Writing Your Biography: Tips to Help You Get Going

One of the most powerful features of BeRemembered.com is the ability to tell your life’s story, the way you want it told. You can write your biography in your own words, or take advantage of easy-to-complete questionnaires that “interview” you about your personal and professional lives, your hobbies and interests, and your education.

As helpful as the “interview” is, we all know one simple truth: writing is hard! Here are some tips to help you get going.

1. Start slow and build on your base. Consider your first draft as a work in process, and keep it simple. Come back often to expand, improve or revise. Even published writers struggle with first drafts. Remember, you’re in good company, just start.
2. Create an outline. Common approaches include organizing your life into logical segments or categories (childhood, education, love and marriage, adulthood, career, retirement, etc.), or by identifying turning points in your life. Try a method and see if it feels right for your story.
3. Tell a story. A good story has a protagonist (you), a central conflict, and a cast of fascinating characters to keep people engaged. Consider how you would tell your story to a stranger and let that guide your writing.
4. Speaking of characters, identify the central characters in your life.  Family members, parents, spouse, children, to be sure. But what about teachers, coaches or mentors? Role models? Pets? Total strangers? Reflecting on the people of your life can be a very powerful experience.
5. Be honest and avoid exaggeration. Your life is plenty interesting without stretching the truth. Be remembered for who you are, not who you aren’t.
6. Write what pleases you. Focus on the aspects of your life you find most interesting. You don’t have to include every detail and, in fact, adding too much detail may keep you from starting because the task seems so daunting.
7. Don’t burn bridges. One online guru advises, “Even the villains in your life deserve some respect. And you could change your mind about them some day.”
8. Be ready when inspiration comes. As you start making progress on your life’s story, you’ll find that ideas come to you at the oddest times … shopping, visiting with friends or loved ones, or in the middle of the night. So keep a piece of paper or small notebook handy to write down the gems while they’re still fresh in your mind. It may become the inspiration you need to move forward.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to read biographies for inspiration. Not sure where to start? Check out Amazon.com’s list of top selling biographies.

Start your BeRemembered.com life story today. Click here to get started.