Autobiographical essay prompt ideas

The more you write, the easier it will be to choose the primary focus for your memoir. But the more clarity you have about its overall mission, the more easily the words will flow. Enjoy these memoir writing exercises. And apply the same clarity of focus during the editing process. Your readers will thank you. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

Learn how your comment data is processed. What Are the Primary Parts of a Memoir? Did you have good parents? How did they show their love for you? This book is based mostly upon autobiographical content but is also a work of fiction. This is an easy way of avoiding any concerns you might have about privacy. If you want to distance yourself a little and take more control over the content, then this may be the way to go.

You can also consider other formats, such as writing an autobiographical graphic novel, which has the essence of cool written all over it. If you are an artist or have a passion for strong visuals, this is something to consider. An excellent practice when learning how to start an autobiography is to begin by writing out all of the significant events in your life.

These could be anything; from graduating college to losing your virginity, to being born. Whatever you think is most important and noteworthy, write it down. You can later play with the order of events if you like, to shake things up a little bit, but for now, just get anything and everything you can think of written down. When considering how to write an autobiography, it seems to be the most natural of all genres to plan.

This is because within its very construction there is a presumption of what it will be about: events in your life. In this sense, it is already set up for you. In some ways, this makes writing a lot easier. On the other hand, the risk that easy planning poses is boredom. For the reader or yourself. The challenge then becomes, how to make these life events interesting and stand out.

Nb If you are a pantser someone who likes to write by the seat of your pants then you might want to skip this step. In all likelihood you have something in mind to write about, so just start there. A schedule helps you to get things done.

Autobiographical essay prompt ideas

You will know what works best for you after trying a few things out. You could try planning out how much you are going to write by the hour i. I will write for an hour a day, every weekday or by word count I will write words a day. If you are too overambitious, you may find you end up not writing at all. Otherwise, you could aim to write a certain section of the book per week or month if that works better for you.

Because autobiography is so clearly and easily arranged into story beats was born, had first pimple, dyed hair red, etc. The blank page. Source: petersansom. Well, now you have a list of important events in your life, starting to write should be pretty straightforward. If you have a plan, all you need to do is start writing out a first draft of each event.

Next up we have a few tips and tricks to get you started. While figuring out how to write an autobiography, you will want to have everything you are writing as fresh and vivid in your mind as possible. This clarity will translate onto the page and give your readers a strong impression of each moment. To do this, you will want to dig out any old photos of you and whomever you might be writing about and begin filing things away for each chapter or section of the book.

You also might find it beneficial to interview anyone who remembers what happened. This can bring a new light on old events. A good way to get into the moment before a writing session is to surround yourself with the materials relating to that particular event. Look at autobiographical essays prompt ideas or listen to recordings from around that time, and jot down any thoughts you might have about them.

You may also autobiographical essay prompt ideas to listen to some music from the time. If you have any old clothes or keepsakes from the person, you will also want them to be around or near as you write. Listen to any interviews about the time or the characters before writing. This is a very personal way of connecting with the past. Remembering your connection to your characters will help your writing to flow more easily and mean you have material to draw from before you even start writing.

Writing about certain life events is likely to be emotional. Say you had a car crash when you were younger or had to deal with some maltreatment of some kind, this will impact your writing, and how you feel about it. It can be a difficult balance. You need to care enough about your subject matter to write it. While feeling impassioned by your writing, it is also important to be able to step back and take a second look at your viewpoint.

This may take several rewrites to get right. If you are finding it difficult, then consider writing out as many different viewpoints of the event as you possibly can. This will open up how you see it and may even lead to an inspiring revelation for both you and your book. One of the benefits of learning how to write an autobiography is that, as you develop as a writer, new insights will likely occur.

So while emotions can run high, it is good to know that writing about anything difficult that has happened in your life can help you psychologically. James Pennebaker, a professor at Austin Texas University discovered that students who wrote for just fifteen minutes a day over three days about difficult or emotional experiences had a better level of well-being.

He found that going through the process was upsetting for them, but it was the new insights the students discovered through the process of writing, that led to their improved levels of psychological health. As with memoir, if you feel that it is too much to write any subject matter, always take a break and come back to it or not. Your mental health and general well-being are always more important than a book.

Instead, get all your feelings out about it during your first draft, and then start with a fresh perspective. If your writing is only about venting, it will not interest the reader. You may come across as petty or whiny. Instead, you will want to make sure you can see the benefit of sharing your experiences with people. When you truly know how to write an autobiography, it should empower and enlighten people and help them connect to your story, rather than reading like an unfinished diary entry.

It is perfectly acceptable for it to start out that way. But by the end of your writing process, you should be confident in the purpose of why you are writing your book, and what kind of impact it will have on its readers. Knowing why you are writing will keep you on the right track, and help you like a compass in the storm, when you are lost. An important aspect of telling your story will be your narrative style and tone of voice.

This completely depends upon who you are writing for and the purpose of your book. If you are writing for your grandchildren, for example, you may use more simplistic language. However, you should add some spice to your life story to prevent your readers from falling asleep. To do this, here are 5 exclusive prompts to find topics for an autobiography that will breathe life into your memoir, making it uniquely interesting.

Thank you for reading this article! Table of Contents. Do you remember a moment in your childhood when you were very proud of yourself? Would you like to develop in one career direction all your life or change professions? Are there any milestones in your life, like awards or personal achievements? Has the world changed during your life, and how do you feel about these changes?

How will you explain these feelings to your grandchildren? Write about a time when you struggled with your identity and self-worth. This may be helpful to a grandchild. Do you believe there is life in the universe beyond planet Earth? What is your faith and how do you experience it? List five things you like about yourself and write a word paragraph on each.

Write about something you learned from forgiveness. Write about something you learned from fear. Write about something you learned from contentment. Write about something you learned from discipline. Write about something you learned from joy. Write about an experience in your life when you and your family experienced a flood, fire, or natural disaster.

Describe it. Write about an early drought that impacted you and your family. Describe a dust storm you experienced as a kid. What was it like? Describe the coldest and harshest winter you can remember. What kind of heat did your house have when you were growing up? How did you keep warm? What was the process of staying warm in dead winter as a kid?

What was the biggest snowstorm or blizzard you remember as a kid? What things did you have to do to survive such a storm? Were people more secure in their family values when you were growing up than they are now? Why not? How common were working mothers in your day? Have working mothers been good or bad for our society? Explain why or why not.

Write about a time in your childhood when your father knew best. Write about a time when your mother knew least. What was the balance between freedom and authority in your home when you were young? Write an experience from both. Make a list for your grandchildren of some things you currently consider romantic. Write about an experience where your romance was so predictable and boring that it was humorous.

Where did you live during your childhood days and who lived with you? What kinds of make-believe do you remember playing as a child? Name and describe the pets you had when you were in grade school. Write about them. What do you remember feeling on the first day of school? What do you see going on around you at mealtime when you were a child?