A biography is generally preferred over an autobiography to be published as a book or produced as a movie. Autobiographies are often confused with memoirs. An autobiography is the inspiring story of a person’s entire life and the societal setting thereof, while memoirs have a narrower focus on the narration of a particular span of time within. Agatha Christie: An Autobiography – Agatha Christie Agatha Christie, known for her mysterious plots and thrillers, writes about the mystery of her own life. She shares the joy of her happy childhood, her bond with her mother, a few incidents that shaped her into who she is, her mother’s death and the truth about her marriages.
Example of Autobiography of a Student My name is Elizabeth Austen. I was born on May 2, 2002 in Marseille, France. I was raised as a child of two cultures: American and French. Learn the life stories of your favorite famous figures with our extensive collection of biographies.
There's fiction and non-fiction, and then there are the endless book genres between.
One of these hybrid genres is autobiographical fiction, when an author chooses to tell a real experience, or the full story of their life, as a fictional account. It is usually written like a memoir, featuring first-person narration from the protagonist that is meant to be the author.
See also: 14 Satisfying Quick Reads for Short Attention Spans
An author might choose autobiographical fiction to distance themselves from the events they're writing about, to make major changes for the sake of the story, or because they don't want to hurt people who appear in their writing. This differs from authors who have been exposed for fabricating books presented as memoir (A Million Little Pieces), or those who deny that their books are based on real events and have gotten into trouble for it (The Help).
Unfortunately, as a reader, you have a natural (and sometimes frustrating) curiosity and about what is fact and what is fiction. The tendency is to assume that everything an author writes about their alter-ego is true about them as a person, when in the fact you have to assume the opposite. To get you started in the reality-bending world of autobiographical fiction, check out our book suggestions below.
Got a suggestion for a book that falls into this niche? Add it in the comments. For further reading on autobiographical fiction, head over to Litreactor.
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How to start your autobiography can be a tricky issue.
Do you begin with your birth? With a description of your parents, or maybe even your grandparents?
With the first notable thing you did? With the biggest crisis point in your life, and then go back to the beginning?
Example Of Autobiography Book
While there is no single “best” way to start an autobiography, there are different approaches. The key is to find the one that works best for your story.
If you’d like to hire a ghostwriter to help you with your autobiography, contact Barry Fox & Nadine Taylor.
How to start an autobiography: 4 examples
Here are excerpts showing four interesting ways that have been used to open an autobiography. One author uses his birth name to foreshadow the life that lies ahead; one paints a simple sketch of his parents; one talks about the beliefs that shaped him; and one reflects on the influence of chance.
Each opening is different, and each is just right for its subject. Perhaps one of these approaches will be right for you! (I’ve linked the titles of each book below to Amazon so you can click on the “Look Inside” button and read more.)
In the opening paragraph of Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa hints at the tumultuous life he must face:
Apart from life, a strong constitution, and an abiding connection to the Thembu royal house, the only thing my father bestowed upon me at birth was a name, Rolihlahla. In Xhosa, Rolihlahla literally means “pulling the branch of a tree,” but its colloquial meaning more accurately would be “trouble maker.” I do not believe that names are destiny or that my father somehow divined my future, but in later years, friends and relatives would ascribe to my birth name the many storms I have both caused and weathered.
In Take Me Home, singer-song writer John Denver uses only a few words to sketch a portrait of his parents:
They met in Tulsa. Dad was a ploughboy from western Oklahoma; Mom was a hometown girl. He was in the Army Air Corps, studying the mechanics of flight at the Spartan School of Aeronautics, and she had been first-prize winner in a jitterbug contest the year before. It was 1942: She was just turning eighteen, a high-school senior; and he was twenty-one.
Chris Kyle begins his American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History, by listing the life-long beliefs he inherited from his family and environment:
Every story has a beginning.
Mine starts in north-central Texas. I grew up in small towns where I learned the importance of family and tradition. Values, like patriotism, self-reliance, and watching out for your family and neighbors. I’m proud to say that I still try to live my life according to those values. I have a strong sense of justice. It’s pretty much black-and-white. I don’t see too much gray. I think it’s important to protect others. I don’t mind hard work. At the same time, I like to have fun; life’s too short not to.
Former President Ronald Reagan opens An American Life by talking about the effects of chance:
If I’d gotten the job I wanted at Montgomery Ward, I suppose I never would have left Illinois.
I’ve often wondered at how lives are shaped by what seem like small and inconsequential events, how an apparently random turn in the road can lead you a long way from where you intended to go—and a long way from wherever you expected to go. For me, the first of these turns occurred in the summer of 1932, in the abyss of the Depression.
How to start an autobiography?
There is no single best way. The goal is to draw your readers in with your first sentence—to make them want to read more by telling them something about you that makes you and your life story irresistible.
If you can do that, you’ve figured out how to start an autobiography.
Before deciding how you’d like to open your autobiography, go back and review the purpose of the autobiography and consider what it must contain.
Once you know where you’re headed, you’ll be able to zero in on the “right” opening more effectively.
See Also “How to Start a Memoir” and “Writing a Memoir: 11 Tips.”
Famous Autobiography Book
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