Developing and Structuring
an Autobiographical Story



Copyright © 2009        
   Diane Howard, Ph.D.       



Here are some brief guidelines for writing an autobiographical story,
yours or someone else's:

Starting:

  • Identify a Climatic Turning Point
     
  • Find the Beginning of the Story by identifying a major problem or conflict   that started a process that developed toward the turning point


Developing the Story:       

  • Begin with a crisis in the character's wants, which are counteracted
     

  • Reveal a critical problem that builds over the course of the story to the climatic conflict and turning point
     

  • Identify where the main problems or tensions are for the character
     

  • Incorporate paradox, irony, mystique, role reversals, unexpected twists & turns
     

  • Build scenes of crises and significant actions that lead to the climactic turning point

       

Structuring the Story:

·    Include in the overall story the following: a beginning, foreshadowing, discovery, incidents, crisis, and denouement (action following turning point)

·    Build rising action, a climax, and falling action in each scene and  in the overall story

·    Identify the high stakes for the character  

·   Focus on the motives, objectives, desires, or wants of the character

·    Trace the denouement, after the turning point, with development of major life lessons

·     Conclude the story with a resolution that conveys, summarizes, confirms significant life lessons

      Writing and presenting autobiographical stories can promote healing and internal, positive motivation in the storyteller and in audiences.  When observers identify with role models in stories, they can become significantly more motivated and productive.


Reference:
 Howard, Diane. Autobiographical Writing and Performing:
An Introductory, Contemporary Guide to Process and Research in Speech Performance.
[Online] Available http://www.dianehoward.com/publication.htm, 1999.

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