An excellent book takes about three or four years to finish – an excellent movie about four. When it comes to your life story, it could take a lifetime. Deciding to publish your biography, or at least something close to it, takes courage and persistence, so congrats! Here you can find six tips on how to write the perfect story about yourself. Enjoy!
Step 1: Analyze Yourself
First and foremost, take time to analyze yourself and your emotions. Reflect on your childhood experiences. Think of all the moments that could’ve shaped you as a person. Ask yourself,
- Was I respected as a child?
- Were my opinions taken into consideration?
- Were my parents getting along, and if not, how could that have affected me?
- Was I expected to turn out perfect?
Answer these question with honesty and move on to your teenage years. How were you treated then? How was school for you? Were you ever bullied?
“Understanding these key concepts leads to a thorough self-analysis which, in return, can cause changes in your current perspectives about yourself and your life,” writes Anne Katie, Psychology student and part-time freelancer at ProEsasayWriting.
Next, you should track your moods. Keep a journal and write down your thoughts, emotions, and reactions throughout the day. Analyze your notes every week to see if you’ve progressed. If you felt “sad” at some point during the day, try to understand why. Do a further analysis by asking why as many times as you need to.
Then move on to your thinking patterns. When do you think positive, when do you think negative? What causes these thoughts? Do you think it might have something to do with your childhood experiences? Link everything back to your past to discover even more information about yourself.
Understanding your personality type might also provide significant insights into a better self-understanding. Are you an introvert or an extrovert? Are you neurotic? Is your thinking positive or negative? Finding out these patterns will be the basis of your story.
Step 2: Make a List
It’s time to perform an analysis of your entire life and highlight the turning points. To write an excellent story, you must underline the peaks of your evolutionary cycle. How did you end up here? What helped you become the person you are today? What have you experienced throughout your life? For instance, a traumatic breakup could have changed you in unimaginable ways.
“About 95% of our behavior comes from the subconscious,” shares Dr. Bruce Lipton in one of his interviews with London Real. “Our daily actions are coming from the programs of life that we get in the first seven years of our existence,” ends Dr. Lipton. Where there any times when you were standing at a cross point, not knowing which direction to head towards? Were there any moments when you felt completely lost? Write these experiences down, as you must nevertheless include them in your story.
Step 3: Fill in the Gaps
Not that you’ve underlined the key points of your life, it’s time to develop on them. Take time to expand on every point. Add details to the story – emphasis your feelings and thoughts. If you’re describing one of your angry moments, stress the emotional battle you went through. Highlight the physical repercussions of this event. Be thorough in your explanations and give readers the sensation that they are experiencing this struggle right by your side.
E.L. Doctorow once said, “Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader – not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon.”
Tip: Use Your Senses
To recall past events, we must recur to our senses of smell, touch, or taste. If you have writer’s block and are unable to get out of it, use your senses!
Step 4: Find the Action
It’s time to turn your life experience into a perfect story. Thus, you must turn yourself into a protagonist and start re-creating your memories step by step. Think about the theme you are going to use. Finding it could be challenging. Ask yourself, “what is the main question to my story?” The way you answer that question will constitute your final work.
Also, make sure you include both drama and suspense into your work, as it will capture your readers’ attention even more. Let’s you are at a crossroads and realize that both ways lead nowhere – what are you going to do now? Expand on your feelings of powerlessness and confusion (this is just an example).
If you want to bring more action into your story, include dialogue. Each one of your characters must have a peculiar voice and personality type. Make sure each one of your characters sounds different from one another – otherwise, monotony will come into play, and you might risk losing your audience. Speaking of which…
Step 5: Focus on the Audience
Your story will depend on the audience you’re writing to. If, for instance, your story points at struggling teenagers, your tone and writing style will be different than when writing for a rather mature public. Focus on the audience you want to sell the story to and use the proper writing techniques. Your readers must connect to your feelings and emotions if you want outstanding results.
Step 6: Edit
Don’t forget to edit and proofread your work at the end of the writing process. Sketch out plenty of drafts if you have to. Polish your story and add natural effects to it. Know the rules of the game and break them to stand out!
Wrapping Up
Writing your personal story will take time, patience, and commitment, but it will definitely be worth it. Good luck on your journey!
Becky Holton
Becky Holton is a journalist and a blogger. She is interested in education technologies and is always ready to support informative speaking. Follow her on Twitter.
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