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Attributes of an Autobiography

The characteristics of your autobiography should match your personal characteristics. What will give your autobiography a chance to show who you were?

The number of ways to construct an autobiography is about as diverse as the number of people who write them. However, there are some simple items that you can include in your autobiography that will make it both personal and meaningful to others.

1. Tell Your Story Honestly.

Easy, right? Not so fast. You have to make a decision to be honest. Otherwise, you may succumb to the natural desire to inflate the occurrences of you life. Most importantly, be honest in your descriptions and your feelings.

2. Let You Shine Through

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...

It's you they want to learn about. Not someone else.

3. 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 liked reading about his own ancestors.

He hopes that others will get some benefit from his words.

To help others see how he overcame his impoverished childhood and created riches for himself.

He wants to explain how he succeeded and found happiness.

He examines his life for anything he would do differently.

Next to reliving one's life, recollecting one's life is the best thing.

He wants some level of immortality.

He wants to pamper himself.

He wants to express God's involvement in his life.

He wants to explain that his success can be reversed.

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. Know Your Audience

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.

Who will you write for? Your son? Your daughter? Your grandkids?

5. Know Where Your Headed

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. Don't lie to your audience (yourself or others)

2. Let You Shine Through

3. Find Your Why

4. Know Your Audience

5. Know Where You're Headed

If you include these Autobiography Characteristics, you will write a successful autobiography, no matter what final form it takes.

Get started!

Article Source: http://www.inpop.net

Review the article on Starting an Autobiography . Robert Brady's Autobiography Workshop is a motivating tool for writing an autobiography .
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