Q&A for How to Write an Autobiography

Good autobiographers find a way to share how they're doing something extraordinary in terms of their own life. They don't have to be celebrities—in fact, some of the most riveting autobiographies are written by regular people you've never heard from before. A lot of times, celebrities write from a brand perspective rather than showing you the entire truth.

Of course! Friends are a very important part of your life. Include all the ups and downs you have had with your friends: fun times, sad times, and everything in between!

Not at all. It's better if you include some flaws, they make your autobiography a little more adventurous and interesting. As long as you have permission from those people you'll be writing about, it should be just fine.

No. If you choose not to use your real name, you have that right. You are there to determine what the fact or fiction of you is. Nobody needs to know exactly who you are, they just want to read the story and take it from there. You are your story, no matter if you use your real name or not.

Only you can answer that! You could use "My Autobiography," but that's boring. Be creative -- using alliteration is a great idea. Trust me, a little creativity is all it takes to wow a teacher.

Generally yes, because it is an autobiography. If it were written in second or third persons, then it would be a biography, not an autobiography. That said, if one were to be quite pompous or distanced, one could say the royal we or refer to oneself as he or she all the time.

Think about a theme in your life and take it as inspiration for a title.

Depends how you want the reader to experience your life's story. Most readers would enjoy reading a first person autobiography rather than in another form.

Nope. People love to read about other people's lives, you just need to write about the interesting things that have happened to you.

If you're comfortable with it and feel it is the better option then maybe it right for you to tape it and type it down later.

Use quotes to indicate anything anyone said in the past. That includes others and yourself.

Not necessarily. Of course people want to know about the lives of famous people, but they don't generally focus on them. Some people are interested in other people's lives. Just make sure that you make your autobiography interesting. Also make sure that you get your readers hooked in right from the start and they won't give up until the end.

No, you can be any age. But if you are under 18, you might want to have your parents or guardian help with publishing.

Write about why you've moved and how you've learned to become acclimated to new places. Write about the places you've lived. Write about what you experienced in childhood. If you have interesting people in your family tree, you could also write about them.

Yes, but you should ask for their permission first.

Not unless you're willing to face potential lawsuits, especially if they're the antagonists of your life. You can look at the law or do some research on Google, but it's probably easier to just use fake names.

Make sure it makes sense, and make it interesting. If it's well written, the audience will stay captivated. Don't use too many "I recall"s or "I remember"s, but instead write the flashbacks as first person vignettes included in the larger story.

No, but it would be a good idea to include the important aspects.

If you publish your book through a publisher, then the cost to you will be negligible as the publisher will pay the expenses and take a vast majority of the profit (and the risk). If you're looking to print your autobiography for yourself and your family, check out services like A Life Untold (alifeuntold.com) that print and ship your life story for $99 USD. Another service is Autodotbiography, which prints and ships within the UK for £250. (Prices will vary, but stay generally around that range from source to source.)

No, you cannot.

It wouldn't make sense to do this, as an autobiography means that it is written by the person it is about. If you wrote in third person, the reader would think the book was written by someone else.

Sure you can. This is a good way to break up the text. Plus, you could always use subheadings now and then take them out in the editing stage if you decide you don't like the way it turns out.

You can publish it in writing sites like Wattpad, Wordpress, Teen Ink, and Figment.

You can write it in whatever format works best for you. Each have their own pros and cons.

Yes, and it doesn't matter too much what you classify it as. I would call it a trilogy, and then the full autobiography an autobiography. There's no need for anything complicated. However, this post sounds like you might end up repeating yourself a lot. Most of the information that would be included in the autobiography could be covered in the trilogy.

It is always nice to ask for permission to use someone's name, but you don't need it.

Ask a third party who knew them about what they were like, including their likes, dislikes and personalities.

You could conclude with the present day, what you've learned from your experiences, and/or hopes for the future.

Yes, as long as you keep it updated, and you continue working on it. You may forget some parts that add up in your life as you will get busier as you enter college.

It's entirely up to you! Your story can be as long or as short as you want.