Writing an autobiography can and should be easy. Choose an unusual perspective to tell the story of your life and go on an imaginary time travel to dig out some interesting information from your past. To make it even easier, you can use the following autobiography questions to help you find and choose the best ideas to include in your writing.
15 Most Common Autobiography Questions
The first thing you should remember when writing an autobiography is that all types of clichés can kill your paper. The standard scheme “was born – went to school – went to college” won’t impress anyone. However, the following autobiography quiz, which contains most common questions, can be an effective start for brainstorming the subject:
- Where is your family from?
- Who are your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and so on?
- Does your family tree contain any heroes or famous people?
- What are some stories which are passed from generation to generation in your family?
- What is your first/best/worst childhood memory?
- Do you have any siblings and/or cousins?
- Did you ever have a pet?
- What was your favorite pastime as a child/ teenager/ adult?
- What did you want to be when you were a child?
- Do you like sports? Describe your notable achievements, if any.
- Who were the most influential people in your life?
- Have you traveled much? What was your most memorable trip and why?
- What is your favorite place and why?
- What advice would you give to your 15-year-old self?
- What do you consider as your most important achievement in life so far?
5 Exclusive Autobiography Questions
The 15 questions discussed above focus on the most common ingredients, which can become good building blocks for your autobiography. However, you should add some spice to your life story to prevent your readers from falling asleep. To do this, here are 5 exclusive questions to find topics for an autobiography that will breathe life into your memoir, making it uniquely interesting:
- Has the world changed during your life? Do you like these changes? (Here you can mention for instance the rise of innovative technologies, advent of internet, social networking and their impact on your life.)
- What is your contribution to the future of this planet and how did you choose it? (Maybe, you do not use plastic bags or do not own a car.)
- What would you tell your family/ friends/ neighbors/ all people in the world if you knew that you had only 1 day more to live on earth?
- What occupation would you choose if you did not have to earn your living?
- If you, just like Goethe’s Mephistopheles, could exclaim, “Stay moment, you are so fair!”, would you do it at a certain moment of your life? Or, do you think that you will have this moment in the future?
Any autobiography question from this exclusive list can turn a boring life story in a captivating memoir which could become a bestseller if it was sold.
So, with these most common and exclusive prompts by your side, you have pretty good chances of success. Use the most common ingredients and then add some spice to win the hearts of your teachers!
