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Published on: Sep 14, 2019
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An autobiography is a self-written life story that offers a great level of intimacy to readers. Writing an autobiography is not a big deal if you are aware of the writing routine and have a format outline in hand.
There is no set pattern for writing an autobiography as the story can take any form as long as it is written expressively and informative.
In this article, we will discuss the short autobiography format that you can follow to get your story out into the world.
There are many types of autobiography that you can choose for writing about yourself. Let’s take a look at the most common autobiography formats that can help you get started.
It covers the person’s life from birth to the present time.
This format of autobiography focuses on certain moments or themes in a person’s life, such as philosophical, historical, religious, etc.
The main difference between autobiography vs memoir is that autobiography is about a real person’s life. But a memoir shares a writer’s personal memory.
It is more narrow form of writing than a memoir. Simply put, it is just an essay about yourself. As a rule of thumb, it focuses on one moment at a time and expands the experience through dialogues. This is the most common type of assignment in high school and colleges.
These are short chapters that cover one specific event at a time. It focuses on a brief description, account, or episode.
A collection of vignettes can be published as a complete piece of work. However, each chapter in the collection does not necessarily relate to the other.
A unique genre in which drawings and cartoon panels are used to convey a true story.
This is a form in which one can explore autobiographical topics through dialogues in film or on a stage.
Remember, the most accepted autobiography format is chronological. This means writing about the life story in the order in which it happened.
Writing an autobiography is an easy task if you plan ahead and have a format outline in hand. Here is a proper autobiography format for elementary students and above.
1. Title
Write the title of your work at the top of your page in bold font. Remember, you can come back and change your title at any time. You might come up with the perfect title at the end of the writing process.
2. Dedication
Write about the person to whom you would like to dedicate your work. Better leave this part until last, as working through your autobiography will trigger many memories. So you might dedicate your work to more than one person.
3. Table of Contents
Once you are done with the writing, compile your table of contents as it will help the readers to easily navigate.
4. Acknowledgments
This is the section where you need to thank everyone who has helped you in composing your autobiography from start to end. Show your gratitude and appreciation in a few beautiful and inspirational lines.
5. Foreword
Here you need to jot down all the reasons for writing the autobiography. Discuss the purpose of writing it and what you want to achieve from it. A good approach is to include brief thoughts in this section, as it will help you stay focused throughout the writing process.
6. Introduction
Write an attention-grabbing introduction to pique your readers’ interest from the start and keep them reading until the end. This part should be clear, concise and to the point.
7. Body Section
Create a series of headings and subheadings in your autobiography format outline. Write your autobiography based on locations and events. Link all the information in an interesting story format. Include relevant material under each section, such as dates, experiences, etc.
8. Conclusion
Present your final thoughts in the end. Look back on your work and think about what you have learned from the experience and how it has changed you. Tie up all the information in an interesting manner for a perfect ending.
9. Memorabilia
To highlight some special moments, include some memorabilia such as pictures, medals, letters, etc.
10. Index
Once finished writing, compile the index to help the readers locate the information in the autobiography.
The above format is simple and easy to use, but the actual writing process can be a real challenge. So better spend hours of time brainstorming your ideas and memories in detail before getting started.
Autobiography is like a personal story where the writer shares his/her personal life experience. It is based on facts, and every person has something different to share with readers.
It revolves around the writer’s childhood, family members, career, relationships, and life experiences. Here is a sample paper of autobiography format for college students that can be used as a reference.
Writing a compelling autobiography is not an easy task. But you can learn about the important guidelines and format structure by going through some autobiography examples available online.
For your help, we have provided an MLA autobiography format that you can refer to.
Although the above guide should help you grasp the idea of how to write an autobiography. But still, don’t expect it to be an easy task.
There are too many things that you have to take care of for writing an autobiography worth reading. Such writing tasks take a lot of time and can be pretty daunting at some point.
If you have never dealt with such a writing task before and are looking for help, you are in the right place. Don't waste any more time and get help from a professional writer from the legit essay writing service online.
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WRITTEN BY
Barbara P (Literature, Marketing)
Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.
Dr. Barbara is a highly experienced writer and author who holds a Ph.D. degree in public health from an Ivy League school. She has worked in the medical field for many years, conducting extensive research on various health topics. Her writing has been featured in several top-tier publications.
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