How to Write Your Autobiography

 

"My best teacher is not a person. My best teacher is my books, my experience, my observation, my failures, and my students. They are all my best teachers. In a nutshell, my best teachers are not persons but books, experience, observation, environment, and students who provoked my thinking and encouraged me to research and improve my teaching." ―Professor M.S. Rao

 

Most celebrities want to write their life story either as a memoir or as an autobiography but they are scared of writing due to various reasons. Some are worried that their weaknesses or failures will be exposed. Some are worried that they lose their credibility. Some are concerned about the complicated process of writing. In this blog post, I will differentiate between a memoir and an autobiography and discuss the importance and the process of writing your memoir or autobiography.

 

When you write a book, you build your credibility instantly, and become an international authority and expert in your area and industry. You will be highly respected and become an international celebrity. When you write a great book, readers don't care about the price to purchase your book because they basically care for the subject.

 

 

Memoir versus Autobiography

 

A memoir is a book of memories. It is a work of literary non-fiction. It is much bigger than your diary and journal. There is a difference between memoir and autobiography. A memoir is an account of your life for a specific period whereas an autobiography is an account of chronological events in your life. A memoir is a subset of autobiography. Some celebrities write in different parts while some write their entire autobiography. Barack Obama wrote his memoir, 'A Promised Land' whereas Mahatma Gandhi wrote his autobiography, 'The Story Of My Experiments With Truth.'

 

A memoir doesn't cover everything about life. It covers some memories with a focus on one seminal event. For instance, my childhood becomes a memoir, my service in the Indian Air Force becomes a memoir, my entrepreneurship becomes a memoir, my teaching career becomes a memoir, and my writing career becomes a memoir. When I combine all these things, it can become my autobiography. Autobiographies are a collection of multiple memoirs and multiple themes.

 

 

Steps to Write Your Memoir or Autobiography

 

Plan well, research thoroughly, invest a few hours every day or once a week to write your memoir or autobiography. Stay focused. Be disciplined. Identify whether you are an early bird or a night owl and leverage accordingly to unlock your creativity. Here are some tools to write your memoir. Share only a few emotional moments. Outline inflection points in your life to enable the readers to take away valuable lessons from your life. Take liberty to go flashback instead of writing it chronologically.

 

Reading several memoirs and autobiographies helps you understand the pattern and process of writing. You can customize your writing accordingly. You must be brave-hearted to write your memoir or autobiography. You must be thick-skinned to share your failures and weaknesses especially your personal life. Writing a memoir or an autobiography is like putting your entire life in the hands of your readers to read, judge, and comment. Therefore, it requires guts to share your personal life through your memoir or autobiography.

 

References

http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Improving-your-Business-Communication/dp/9350239434

http://www.amazon.com/M.-S.-Rao/e/B00MB63BKM

 

 

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"Things You Don't Know about Professor M. S. Rao" http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com/2015/10/things-you-dont-know-about-professor-m.html

 

 

Read my 'Vision 2030 One Million Global Leaders' URL: http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com/2014/12/professor-m-s-raos-vision-2030-one_31.html  

 

 

Life is great!

 

Professor M.S. Rao

Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/M.-S.-Rao/e/B00MB63BKM

Vision 2030: https://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com

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See the Light in You: https://www.amazon.com/See-Light-You-Spiritual-Mindfulness/dp/1949003132

 

 

Thanks for reading!

 

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