How to write an autobiography

Write out your life timeline
Start writing your autobiography by conducting research on your own life. Creating a timeline of your life is a good way to make sure you include all the most important dates and events, and it gives you a structure to build upon. You can consider this the "brainstorming" phase, so don't hesitate to write down everything you can remember, even if you don't think the memory will make it into the final version of the book. Your autobiography doesn't have to begin with your birth. You may want to include some family history as well. Write down information about your ancestry, your grandparents' lives, your parents' lives, and so on. Having information about your family history will help readers get a sense of how you became the person you are.

Identify the main characters
Every good story has interesting characters, friends and foes who help move the plot along. Who are the characters in your life? It's a given that your parents will play a role, along with other close family members. Think beyond your immediate family to others who have affected your life and should play a role in your autobiography.

• Teachers, coaches and mentors are extremely influential in people's lives. Decide whether someone who has been a role model (or the opposite).
• What enemies have you had in life? Your story will be boring if you don't include some conflicts.
• Offbeat characters such as animals, celebrities you've met, and even cities are often points of interest in an autobiography.

Pull out the best stories 
The story of your entire life would start to get pretty long-winded, so you'll have to make some decisions about what anecdotes you're going to include. Begin drafting your manuscript by writing out the main stories that will be woven together to create a picture of your life. There are a few main topics that most autobiographies cover since readers find them fascinating. The childhood story. Whether your childhood was happy or traumatic, you should include a few anecdotes that give a picture of who you were and what you experienced at the time. You can tell the story of your childhood by breaking it down into smaller anecdotes that illustrate your personality - your parents' reaction when they brought you home for the first time, your first steps, your first words, your first pet, day at school etc.

Write in your own voice
People read autobiographies to gain insight on what it's like to be someone else. Being authentically you is a sure way to keep people engaged. If your writing is formal and stiff, or if it reads like an essay instead of an expose on your life, people will have trouble getting through it. Write as though you're opening your heart to a trusted friend, in prose that's clear, strong and not too cluttered with vocabulary that you rarely use. Write so that your personality is revealed. Are you funny? Intense? Spiritual? Dramatic? Don't hold back; your personality should come through in the way you tell your story.

Be revealing
You don't have to be explicit, but it's important to reveal truths about yourself and your life in an autobiography. Don't let the book become a list of your accomplishments, with all the negative material carefully kept under the rug. Present yourself as a whole person, sharing talents and flaws alike, and your readers will be able to identify with you and hopefully root for you as they make their way through your story.

Good luck and get writing! I look forward to seeing what you come up with...