Learn how to write an autobiography essay with an example. Discover what autobiographical writing is, and identify principles for writing an autobiography.
Updated: 02/09/2022
How to Write an Autobiography Essay with Examples
What is Autobiographical Writing?
What is autobiographical writing? Biographies and autobiographies are two types of nonfiction writing. Unlike fiction, nonfiction is about true events. A biography is a written account of someone's life. The biography A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar recounts the life of the renowned mathematician John Nash who also suffered from schizophrenia. An autobiography is a written account about one's own life. "Long Walk to Freedom" is an autobiography by human rights activist and former South African president, Nelson Mandela. In it, he recounts his early life, education, activism, imprisonment, and eventual triumph.
To remember the difference between a biography and an autobiography, it helps to remember that the prefix auto comes from a Greek word meaning "self," as in the word automatic which means "self-acting."
What is an autobiography essay? An autobiographical essay is similar to other essays that are written for academic purposes, but instead of writing about a novel or a historical event, the writer's life is the essay's topic. An autobiographical essay is much shorter than an autobiographical book that often recounts a person's entire life. In an autobiographical essay, the writer usually focuses on one personal experience. The essay is written using first-person point of view, meaning the writer uses pronouns such as I, me, and my. This makes sense given that the writer is recounting personal experiences. Although an autobiographical essay should be factually accurate in recounting experiences, the essay should still contain elements of creative writing that make it interesting to read. The essay should be organized and include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Autobiographical essays are sometimes referred to as autobiographical statements on college admissions or job applications. However, the format and instructions for writing an autobiographical statement are similar to the autobiographical essay.
Definition
Unlike a biography, which is a true account of someone else's life, an autobiography is a focused account of a writer's life told from the writer's own point of view. Autobiographies fall into the nonfiction category.
Autobiographies are typically written in the first person, and use the pronoun, 'I', which makes it easier for the writer to reflect upon and provide some perspective on life events.
Although autobiographical essays can be an abbreviated summary of an entire life, they usually focus on a certain accomplishment or experience. Their purpose is to educate, entertain or illustrate lessons learned retrospectively. As works of nonfiction, autobiographical essays are expected to be accurate, as well as creative and expressive, so that readers remain interested. Readers will only care about the writer's life if he or she is emotionally invested.
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How to Write an Autobiography Essay
How does one write an autobiography essay? There are certain principles and steps to follow when writing an autobiographical essay. First, the writer should choose one personal experience, set of experiences, or aspect of his or her life to give the essay a specific focus. This should be an experience that stands out, one that shaped the writer into the person he or she became. Second, only include details that are relevant to the essay's focus and use clear, concise language. If the essay's topic is about how a near-death experience as a teen gave the writer a new appreciation for life, the writer should not include any unrelated details like who his kindergarten teacher was. Third, the essay should be written in a narrative style. That is to say, it should read like an interesting story even though the events are true. Fourth, chronological order is usually the best method for organizing the events recounted in the essay. Begin with the first thing that happened and end with the last.
Steps for Writing an Autobiographical Essay:
- Define the purpose, topic, and audience. Why is this essay being written— for a class assignment, a college admissions essay, a job application? What is the topic— is it narrow enough, is it interesting, is it important? Who will be reading it— a teacher, readers of the school newspaper, a prospective employer?
- Brainstorm topics and make an outline. There are several methods of brainstorming including making lists and using graphic organizers. Once a topic is chosen, make an essay outline that includes the important details of the experience that will be recounted in the essay. The outline should have an introduction, body paragraphs (three paragraphs is conventional), and a conclusion like a standard essay. The introduction should introduce the topic, the story of the experience should be told in the body paragraphs, and the conclusion should summarize why the experience was important or impactful in the life of the writer.
- Write the first draft, or version, of the essay using the outline as a guide. The purpose of a first draft is to get the writer's ideas into an essay format. The first draft reveals the strengths and weaknesses of the essay's topic. Spelling and grammar are secondary at this point in the writing process.
- Edit and revise the first draft. Editing includes correcting spelling and grammar mistakes, but it also includes adding and deleting ideas or sections of the essay. Write additional drafts as necessary until the essay is polished.
Autobiography Essay Techniques
Using certain autobiography techniques can make an ordinary essay into an extraordinary essay. Beginning the essay with a compelling or catchy introduction is one technique. An essay that immediately captures the reader's attention or piques their interest will stand out and compel the reader to keep reading. This can be done in a variety of ways: ask a rhetorical question; quote someone; foreshadow the end of the "story" that will be told in the essay or the lesson learned from the experience; briefly describe the most interesting, exciting, or crazy bit of the story.
Another technique that will improve the essay is using emotionally expressive language. When describing situations and experiences, use words that convey to the reader what the writer (you) was feeling at the time. This helps the reader to become emotionally invested in the story, to feel the same feelings.
Though they are more often thought of as creative writing techniques, character development and dialogue are important in an autobiographical essay, which essentially tells a story. Obviously, the "characters" in this type of writing are real people, but it is important to impart the essence of the important people mentioned in the essay to make the reader feel like he or she knows who they are and what they are about. Character development can be achieved through descriptions of a person's appearance, actions, and dialogue. Dialogue is a conversation or the things that people say, which often reveals a lot about a person.
The use of retrospective lessons is a technique that helps readers become invested in the essay. Retrospective lessons are lessons that are learned afterward when looking back upon incidents. Two well-known writers, Call of the Wild author Jack London and Go Tell it on the Mountain author James Baldwin, use this technique in their autobiographies.
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Jack London reflects on extreme poverty that surrounded him as a child and how it forced him to realize the simplicity of humans— food and shelter are our most important priorities in his autobiography What Life Means to Me. To get food and shelter, people sell things, be it merchandise, their trust, their honor, or their bodies. James Baldwin reflects on the bad relationship he had with his father in one of his autobiographical essays in a collection called Notes of a Native Son. After his father died, he wished he had done something to improve their relationship.
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Example of an Autobiography Essay
Below is an excerpt from the first chapter of Life, an autobiography by Keith Richards of the band the Rolling Stones. Though not an example of an autobiography essay, it contains many of the elements discussed above such as beginning with a catchy introduction that foreshadows a later event, first-person point of view, concise language, and a narrative style.
Why did we stop at the 4-Dice Restaurant in Fordyce, Arkansas, for lunch on Independence Day weekend? On any day? Despite everything I knew from ten years of driving through the Bible Belt. Tiny town of Fordyce. Rolling Stones on the police menu across the United States. Every copper wanted to bust us by any means available, to get promoted and patriotically rid of these little fairy Englishmen. It was 1975, a time of brutality and confrontation. Open season on the Stones had been declared since our last tour, the tour of '72, known as STP. The State Department had noted the riots (true), civil disobedience (also true), ... and violence across the united States. All the fault of us, mere minstrels. We had been inciting youth to rebellion, we were corrupting America, and they had ruled never to let us travel in the United States again.
Lesson Summary
An autobiography is a written account about one's own life. It is a type of nonfiction writing, meaning it is about true events. An autobiographical essay is an essay in which the writer's life is the topic of the essay. Autobiographical essays usually focus on one aspect of the writer's life; use first-person point of view through pronouns like I and me; include an introduction, body, and conclusion; include only relevant details and concise language; use a narrative style; and organize the events in chronological order.
The steps to follow when writing an autobiographical essay are to define the purpose, topic, and audience; brainstorm topics and create an outline; write the first draft of the essay using the outline; and edit and revise the essay. Some techniques that may be incorporated are beginning with a catchy introduction that grabs the reader's attention, using emotionally expressive language that convey what the writer was feeling at the time, proper character development that helps the reader to become acquainted with the people mentioned in the essay, relaying dialogue or things that people said, and including retrospective lessons or lesson learned when looking back upon incidents as Jack London and James Baldwin do in their autobiographies.
Writing Guidelines
When writing an autobiographical essay, either for a class or for potential publication, there are three basic criteria to keep in mind.
First, because an essay is shorter than a novel, focus on one aspect of your life, such as a job, your family or the loss of a loved one, and dig into it. Use the essay to embrace mistakes and show readers what you have learned.
Second, make your writing clear and focused, and only include those details essential to your story. For example, if you're writing about your marriage, do not go onto a tangent about your childhood pet.
Third, keep in mind that, even though you are writing about true events, the essay should still read like a story. Start with a catchy lead-in, develop your characters and plot and finish with an ending that leaves readers thinking.
Examples
After gaining literary fame, Jack London published an autobiographical essay in which he describes the struggles he faced growing up with no means and lofty ambitions, entitled 'What Life Means to Me', written in 1905. Let me read you an excerpt.
 |
'…I was down in the cellar of society, down in the subterranean depths of misery about which it is neither nice nor proper to speak. I was in the pit, the abyss, the human cesspool, the shambles and the charnel-house of our civilization. This is the part of the edifice of society that society chooses to ignore. Lack of space compels me here to ignore it, and I shall say only that the things I there saw gave me a terrible scare.
I was scared into thinking. I saw the naked simplicities of the complicated civilization in which I lived. Life was a matter of food and shelter. In order to get food and shelter, men sold things. The merchant sold shoes, the politician sold his manhood, and the representative of the people, with exceptions, of course, sold his trust; while nearly all sold their honor. Women, too, whether on the street or in the holy bond of wedlock, were prone to sell their flesh. All things were commodities, all people bought and sold…'
By writing about his past self, London was able to reflect on his struggles and the horrid conditions forced upon the lower class. Notice how London dissects his emotions, such as his fear and repulsion when confronted with poverty. Instead of just writing 'I was poor,' he paints a picture of poverty and helps readers understand his emotional state.
 |
Another famous American writer and social critic, James Baldwin, published several autobiographical essays in his 1955 collection, Notes of a Native Son. In his title essay, Baldwin unearths painful memories about his deceased father. Here's an excerpt:
'…I had not known my father very well. We had got on badly, partly because we shared, in our different fashions, the vice of stubborn pride. When he was dead I realized that I had hardly ever spoken to him. When he had been dead a long time I began to wish I had. It seems to be typical of life in America, where opportunities, real and fancied, are thicker than anywhere else on the globe, that the second generation has no time to talk to the first. No one, including my father, seems to have known exactly how old he was, but his mother had been born during slavery. He was of the first generation of free men. He, along with thousands of other Negroes, came North after 1919 and I was part of that generation which had never seen the landscape of what Negroes sometimes call the Old Country…'
In his essay, Baldwin reflected upon his and his father's broken relationship. Fueled by hatred and paranoia that originated from a dark past, Baldwin's father pushed the writer away. When his father died, Baldwin lost all chance of mending the relationship. By using expressive language, Baldwin not only engages readers, but also helps them become emotionally invested in his loss.
Lesson Summary
An autobiographical essay is a work of nonfiction about a writer's own life, typically told in the first person.
Although the story must be accurate and true, the use of creative writing techniques, such as expressive language, engages readers and helps them become emotionally invested in the story.
Guidelines to writing the autobiographical story include a clear and concise approach to a specific aspect of your life. Catchy introductions, an interesting plot, well-developed characters and a thought-provoking conclusion are also important. Popular autobiographical essays, such as 'What Life Means to Me' by Jack London, and 'Notes of a Native Son' by James Baldwin, relied upon emotionally expressive language and lessons learned in hindsight, which made them of interest and relevant to readers.
Learning Outcomes
When you're through with the video lesson on autobiographical essays, test your readiness to:
- Differentiate between a biography and an autobiography
- Present the guidelines for writing an autobiographical essay
- Recognize examples of autobiographical essays
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Video Transcript
Definition
Unlike a biography, which is a true account of someone else's life, an autobiography is a focused account of a writer's life told from the writer's own point of view. Autobiographies fall into the nonfiction category.
Autobiographies are typically written in the first person, and use the pronoun, 'I', which makes it easier for the writer to reflect upon and provide some perspective on life events.
Although autobiographical essays can be an abbreviated summary of an entire life, they usually focus on a certain accomplishment or experience. Their purpose is to educate, entertain or illustrate lessons learned retrospectively. As works of nonfiction, autobiographical essays are expected to be accurate, as well as creative and expressive, so that readers remain interested. Readers will only care about the writer's life if he or she is emotionally invested.
Writing Guidelines
When writing an autobiographical essay, either for a class or for potential publication, there are three basic criteria to keep in mind.
First, because an essay is shorter than a novel, focus on one aspect of your life, such as a job, your family or the loss of a loved one, and dig into it. Use the essay to embrace mistakes and show readers what you have learned.
Second, make your writing clear and focused, and only include those details essential to your story. For example, if you're writing about your marriage, do not go onto a tangent about your childhood pet.
Third, keep in mind that, even though you are writing about true events, the essay should still read like a story. Start with a catchy lead-in, develop your characters and plot and finish with an ending that leaves readers thinking.
Examples
After gaining literary fame, Jack London published an autobiographical essay in which he describes the struggles he faced growing up with no means and lofty ambitions, entitled 'What Life Means to Me', written in 1905. Let me read you an excerpt.
|
'…I was down in the cellar of society, down in the subterranean depths of misery about which it is neither nice nor proper to speak. I was in the pit, the abyss, the human cesspool, the shambles and the charnel-house of our civilization. This is the part of the edifice of society that society chooses to ignore. Lack of space compels me here to ignore it, and I shall say only that the things I there saw gave me a terrible scare.
I was scared into thinking. I saw the naked simplicities of the complicated civilization in which I lived. Life was a matter of food and shelter. In order to get food and shelter, men sold things. The merchant sold shoes, the politician sold his manhood, and the representative of the people, with exceptions, of course, sold his trust; while nearly all sold their honor. Women, too, whether on the street or in the holy bond of wedlock, were prone to sell their flesh. All things were commodities, all people bought and sold…'
By writing about his past self, London was able to reflect on his struggles and the horrid conditions forced upon the lower class. Notice how London dissects his emotions, such as his fear and repulsion when confronted with poverty. Instead of just writing 'I was poor,' he paints a picture of poverty and helps readers understand his emotional state.
|
Another famous American writer and social critic, James Baldwin, published several autobiographical essays in his 1955 collection, Notes of a Native Son. In his title essay, Baldwin unearths painful memories about his deceased father. Here's an excerpt:
'…I had not known my father very well. We had got on badly, partly because we shared, in our different fashions, the vice of stubborn pride. When he was dead I realized that I had hardly ever spoken to him. When he had been dead a long time I began to wish I had. It seems to be typical of life in America, where opportunities, real and fancied, are thicker than anywhere else on the globe, that the second generation has no time to talk to the first. No one, including my father, seems to have known exactly how old he was, but his mother had been born during slavery. He was of the first generation of free men. He, along with thousands of other Negroes, came North after 1919 and I was part of that generation which had never seen the landscape of what Negroes sometimes call the Old Country…'
In his essay, Baldwin reflected upon his and his father's broken relationship. Fueled by hatred and paranoia that originated from a dark past, Baldwin's father pushed the writer away. When his father died, Baldwin lost all chance of mending the relationship. By using expressive language, Baldwin not only engages readers, but also helps them become emotionally invested in his loss.
Lesson Summary
An autobiographical essay is a work of nonfiction about a writer's own life, typically told in the first person.
Although the story must be accurate and true, the use of creative writing techniques, such as expressive language, engages readers and helps them become emotionally invested in the story.
Guidelines to writing the autobiographical story include a clear and concise approach to a specific aspect of your life. Catchy introductions, an interesting plot, well-developed characters and a thought-provoking conclusion are also important. Popular autobiographical essays, such as 'What Life Means to Me' by Jack London, and 'Notes of a Native Son' by James Baldwin, relied upon emotionally expressive language and lessons learned in hindsight, which made them of interest and relevant to readers.
Learning Outcomes
When you're through with the video lesson on autobiographical essays, test your readiness to:
- Differentiate between a biography and an autobiography
- Present the guidelines for writing an autobiographical essay
- Recognize examples of autobiographical essays
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you write an autobiography essay?
To write an autobiography essay, choose one aspect of your life about which to write. Use the first-person point of view, write in a narrative style, and include only relevant details. The essay should contain an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
How do you start an autobiography about yourself?
An autobiography should begin with a catchy introduction, one that captures the attention of the reader. This could be a rhetorical question, a quote or something that someone said, foreshadowing the end of the story, or briefly describing the most interesting part of the story that will be expanded on later.
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I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Back
Autobiography Essay Examples & Steps | How to Write an Autobiography Essay
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