We’ve all done them. I hated doing them. Never followed them when I did them. Still don’t do them. But I am beginning to understand them better. The need for them. In fact, outlining my thesis novel is mandatory.
I’m going to share with you the 5 key points for outlining your autobiography or memoir.
Lay out the events you wish to cover in chronological order. If you have kept a journal over the years, this will be a great resource for you to help with the outline. This doesn’t mean that your story has to be written in chronological order, but it will help with dates of events.
Begin crafting a story arc. Decide how you wish to start your story. Do you want to start with an event? Do you want to start at the very beginning of your life? Once you make that decision, outline the first few chapters and that will be your story arc.
Think about how you want your story to end. What do you want your readers to take away from your story? Or what conclusion do you want to end your story? A good book builds toward its conclusion at all times.
Center the narrative around yourself. Yes it is all about you! Stay with first person narrative throughout, minimize others when able to do so. Remember a previous blog shared how to add others to your story? If you can’t avoid adding others, minimize where you can.
Settle on a final story arc. You’ve decided on how you wish to conclude your story, this will help you build a story around the conclusion.
By following these steps, you will create a strong story. As always, if you are confused, I can help unconfuse you.
This concludes the Biography, Autobiography and Memoir series.
I will be taking a few weeks off from blogging to finish my book. Upon my return we will explore the world of poetry.
Until next time….
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