How does an autobiography start

They met in Tulsa. Dad was a ploughboy from western Oklahoma; Mom was a hometown girl. He was in the Army Air Corps, studying the mechanics of flight at the Spartan School of Aeronautics, and she had been first-prize winner in a jitterbug contest the year before.

It was She was just turning eighteen, a high-school senior; and he was twenty-one. Military Histor y , by listing the life-long beliefs he inherited from his family and environment:. Mine starts in north-central Texas. I grew up in small towns where I learned the importance of family and tradition. Values, like patriotism, self-reliance, and watching out for your family and neighbors.

I have a strong sense of justice. It's a considerable undertaking, and it might make you feel intimidated and unsure about how to begin. The task will be manageable, though, when you break it down to simple, logical ways to get started. To start on a solid foundation, you need to consider why you wish to write your autobiography.

You might want to inspire people. You might want to share your story to help those who are on a similar road in life, or you might have led an unusual life that would be of interest to large audiences. Sometimes people write autobiographies to deal with difficult emotions they harbor about their past. Your motivation will play a part in how you structure your story. In figuring out the shape of your story, you might want to think about the similarities and differences between an autobiography and a memoir.

In the past, a written account of a person's life was usually called an autobiography. In the present day, though, people often use the term memoir. The boundaries between the two terms are admittedly blurry, and many people tend to think of them as synonymous. Memoirs have traditionally been considered more personal and narrower in focus, but these days, books that are considered autobiographies include deeply personal elements that go much farther than a chronological recounting of facts.

Since an autobiography is your story, it's up to you to figure out how you want to write it. Not everyone starts writing a story from the beginning.

There are plenty of other ways to get started with telling your story. You are free to approach the project any way you wish, as long as it works for you. For some writers, the way to start telling a story is to start at the beginning and build from there in a linear, chronological fashion. In the case of an autobiography, you would start with where and when you were born.

Include information about your parents and whether you are the oldest, middle, or youngest child in your family. As you continue to tell your story, make it come alive with details about important or memorable events from your childhood such as:.

With this technique, you will need to think through the events of your life in the order in which they occurred. Hopefully, one series of memories will lead into the next as you're writing your outline or composing chapters for your autobiography.

Your autobiography is essentially a portal into your life. Open your heart to your readers and let your prose be clear. Use normal phrases and try not to pollute your writing with large vocabulary words. Be revealing, let your guard down and tell your story. X We're Sorry An error has occurred. Please try again. If you keep seeing this error, please contact us.