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- Introduction
The emergence of autobiography
Types of autobiography.
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autobiography
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autobiography , the biography of oneself narrated by oneself. Autobiographical works can take many forms, from the intimate writings made during life that were not necessarily intended for publication (including letters, diaries , journals , memoirs , and reminiscences) to a formal book-length autobiography.
Formal autobiographies offer a special kind of biographical truth: a life, reshaped by recollection, with all of recollection’s conscious and unconscious omissions and distortions. The novelist Graham Greene said that, for this reason, an autobiography is only “a sort of life” and used the phrase as the title for his own autobiography (1971).
There are but few and scattered examples of autobiographical literature in antiquity and the Middle Ages. In the 2nd century bce the Chinese classical historian Sima Qian included a brief account of himself in the Shiji (“Historical Records”). It may be stretching a point to include, from the 1st century bce , the letters of Cicero (or, in the early Christian era, the letters of Saint Paul ), and Julius Caesar ’s Commentaries tell little about Caesar, though they present a masterly picture of the conquest of Gaul and the operations of the Roman military machine at its most efficient. But Saint Augustine ’s Confessions , written about 400 ce , stands out as unique: though Augustine put Christianity at the centre of his narrative and considered his description of his own life to be merely incidental, he produced a powerful personal account, stretching from youth to adulthood, of his religious conversion.
Confessions has much in common with what came to be known as autobiography in its modern, Western sense, which can be considered to have emerged in Europe during the Renaissance , in the 15th century. One of the first examples was produced in England by Margery Kempe , a religious mystic of Norfolk. In her old age Kempe dictated an account of her bustling, far-faring life, which, however concerned with religious experience, reveals her personality. One of the first full-scale formal autobiographies was written a generation later by a celebrated humanist publicist of the age, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, after he was elevated to the papacy, in 1458, as Pius II . In the first book of his autobiography—misleadingly named Commentarii , in evident imitation of Caesar—Pius II traces his career up to becoming pope; the succeeding 11 books (and a fragment of a 12th, which breaks off a few months before his death in 1464) present a panorama of the age.
The autobiography of the Italian physician and astrologer Gironimo Cardano and the adventures of the goldsmith and sculptor Benvenuto Cellini in Italy of the 16th century; the uninhibited autobiography of the English historian and diplomat Lord Herbert of Cherbury, in the early 17th; and Colley Cibber ’s Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber, Comedian in the early 18th—these are representative examples of biographical literature from the Renaissance to the Age of Enlightenment. The latter period itself produced three works that are especially notable for their very different reflections of the spirit of the times as well as of the personalities of their authors: the urbane autobiography of Edward Gibbon , the great historian; the plainspoken, vigorous success story of an American who possessed all talents, Benjamin Franklin ; and the introspection of a revolutionary Swiss-born political and social theorist, the Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau —the latter leading to two autobiographical explorations in poetry during the Romantic period in England, William Wordsworth ’s Prelude and Lord Byron ’s Childe Harold , cantos III and IV.
An autobiography may be placed into one of four very broad types: thematic, religious, intellectual , and fictionalized. The first grouping includes books with such diverse purposes as The Americanization of Edward Bok (1920) and Adolf Hitler ’s Mein Kampf (1925, 1927). Religious autobiography claims a number of great works, ranging from Augustine and Kempe to the autobiographical chapters of Thomas Carlyle ’s Sartor Resartus and John Henry Cardinal Newman ’s Apologia in the 19th century. That century and the early 20th saw the creation of several intellectual autobiographies, including the severely analytical Autobiography of the philosopher John Stuart Mill and The Education of Henry Adams . Finally, somewhat analogous to the novel as biography is the autobiography thinly disguised as, or transformed into, the novel. This group includes such works as Samuel Butler ’s The Way of All Flesh (1903), James Joyce ’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916), George Santayana ’s The Last Puritan (1935), and the novels of Thomas Wolfe . Yet in all of these works can be detected elements of all four types; the most outstanding autobiographies often ride roughshod over these distinctions.
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autobiography
Definition of autobiography
Examples of autobiography in a sentence.
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'autobiography.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
auto- + biography , perhaps after German Autobiographie
1797, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing autobiography
- semi - autobiography
Dictionary Entries Near autobiography
autobiographist
Cite this Entry
“Autobiography.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autobiography. Accessed 26 Aug. 2024.
Kids Definition
Kids definition of autobiography, more from merriam-webster on autobiography.
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Autobiography
Definition of autobiography, difference between autobiography and memoir, six types of autobiography, importance of autobiography, examples of autobiography in literature, example #1: the box: tales from the darkroom by gunter grass, example #2: the story of my life by helen keller, example #3: self portraits: fictions by frederic tuten, example #4: my prizes by thomas bernhard, example #5: the autobiography of benjamin franklin by benjamin franklin, synonyms of autobiography, related posts:, post navigation.
What Is an Autobiography?
What to Consider Before You Start to Write
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Your life story, or autobiography , should contain the basic framework that any essay should have, with four basic elements. Begin with an introduction that includes a thesis statement , followed by a body containing at least several paragraphs , if not several chapters. To complete the autobiography, you'll need a strong conclusion , all the while crafting an interesting narrative with a theme.
Did You Know?
The word autobiography literally means SELF (auto), LIFE (bio), WRITING (graph). Or, in other words, an autobiography is the story of someone's life written or otherwise told by that person.
When writing your autobiography, find out what makes your family or your experience unique and build a narrative around that. Doing some research and taking detailed notes can help you discover the essence of what your narrative should be and craft a story that others will want to read.
Research Your Background
Just like the biography of a famous person, your autobiography should include things like the time and place of your birth, an overview of your personality, your likes and dislikes, and the special events that shaped your life. Your first step is to gather background detail. Some things to consider:
- What is interesting about the region where you were born?
- How does your family history relate to the history of that region?
- Did your family come to that region for a reason?
It might be tempting to start your story with "I was born in Dayton, Ohio...," but that is not really where your story begins. It's better to start with an experience. You may wish to start with something like why you were born where you were and how your family's experience led to your birth. If your narrative centers more around a pivotal moment in your life, give the reader a glimpse into that moment. Think about how your favorite movie or novel begins, and look for inspiration from other stories when thinking about how to start your own.
Think About Your Childhood
You may not have had the most interesting childhood in the world, but everyone has had a few memorable experiences. Highlight the best parts when you can. If you live in a big city, for instance, you should realize that many people who grew up in the country have never ridden a subway, walked to school, ridden in a taxi, or walked to a store a few blocks away.
On the other hand, if you grew up in the country you should consider that many people who grew up in the suburbs or inner city have never eaten food straight from a garden, camped in their backyards, fed chickens on a working farm, watched their parents canning food, or been to a county fair or a small-town festival.
Something about your childhood will always seem unique to others. You just have to step outside your life for a moment and address the readers as if they knew nothing about your region and culture. Pick moments that will best illustrate the goal of your narrative, and symbolism within your life.
Consider Your Culture
Your culture is your overall way of life , including the customs that come from your family's values and beliefs. Culture includes the holidays you observe, the customs you practice, the foods you eat, the clothes you wear, the games you play, the special phrases you use, the language you speak, and the rituals you practice.
As you write your autobiography, think about the ways that your family celebrated or observed certain days, events, and months, and tell your audience about special moments. Consider these questions:
- What was the most special gift you ever received? What was the event or occasion surrounding that gift?
- Is there a certain food that you identify with a certain day of the year?
- Is there an outfit that you wear only during a special event?
Think honestly about your experiences, too. Don't just focus on the best parts of your memories; think about the details within those times. While Christmas morning may be a magical memory, you might also consider the scene around you. Include details like your mother making breakfast, your father spilling his coffee, someone upset over relatives coming into town, and other small details like that. Understanding the full experience of positives and negatives helps you paint a better picture for the reader and lead to a stronger and more interesting narrative. Learn to tie together all the interesting elements of your life story and craft them into an engaging essay.
Establish the Theme
Once you have taken a look at your own life from an outsider’s point of view, you will be able to select the most interesting elements from your notes to establish a theme. What was the most interesting thing you came up with in your research? Was it the history of your family and your region? Here is an example of how you can turn that into a theme:
"Today, the plains and low hills of southeastern Ohio make the perfect setting for large cracker box-shaped farmhouses surrounded by miles of corn rows. Many of the farming families in this region descended from the Irish settlers who came rolling in on covered wagons in the 1830s to find work building canals and railways. My ancestors were among those settlers."
A little bit of research can make your own personal story come to life as a part of history, and historical details can help a reader better understand your unique situation. In the body of your narrative, you can explain how your family’s favorite meals, holiday celebrations, and work habits relate to Ohio history.
One Day as a Theme
You also can take an ordinary day in your life and turn it into a theme. Think about the routines you followed as a child and as an adult. Even a mundane activity like household chores can be a source of inspiration.
For example, if you grew up on a farm, you know the difference between the smell of hay and wheat, and certainly that of pig manure and cow manure—because you had to shovel one or all of these at some point. City people probably don’t even know there is a difference. Describing the subtle differences of each and comparing the scents to other scents can help the reader imagine the situation more clearly.
If you grew up in the city, you how the personality of the city changes from day to night because you probably had to walk to most places. You know the electricity-charged atmosphere of the daylight hours when the streets bustle with people and the mystery of the night when the shops are closed and the streets are quiet.
Think about the smells and sounds you experienced as you went through an ordinary day and explain how that day relates to your life experience in your county or your city:
"Most people don’t think of spiders when they bite into a tomato, but I do. Growing up in southern Ohio, I spent many summer afternoons picking baskets of tomatoes that would be canned or frozen and preserved for cold winter’s dinners. I loved the results of my labors, but I’ll never forget the sight of the enormous, black and white, scary-looking spiders that lived in the plants and created zigzag designs on their webs. In fact, those spiders, with their artistic web creations, inspired my interest in bugs and shaped my career in science."
One Event as a Theme
Perhaps one event or one day of your life made such a big impact that it could be used as a theme. The end or beginning of the life of another can affect our thoughts and actions for a long time:
"I was 12 years old when my mother passed away. By the time I was 15, I had become an expert in dodging bill collectors, recycling hand-me-down jeans, and stretching a single meal’s worth of ground beef into two family dinners. Although I was a child when I lost my mother, I was never able to mourn or to let myself become too absorbed in thoughts of personal loss. The fortitude I developed at a young age was the driving force that would see me through many other challenges."
Writing the Essay
Whether you determine that your life story is best summed up by a single event, a single characteristic, or a single day, you can use that one element as a theme . You will define this theme in your introductory paragraph .
Create an outline with several events or activities that relate back to your central theme and turn those into subtopics (body paragraphs) of your story. Finally, tie up all your experiences in a summary that restates and explains the overriding theme of your life.
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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
- auto·bi·ogra·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
Look up a word, learn it forever.
Autobiography, /ˈɔdəˈbaɪˌɑgrəfi/, /ɔtəbaɪˈɒgrəfi/.
Other forms: autobiographies
You are writing an autobiography when you write your own life story. A writer who writes an autobiography is like a painter who paints a self-portrait.
If you intend to write your autobiography one day, it might be a good idea to start recording notes about your life in a diary. The author Gertrude Stein was being clever when she poked fun at the very idea of autobiography when she wrote her own memoirs but titled them The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas , instead of The Autobiography of Gertrude Stein .
- noun a biography of yourself see more see less types: memoir an account of the author's personal experiences type of: biography , life , life history , life story an account of the series of events making up a person's life
Vocabulary lists containing autobiography
Are you ready to learn the facts of life? Then review these words from the Greek root bio , meaning "life" or "way of living."
Learn these list of words that contain the Greek root auto , meaning "self."
Practice this vocabulary list and explore words that contain the Greek roots graph ("write/writing") and gram ("written thing").
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Biography Vs Autobiography: Similarities and Differences with Examples
Rebekah Marshall
June 5, 2024
Read Time: 5 min
Do you ever get confused between biography and autobiography? If so, you’re not alone. These terms are used interchangeably, but each has its own unique approach. In this blog, we’ll discuss biography vs autobiography. After reading this guide, you’ll be able to make the difference between an autobiography and a biography.
What is biography?
Here is a simple definition of biography: ‘A biography is a detailed account of an individual’s life written by someone else. The author is not the subject of the story. It is also referred to as a bio.’ A biography can be about someone who is alive or deceased. It highlights essential moments and happenings in the life of the person in question. This genre essentially incorporates a person’s extensive data, including given name, origin, birth date,occupation, and connections. Creating an exceptional piece requires perusing diverse materials such as records, manuals, memoirs, pictures, and interviews. Effective biographies come in writing; however, they can also take other forms such as music, movies. If the targeted subject is dead, then the writer has to do an immense amount of research. You may need to interview the people who knew that person or read already written biographies about that person. But if the person is alive, the writer can interview the target person several times to know about their life experiences. Biography writing seems like a tiresome job. But you can ease this task by reading our latest guide on professional biography writing .
Purpose of Biography
The primary goal of biography writing is to tell the readers about the subject’s life from childhood to adult life and the rest of the years. Additionally, the biography tells a story of how the person learned life lessons and navigated through the challenges. The person’s biography should give a clear picture to the reader about the subject’s personality, traits, and how they interact with the world. You must cover all the essential features of biography.
Definition of Autobiography
The story about a person’s life written by that person himself or herself is called an autobiography. The literal meaning of the word auto is ‘self.’ It covers all the elements of the biography but is narrated by the writer himself. Anyone can write their life story as an autobiography. Moreover, the author is himself the subject of the biography.
Purpose of Autobiography
The basic purpose of an autobiography is to portray the author’s accomplishments and experiences of life. The majority of autobiographies are written from the author’s perspective later in the person’s life. So, the first person account is used to tell the author’s story. An autobiography usually starts with the early childhood years. Then, covers information about the person’s brought up place, their education years, career, challenges they faced and how they tackled them. These are the key features of autobiography. It is created from the person’s diaries. Moreover, the story may have flashbacks and flash forwards, but it must follow the chronological order. Describe the person’s life occasions in a sequential manner from early life to their current years.
Important Aspects of a Strong Autobiography
The primary features of autobiography are as follows:
- The facts are always told in the first person.
- More in-depth and personal than a biography.
- Goes into great depth about the character’s life.
- It also explains the motivation behind the main character’s behavior.
Common Elements of Biography and Autobiography
Here are a few elements that are common in both types of written formats:
- The purpose of both is to portray a person’s life.
- Both are nonfiction because they deal with real-life events that occur during the subject’s life.
- Both follow the same chronological order, starting from their early life to the various life stages.
- They include personal insights about the subject’s life.
- Both genres may use multiple sources like newspapers, interviews, diaries, photographs and other documents to provide context and in depth narrative.
- The key elements, such as growth, character development, and transformation, are discussed in both.
Recommended Reading : How to write a biography essay with tips, sample & outline
What is the difference between biography and autobiography?
Along with the similarities, there are also some notable differences between them. The basic difference between autobiography and biography is that autobiography tends to be more subjective in nature. That’s why they are written by the subject themselves. Let’s explain the difference between autobiography and biography in detail.
| It is written by someone else. | It is written by the person himself. | |
| It is written by the author, who is not the subject of the story. Moreover, the biography is written in the third person point of view like he, she, him, her. | The author is the subject of the story. Moreover, the autobiography is written from a first person point of view like I, me, my. | |
| A biography portrays the life of another person. | An autobiography focuses on the author’s own life. | |
| Objective viewpoint | Subjective viewpoint | |
| The biography contains limited personal reflections and emotions of the subject’s life. | It contains a lot of the author’s emotions and personal reflections. | |
| It can be written anytime in life. | It is usually written in the later years of life. | |
| The biography offers an unbiased and factual portrayal of the subject’s life, making it valuable for historical and academic research. | An autobiography provides a unique perspective on a person’s life events and a thorough understanding of their personal thoughts and emotions. |
Autobiography Vs Biography Examples
Biography example.
- Name: Alexander Hamilton Author name: Ron Chernow Alexander Hamilton is one of the most fascinating founding fathers of America, and Ron Chernow tells his story in great detail. Chernow traces Hamilton’s transformation from an orphan into a political genius by fusing in-depth research with a narrative style. The book clarifies Hamilton’s political beliefs and his pivotal role in the development of the US financial system (Chernow, 2004).
- Name: The Life of Samuel Jhonson Author name: Boswell Boswell delves deeply into the life of Dr. Samuel Johnson, his mentor and friend. The biography portrays Dr. Johnson’s life, character, unique traits, and intellectual prowess in a fascinating way (Boswell, 1791). Boswell’s vivid portrayal brings Johnson to life for the readers, making this one of the best biographies in English literature.
- Name: The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets Author name: Dr. Samuel Jhonson Some of the 17th and 18th century’s greatest poets, such as Alexander Pope and John Milton, are discussed in Dr. Johnson’s work. In addition to critiquing the works, he delves into the authors’ private lives and the geopolitical context of their eras (Johnson, 1781). Johnson’s research is very significant because it takes a combined historical and biographical approach.
Autobiography Examples
- Name: The Diary of a Young Girl Author: Anne Frank It is a unique story of a little Jewish girl. Her name is Anne Frank. This book told the story of her and her family’s escape from Nazis in Amsterdam during World War II. She spent two years in hiding, and her diary writings provide important insights into the dread, hope, and resiliency she faced (Frank, 1947). Frank’s autobiography posthumously acts as both a symbol of perseverance in the face of adversity and a reminder of the injustices of the past.
- Name: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Author: Maya Angelou This moving autobiography traces the early years of Maya Angelou, from being the first black streetcar operator in San Francisco to facing racial discrimination in the South. With incredible grace and courage, Angelou depicts her path of self-discovery and overcoming catastrophic events, including personal pain and racial prejudice. Her narrative of tenacity conveys a powerful message about discovering one’s voice (Angelou, 1969).
- Name: Night Author: Elie Wiesel The autobiographical story “ Night ” by Elie Wiesel describes his and his father’s experiences in Nazi concentration camps during WWII. This devastating story explores the loss of innocence and the fight to hold onto faith in humanity in addition to detailing physical suffering and cruel acts. It is proof of the human spirit’s ability to persevere in the face of unimaginable evil (Wiesel, 1960).
Bottom Line
It’s often challenging to distinguish between an autobiography and a biography. Although there are some significant distinctions between the two genres, you should be aware of them if your aim is to write in any of them. While both biographies and autobiographies are valuable sources of information and amusement about historical personalities (or current figures! ), they serve different purposes. We can enhance our media knowledge and gain a better understanding of the author’s aim and appropriate approach to the material by being aware of the distinct objectives of each. We really hope you find this information useful. You can get in touch with experienced writers who are highly qualified and have years of experience in providing biography writing services . Take your time and make sure you are creating an engaging narrative that makes the reader feel as though they are right there with you when writing your own life story.
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The Only (FREE) Autobiography Template You Need – 4 Simple Steps
Are you looking for an autobiography template?
First things first.
What is your story? Not the shiny, air-brushed one you edit before posting on Instagram or the one you politely share during a writer’s chat on Zoom.
By your story, I mean the one with the cracks in it caused by childhood insecurities or the deep craters forged by unexpected collisions with life—the triumphs and tragedies that are forever etched into your DNA.
Yes, that story.
When you’re truly ready to write an autobiography, you’ll know it because you’ve come to a point in your life where the beauty of sharing your story has nothing to do with perfection. It’s knowing that despite the roller coaster ride that started at birth, you’ve found the courage to stay on it—sometimes holding on for dear life and other times riding with your hands up and screaming at the top of your lungs.
Get your autobiography template here:
Need A Nonfiction Book Outline?
You’ve lived thoroughly and learned to embrace who you’ve become in the process, scars and all.
This post will show you the format for writing an autobiography and the best way to package your story so you can provide the best reader experience possible.
This blog gives you a free autobiography template and more…
What is an autobiography.
The basic definition of an autobiography is that it’s a first-person account of your life. It differs from a memoir , which usually focuses on a single event or group of events that lead you to a discovery about yourself, your life, or some other revelation. An autobiography is a look at the total sum of your life from birth (early childhood) to the time of your book’s writing that highlights the key points that shaped who you’ve become.
Ready to start writing your autobiography? Let’s get into it…
What is the format for an autobiography?
Just like any good story, every autobiography has a beginning, middle, and end. But before you begin filling in the sections, you want to come up with a theme for your book . Most people have too much life content to fit into one book. Selecting the parts that fit under the umbrella of a theme will make the book easier to follow.
When coming up with a theme, think about what you want the key takeaway to be for the reader. You don’t want to give them some boring slog through your life history. If you want them to feel something, your book needs direction. That’s where your theme takes the lead. By keeping it in the back of your mind while writing, you’ll give your readers a track to stay on. Otherwise, they may lose interest and stop reading.
Once you have your theme, right down the events in your life that are related to your book’s focus. You’ll plug these into the outline as you develop it.
Some examples of autobiography book themes are:
- Overcoming challenges
- Creating your own destiny
- The unbreakable bonds of family
- A faith journey
- Perseverance
Your theme can be whatever you want it to be, but keep your audience in mind when selecting one. Below you’ll find an autobiography template. It includes an outline with writing prompts in each section.
Whether you are an “outliner” (someone who outlines) or a “pantser” (someone who writes by the seat of their pants), the outline has enough structure and flexibility to make both writer types happy.
Autobiography Template: An Outline
I’ve laid out what a traditional autobiography might look like below. But to really help you get the most out of the blog post, I recommend downloading our nonfiction book outline to use alongside this guide.
1. Introduction
Before you share your life story, prepare your readers for what is to follow by introducing yourself and telling them what they can expect. You can cover some or all of the following:
- Why you are writing your autobiography?
- What do you hope the reader will take away from the experience?
- Any pertinent information that’s not covered in your book but that is needed for context.
2. The beginning – the early years
Since autobiographies are a condensed view of your life, you want to focus on the significant events that will move your story forward.
- Where do you want to begin your story?
- Where does your book’s theme first show up when you look back over your life? You want the opening of your book to have an impact, so choose something that will hook your readers and bring them into your world.
- How did your formative years influence how you viewed yourself? What we experience during our childhood can affect us for a lifetime. Consider how the early events of your life developed your character.
- Who influenced you the most during your childhood?
- What defining moments do you remember?
Where (on your timeline) and how you start your story is up to you. You want it to be something strong and significant to have the most impact on your reader. Here are the first few sentences of some autobiographies for inspiration .
“Some would say the McEntires are a very set-in-their-ways, stubborn, hardheaded bunch of people. But I think that hardheadedness is what got Daddy to where he was, Grandpap to where he was, and his father, Pap, to where he was. Some might say it wasn’t all that far- but it was much further than where they started!”
– Not That Fancy: Simple Lessons on Living, Loving, Eating, and Dusting Off Your Boots by Reba McEntire
(Nostalgia / Specific Event)
“My grandmother Nanny and I were at the picture show. I hadn’t reached two digits yet in age because I distinctly remember my feet couldn’t touch the floor of the movie house. Nanny and I were still living in San Antonio, Texas. My mama and daddy had gone ahead to California, where Nanny and I would later wind up.” – This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett
(From Birth)
“ If you know my music, you almost certainly know me as Craig Morgan. But I was actually born Craig Morgan Greer. Craig Morgan came along many years later.” – God, Family, Country: A Memoir by Craig Morgan
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3. The middle- halfway between the early years and where you are today.
If you are using a timeline to divide your story, the period that you cover during the “middle” of your autobiography depends on how old you are at the writing of your book. If you are in your golden years, your midpoint might be in your 30s or 40s. For someone like Malala Yousafzai , who wrote her autobiography at age 15, her “middle” looked very different.
Whichever “middle” you choose consider the following:
- What are the defining moments during this time of your life?
- Did they change how you viewed yourself?
- Did they change the trajectory of what you initially thought you’d do with your life?
- Who had the most influence on your life during this time?
- What are some of the challenges you faced? How did you overcome them?
- Did your worldview change during this time? If so, in what ways?
If your “middle” doesn’t fit neatly into a timeline, consider grouping your autobiography into themed sections.
The autobiography Cash by Johnny Cash groups his story into sections based on places that had special meaning to him: Cinnamon Hill, The Road, Port Rickey, Bon Aqua, and The Road Again.
4. The end—wrap-up
The end of your autobiography is the climax. It’s what you’ve been leading your reader to since the first sentence of your book.
- Where are you in your life now? What have you learned? How has your journey impacted who you’ve become?
- How do you want the reader to feel when they read the last sentence of your book? Inspired? Hopeful? Full? Enlightened? Satisfied? All of the above?
- Is there any part of your life that feels unfinished or incomplete?
- Looking back over your life, what is the greatest lesson you learned?
- Don’t forget your audience, especially at the beginning of your book. You want to hook your readers early and bring them along for the ride.
- Write an eye-catching autobiography title for your book.
- Leave out the minutia. If it doesn’t move your story along, drop it.
- Tone matters. A good rule of thumb is to write your story like you were talking to a friend. Your story doesn’t have to be a monotone race to the finish line. Spice it up. Add some sparkle. Make sure your personality shines through.
- It’s always about the story. Buyers pick up your book to be entertained. Regardless of how serious your story is, it should be presented in a way that makes the reader want to keep turning the page.
- Every good story has a resolution. Good or bad, offer a resolution for each life conflict you introduce.
- As you share the final pieces of your story, use the end of your story to reflect on where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, and where you plan to go from there. Every relationship that ends can benefit from closure, and if the end of your story is not the end of your relationship with your reader, tell them where they can go to continue getting to know you.
Writing your autobiography is a courageous move, but who better to write your life story than you? If you have experiences that others will find interesting, share! You never know how your journey will impact someone else.
If you’re serious about getting your story published, Selfpublishing.com has a team of publishing experts who can walk you through the book development process.
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Q. What's the difference between an autobiography, biography or a memoir?
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Answered By: Jeffrey Orrico Last Updated: Jul 18, 2023 Views: 47622
While each of these forms of writing illuminates the life, work, and worldview of an individual, they are differentiated by the degree of objectivity and factual content, as well stylistic approaches and perspectives.
Note: The below definitions are from the Oxford English Dictionary [electronic resource.]
Autobiography, n. –
Typically in book form, an autobiography is an account of a person’s life told by the himself or herself. An autobiography tends to be a more general history, while a memoir focuses on a specific piece of the author's life.
| Title | Autobiography : I wonder as I wander / edited with an introduction by Joseph McLaren. |
| Author | Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967. |
Biography, n. –
A biography is a written account (although it may come in other forms such as recorded or visual media) of events and circumstances of another person’s life. Most commonly written about a historical or public figure, it profiles a person’s life or life’s work.
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autobiography, the biography of oneself narrated by oneself. Autobiographical works can take many forms, from the intimate writings made during life that were not necessarily intended for publication (including letters, diaries, journals, memoirs, and reminiscences) to a formal book-length autobiography. Formal autobiographies offer a special ...
autobiography: [noun] the biography of a person narrated by himself or herself.
Autobiography Definition, Examples, and Writing Guide. As a firsthand account of the author's own life, an autobiography offers readers an unmatched level of intimacy. Learn how to write your first autobiography with examples from MasterClass instructors.
An autobiography is what allows you to claim your rightful place in history. It provides a legacy for your life, helps you to better understand your life's journey, and can even be deeply therapeutic to write. But then comes the next problem: how to write an autobiography.
Autobiography: A personal account that a person writes himself/herself. Memoir: An account of one's memory. Reflective Essay: One's thoughts about something. Confession: An account of one's wrong or right doings. Monologue: An address of one's thoughts to some audience or interlocuters. Biography: An account of the life of other persons ...
An autobiography, [a] sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written biography of one's own life. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English periodical The Monthly Review , when he suggested the word as a hybrid, but condemned it as "pedantic".
Autobiography Definition. An autobiography (awe-tow-bye-AWE-gruh-fee) is a self-written biography. The author writes about all or a portion of their own life to share their experience, frame it in a larger cultural or historical context, and/or inform and entertain the reader. Autobiographies have been a popular literary genre for centuries.
Your life story, or autobiography, should contain the basic framework that any essay should have, with four basic elements. Begin with an introduction that includes a thesis statement, followed by a body containing at least several paragraphs, if not several chapters.To complete the autobiography, you'll need a strong conclusion, all the while crafting an interesting narrative with a theme.
AUTOBIOGRAPHY definition: 1. a book about a person's life, written by that person: 2. the area of literature relating to…. Learn more.
Autobiography definition: a history of a person's life written or told by that person.. See examples of AUTOBIOGRAPHY used in a sentence.
An autobiography is a kind of literary nonfiction, which means it is a factual story that features real people and events. It also has features like plot, character, and setting that are common in ...
autobiography: 1 n a biography of yourself Types: memoir an account of the author's personal experiences Type of: biography , life , life history , life story an account of the series of events making up a person's life
Definition of autobiography noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. ... In his autobiography, he recalls the poverty he grew up in. compare biography Topics Literature and writing b2.
1. Purpose. Determine a purpose for the autobiography. Purposes might be professional, academic or otherwise. The purpose will define the theme of your autobiography. 2. Origin. Write the first paragraph about how you came into this world. Assemble the basic information about where you were born, when and to whom.
Definition of Autobiography. The story about a person's life written by that person himself or herself is called an autobiography. The literal meaning of the word auto is 'self.' It covers all the elements of the biography but is narrated by the writer himself. ... The basic purpose of an autobiography is to portray the author's ...
Basics of Autobiography. Derived from three Greek words meaning "self," "life," and "write," autobiography is a style of writing that has been around nearly as long as history has been recorded. Yet autobiography was not classified as a genre within itself until the late eighteenth century; Robert Southey coined the term in 1809 to ...
AUTOBIOGRAPHY meaning: 1. a book about a person's life, written by that person: 2. the area of literature relating to…. Learn more.
The basic definition of an autobiography is that it's a first-person account of your life. It differs from a memoir, which usually focuses on a single event or group of events that lead you to a discovery about yourself, your life, or some other revelation. An autobiography is a look at the total sum of your life from birth (early childhood ...
Analyze the differences: biography vs autobiography. Includes descriptions & examples of each. We've even highlighted key differences for easy reference.
The biography definition in literature has three basic elements: • Biographer : the author, who writes about another person's life • Subject : the individual whose life is covered by the biography
Note: The below definitions are from the Oxford English Dictionary [electronic resource.] Autobiography, n. - Typically in book form, an autobiography is an account of a person's life told by the himself or herself. An autobiography tends to be a more general history, while a memoir focuses on a specific piece of the author's life.
A recollection or memory of a past fact or experience recounted to others; a regular course of study or training, as at a school or university. (The recognized term in the Scottish Universities.) ) biographical details, esp. summarizing a person's educational and employment history, academic career, etc.; (with.
Definition of autobiography noun in Oxford Advanced American Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
At a basic level, the standard format for economic damages is the difference between earnings had the harmful event not occurred and actual earnings. Plaintiffs may also be entitled to interest on past losses and discounted present value of future losses. A damages analysis thus involves a comparison between the actual and the "but-for" world.