Do you want to write an autobiography but you're not sure your life has been eventful enough, or that you want to dedicate the time it would take?
Preparing a course on making short films gave me an idea for how you can tell your story in a different way. A short film typically is about one moment or incident in the life of the protagonist--a moment that changes something. What if you use that as the guiding idea of writing your memoirs?
For instance, last year I wrote a short film that was shot by my friend Kenny Luper about the moment a daughter realizes that her father is starting to suffer from dementia.
We also shot a black comedy short film about the moment--at a memorial service--that a group of people realize that none of them actually liked the deceased.
And we shot one about the moment a man's relationship with his Alexa-type device changes.
To write your story, instead of the conventional format of starting with your birth and covering your entire life, you could pick out half a dozen or more of the most important turning points in your life.
These could include:
- a major event (for better or worse) in your relationship with your parents
- a moment or event that made you decide what you wanted to pursue as a career
- meeting your spouse or partner
- a key act of friendship
- what you were doing during a dramatic moment in history
- how a particular book or movie influenced your life
- an incident that made you proud of yourself
- a moment or action you regret
Taken as a whole, these will give a good idea of who you are and what your life has been like--a great legacy for your children or grandchildren--and they're easy to write one at a time. Much less daunting than thinking you have to cover every year and event of your life.
You can save this collection on a computer, but be sure to have a couple of print-outs, too--technology changes so fast that there's no guarantee the formats we're using today will still be around in ten or twenty years. Of course, you can also opt to have copies printed. Unless you plan to print a large run, print on demand may be the best way to go.
You could augment these accounts with photos or memorabilia. You could also opt to record it instead of writing it.
If you decide to do this, let me know how you get on: [email protected].
