| Autobiography Guidelines
You are about to write your autobiography, the story of your life. So, how do you go about writing your autobiography? It's easy if you use the suggested chapter guidelines listed below. Write at least one paragraph for each idea that's listed under each chapter heading and you'll be on your way to writing a well developed autobiography.
Feel free to add more/different ideas, chapters, etc. You may also use a different organizational system if you'd like (for example, maybe you'd like to organize your autobiography in a year by year format).
Here are some sample chapters you can read to help you to get started.
Chapter One: Family History
- a graphic of your family tree and/or coat of arms
- tell about your grandparents and older generations (names, countries of origin, place of birth, date of birth, childhood memories, schools attended, jobs, siblings)
- your parents (names, countries of origin, place of birth, date of birth, childhood memories, schools attended, jobs, siblings,how they met, special interests, things
you admire about them, etc.)
- a graphic of you as a baby, a copy of your birth announcement, etc
- tell the story of the day you arrived (where were you born, time of birth, any adventures your parents had while getting to the hospital)
- tell your name, tell about how your name was chosen (tell about your first and middle name), tell the meaning of your names, if you could change your name...
- your birthstone, Zodiac sign and meaning (also tell if the sign fits your personality), your Chinese symbol and meaning (tell if the meaning fits your character)
- siblings and cousins
Chapter Two: Early Years
- a graphic of you as a toddler, something you liked to do as a toddler
- ask your parents about your "firsts" (first word, when did you sit, when did you roll over, when did you start to walk)
- favorite nursery rhymes, books, videos
- earliest memories of people, places, and things
- happiest toddler memory
- preschool memories
- family stories about things you did when you were a
youngster
Chapter Three: Birthdays
- write a reflection for each birthday (you will need to get help from relatives for the early ones)
Chapter Four: Memorable Moments
- sleep-overs
- broken bone
- embarrassing moment
- family traditions
- shining moment
- first dance
Chapter Five: About You
- pet peeves
- your taste in food, movies, music, sports, clothes
(over the years and current)
- happiest moment / saddest moment
- hobbies
- sports memories
- secret places
- wishes
- if you could change anything about yourself...
- your hero/person you admire
Chapter Six: Where I Live
- describe the town where you were born and/or live now (describe what you like to do there -
stores, parks, neighborhood, etc.)
- describe your home, yard, favorite rooms
- where you hope to live someday (dream home, dream location)
Chapter Seven: School Memories
tell about the first day in that grade, what you learned about in school that year, favorite projects, favorite subjects, funny things that happened at school, field trips your class went on, etc.
- Kindergarten
- 1st Grade
- 2nd Grade
- 3rd Grade
- 4th Grade
- 5th Grade / 6th Grade
Chapter Eight: Friends
- early friends
- school friends
- pets
- best friends
- a friend you'd like to see again
Chapter Nine: Vacations
- memorable trip with family or friends
- a trip you'd like to take some day
Chapter Ten: My Future
- high school
- after high school
- life in 10 years from now
- life goals and what you're going to do to reach
them
- car
- job
- family
- how you would like other people to remember you in
the future
(Optional Additions) Original Writing
- short stories
- poems
- songs
- artwork
When You're Done
- Make a meaningful cover for your autobiography.
- Make a dedication page.
- Create a consistent visual layout for your book
(font, size, color, page numbers, layout).
- Make a table of contents.
- Include visual elements throughout your
autobiography.
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