Step 4: Writing the first draft

Your research work is over, at least very well off! It’s time to start writing according to the platform you have selected.

A few tips to keep your spirits up

A trip down memory lane can easily make us relive those more difficult times. To avoid falling into melancholy or depression:

• Process one memory at a time, individually on a sheet of paper.
• Ideally, do not develop more than one negative moment at a time.
• It is best to end your writing session on a joyous event. To leave with a happy feeling.
• For more challenging events, allow yourself to revisit them in several sessions using the technique explained below.
• Try to set up a good writing routine, a planned period to capture either a memory or a writing duration.
• Remember that only you have the choice of the level of detail you wish to write while considering the readers. Is it relevant for them to understand the situation?

The first overview by memory

To fight the blank page phobia or tackle the more complex subjects, start simply by writing a list of executive lines — a series of short sentences containing the information you want to discuss and develop in this memory.

Note the timeline of events and emotions as they arise. Nothing prevents you from doing several passes by returning to it and adding a few lines or details.

When you’re ready to put it all together, step back and look at the list from your more mature perspective, with your eyes of today. Interpret the whole thing as if a friend told you about the event. Read with empathy and a little more detachment. Then, assess the relevance of each. Will this help your reader understand the situation?

Reattach Guidelines

After sorting out the details, it’s time to put it together. Keeping your list as a reference, start writing your memory under the list by matching the different points. Use details and descriptions like glue to connect each of them. Consider your readers by making it easy to read while expressing your emotions and perspective on your story.

We write with the heart, and we revise with the head

There will always be revisions to be made. Revisit your text a few times, with a lapse of time between each visit. It will give you a more objective perspective. Remember that editing written text is more straightforward than writing the first draft.

Assemble your memories in your biography

After writing down your memories, find a way to pair the reading of one memory with another. Either by a small paragraph or a guideline.

Group the memories into chapters covering a period of your life, for example:

• My birth, here I am, here I am
• My youth, a journey of discovery
• My adolescence, No one understands me.
• My first love
• I am now an adult
• And here I am, a parent

Add an overview introduction or quote for each chapter that reflects this new passage. Include a photo. The goal is to entice the reader to continue reading.

Once you have finished revising a chapter, if desired, an external pair of eyes can help review your document. Choose a trusted person who only we will have the privilege of reading to you first. She will be able to make comments and suggestions and possibly find minor mistakes or grammatical errors.

Some tips for writing

A small list of tips to help write your story:

• Make sense by identifying a common thread for your story. Is it about your life only, partially or whole, or about a journey towards achieving a goal?
• Be on the lookout for spelling and grammatical errors. Do not worry at first; the goal now is to write down your memories. But after your revision, you can use correction tools on the computer, the assistance of a friend who will serve as your first reader or pay the service of a proofreader to validate and correct your faults.
• Monitor the narrative flow; the story structure, the relevance of the information, the use of time (present or past), the rhythm, the writing in the first or the third person (be consistent), the presentation of dates and the jumps in time.
• Set yourself a date, a goal of when you want to have your story completed.
• When revising, read your text aloud. You’ll find missing or duplicate words more easily. Also, if you run out of air while reading, your sentences are too long, and possibly a comma or a rephrase would be good.