With the ongoing pandemic still keeping us inside as much as possible, many seniors have decided to start writing their autobiographies to pass the time. If you have a senior citizen that wants to know how to write an autobiography, they might turn to you for help. Writing an autobiography is a great way to memorialize oneself and the events of their life.
Have them make an outline
An outline is essentially the backbone of a book, autobiographies included. Its goal is to come up with the main points to write and where to write them. For an autobiography, you usually want to go sequentially, starting from childhood, then onto adulthood, and finally onto the senior years.
It can be written without an outline, but doing so makes it likely that things will be missed and you’d have to go back to it later to fix it, so having an outline is highly recommended.
Hire an editor
An editor’s job is to make sure the book is well-formatted and free of errors. A common misconception is that editors just look for spelling mistakes or grammar issues. That is one part of their job, but they also look for structure; making sure ideas are fleshed out, closing up any holes in logic, and generally seeing that the book reads well. An editor doesn’t need to be a hired professional. It could be a friend or family member with a flair for catching errors. If your senior is receiving companionship through home care services, his or her companion would probably be thrilled to offer another set of eyes as well.
Find a publisher
Once the autobiography is written and editing is finished, you’ll want to look into getting it to print. There are publishing companies that focus on autobiographies, so that is where you could start.
There is also the option of the self-publishing route, though this method might require some legwork to get the book out there in front of readers. If the autobiography is meant for only close family and friends, you could help them get their work printed and bound through a simple local printing service.
Showing a senior citizen how to write an autobiography is a great bonding activity and will provide a wonderful, valuable historical account for posterity.
