How to Write an Autobiography
如何寫自傳
Committing your life story to paper doesn't have to end in a book deal to be considered successful. What really matters is the insight you gain along the way. You will need memories, notes, a theme, conversations with loved ones, and honesty.
寫下自己的生平不見得最後要出版成書才算成功。真正重要的是你在過程中得到對自己的深刻認識。你會需要回憶、筆記、一個主題、和深愛的人們對話，以及誠實。
Step one: Jot down the memories that remain most vivid in your mind, even if they don't seem significant. Chances are if you've remembered them all this time, they are the memories that are the most meaningful to you.
第一步：隨意寫下你腦中最深刻的回憶，就算它們可能看似無足輕重。如果你一直以來都記得它們，那麼那些很可能是對你來說最具意義的回憶。
Step two: Review your notes to see if there is a theme to your memory. Many autobiographies have one.
第二步：檢閱你的筆記來看看你的記憶是否圍繞一個主題。很多自傳都有一個主題。
Step three: Figure out how you want to organize your story. You don't have to start at the beginning. You launch the book with a defining event, or even start with the present, and then go back in time. Or organize your life story according to themes.
第三步：想出你的故事編排方式。你不一定要從開頭寫起。用一個決定性的事件揭開書的序幕，或甚至以當下作為開頭，接著再回顧過往。或者也能依照主題來組織你的生平故事。
Step four: Talk to friends and family members to fill in memory gaps and to gain different perspectives on your experiences. Be aware that the stories you include about others could adversely affect your relationship with them. Consider changing their names to protect their identities.
第四步：和親朋好友聊聊來填補記憶缺口，且獲得看待你人生經歷的不同觀點。注意那些有他人在內的故事可能會對你和他們間的關係造成不利影響。考慮一下更換他們的姓名來保護他們的身份。
Step five: Once you start writing, write descriptively. Don't just chronicle the major events in your life. Transport the reader with vivid accounts of how everything looked, smelled, felt, and sounded. Include dialogue—snippets of conversations can really make memories come alive.
第五步：一旦你開始動筆，寫得詳細些。不要只是流水帳般地列下人生大事。生動描述每件事物的外貌、氣味、感覺以及聲音來讓讀者身歷其中。將對話包含在內－－對話的片段真的能讓回憶躍然紙上。
Step six: Above all, be honest. An autobiography won't ring true to your readers, or be cathartic for you, if you don't bare your soul.
第六步：最重要的是，誠實。如果你不敞開心扉的話，自傳讓讀者讀來就不會真實，或對你自己也不會有宣洩情感的效果。
Did you know actress Drew Barrymore wrote her autobiography, Little Girl Lost, when she was 14?
你知道女演員茱兒‧芭莉摩在十四歲時就寫下她的自傳《迷失的小女孩》嗎？
- 「寫下、記下」- Commit Something to Paper
Committing your life story to paper doesn't have to end in a book deal to be considered successful.
寫下自己的生平不見得最後要出版成書才算成功。 - 「在這過程中、在這期間」- Along The Way
What really matters is the insight you gain along the way.
真正重要的是你在過程中得到對自己的深刻認識。 - 「草草寫下、匆匆記下」- Jot Down
Step one: Jot down the memories that remain most vivid in your mind, even if they don't seem significant.
第一步：隨意寫下你腦中最深刻的回憶，就算它們可能看似無足輕重。 - 「想出」- Figure Out
Step three: Figure out how you want to organize your story.
第三步：想出你的故事編排方式。 - 「鮮活起來、栩栩如生」- Come Alive
Include dialogue—snippets of conversations can really make memories come alive.
將對話包含在內－－對話的片段真的能讓回憶躍然紙上。 - 「最重要、尤其」- Above All
Step six: Above all, be honest.
第六步：最重要的是，誠實。 - 「聽起來是真的」- Ring True
An autobiography won't ring true to your readers, or be cathartic for you, if you don't bare your soul.
如果你不敞開心扉的話，自傳讓讀者讀來就不會真實，或對你自己也不會有宣洩情感的效果。 - 「敞開心扉、吐露心聲」- Bare One's Soul
An autobiography won't ring true to your readers, or be cathartic for you, if you don't bare your soul.
如果你不敞開心扉的話，自傳讓讀者讀來就不會真實，或對你自己也不會有宣洩情感的效果。
