any concerns you might have about privacy. If you want to distance yourself a little and take more control over the content, then this may be the way to go.

You can also consider other formats, such as writing an autobiographical graphic novel, which has the essence of cool written all over it. If you are an artist or have a passion for strong visuals, this is something to consider.

8. How to Plan

“Look for the times when your life changed the most, and when you changed the most, those are the times of peak drama in your life.” Janice Erlbaum, The Autobiographer’s Handbook

An excellent practice when learning how to start an autobiography is to begin by writing out all of the significant events in your life. These could be anything; from graduating college to losing your virginity, to being born. Whatever you think is most important and noteworthy, write it down.

You can later play with the order of events if you like, to shake things up a little bit,  but for now, just get anything and everything you can think of written down.

When considering how to write an autobiography, it seems to be the most natural of all genres to plan. This is because within its very construction there is a presumption of what it will be about: events in your life. In this sense, it is already set up for you. In some ways, this makes writing a lot easier. On the other hand, the risk that easy planning poses is boredom. For the reader or yourself. The challenge then becomes, how to make these life events interesting and stand out. But we’ll get to that a bit later on…

Nb If you are a pantser (someone who likes to write by the seat of your pants) then you might want to skip this step. In all likelihood you have something in mind to write about, so just start there.

9. Writing Schedule

A schedule helps you to get things done. You will know what works best for you after trying a few things out. You could try planning out how much you are going to write by the hour (i.e. I will write for an hour a day, every weekday) or by word count (I will write 500 words a day). Be realistic and don’t overwhelm yourself. If you are too overambitious, you may find you end up not writing at all.

Otherwise, you could aim to write a certain section of the book per week or month if that works better for you. Because autobiography is so clearly and easily arranged into story beats (was born, had first pimple, dyed hair red, etc.) organizing your writing by these events works for almost all writers, even if you are not a fan of planning.

Ask yourself the question, what’s the minimum I could manage on a regular basis? And be honest.

Everyone has their own writing style, including the way they schedule (or don’t schedule) their writing habits. So don’t ever let anyone tell you how you should be writing. It’s up to you.

10. How to Start an Autobiography

The blank page. Source: petersansom.wordpress.com

Well, now you have a list of important events in your life, starting to write should be pretty straightforward. If you don’t like planning, it’s even simpler, just pinpoint a significant moment in time and get to work! If you have a plan, all you need to do is start writing out a first draft of each event.

Next up we have a few tips and tricks to get you started.

11. Go Digging

While figuring out how to write an autobiography, you will want to have everything you are writing as fresh and vivid in your mind as possible. This clarity will translate onto the page and give your readers a strong impression of each moment.

To do this, you will want to dig out any old photos of you and whomever you might be writing about and begin filing things away for each chapter or section of the book.

You also might find it beneficial to interview anyone who remembers what happened. This can bring a new light on old events. Try using a recorder or dictaphone and typing up the best bits once you’re done.

12. Fill Up Your Senses

A good way to get into the moment before a writing session is to surround yourself with the materials relating to that particular event. Look at photos or listen to recordings from around that time, and jot down any thoughts you might have about them.

You may also want to listen to some music from the time. If you have any old clothes or keepsakes from the person, you will also want them to be around or near as you write. Listen to any interviews about the time or the characters before writing.

13. Write a letter

If you’re struggling to start writing, you can try writing a letter to yourself or to other members of the family from the time. This is a very personal way of connecting with the past. Remembering your connection to your characters will help your writing to flow more easily and mean you have material to draw from before you even start writing.

14. Emotions

Writing about certain life events is likely to be emotional. Say you had a car crash when you were younger or had to deal with some maltreatment of some kind, this will impact your writing, and how you feel about it.

It can be a difficult balance. You need to care enough about your subject matter to write it. But you don’t want your emotions to take over to the point where the style and the content of your book suffers.

While feeling impassioned by your writing, it is also important to be able to step back and take a second look at your viewpoint. This may take several rewrites to get right.

If you are finding it difficult, then consider writing out as many different viewpoints of the event as you possibly can. This will open up how you see it and may even lead to an inspiring revelation for both you and your book.

15. New Insights

One of the benefits of learning how to write an autobiography is that, as you develop as a writer, new insights will likely occur.

So while emotions can run high, it is good to know that writing about anything difficult that has happened in your life can help you psychologically.

Dr. James Pennebaker, a professor at Austin Texas University discovered that students who wrote for just fifteen minutes a day over three days about difficult or emotional experiences had a better level of well-being. He found that going through the process was upsetting for them, but it was the new insights the students discovered through the process of writing, that led to their improved levels of psychological health.

16. Take Care

As with memoir, if you feel that it is too much to write any subject matter, always take a break and come back to it (or not). Your mental health and general well-being are always more important than a book.

17. Know Your Why

Make sure that you don’t add topics or incidents simply to vent about them. Instead, get all your feelings out about it during your first draft, and then start with a fresh perspective. If your writing is only about venting, it will not interest the reader. You may come across as petty or whiny.

Instead, you will want to make sure you can see the benefit of sharing your experiences with people. When you truly know how to write an autobiography, it should empower and enlighten people and help them connect to your story, rather than reading like an unfinished diary entry. It is perfectly acceptable for it to start out that way. But by the end of your writing process, you should be confident in the purpose of why you are writing your book, and what kind of impact it will have on its readers.

Knowing why you are writing will keep you on the right track, and help you like a compass in the storm, when you are lost.

18. Tone of Voice

An important aspect of telling your story will be your narrative style and tone of voice. This completely depends upon who you are writing for and the purpose of your book.

If you are writing for your grandchildren, for example, you may use more simplistic language. If you are writing for a broader audience, then you may use a more neutral tone. Writing for friends? You might want to use more familial or colloquial terms.

This also depends a lot on what kind of person you are, and you will want your attitude and personality to be reflected in your writing. This should happen naturally, but don’t be afraid to write as if you are talking or to use a recording device and write up your account of each chapter afterward.

Pro tip: Relax. You won’t find your tone of voice by constantly thinking about how you might come across. Just write as you think and your natural expression will do the rest.

19. First or Third Person?

You can experiment with viewpoints as you go along, but once you have chosen, you will want to stick with it. The third person gives us the feeling it has been written by someone else. So, if you are employing a ghostwriter or are working on a fictional work, then this is a good way to go.

First-person is the generally accepted viewpoint for most autobiographies, because it is your story, and you are the one writing it.

20. Conflict

As you recall the people in your life, adding in any conflicts, even if they are comical, will add to the richness of the book. Conflict drives drama, intrigue, and interest. And that’s what you want, if you want your book read, that is.

21. Story Arc

The hero’s journey. Source: wildgratitude.com

One of the most critical components of writing an autobiography is the story arc. Like most genres of story, autobiography is no exception and will need some sort of an all-encompassing story arc. This is one of the main challenges you may face while writing this kind of book.

It simply can’t be a long list of events and then an ending. They have to all meld together cohesively in order to have some sort of an impact on your reader.

A story arc gives writers a structure, in which our main character aims to do something, and then either manages (or doesn’t) to achieve it. There are normally many obstacles in the protagonist’s way, and they must overcome them. Simply put, our main character must get from A to B. And you will need to decide at some point, what your start and end points in the story will be.

This ties into your overall message in the book. The great thing about autobiography is that it basically tells your reader who you are as a person.

You can start by making a note of your core beliefs and who you feel you are as a person before you begin. But don’t be surprised if, as you write, you reveal a value you hold that you had never especially acknowledged. This is a true gift to the reader, to leave them with your wisdom or knowledge.

Your philosophy can play a big role in the book, as it has likely led you to make certain decisions and can be featured and interlaced with certain events when your process of decision-making was integral to the direction of your life.

22. Comedy and Funny Anecdotes

While you don’t want to overdo it on the comedy (unless it is a comedic autobiography, in which case, carry on!) a little comic relief can work wonders in this genre. It can lighten the mood and even make sad moments even more poignant. Funny stories specific to your family can add to the color of your characters, so they don’t fall flat .

23. Where to Begin?

Think about when you might want to start your story. The logical point to start is from birth, but as your writing evolves over time, you may change your mind. You may want to add some perspective about your life from before you were even born. Your heritage may also be a large influence on who you are as a person today.

Once you have written a full first draft, you can consider changing around the order. Editing in this way can make for a more dynamic and varied read. If placed in the right way, you can even add in a plot twist or add to the suspense of your book.

24. Consider Your Reader

Don’t rest on your laurels. This can especially be a risk if you are writing only for friends or family. Just because someone knows you, it doesn’t mean your story will automatically become interesting to them. It will likely make it more interesting than if you were a random passerby, true. But this is not something to take for granted.

This point can be ignored during the first draft, but as you begin to develop your story, it becomes an implicit part of the process.

If you are wanting your book to sell, this becomes even more important as the reader’s interest and word of mouth can mean the difference between a book being put down or another sale.

25. How to Make Events More Colorful

Once you have written the thing, you will want to make sure that it is an interesting read. Even if you are writing just for friends and family, they will want to be excited by your life. And surely, that is why you are writing this in the first place?!

So a few tips to make sure that each story beat pops with color is to:

• 1. Keep a notebook with you at all times for when you remember particular details about a person or place. Details will always give your story more originality and color.
• 2. Show don’t tell – this is always relevant to any kind of writing and autobiography is no exception. Try adding in things you saw, smelt, tasted, or touched within the scene. Avoid making a statement and describe what happened in the moment, instead.
• 3. Add metaphor or simile- when describing a character or a vivid memory, don’t just describe how it looked on the surface. Unless this is not at all your writing style, you can enjoy emphasizing how something made you feel through descriptions that include metaphor. (use ext link for how to use a metaphor) For example, ‘she was as fit as a fiddle’.
• 4. Avoid common descriptive words – words such as ‘nice’ and ‘good’ should be considered with great caution once you have reached the third draft of your book.

26. Consider Your Reader

An important part of knowing how to write an autobiography is having an awareness of the reader throughout the entire manuscript. This is not only a book for you. So don’t rest on your laurels.

This can especially be a risk if you are writing only for friends or family. Just because someone knows you, it doesn’t mean your story will automatically become interesting to them. It will likely make it more interesting than if you were a random passerby, true. But this is not something to take for granted.

Many new writers are tempted to leave in every detail of their lives. But longer doesn’t always equal better – often it means that you simply haven’t cut out the parts that aren’t needed. So make sure you have your ego in check – don’t make your book too long just for the sake of it. Just because it’s interesting to you, does not mean every reader will want to know about it – family and friends included.

The average autobiography is around 75,000 words long. Much shorter than 60,000 and you might want to find other sources to write about, and any longer than 100,000, you might want to cut it down a bit.

28. Consider Privacy/Confidentiality

Much like a memoir, an autobiography includes characters who are real people. This means that some might be negatively affected by your work. So make sure to talk to those involved and to have an attorney at hand, just in case.

If you are unsure about leaving in their real name, it is best to give their character a pseudonym.

29. Editing

Both editing your book and getting it proofread will make or break it.

That means that you will want to find a professional editor to work with, who knows what she or he is doing. Ideally, you will want to find someone who is experienced in editing autobiographies or memoirs. Check that you have similar values and that you are both clear on what you are going to be working on before you start.

30. Proofreading

Make sure that all your hard work shows. You can have a strong storyline and everything else in place, but if there’s a typo on the front cover, there is no way you will be taken seriously.

So, ask friends to check over your manuscript, or better yet, employ a few proofreaders to check it over for you. Don’t use the same editor to proofread, as they will find it more challenging to spot minute mistakes by the time they have reread the story more than once. A fresh pair of eyes will likely do a better job.

31. Autobiographies on the Shelf

The autobiographies in our bookshops today, you will notice, are mostly written by celebrities. This is because they often have interesting lives that we want to read about. They include incidents that we could never have access to otherwise, in our day-to-day lives.

And that’s what makes them so appealing.

Most people are not so interested in other’s lives unless they have done something extraordinary. So if you’re thinking of writing something purely to try and get it sold, then you might want to rethink the genre you are writing in. We’re not saying it doesn’t happen that unknown authors sell a lot of autobiographies. It does. It’s just a lot less likely.

But don’t be dismayed, this is only a problem if that is the only reason you are writing your book. If it is because you feel impassioned to do so, then that is all the reason you need.

If it is for your friends and family to read, then you need not worry about big sales or landing a large publisher. It is so easy to self-publish these days on a relatively small budget, that you are pretty much guaranteed to achieve your aim.

If you are looking for a book deal, then you might be hard-pushed, if you can’t say your life has an original element to it at all. If this is the case, consider writing a memoir , instead. There are many more memoirs written by ordinary people with extraordinary stories, than autobiographies. Because people love to hear about how ordinary people overcame the odds.

No matter what your reason, if you believe in your book enough to start writing the first page, then don’t let anyone stop you from writing the book inside of you.

So there you have it. Hopefully, you will now feel confident about how to write an autobiography and ready to start. All it takes, is putting pen to paper.

 Conclusion

Writing an autobiography is a profound way to share your life story, capturing the essence of your personal experiences, family history, and life lessons for future generations. By detailing major life events and highlighting the roles played by various family members, you weave a narrative that showcases the intricate tapestry of a person’s life story. Following a structured approach, such as the 31 steps outlined in this guide, ensures that your autobiography is not only comprehensive but also engaging, making it a good story that resonates with readers. This reflective process allows you to chronicle your life journey in a way that honors your past, informs the present, and inspires those who will come after you.

 The following are some frequently asked questions about writing an autobiography:

How to write an autobiography step by step?

To write an autobiography step by step, start by outlining major life events and gathering materials like photos and mementos. Choose a central theme and create an outline to structure your story. Begin with a strong opening and write in a conversational tone, incorporating vivid details and key events to highlight life lessons. Include family history to enrich the narrative and reflect on your life journey. Edit and revise for clarity, seek feedback, and finalize your manuscript for publishing.

What is the format to write an autobiography?

The format of writing an autobiography involves starting with an engaging introduction that provides background information, followed by chronological chapters detailing major life events and experiences. Each chapter should focus on a specific period or theme, incorporating vivid descriptions and personal reflections. The conclusion should reflect on your overall journey and its impact on your present and future.

How do I start an autobiography about myself?

To start an autobiography about yourself, begin with a compelling anecdote or significant memory that captures your personality and sets the stage for your story. Provide brief background information and explain why you’re writing your autobiography.

How to write an autobiography for class 7?

To write an autobiography for class 7, jot down important events in your life, pick a theme, and write clearly using simple language. Add emotions and maybe some pictures for interest. Edit for clarity.

Instant AI Book Outline Generation

Detailed Structure, Chapter-by-Chapter

Related Posts

Published in What is Book Writing?

Join 5000+ Technical Writers

Get our #1 industry rated weekly technical writing reads newsletter.

• Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Meaning of autobiography in English

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

• multi-volume

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Related words

Autobiography | american dictionary, examples of autobiography, translations of autobiography.

Get a quick, free translation!

Word of the Day

in seventh heaven

extremely happy

A finger in every pie: phrases with the word ‘finger’

Learn more with +Plus

• Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
• Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
• Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
• Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
• English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
• English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
• English–Dutch Dutch–English
• English–French French–English
• English–German German–English
• English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
• English–Italian Italian–English
• English–Japanese Japanese–English
• English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
• English–Polish Polish–English
• English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
• English–Spanish Spanish–English
• English–Swedish Swedish–English
• Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
• English    Noun
• American    Noun
• Translations
• All translations

To add autobiography to a word list please sign up or log in.

Add autobiography to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{message}}

Something went wrong.

There was a problem sending your report.

How to Define Autobiography

Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

An autobiography is an account of a person's life written or otherwise recorded by that person. Adjective: autobiographical .

Many scholars regard the Confessions (c. 398) by Augustine of Hippo (354–430) as the first autobiography.

The term fictional autobiography (or pseudoautobiography ) refers to novels that employ first-person narrators who recount the events of their lives as if they actually happened. Well-known examples include David Copperfield (1850) by Charles Dickens and Salinger's  The Catcher in the Rye (1951).

Some critics believe that all autobiographies are in some ways fictional. Patricia Meyer Spacks has observed that "people do make themselves up. . . . To read an autobiography is to encounter a self as an imaginative being" ( The Female Imagination , 1975).

For the distinction between a memoir and an autobiographical composition, see memoir  as well as the examples and observations below. 

From the Greek, "self" + "life" + "write"

Examples of Autobiographical Prose

• Imitating the Style of the Spectator , by Benjamin Franklin
• Langston Hughes on Harlem
• On the Street, by Emma Goldman
• Ritual in Maya Angelou's Caged Bird
• The Turbid Ebb and Flow of Misery, by Margaret Sanger
• Two Ways of Seeing a River, by Mark Twain

Examples and Observations of Autobiographical Compositions

• "An autobiography is an obituary in serial form with the last installment missing." (Quentin Crisp, The Naked Civil Servant , 1968)
• "Putting a life into words rescues it from confusion even when the words declare the omnipresence of confusion, since the art of declaring implies dominance." (Patricia Meyer Spacks, Imagining a Self: Autobiography and Novel in Eighteenth-Century England . Harvard University Press, 1976)
• The Opening Lines of Zora Neale Hurston's Autobiography - "Like the dead-seeming, cold rocks, I have memories within that came out of the material that went to make me. Time and place have had their say. "So you will have to know something about the time and place where I came from, in order that you may interpret the incidents and directions of my life. "I was born in a Negro town. I do not mean by that the black back-side of an average town. Eatonville, Florida, is, and was at the time of my birth, a pure Negro town--charter, mayor, council, town marshal and all. It was not the first Negro community in America, but it was the first to be incorporated, the first attempt at organized self-government on the part of Negroes in America. "Eatonville is what you might call hitting a straight lick with a crooked stick. The town was not in the original plan. It is a by-product of something else. . . ." (Zora Neale Hurston, Dust Tracks on a Road . J.B. Lippincott, 1942) - "There is a saying in the Black community that advises: 'If a person asks you where you're going, you tell him where you've been. That way you neither lie nor reveal your secrets.' Hurston had called herself the 'Queen of the Niggerati.' She also said, 'I like myself when I'm laughing.' Dust Tracks on a Road is written with royal humor and an imperious creativity. But then all creativity is imperious, and Zora Neale Hurston was certainly creative." (Maya Angelou, Foreword to Dust Tracks on a Road , rpt. HarperCollins, 1996)
• Autobiography and Truth "All autobiographies are lies. I do not mean unconscious, unintentional lies; I mean deliberate lies. No man is bad enough to tell the truth about himself during his lifetime, involving, as it must, the truth about his family and friends and colleagues. And no man is good enough to tell the truth in a document which he suppresses until there is nobody left alive to contradict him." (George Bernard Shaw, Sixteen Self Sketches , 1898)" " Autobiography is an unrivaled vehicle for telling the truth about other people." (attributed to Thomas Carlyle, Philip Guedalla, and others)
• Autobiography and Memoir - "An autobiography is the story of a life : the name implies that the writer will somehow attempt to capture all the essential elements of that life. A writer's autobiography, for example, is not expected to deal merely with the author's growth and career as a writer but also with the facts and emotions connected to family life, education, relationships, sexuality, travels, and inner struggles of all kinds. An autobiography is sometimes limited by dates (as in Under My Skin: Volume One of My Autobiography to 1949 by Doris Lessing), but not obviously by theme. "Memoir, on the other hand, is a story from a life . It makes no pretense of replicating a whole life." (Judith Barrington, Writing the Memoir: From Truth to Art . Eighth Mountain Press, 2002) - "Unlike autobiography , which moves in a dutiful line from birth to fame, memoir narrows the lens, focusing on a time in the writer's life that was unusually vivid, such as childhood or adolescence, or that was framed by war or travel or public service or some other special circumstance." (William Zinsser, "Introduction," Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir . Mariner Books, 1998)
• An "Epidemical Rage for Auto-Biography" "[I]f the populace of writers become thus querulous after fame (to which they have no pretensions) we shall expect to see an epidemical rage for auto-biography break out, more wide in its influence and more pernicious in its tendency than the strange madness of the Abderites, so accurately described by Lucian. London, like Abdera, will be peopled solely by 'men of genius'; and as the frosty season, the grand specific for such evils, is over, we tremble for the consequences. Symptoms of this dreadful malady (though somewhat less violent) have appeared amongst us before . . .." (Isaac D'Israeli, "Review of "The Memoirs of Percival Stockdale," 1809)|
• The Lighter Side of Autobiography - "The Confessions of St. Augustine are the first autobiography , and they have this to distinguish them from all other autobiographies, that they are addressed directly to God." (Arthur Symons, Figures of Several Centuries , 1916) - "I write fiction and I'm told it's autobiography , I write autobiography and I'm told it's fiction, so since I'm so dim and they're so smart, let them decide what it is or isn't." (Philip Roth, Deception , 1990) - "I'm writing an unauthorized autobiography ." (Steven Wright)

Pronunciation: o-toe-bi-OG-ra-fee

• What Is a Compound Verb?
• Broad Reference (Pronouns)
• "Boosting": Definition and Examples in English
• An Introduction to Literary Nonfiction
• Synesthesia (Language and Literature)
• Commonly Confused Words: Stake and Steak
• Past Perfect
• Learn How to Use Extended Definitions in Essays and Speeches
• Tautology (Grammar, Rhetoric, and Logic)
• listeme (words)
• Person in Grammar
• Affect vs. Effect: How to Choose the Right Word
• Creative Nonfiction
• Heard and Herd
• Forth vs. Fourth: How to Choose the Right Word

Words In Sentences

Word Meanings and Sentences

Meaning of AUTOBIOGRAPHY in a sentence

by wordsmith · Published July 27, 2016 · Updated February 20, 2019

Definition: a person’s story or life told by that person

Part of speech: noun, synonym(s): diary, personal narrative, antonym(s): biography, example sentences:, 1. before i die, i’ll write my autobiography so people can learn my story, straight from the source., 2. the general’s story is not a biography; it’s an autobiography because he wrote it himself., 3. although the actress swears she wrote her autobiography, it’s obvious from the book’s writing style it was written by someone else..

Tags: autobiography definition autobiography meaning autobiography sentence

You may also like...

Meaning of CANTO in a Sentence

January 25, 2018

 by wordsmith · Published January 25, 2018 · Last modified September 25, 2018

Meaning of ENSCONCED in a Sentence

October 14, 2016

 by wordsmith · Published October 14, 2016 · Last modified November 30, 2018

Meaning of ESTABLISH in a Sentence

October 15, 2016

 by wordsmith · Published October 15, 2016 · Last modified November 30, 2018

• Next word Meaning of CONVENIENT in a sentence
• Previous word Meaning of BIOGRAPHY in a sentence

The meaning of Cosmopolitan, Iniquitous, Enigma, Lout, and Rile in Sentences

22 Oct, 2018

Begging, Quote, Disconsolate, and Impetus in Sentences

14 Sep, 2018

Meaning of Capitulate, Arbitrate, Pacifist, Parable, Gentry

28 Aug, 2018

Meaning of PETULANT in A Sentence – Video

20 Jul, 2018

Recent Posts

• Meaning of Frieze In A Sentence
• Meaning of Abjure In A Sentence
• Meaning of Conjugal In A Sentence
• Meaning of Parochial In A Sentence
• Meaning of Assay In A Sentence

15 Autobiography Examples to Inspire Your Own

So you’re ready to write an autobiography ! Congratulations; this can be a gratifying personal project. And just like any creative endeavor, it’s a great idea to start by getting inspired. 

In this article, we’re sharing 15 stellar autobiography examples to get your wheels turning. We’ll also share some need-to-know info on the different types of autobiographies and autobiography layouts, and we’ll leave you with a list of catchy ways to start your book. Let’s get going!

Free Ebook: From Memories to Masterpiece

Get our step-by-step guide to writing and publishing a bestselling memoir!

In this article, we’ll explore:

What are the different types of autobiographies .

As it turns out, there are many different ways to write a book about yourself. You can go the traditional autobiography route, which is a chronological account of your entire life. Or you can write a memoir , which zeroes in on specific themes or time periods in your life. 

If you’d like, your autobiography can be composed of individual personal essays, or you can blend your autobiography with literary techniques to create a piece of creative nonfiction . 

There are graphic autobiographies that use comics or other combinations of images and text to illustrate your life story, or you can simply publish an edited version of your journal or diary . 

You can write a travelog that documents your life through your adventures or blend elements of your life with made-up stories to create autobiographical fiction . 

When it comes to sharing your life story, there are few rules!

How can I lay out my autobiography? 

Did you know there are multiple ways you can structure your autobiography? The most common is to put it in chronological order . But you can also lay out your book in reverse chronological order or even jump around in time .

Here are a few other layouts to consider: 

• Thematic or topical . As you outline your autobiography, pay attention to themes that emerge. You can lay out your autobiography by central ideas rather than by time. 
• Flashback and flash-forward. This nonlinear approach can be a great way to create some excitement and intrigue in your life story.
• Cyclical structure. Is there one event that you feel defined your life story? Why not try circling back to it throughout your book? This can be an interesting way to demonstrate how your perspective changed with time. 

If you need a little more help laying out your autobiography, we have free autobiography templates and free book templates to help you. 

Related: 50 Eye-Catching Autobiography Titles

15 Autobiographies to inspire your own 

Ready to get your creative juices flowing? Here are some examples of autobiography to add to your reading list. 

1. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

One of the best-known autobiographies, The Diary of a Young Girl, is an excellent example of a journal-style layout. Featuring the story of a young girl who is hiding during the Holocaust, aspiring writers will find inspiration in Frank’s raw emotions and candor. 

2. Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda 

A favorite of Steve Jobs, this autobiography details the author’s spiritual journey through yoga and meditation. It’s a wonderful example of how to blend the recounting of events with spiritual insights and philosophical teachings. 

3. Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela 

The former South African president wrote this stunning autobiography about his struggle against apartheid, his imprisonment, and his presidency. Aspiring autobiography writers who want to write a book about social change should read this one. 

4. The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi

In his autobiography, Gandhi explores his philosophy of nonviolent resistance through his political and spiritual journey. Writers will appreciate this book for the way it weaves stories of personal growth into a larger narrative of social change. 

5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

One of several autobiographical works by Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings explores her coming-of-age experience amidst racism and a traumatic childhood. Writers should read this to hear Angelou’s powerful story and be inspired by her vivid language. 

6. The Story of My Life by Hellen Keller

Keller details her remarkable life as a deaf and blind person, sharing intimate details about her education and advocacy work. Aspiring writers will benefit from reading Keller’s sensory-rich language since she has the unique experience of navigating the world through touch.

7. The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X

This autobiography, written in collaboration with journalist Alex Haley, tracks Malcolm X from his youth through his adulthood as a prominent activist in the civil rights movement. Read this one to learn tips and tricks for writing about your personal evolution. 

8. The Story of My Life by Clarence Darrow 

Darrow shares his experiences as a civil libertarian and prominent American Lawyer in this enlightening autobiography. Writers should read this one to learn how to build a persuasive argument in their book. 

9. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah 

South African comedian, television host, and political commentator Trevor Noah wrote this autobiography detailing his upbringing during apartheid in South Africa. This is a must-read for writers who are looking to infuse humor into their autobiographies—even when writing about heavy subjects . 

10. I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

In her autobiography, Yousafzia recounts her tumultuous and sometimes terrifying journey advocating for equal education for girls. If you want to write your own autobiography, read this one first to learn how to bring an authentic voice to your narrative. 

11. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Boom’s autobiography shares the harrowing story of her family’s efforts to hide Jews from the Nazis during World War II. Writers should read this to witness how Boom weaves a historical narrative into her life story. 

12. Agatha Christie: An Autobiography by Agatha Christie 

Renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie took time away from her suspenseful novels to write a book about herself. If you plan to write an autobiography, read Christie’s first to learn how to build a sense of intrigue. 

13. Chronicles: Volume 1 by Bob Dylan 

If you’re an artist writing your autobiography, you’ll be inspired by Dylan’s. It shares his unique perspective on the creative process in music and literature and delves into what it means to maintain your artistic vision. 

14. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 

This well-known autobiography may make you cry, but it’s well worth the read. Written by a surgeon as he faces a terminal illness, it’s a must-read for any author exploring themes of mortality in their writing. 

15. Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama 

This autobiography by the former U.S. president is a great read for anyone aspiring to write an autobiography that intertwines their personal story with a larger societal and political narrative. 

• 31 Best Autobiographies
• 30 Celebrity Autobiographies

What is a catchy autobiography introduction? 

Sometimes the hardest part of a new project is getting started. If you’re ready to begin writing your autobiography and need a good opener, here are some angles to consider: 

• Start by describing a childhood dream and how it influenced your journey. 
• Open with a letter to your younger self.
• Share a formative childhood memory. 
• Start with a thought-provoking question you’ll answer as your book progresses.
• Talk about an object that’s meaningful to you and tie it to a larger story about your life.

With so much inspiration and so many wonderful resources, there’s never been a better time to write your autobiography. If, after reading a few books on this list, you’re not sure where to start with yours—let us help! Just sign up for a book consultation to get started.

Join the Community

Join 100,000 other aspiring authors who receive weekly emails from us to help them reach their author dreams. Get the latest product updates, company news, and special offers delivered right to your inbox.

How To Write an Autobiography 2024 (Tips, Templates, & Guide)

Your life story has value, merit, and significance. You want to share it with the world, but maybe you don’t know how .

Here’s how to write an autobiography:

Write an autobiography by creating a list of the most important moments, people, and places in your life. Gather photos, videos, letters, and notes about these experiences. Then, use an outline, templates, sentence starters, and questions to help you write your autobiography .

In this article, you are going to learn the fastest method for writing your autobiography.

We are going to cover everything you need to know with examples and a free, downloadable, done-for-you template.

What Is an Autobiography?

Table of Contents

Before you can write an autobiography, you must first know the definition.

An autobiography is the story of your life, written by you. It covers the full span of your life (at least, up until now), hitting on the most significant moments, people and events.

When you write your autobiography, you write an intimate account of your life.

What Should I Include In an Autobiography?

If you are scratching your head, baffled about what to include in your autobiography, you are not alone.

After all, a big part of how to write an autobiography is knowing what to put in and what to leave out of your life story. Do you focus on every detail?

Every person? Won’t your autobiography be too long?

A good way to think about how to write an autobiography is to use the Movie Trailer Method.

What do movie trailers include?

• High emotional moments
• The big events
• The most important characters

When you plan, organize, and write your autobiography, keep the Movie Trailer Method in mind. You can even watch a bunch of free movie trailers on YouTube for examples of how to write an autobiography using the Movie Trailer Method.

When wondering what to include in your autobiography, focus on what would make the cut for a movie trailer of your life:

• Most important people (like family, friends, mentors, coaches, etc.)
• Significant events (like your origin story, vacations, graduations, life turning points, life lessons)
• Emotional moments (When you were homeless, when you battled a life-threatening condition, or when you fell in love)
• Drama or suspense (Did you make it into Harvard? Did your first surgery go well? Did your baby survive?)

Autobiography Structure Secrets

Like any compelling story, a well-structured autobiography often follows a pattern that creates a logical flow and captures readers’ attention.

Traditionally, autobiographies begin with early memories, detailing the writer’s childhood, family background, and the events or people that shaped their formative years.

From here, the narrative typically progresses chronologically, covering major life events like schooling, friendships, challenges, achievements, career milestones, and personal relationships.

It’s essential to weave these events with introspective insights.

This allows readers to understand not just the what, but also the why behind the author’s choices and experiences.

Towards the end, an effective autobiography often includes reflections on lessons learned, changes in perspective over time, and the wisdom acquired along life’s journey.

Example of the Structure:

• Introduction: A gripping event or anecdote that gives readers a hint of what to expect. It could be a pivotal moment or challenge that defines the essence of the story.
• Childhood and Early Memories: Recounting family dynamics, birthplace, cultural background, and memorable incidents from early years.
• Adolescence and Discovering Identity: Experiences during teenage years, challenges faced, friendships formed, and personal evolutions.
• Pursuits and Passions: Describing education, early career choices, or any particular hobby or skill that played a significant role in the author’s life.
• Major Life Events and Challenges: Chronicles of marriage, parenthood, career shifts, or any significant setbacks and how they were overcome.
• Achievements and Milestones: Celebrating major accomplishments and recounting the journey to achieving them.
• Reflections and Wisdom: Sharing life lessons, changes in beliefs or values over time, and offering insights gained from lived experiences.
• Conclusion: Summarizing the journey, contemplating on the present state, and sharing hopes or aspirations for the future.

How To Write an Autobiography Quickly: Strategies & Templates

Want the quickest way to organize and write your autobiography in record time? You can literally write your autobiography in 7 days or less with this method.

The secret is to use done-for-you templates.

I have personally designed and collected a series of templates to take you from a blank page to a fully complete Autobiography. I call this the How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint.

And it’s completely free to download right from this article. 🙂

In the How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint, you get:

• The Autobiography Questions Template
• The Autobiography Brainstorm Templates
• The Autobiography Outline Template

Here is an image of it so that you know exactly what you get when you download it:

How To Write an Autobiography: Step-by-Step

When you sit down to write an autobiography, it’s helpful to have a step-by-step blueprint to follow.

You already have the done-for-you templates that you can use to organize and write an autobiography faster than ever before. Now here’s a complete step-by-step guide on how to maximize your template.

• Brainstorm Ideas
• Order your sections (from medium to high interest)
• Order the ideas in each section (from medium to high interest)
• Write three questions to answer in each section
• Choose a starter sentence
• Complete a title template
• Write each section of your by completing the starter sentence and answering all three questions

Brainstorm Your Autobiography

The first step in writing your autobiography is to brainstorm.

Give yourself time and space to write down the most significant people, events, lessons, and experiences in your life. The templates in the How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint provide sections for you to write down your brainstormed ideas.

This will help you organize your ideas into what will become the major sections of your book.

These will be:

• Y our most significant events and experiences.
• The people who impacted you the most.
• The challenges you have overcome.
• Your achievements and successes.
• The lessons you have learned.

The “other” sections on the second page of the Brainstorm template is for creating your own sections or to give you more space for the sections I provided in case you run out of space.

As I brainstorm, I find asking myself specific questions really activates my imagination.

So I have compiled a list of compelling questions to help you get ideas down on paper or on your screen.

Order Your Sections (From Medium to High Interest)

The next step is to order your main sections.

The main sections are the five (or more) sections from your Brainstorm templates (Significant events, significant people, life lessons, challenges, successes, other, etc). This order will become the outline and chapters for your book.

How do you decide what comes first, second or third?

I recommend placing the sections in order of interest. Ask yourself, “What’s the most fascinating part of my life?”

If it’s a person, then write the name of that section (Significant People) on the last line in the How to Write an Autobiography Outline Template. If it’s an experience, place the name of that section (Significant Events) on the last line.

For example, if you met the Pope, you might want to end with that nugget from your life. If you spent three weeks lost at sea and survived on a desert island by spearfishing, that is your ending point.

Then complete the Outline by placing the remaining sections in order of interest. You can work your way backward from high interest to medium interest.

If you are wondering why I say “medium to high interest” instead of “low to high interest” it is because there should be no “low interest” parts of your autobiography.

But wait, what if you met the Pope AND spent three weeks lost at sea? How do you choose which one comes first or last?

First of all, I want to read this book! Second, when in doubt, default to chronological order. Whatever event happened first, start there.

Here is an example of how it might look:

Order The Ideas in Each Section (From Medium To High Interest)

Now, organize the ideas inside of each section. Again, order the ideas from medium to high interest).

Within your “Significant People” section, decide who you want to talk about first, second, third, etc. You can organize by chronological order (who you met first) but I recommend building to the most interesting or most significant person.

This creates a more compelling read.

Keep in mind that the most significant person might not be the most well-known, most famous, or most popular. The most significant person might be your family member, friend, partner, or child.

It comes down to who shaped your life the most.

So, if your “significant people list” includes your dad, a famous social media influencer, and Mike Tyson, your dad might come last because he had the biggest significance in your life.

Write Three Questions to Answer in Each Section

Ok, you’ve done the heavy lifting already. You have the major sections organized and outlined.

Next on your autobiography to-do list is to choose and write down three questions you are going to answer in each section. You can write your questions down in the provided “boxes” for each section on the template outline (or on another piece of paper.

This is easier than it might seem.

Simply choose one of the sample autobiography questions below or create your own:

• Why did I choose this person/event?
• What does this person/event mean to me?
• How did I meet this person?
• Where did it happen?
• When did it happen?
• Why did it happen?
• How did it happen?
• What is the most interesting part?
• How did I feel about this person or event?
• How do I feel now?
• Why does this person or event matters to me?
• How did this person or event change my life?
• What is the most challenging part?
• How did I fail?
• How did I succeed?
• What did I learn?

Questions are the perfect way to write quickly and clearly. I LOVE writing to questions. It’s how I write these blog posts and articles.

Choose a Starter Sentence

Sometimes the hardest part of any project is knowing how to start.

Even though we know we can always go back and edit our beginnings, so many of us become paralyzed with indecision at the starting gate.

That’s why I provided sample starter sentences in your How to Write an Autobiography Blueprint.

Here are the story starters:

• I began writing this book when…
• Of all the experiences in my life, this one was the most…
• I’ve been a…
• My name is…
• Growing up in…
• It wasn’t even a…
• It all started when…
• I first…
• I was born…

Keep in mind that you do not need to begin your book with one of these story starters. I provide them simply to get you going.

The key is to not get bogged down in this, or any, part of writing your autobiography. Get organized and then get writing.

Complete a Title Template

At the top of the How to Write an Autobiography Outline is a place for you to write your book title.

Some authors struggle forever with a title. And that’s ok. What’s not ok is getting stuck. What’s not ok is if coming up with your title prevents you from finishing your book.

So, I provided a few title templates to help juice your creativity.

Just like the story starters, you do not need to use these title templates, but you certainly can. All you need to do is fill in the title templates below and then write your favorite one (for now) at the top of your outline. Presto! You have your working title.

You can always go back and change it later.

How to Write an Autobiography Title templates:

• [Your Name]: [Phrase or Tag Line]
• The [Your Last Name] Files
• Born [Activity]: A [Career]’s Life
• The Perfect [Noun]: The Remarkable Life of [Your Name]

Examples using the Templates:

• Christopher Kokoski: Blog Until You Drop
• The Kokoski Files
• Born Writing: A Blogger’s Life
• The Perfect Freelancer: The Remarkable Life of Christopher Kokoski

Write Your Autobiography

You have your outline. You have your title, templates, and sentence starters. All that is left to do is write your autobiography.

However, you can use tools like Jasper AI and a few other cool tricks to craft the most riveting book possible.

This is the easy way to remarkable writing.

Check out this short video that goes over the basics of how to write an autobiography:

How To Write an Autobiography (All the Best Tips)

Now that you are poised and ready to dash out your first draft, keep the following pro tips in mind:

• Be vulnerable. The best autobiographies share flaws, faults, foibles, and faux pas. Let readers in on the real you.
• Skip the boring parts. There is no need to detail every meal, car ride, or a gripping trip to the grocery store. Unless you ran into the Russian Mafia near the vegetables or the grocery store is perched on the side of a mountain above the jungles of Brazil.
• Keep your autobiography character-driven . This is the story of YOU!
• Be kind to others (or don’t). When writing about others in your story, keep in mind that there may be fallout or backlash from your book.
• Consider a theme: Many autobiographies are organized by theme. A perfect example is Becoming . Each section of the book includes “becoming” in the title. Themes connect and elevate each part of the autobiography.
• Write your story in vignettes (or scenes). Each vignette is a mini-story with a beginning, middle, and end. Each vignette builds. Each vignette should be described in rich sensory language that shows the reader the experience instead of telling the reader about the experience. Each vignette is immersive, immediate, and intimate.
• Include snippets of dialogue. Use quotation marks just like in fiction. Show the dialogue in brief back-and-forth tennis matches of conversation. Remember to leave the boring parts out!
• Choose a consistent tone. Some autobiographies are funny like Bossy Pants by Tina Fey. Others are serious such as Open by Andre Agassi. Your story (like most stories) will likely include a mix of emotions but choose an overall tone and stick with it.
• Don’t chronicle, captivate . Always think about how to make each section, each chapter, each page, each paragraph, and each sentence more compelling. You want to tell the truth, but HOW you tell the truth is up to you. Create suspense, conflict, and mystery. Let drama linger until it becomes uncomfortable. Don’t solve problems quickly or take away tension right away.

How Do I Format an Autobiography?

Most autobiographies are written in the first person (using the pronouns I, me, we, and us).

Your autobiography is written about you so write as yourself instead of pretending to be writing about someone else.

Most autobiographies are also written in chronological order, from birth right up to your current age, with all the boring parts left out. That doesn’t mean you can’t play around with the timeline.

Sometimes it’s more interesting to start at a high moment, backtrack to the beginning and show how you got to that high moment.

Whatever format you choose, be intentional, and make the choice based on making the most compelling experience possible for your readers.

How Long Should an Autobiography Be?

There are no rules to how long an autobiography should be but a rough guideline is to aim for between 200 and 400 pages.

This will keep your book in line with what most readers expect for books in general, and will help get your book traditionally published or help with marketing your self-published book.

How To Write a Short Autobiography

You write a short autobiography the same way that you write a long autobiography.

You simply leave more out of the story.

You cut everything down to the bones. Or you choose a slice of your life as you do in a memoir. This often means limiting the people in your book, reducing the events and experiences, and shrinking your story to a few pivotal moments in your life.

How To Start an Autobiography

The truth is that you can start your autobiography in any number of ways.

Here are four common ways to begin an autobiography.

• Start at the beginning (of your life, career or relationship, etc.)
• Start at a high moment of drama or interest.
• Start at the end of the story and work backward
• Start with why you wrote the book.

Good Autobiography Titles

If you are still stuck on titling your autobiography, consider going to Amazon to browse published works. You can even just Google “autobiographies.”

When you read the titles of 10, 20, or 50 other autobiographies, you will start to see patterns or get ideas for your own titles. (HINT: the title templates in the Autobiography Blueprint were reverse-engineered from popular published books.

Also, check out the titles of the full autobiography examples below that I have included right here in this article.

Types of Autobiographies

There are several different kinds of autobiographies.

Each one requires a similar but slightly nuanced approach to write effectively. The lessons in this article will serve as a great starting point.

Autobiography Types:

• Autobiography for School
• Autobiography Novel
• Autobiography for a Job
• Short Autobiography
• Autobiography for Kids

Therefore, there is actually not just one way to write an autobiography.

Memoir vs. Autobiography: Are They The Same?

It’s common to feel confused about a memoir and an autobiography. I used to think they were the same thing.

But, nope, they’re not.

They are pretty similar, which is the reason for all the confusion. A memoir is the story of one part of your life. An autobiography is the story of your full life (up until now).

What Is the Difference Between an Autobiography and a Biography?

An autobiography is when you write about your own life. A biography, on the other hand, is when you write the story of someone else’s life.

So, if I write a book about the life of the President, that’s a biography.

If the President writes a story about his or her own life, that’s an autobiography.

What Not To Include In an Autobiography

Autobiographies are meant to be a snapshot of our lives that we can share with others, but there are some things that are best left out.

Here are three things you should avoid including in your autobiography:

1) Anything That Readers Will Skip

Your life may not be filled with non-stop excitement, but that doesn’t mean you need to include every mundane detail in your autobiography.

Stick to the highlights and leave out the low points.

2) Character Attacks on Others

It’s okay to discuss conflicts you’ve had with others, but don’t use your autobiography as a platform to attack someone’s character.

Keep it civil and focus on your own experiences and how they’ve affected you.

3) Skipping Highlights

Just because something embarrassing or painful happened to you doesn’t mean you should gloss over it in your autobiography.

These are the moments that shape us and make us who we are today, so don’t skip past them just because they’re uncomfortable.

By following these simple tips, you can ensure that your autobiography is interesting, honest, and engaging.

How To Write an Autobiography: Autobiography Examples

I have always found examples to be extremely instructive. Especially complete examples of finished products. In this case, books.

Below you will find examples of published autobiographies for adults and for kids. These examples will guide you, motivate you and inspire you to complete your own life story.

They are listed here as examples, not as endorsements, although I think they are all very good.

The point is that you don’t have to agree with anything written in the books to learn from them.

Autobiography Examples for Adults

• A Promised Land (Autobiography of Barack Obama)
• If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t) (Betty White)
• It’s a Long Story: My Life (Willie Nelson)
• Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography (Rob Lowe)
• Becoming (Michelle Obama)

Autobiography Examples for Kids

• This Kid Can Fly: It’s About Ability (NOT Disability) (Aaron Philips)
• Bee Fearless: Dream Like a Kid (Mikaila Ulmer)

Tools to Write Your Autobiography

Here are some recommended tools to help you write your autobiography:

Final Thoughts: How To Write An Autobiography

Thank you for reading my article on How to Write an Autobiography.

Now that you know all of the secrets to write your book, you may want to get it published, market it, and continue to upskill yourself as an author.

In that case, read these posts next:

• Can Anyone Write A Book And Get It Published?
• The Best Writing Books For Beginners 2022 (My 10 Favorites)
• Why Do Writers Hate Adverbs? (The Final Answer)
• How To Write a Manifesto: 20 Ultimate Game-Changing Tips

2 thoughts on “How To Write an Autobiography 2024 (Tips, Templates, & Guide)”

Pingback: How To Write Like Danielle Steel - CHRISTOPHER KOKOSKI

Pingback: How Many Characters Should A Book Have? - CHRISTOPHER KOKOSKI

Comments are closed.

• Top1000 word
• Top5000 word
• Conjunction
• Sentence into pic

Autobiography in a sentence

• 某某   2016-01-13 联网相关的政策
• daughter  (227+70)
• rule  (251+36)
• single  (235+53)
• choice  (212+53)
• condition  (217+60)
• letter  (186+73)
• short  (245+92)
• opportunity  (154+46)
• likely  (156+54)
• plant  (159+51)
• available  (178+56)
• hundred  (181+56)
• realize  (150+16)
• summer  (267+97)
• period  (291+68)
• energy  (262+54)
• brother  (180+71)
• chance  (187+71)
• soon  (271+66)
• listen  (241+51)

Definition of 'autobiography'

• autobiography

It seems that your browser is blocking this video content.

To access it, add this site to the exceptions or modify your security settings, then refresh this page.

autobiography in British English

Autobiography in american english, examples of 'autobiography' in a sentence autobiography, cobuild collocations autobiography, trends of autobiography.

View usage for: All Years Last 10 years Last 50 years Last 100 years Last 300 years

Browse alphabetically autobiography

• autobiographical writing
• autobiographically
• autobiographies
• Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, The
• All ENGLISH words that begin with 'A'

Related terms of autobiography

• celebrity autobiography
• read an autobiography
• write an autobiography

Wordle Helper

Scrabble Tools

Quick word challenge

Quiz Review

Score: 0 / 5

• Access the entire site, including the Easy Learning Grammar , and our language quizzes.
• Customize your language settings. (Unregistered users can only access the International English interface for some pages.)
• Submit new words and phrases to the dictionary.
• Benefit from an increased character limit in our Translator tool.
• Receive our weekly newsletter with the latest news, exclusive content, and offers.
• Be the first to enjoy new tools and features.
• It is easy and completely free !