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Home | Writing & Speaking | Writing Once you've chosen the appropriate way your story, you'll need to remember five autobiography values to assure yourself that what you capture is an accurate reflection of the life you lived. Remember these five values: 1. Be Honest Everyone believes he's honest. Trouble is that we all tend to exaggerate our lives. Choose honesty from the get-go. Your audience will appreciate and you will respect yourself in the morning. 2. Sound Like You This is a tough one. When I write, I sometimes choose vocabulary that doesn't sound like me at all. It sounds overly stuffy or cold. It's tempting to try and sound like someone else. Someone more educated. Or someone funnier. Or less funny. Or...Or...Or... Don't fall into the trap of wanting to sound like someone else. Just be yourself! 3. Let the Audience Know Your Why You should have a why for writing your autobiography. In his famous autobiography, Benjamin Franklin included, as an introduction, a letter to his son. In the letter Mr. Franklin explains his Why for writing his story. Benjamin Franklin identified 11 reasons for writing his own autobiography: He enjoyed collecting stories about his ancestors. In fact, he sometimes traveled to find the stories he wanted. He thinks that his son (and others) will enjoy reading his autobiography. To share how he went from poverty to wealth. He desires to impart his secrets of happiness and success. He wants to reflect on his life and decide on what he would change. He can't live again. But he can see his life again through his writing. He would like for his story to persist. He wants to indulge himself. He wants to express God's involvement in his life. Even through his success, he realizes that it could be taken from him at anytime. I'm sure that Benjamin Franklin wouldn't mind if you stole one of his reasons. If nothing he wrote sounded like a good reason for you, then keep looking. I can't stress how important it is for you to find your Why. 4. Figure Out Who You're Writing For While writing an autobiography can be a very personal experience, it's important to know that unless you destroy your work, someone will probably read it someday. Know this. Think about what you want that person to know. For Benjamin Franklin, he addressed his son. But beyond his son, Benjamin Franklin looked to a much wider audience. And he succeeded. His autobiography is one of the most read autobiographies in the world. Of course, your autobiography probably won't be read by millions. But who will read it? Your children? Your grandchildren? Their children? Think about that. 5. Choose a Direction How have the events in your life led you to where you are in life? Maybe your autobiography will demonstrate how your life was shaped. Or maybe you want your autobiography to just be a collection of stories. There are many directions to choose from - choose one! The Characteristics summed up: 1. Tell Your Story Honestly. 2. Find Your Voice 3. Figure Out Why You're Writing Your Autobiography 4. Know Who You're Writing For 5. Know Where You're Headed By incorporating these traits into your autobiography, you will write your story in such a way that people will want to read it. Get started! Article Source: http://www.articlewheel.com
Visit the discussion on Starting an Autobiography . Robert Brady's Autobiography Workshop is a fantastic tool for writing an autobiography .
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