You must have heard that “everyone has a story inside of them.” This popular saying is true because every moment of a person’s life is a stage in an unfolding journey. Writing about your life is the purest and possibly the most worthwhile form of storytelling you could ever do, as your unique experiences can only inspire it.
But would you want to do this? Would you want to write about yourself and share your true personality? It is completely normal to be wary about digging up past memories, which is why you should only write about your life when you’re capable of facing these parts.
Nevertheless, this article will guide you on how to write about your life, whether it is a memoir of some memorable experience or an autobiography of your life so far. Even if you feel you need help to accomplish this feat, rest assured that our company is the best book writing service you can find and we will assist you till the end.
Reasons Why You Should Write A Book Of Your Life
If you’re feeling unsure about whether to begin this writing journey, here are some reasons why you might want to write that book.
- Your life is different from others, and you know it. Whether you grew up in a palace or a rough neighborhood or you were raised under unusual circumstances, there is something special about you that will interest many people.
- Your life might inspire people; it doesn’t matter if you feel the accomplishment is small; it may just motivate others to overcome challenges just as you have.
- This book will remain your legacy long after you’re gone. So, you should do it not to be remembered as a perfect or flawed person, but as a regular person that tried to do the extraordinary in their own little way.
In the end, there could be millions of reasons why you should share what you’ve learned from your life. But there may also be some reasons why you’re unable to write about your life.
Maybe you doubt your writing skills or are not in a safe mental space to take on this momentous task. Either way, it is always easy to get quality writing delivered fast from book ghostwriting services by professionals. Now, let’s get into the steps you should take when writing a book about your life.
What You Should Do Before Writing Your Book
- Pick a theme: Your story should have a central message that it aims to pass throughout the book. Your book shouldn’t just be a series of interesting experiences but a progression of chapters tied together by an underlying message. Your theme serves as a broad message that will inspire your reader by showing them your point of view. It would help if you thought of what you really want your readers to learn from the entire book.
- Do some introspection: It is important to map out your memories and past experiences to get a basic timeline of your story. Although your memories will likely be fuzzy, deciding where to set your story will help you focus your thoughts.
- Avoid bias: Even though it’s your story about your life, you should remember that it intersects with other people’s lives. So, when writing, you must look at your experiences with impartiality. Remember that everyone, including yourself, has flaws, and you shouldn’t hide that.
Steps Involved In Writing A Book About Your Life
Now that we both agree that you have an incredible story to share with the world, it’s time to get to the steps you should take when writing this book.
- Free-writing: The best way to get started is to get out all your memories about a particular event. You may focus on a particular 24-hour period in the past and write down all that comes to mind in a journal. You can do this for as many memories as you can remember. This way, you’ll have material to build upon in your story.
- Create an outline: Hopefully, by this step, you’ll already have those writing juices flowing after penning down your memories. Now that you’ve gotten as many past moments as you can remember, either as a collection of essays or just a piece of the whole story, it is time to outline and organize your story.
You must write your book in an order your readers will easily understand. Writing an outline will also help you clearly see your own goals for your book. This way, the writing process will become much easier.
- Decide on your genre: Even though it’s a book about your life, there are many literary categories under which such a book could fall. Examples include Memoirs, Autobiographies, Personal essays, Motivational books, etc. It would be wrong to market your book under a particular genre when it better suits a different category.
To prevent any misunderstanding, here’s a quick explanation of the main categories your book could fall under:
A memoir is mainly your personal account of a certain event in your life that truly shaped you. Usually, this book focuses on one specific period or one memory; this could be a period in your childhood or your experience traveling to another country
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An autobiography is your account of your entire life so far, written by you. So, the focus is much wider than in a memoir. It is a detailed account of your life with all the challenges you’ve faced and achievements you’ve made up to that point.
If neither of these categories suits your plans, you should write a collection of personal essays. This way, you don’t have to focus on just one event, and you don’t have to tell your life story from start to finish.
- Research: Memories aren’t always perfect, and that’s fine; this is where research is so important. Some events may be important to your story, yet they are only fuzzy in your memory.
This is why it is best to search through old pictures, visit your previous schools, your dorm room(if you can), your diary, or ask your family and friends for their perspectives. This way, you’ll write a richer story and find more inspiration to keep going.
- Use the narrative structure: If you’re writing a memoir or autobiography, your book should have the necessary elements of a story, including an introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and a resolution. Examine your life, look at your challenges and accomplishments, and try to fit them into a narrative structure for your book.
Another important aspect is to introduce characters into your story. Your life story should surely contain those people who influenced you in one way or another. Getting descriptive details about these characters is important to embellish your story further. Keep these few tips in mind when introducing characters:
- It would be best if you endeavored to create well-rounded characters with feelings and many dimensions. Your supporting characters shouldn’t just be props in the bigger plot.
- You should take permission where due, especially if you want to use the real names of the characters in your story. Sometimes, it is advisable to change the names of places or people to avoid legal troubles.
- You should be respectful and truthful in your writing. Avoid unintentionally painting a person or place in a bad light and at the same time, avoid adding some untrue points to your story.
- Speculate past feelings: You should endeavor to use speculation to fill any holes in your memory or fuzzy recollections you have. You could use statements like “I am not sure what the weather was like when my dad drove in” to assume what could have been. This is a creative way to still tell a truthful story without giving false details.
- Recall the setting: No matter the story; your readers will always want to know and feel how your location influenced you. So, it is important to describe where your story or scenes are taking place, the culture of the region, your personal experience, the distinct aura in the environment, or how enjoyable it was for you.
- Use dialogue: Dialogue is one of the most crucial elements in any scene. In a way, it gives life to your story. But, it is virtually impossible to recall the exact dialogue from all your interactions throughout your life story. In this case, you should write according to your best remembrance or assumption of your or your characters’ words.
- End your book well: Since it is a book about your life, it is best to finish on a positive note showing your readers how you overcame challenges throughout your life. This allows you to give your readers some words to reflect upon.
The writing process is daunting and will require your commitment and conviction to finish your book. Your story is worth telling, and although it may require you to reflect deeply and possibly revisit uncomfortable memories, it is a sure way to empower yourself with more wisdom and insight about the world. At Booksuccess, we are determined to bring your unique stories to the world. We want to hear no story more than the one you have to tell. Reach out to us today and let us create a book, a legacy, for you