Live life. Pay attention. Write it down. Keeping a diary will help you develop the helpful habit of reflection. Sometimes it makes an interesting story.

Two roads diverged. Life changes. You can't go home again. Everyone experiences turning points when there's no going back. It's interesting.

I did not see that coming. Things look different now. How did that happen? Sometimes by choice, sometimes not, the world looks a little different.

Now what? I don't know what to do. Not to decide is still to make a choice. Difficult decisions are unavoidable. And they have consequences. That's life.

Life is a valley of tears. Pain and suffering are part of life. Sometimes we learn from pain. Sometimes we don't. Happiness doesn't always feel real or go down deep. Pain does.

We are the champions. Victories come in many sizes. Rewards will come to those who wait. What victories have you achieved through blood, sweat or tears and what lessons have you learned?

STEP 1 - BE INSPIRED

An inspired story is one that you care a lot about. It is meaningful to you because it reflects something about who you are and how you became that person. Inspiration comes to people in different ways: thinking long and hard, reading what others have written, keeping a diary to notice details of your inner and outer life, taking a walk or doing some other activity might help you to look back on your life and remember a story that is important and worth sharing. 

STEP 2 - CHOOSE A TOPIC

Think of an important and meaningful experience or idea that you want to share. Choose something that you care about. Think about it, and try to recall every detail and implication. Relive the experience in your mind. This can be done 'invisibly' as you're waiting in line, on the bus or lying in bed. Keep a diary or journal to develop the habit of noticing and remembering details; you may even keep a dream journal to get hints into your subconscious thinking. 

STEP 3 -  CHOOSE A PERSPECTIVE

The point of view of an autobiographical essay is your own. But you should decide if it is from the point of view you had when you experienced the story (living and learning through the events) or from a later point of view (such as now) when you can clearly see what you went through and the result. How much you include about the point of view of others in the story may also be important in developing your story. Sometimes what you don't say is just as important as what you do say.

STEP 4 - CONSIDER THE AUDIENCE

Your story is unique, no matter how familiar some of the experiences may seem to you. But when writing, you should consider how much, how little and exactly what details from your story are needed to tell your readers about what may be familiar or unfamiliar experiences and contexts for them. For example, walking on a crowded city street is a familiar experience that may not need so much detail. But if something unusual happened, it would be important to describe the setting. The peer writing workshops will help you to understand your readers' point of view very well.

STEP 5 - SHOW 

(DON'T TELL)

The single most important writing advice may be to "show not tell" what happened. The essence of good storytelling is lived experience. By showing character, setting and events, you invite readers to experience the story and share in the meaning of your experience. If you begin by caring about the story and then focus on the people and moments you want your readers to experience, it will expand the reader's experience to include your own. Check your focus by "visualizing" each part of the story as it unfolds. Is there enough information and detail for others to "see it" and experience it with you? 

STEP 6 - STRUCTURE YOUR STORY

Organize the story into paragraphs. Each paragraph is a "scene" or moment from story. Balance the length of the paragraphs (do NOT write very long paragraphs and avoid too many short ones) Begin to think about the structure of the story - the balance of content and description. Have you included enough description of the characters and the setting? Is there dialogue so we can hear the voices of the people in your story? Is there a distinct beginning, middle and end?

STEP 7 - GIVE A GOOD TITLE

Choosing a good title is more difficult than you expect. Consider it carefully. You should give as much thought to your title as parents give to naming their baby. It should capture something unique about your story and also encourage a reader's curiosity - leading them to want to know more. It may be the answer to  a question raised in the story. It may be descriptive of the theme, a person or an experience from the story, but it should not be very plain, like "My Mom" or "The Competition". The title should also not be too long. 

STEP 8 - START WELL

The start of the story should catch the reader's attention. It should be relatively short and introduce an idea, a character or an important moment in the story. Normally the opening will be a very close up, sharp focus or a step back, giving context and perspective to the story that will follow. "I hated my mother" is only four words, but introduces two characters, conflict and pain very effectively. "Although I didn't know her, I was so lonely that I wanted to talk with her for hours" also takes us into the middle of the story and raises many questions. What works best for your story?

Every story includes a cast of characters. Some people play leading roles while others are minor characters. When writing about people, remember that your readers don't know them, so it is up to you to introduce them in a clear, direct and honest way. Remember to show us the people in your life, not tell us about them. The people of your story real, unique human beings. Let us get to know them and understand your life experience as autobiography, not a fairy tale.  

The setting of your experiences is all important. If you are attempting to write a story about the events of your life, the setting is the stage on which it happens. It is helpful to think of the setting as a character in the story. Showing the setting of where something happens can bring the story to life for a reader. But don't overdo it! Be selective about what you describe and how much space you take to do it. While it's very important; the setting is usually not the main character!

Every author should include some dialogue in his or her story. Dialogue does two things. It brings the reader into the immediate experience - the time, place and mood of what's happening; and it allows the reader to "hear" the voices of the main characters. Both of these things breath life into a story, but it takes some practice to write good dialogue. So practice! One tip for good dialogue is to use it to "spotlight" something significant.

STEP 12 - PACING

The pace of the story refers to how quickly or slowly the story moves along. This includes at least two important elements: the time period covered in your story and the amount of detail about each event that is told. If a one-thousand word story covers three days of your life, you can include more detail about what happened. If the same length story covers three months (or three years), you have to skip a lot of time, leave out events, and choose which few parts to describe in more detail. The pace is influenced a lot by the length of paragraphs, the amount of detail given, and how much dialogue is included.

STEP 13 - REFLECTION

Writers very often include too much 'internal' dialogue, writing a lot about what they felt or thought without connecting it to life experience. It is much better to write about what happened in your life to create those thoughts and feelings. If it's done well, very little explanation will be needed. You may even achieve the highest form of writing, to recreate those feelings in your readers. 

STEP 14 - ENDING

Many life stories will have a lesson learned or insight discovered. How directly do you want to say it? Should it be at the very end - or is it better to include it earlier and finish with a final description of something that happened in the story? Think about whether it would be better to leave the reader "thinking" about what happened or "seeing" it for themselves. 

STEP 15 - EDITING

An editor wears many hats: teacher, friend, reader, critic. Every great writer has a great editor... or many! The best way for a writer to understand the impact of her story on a reader is to hear from a thoughtful reader directly. A conversation about the story, what was most enjoyable, what was missing, and what can be improved, can allow a good story to become a great story. 

STEP 16 - REWRITING

This is unavoidable: good writing takes time. Experienced authors agree: stories are not created magically overnight, they are the result of writing and rewriting and rewriting. Even when you've finished, pay attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation and proper formatting. When you enjoy a good meal, just think about all the work that went into getting it to your plate! The best cooks enjoy the process. Writing, like cooking, can be a kind of healthy exercise for the heart and mind.