Autobiography vs. Journal
I have wondered about the shape my autobiography should take. Should I lay out the stories and let people decide? Should I lead the reader to certain conclusions?
Actually, I plan on doing both. By laying out my stories here, I am giving the reader a chance to draw some of his own conclusions. Eventually, I plan to give shape to the many stories that I have laid out here.
All of this lead me to a question -
Am I creating an autobiography at this point or just trying to recreate a journal?
I’ve decided that before I get to the actual autobiography writing, there will necessarily be some journal recreation – with some differences. Of course, a journal is autobiographical in nature but there are some specific differences that I am thinking of.
- My little creation here will have the perspective of an autobiography. Journals tend to be more in the emotion of the moment.
- I will invariably miss some details that I would have had had I kept a journal through the years.
- I will have more of an opportunity to add my reflections.
- Memory tends to change and omit things over time. So some of my writings may have inaccuracies. I will try to temper these by interviewing others who were witnesses to the events I describe.
This is a big undertaking. One I hope will be fruitful for myself and maybe provide some ideas to anyone who reads this.