Q&A for How to Write an Autobiographical Essay

Return to Full Article

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Should I write about every single part of my life?
    Community Answer
    Not necessarily. Instead, focus on the most important parts of your life, especially the ones that contributed to who you are today.
  • Question
    Can I talk about my career and goals?
    Community Answer
    Yes, but these tend to be common autobiographies and are not very creative. Try to add your own personal twist to make it unique and creative in order to get more readers.
  • Question
    How can I write the best essay?
    Community Answer
    Make a list of the important areas in your life. Write a draft. Use details to improve your essay.
  • Question
    Do I need to put in a lot of detail?
    Community Answer
    Details will help to make the essay more vivid for the reader, just use them selectively. Include details where they are most important.
  • Question
    How do I write a conclusion?
    Community Answer
    Sum the story up. Maybe add a little joke.
  • Question
    How do I start an autobiographical essay?
    Community Answer
    Jotting down the main questions and answering them can help you start an autobiography, such as "When and where were you born?" and other basic questions.
  • Question
    Am I allowed to write about other people's lives along with my own?
    Community Answer
    You can write a little bit about your family, or other important people in your life if it helps tell your story, but an autobiographical essay is about you, so you should focus mostly on yourself. Make sure you don't write anything too personal about anyone without their permission.
  • Question
    How can I write about something that I don't know how to explain?
    Community Answer
    Take some time to really think about it, or ask someone who knows you well how they would explain whatever it is. Sometimes having a conversation out loud about something makes it much more clear.
  • Question
    How about pictures, should pictures be included in an autobiography?
    Community Answer
    Pictures are not needed for essays or almost any written works. If you want to include some, it's up to you. If you are doing this for a class and want to include pictures, ask your teacher if that's okay.
  • Question
    English is not my mother language, but I want to write in English and include some expressions from my native language. Can I do this?
    Community Answer
    You surely can! Just make sure you put the expression in brackets and translated so the reader can follow along.
  • Question
    How can I start the second paragraph?
    Community Answer
    You should base it on the last sentence of the introduction or the 1st paragraph.
  • Question
    How long should this be?
    Community Answer
    Try to make it about 150 words or so, with personal data that draws the reader into wanting to know more about you as a person.
  • Question
    What do I call my essay?
    Community Answer
    You can call the essay whatever you want it. Make sure the title is relevant and catchy.
  • Question
    Can I use dates in my autobiography?
    Community Answer
    Yes, of course. This will help your reader understand exactly when things happened to you, providing a more accurate picture of your overall life story.
  • Question
    What should the starting sentence be?
    Community Answer
    It's better to start with a quote that defines your entire story or your present situation. The words need intrigue people and make them want to read on to learn more.
  • Question
    Does the essay have to be long?
    Community Answer
    That depends on whether or not you were given any length requirements for your essay. If not, then it doesn't have to be too long; just cover the most important things about the person and their life.
  • Question
    How can I avoid saying "I" a lot?
    Community Answer
    If you tell your story from 2nd person, you can just put yourself in place of the "I" in your story.
  • Question
    How can I make my readers pick my autobiography as one of the best pieces in our school?
    Community Answer
    Work harder than the competition. Carefully edit your work. Have others read it and give you their feedback before you hand it in.
  • Question
    How personal is too personal in an autobiographical essay?
    Community Answer
    You might not want to include personal opinions on things that could offend others or expose you to danger. Otherwise, it is up to you how much of your own personal story you want to include.
  • Question
    What are some great ways to start it off? Can you give me examples?
    Community Answer
    A great way to start off an essay would be by including an anecdote or a quote you truly believe in. An example would be something like, "success is not in what you have, but who you are." For an anecdote, try something like a story about a funny story about yourself.
  • Question
    Can I write on two events when writing an autobiographical essay?
    Community Answer
    Preferably not, stay focused on one shot at a time. Professional writers do it perfectly well, but if you are simply writing for your school assignment, you probably want to be in the safe side and tackle one event at a time.
  • Question
    Should an autobiography have an humor in it?
    Community Answer
    Not necessarily, but it would make the writing more interesting and fun if you did.
  • Question
    Which format do I use for an autobiography about myself?
    Community Answer
    Write the essay in first person, like "I" or "me." If you mean like font size, spacing, etc., it depends on the class, so you should look at the instructions. But if there is nothing on that, then use font size 12 and double spacing.
Ask a Question

      Return to Full Article