«I want writemy story corporate! Where do I start?» If you're wondering, here you will find everything you need
Bringing life to a’autobiography work requires a lot of internal work, but also an excellent organization for planning your manuscript, so as to start it with enthusiasm and complete it with equal enthusiasm.
Let's inaugurate our journey in a practical way, how I like it: I'll immediately show you a first checklist to keep in mind to understand how to write an autobiographical book. Here are the items you need to get started:
- discover the reader or the ideal reader of your corporate autobiography
- bring out the main theme
- preparation to collection of sources
- draw up one ladder that organizes the contents in the best way.
Below we will clarify each point in this checklist. You will find, Furthermore, different practical exercises to begin setting up your life story, which will be intertwined with the history of your work activity.
How to write an autobiographical book: the target
Knowing your audience helps you shape your tone of voice, the style and content of your book, so as to make it engaging for those who read it.
To locate the target, try to reflect on the main topics of your autobiography: what experiences, challenges and messages you want to share? You want to communicate with a general audience or with someone who knows the specific vocabulary of a particular subject? Who might be inspired by your story?
Ask yourself what age group and gender your ideal reader belongs to, what passions animate him/her, what your level of education might be. Perhaps it may seem complex, therefore I propose some preliminary questions to answer to achieve your goal.
What kind of story do you want to write?
The manuscript hasn't started yet, but you already need to ask yourself some questions about the impression you want to give it. Arm yourself with Word files and try to complete the following points.
- Topics to address: what will be the predominant topics and messages?
- Setting: where and when your story takes place?
- Length and complexity: it will be an agile little volume suitable for everyone or a substantial volume aimed at an audience of specialists? Or somewhere in between?
- Stile: in light of the points listed above, start thinking about the tone of voice to take: formal, colloquial, technician, poetic…
What are the characteristics of your potential public?
Once the distinctive elements of the text have been identified, look around: talk to people who might be interested in your book, analyzes forums, group online, social media, social news sites, question/answer platforms that engage users who are passionate about the topics you cover. When you have a more specific idea of the potential audience, answer the questions below.
- Demographics: age range, type , level of education, profession.
- Interests and hobbies: what they like to do in their free time?
- Values: what their beliefs and ideals are?
- Readings: what kind of books do they usually read??
Exercise 1: identikit of ideal male and female readers
Here we are! With the information collected, you can create fictional – but detailed – representations of your ideal readers (what they call in marketing buyer personas). There will be enough 4/5 to work well, but if you want you can create more. You can also combine each profile with a photographic reference, taking inspiration from photos of real people or creating ad hoc images with the help of artificial intelligence.
Always keep these identikits available: when you write, they will be the ideal recipients of your words. In this way, simple statistical and demographic data will transform into realistic characters.
Everything is fine “character” must include:
- Fictitious Name
- Age
- Profession
- Interests
- Goals
- Challenges
- Favorite news channels
Example: in case your autobiography focused on how you learned mindfulness techniques, an ideal reader she might be:
“Geneva, 35 years, primary school teacher, passionate about reading and yoga, seek inspiration to overcome daily challenges through meditation and a healthy lifestyle. He loves following his favorite creators on Instagram”.
How to write an autobiographical book: the main theme
Now that we have an idea of the audience we are targeting, we must bring out the main theme.
Attention! Il main theme is not the subject of the book, but the underlying message you want to convey, that detail “quid” that remains with the reader when he has finished reading your autobiography.
Even books that deal with the same topic, Indeed, they can have a very different underlying message from each other.
Example: Suppose a modern dance teacher named Mirko wants to write his autobiography, starting from the moment he discovered dance as a child until he patented his new method to teach it to students of all ages. Given this underlying argument, the main theme could focus on very different keywords: revenge, discipline or innovation. Let's see the three different directions immediately:
- The main theme of the revenge: thanks to dance, Mirko overcame the difficulties and bullying he suffered as a child, becoming a point of reference in its sector.
- Main theme of the discipline: Mirko talks about the rigorous routine, the sacrifices, the training and dedication needed to excel as a dance teacher.
- Key theme of innovation: Mirko shares the creative process that led him to develop a new approach to teaching, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods.
Exercise number 2: describe your main theme
Think carefully about your life experience, on the details you want to tell and the underlying message you want to reach readers. When you feel ready, write the key word and the main theme of your story.
Exercise 3: collect sources
The sources will have the role of enriching the narrative, providing you with concrete details and helping you recall memories more vividly. The history of your professional activity, Indeed, it will inevitably intertwine with your personal history.
Here is the material you can start collecting:
1. School diaries and notebooks: rereading your notes, you will be able to relive specific moments and capture the authenticity of your childhood. So, run and search the attics of grandparents and parents!
2. Online and offline correspondence: The letters, whether paper or electronic, they can help you rebuild relationships, important events and changes in your life, giving you a first-hand perspective on your personal interactions.
3. Take a photo or video: look at old photos, that maybe you haven't looked at for years, can reawaken dormant memories.
4. Official documents: birth certificates, diploma, certificates, employment contracts or other documents trace your personal and professional path.
5. Voice messages: hearing your voice or that of others will bring back past conversations and feelings, adding a sonic dimension to your storytelling.
6. Memories of family and friends: banishment to shyness! Don't be shy about letting relatives or close friends tell you their version of events.
7. Social media and blog: if you have used online platforms to share moments of your life, digital content can serve as a record of your experiences and thoughts.
What to write in an autobiographical book?
As for the writing of the book in its entirety, Let's see the three main paths you could follow:
- Traditional autobiography: follows a chronological narrative, offering a complete overview of your existence.
- Memoir: focuses on a specific period or particularly significant events, highlighting the emotions and reflections linked to them.
- Auto-fiction: it's the right path if you feel the need to mix reality and fiction, as it allows you to weave personal experiences with fictional elements.
Whatever approach you choose, autobiographical writing, however, requires careful selection of the memories to include, transforming your experiences into an engaging narrative for your ideal readers.
Unleash your creativity: you can adopt narrative techniques typical of the novel or even poetry, to enrich your story and make it more authentic. Or you can opt for a structure similar to that of an essay, to organize your reflections more rigorously. The important thing is to keep a sincere voice.
When I follow my authors, I always recommend plan your story starting from the three-act structure theorized since classical times by Aristotle, before arriving in more recent times at the formulations of Joseph Campbell (The hero with a thousand faces), Christopher Vogler (The Hero's Journey) e Dara Marks (The character's transformation arc).
If you don't know what it is, don't worry! I have outlined for you the ideal structure of your autobiography, all you have to do is continue reading.
Scheme for writean autobiography
What you will find below is a rough structure developed by me, based on the authors I cited above. It is not a fixed model, you can have fun tweaking it to your heart's content once you get the hang of it’ of familiarity with the three acts of the story.
Attention: you don't have to twist your story to make it “enter” in the posts of the structure! You must consider these indications as a trace, an effective way to tidy up your memories and organize them in a framework that can involve readers.
So here is my proposed outline for writing an autobiography:
ACT I: START
Ordinary world: the story begins in your everyday environment. It can be a positive dimension, that gives you security, or a space that creates dissatisfaction.
Call to adventure: an unexpected event interrupts everyday life, presenting you with a challenge that pushes you to leave your comfort zone to embrace something unknown.
Call resistance and fatal flaw: there are heroes enthusiastic about setting off on adventures and recalcitrant heroes, but in any case it is good to talk about some obstacle that stands between you and the adventure, so that the narrative is compelling. At this point the fatal flaw, i.e. the “fatal flaw” that holds you back from evolving, that wants to keep you anchored to models of behavior that are now stale.
Exceeding the first threshold: initial resistance overcome, decide to take up the challenge.
ACT II: PROGRESS
Prove, allies and enemies: at the beginning of your adventure, you face various ordeals that test your skills. You meet some supportive people and come into conflict with others. Remember: conflict is the spice of a story, what gives flavor to each page. Nobody likes heroes who have too easy a life and are praised by everyone.
Approach to the deepest cave: you prepare to face the biggest challenge. It's an introspective moment, in which you gather the strength to overcome your fears.
Central test: we find ourselves at the peak of your personal epic, where you demonstrate your worth and determine the course of your adventure. You are face to face with the biggest obstacle you have ever encountered: the climax reaches the highest peak.
ACT III: CONCLUSION
Tension release: after the central test, you feel a sense of relief and satisfaction. The narrative becomes more relaxed and relaxed. But the calm is only apparent…
Crisis: this is the last moment of difficulty. When everything seems to be going well, here is a further obstacle that tests all the knowledge you have acquired during the central test. Who if parrà la your nobility, In short, and you will demonstrate how you can now face even the most difficult challenges.
Return home: you finally return to the ordinary world, or you decide to stay in the extraordinary dimension you discovered during your adventure. The important thing is to bring wisdom with you, the experience and knowledge gained during the trip. Gifts that have the potential to transform more than just your life, but also that of those around you.
Exercise no. 4: Fill out the form to write your autobiography
Now that we have shed light on the main points of the three acts, it's up to you to complete the narrative outline! I'll leave you all the points to fill in below.
ACT I: START
Ordinary world:
Call to adventure:
Call resistance and fatal flaw:
Exceeding the first threshold:
ACT II: PROGRESS
Prove, allies and enemies:
Approach to the deepest cave:
Central test:
ACT III: CONCLUSION
Tension release:
Crisis:
Return home:
The autobiographical pact
The autobiographical pact And a concept introduced by the French literary critic Philippe Lejeune in his book “The Autobiographical Pact” of the 1975: It is very important that you know the general principles, since your aim is to understand how to write an autobiographical book.
This concept, so, refers to’agreement stipulated between the author and the reader when we are preparing to read a memoir.
The author is committed to telling his life truthfully, guaranteeing the identity of the author, narrator and protagonist. Right, Lejeune recognizes that various factors influence the accuracy of the story - such as gaps in memory or the subjective interpretation of events - but the important thing is to strive to provide those who read us with a narrative that is as sincere and authentic as possible.
To do it, I always recommend active and welcoming listening to one's memories, trying as much as possible to suspend judgment both towards ourselves and towards the other actors involved in the story.
How to start writing an autobiography? The importance of the incipit
What is the most important element for a contemporary text? And why exactly the incipit?
Because contemporary readers have a very low attention span!
This does not mean that the other elements are less important, in the economy of history. Ma if you mistake the beginning, no one will go on to read your text.
For this reason, I dedicated two entire articles to this very topic. Here they are:
Examples of autobiographies
One of the secrets to writing an autobiography with attention to the smallest details is to read up on this genre. Never get tired of reading and dreaming in the pages of those who have inspired readers with their life stories. I'll leave you some examples that I particularly loved, but feel free or free to wander, selecting the books you like most based on your tastes.
With the pink sari, Sampat Pal: an autobiography of a great woman who, like all the members of her caste (one of the lowest in India) she is destined to not go to school and become a child bride. Sampat is forced to marry at twelve, in a context of violence and suffering. Nevertheless, not only will he find a way to study, but she will even manage to become an activist and a symbol of courage for all the women of her country.
On writing, Stephen King: a book that allows you to both read up on autobiographies and receive creative writing advice from one of the greatest living authors. Stephen King doesn't hold back, telling us his darkest and most painful moments and giving us a taste of what the craft of writing is.
Stupor and tremors e Neither Eve nor Adam, Amélie Nothomb: two books that shed light on the techniques of auto-fiction, because the author recounts her experiences in Japan in a very fictionalized way. Amélie Nothomb has a unique voice, ironic and irreverent, which makes it recognizable and very pleasant to read.
In the end, three authors to whom my team and I are particularly close because they chose to rely on the Scrivantes path:
The weight of the H, Francesca Gagliardo: Francesca, as well as being Giorgia's mother, it's his toocaregiver, his family assistant. Giorgia is a nineteen-year-old girl who was diagnosed with malformative encephalopathy at just two years of age. A story of true life and an equally true and unconditional love between a mother and a daughter.
Crystal Phoenix, Alessia Pizzuti: a memoir on how to survive, and above all to be reborn, after a past of abuse. If you want to know more, I recommend you read my interview with the author: From the publishing house to the self: the story of Alessia Pizzuti.
Stop to emotional hunger, Francesca Simoni: not just a manual for (re)learn to love and nourish yourself with awareness, but also a life story. The author tells, Indeed, the difficulties, the dark moments and the turning points that led her to develop her method, based on “intuitive eating” that we have mastered since we were children.
How long does it have to be an autobiographical book
There is no standard length, but still I wouldn't stay under them 100 editorial folders (a folder corresponds to 1800 spaces characters included), otherwise it would seem more like a pamphlet than an autobiography.
Most of the time we are between 200 and the 300 folders, but nothing stops you from writing much more. The important thing is to select the most significant episodes, which give value and meaning to the progression of the story: when it comes to your life, all experiences may seem relevant to you, but that doesn't mean it's always like this. A good editor will be able to advise you on the parts to deepen and those to cut.
Legal issues
Writing an autobiography involves mentioning facts, real places and people, which can expose you to legal risks. I don't want to scare you, ma It is vital that you are aware of these risks, if you want to protect yourself from possible disputes. Let's analyze the hottest topics, in a very generic way (I'm certainly not a lawyer), just to get a very first idea of what situations could prove dangerous.
- Defamation: occurs when information is disclosed that damages a person's reputation. Even if the facts narrated are true, their presentation in an offensive or disparaging manner may result in legal liability.
- Violation of privacy: reveal sensitive or embarrassing information (such as betrayals or personal problems in general) may lead to claims for invasion of privacy.
- Use of real names and places: even data that seems neutral can create problems, if associated with controversial events or negative descriptions.
- Right to be forgotten: is the right to request the removal of personal information that is obsolete or no longer relevant.
How to protect yourself? You can ask for written consent from the people mentioned, or make them anonymous by changing their names and every detail that can be traced back to them. The best decision, Anyway, is that of consult a law firm specializing in copyright before writing his autobiography. My colleagues and I on the Scrivantes path have been relying on Tutela Scrivanti for years, I'll leave you the link to the site for further information: www.tutelascrittori.it
Who to contact to write a book?
If you would like to have the book written by an external professional, what's right for you is a ghostwriter. This is a professional who writes your story based on your words and your voice, always remaining behind the scenes, in fact his name will not appear on the cover (unless you decide to credit him as co-author of the text, but it is rare for this to happen).
Attention: this figure will write the first draft of your story, but then you will need to contact other professionals to carry out the editing, proofreading and the graphic part. Or you can decide to commission the work to an editorial team, which already includes all the figures you need, like that of Scrivantes route.
How much does it cost to write an autobiographical book?
Depends: you want to write it yourself and then have it corrected? Or you need support in the design and structure? Or again, you want to have it written by a ghostwriter? In any case, It depends on the length and complexity of the topic.
If you want to fully commission the writing, let's start 4000 euros and up for the complete package, but to get a more precise idea of the costs of ghostwriting I recommend you read the article How much it costs to be written a book in 2025?
If you want to take care of the first draft instead, I recommend you submit the text to one editorial evaluation sheet to get a first idea of the interventions to be carried out e, consequentially, of the related costs.
In any case, do not hesitate to contact me for further information on how to write an autobiographical book!
