How to Write the Autobiography of a Book?

An enchanting world unlocks every time you flip through the pages of those well-worn but safely kept books. The feel of running one’s fingers over the words, the smell of the pages and the enchanting charm the characters exude make for a dream evening spent in peaceful solitude. Books form an essential part of existence and life without books is unimaginable. Famous Books and authors have the power to create unimaginable worlds and everything in the world is written in their powerful pages. An autobiography of a book serves to talk about a book from the book’s perspective. This helps the reader in looking at the book from a unique point of view which is not biased or stereotyped. Giving an insight to the world of the characters of a book and its existence, writing an autobiography of a book requires infinite assiduity as a reader and a careful understanding of a book’s presence and its importance in the world. Let us learn how to write autobiography of a book in this blog!

What is an Autobiography?

Etymology: Autobiography comes from the Greek, autos meaning self, bios meaning life, and graphein to write.

An autobiography is a biography of a person, which is narrated by themselves. It includes various significant incidents that the narrator might want to include in their study. These stories are extremely close to each narrator and the type of composition can differ, based on each one’s unique style. There are ample examples in literature that can help you understand the various forms and formats of an autobiography.

The term Autobiography was coined by Robert Southey in 1809 to describe the work of a Portuguese poet (Anderson 1, 7; Berryman 71).

The Process of Writing an Autobiography

Writing the autobiography of a book is a process that needs diligence, passion and understanding as a reader and a writer. An autobiography of a book helps its readers give a vivid understanding of a book as seen from the book’s perspective. Writing an autobiography of a book helps people in developing their skills as a critical reader who reads for pleasure yet comprehends the vital concerns the book tries to portray. Writing the autobiography of a book requires constant practice. Given below is a process that you can follow to write an autobiography of a book as magnificent as the book itself: 

Reading the book thoroughly:
To be able to write an autobiography of a book that is enthralling, it is important to read the book with utter concentration. While reading, the reader has to pay attention to every nuance of the book and the character representations. Books have a life of their own and this can be discerned by reading it scrupulously. This helps in getting to know the book for its presence and the ideas it seeks to portray.

Comprehending the characters and critical analysis:
Reading a book also involves an imperative process in it which is understanding the characters not as an external reader but as a part of the book. This helps in creating a perspective from within which can be used while writing the autobiography of the book. Additionally reading the book critically helps in developing a sense of the subtly represented themes that the book serves to depict. The core of each book has various themes that the readers need to perceive to get a better and holistic understanding of the entire book.

Understanding the value it creates:
Each book has critical importance in the world and this can be understood by perceiving the themes it aims to bring to light. While writing an autobiography of a book, appreciating the book’s value in the time it was written and its relevance in the present world helps in creating an autobiography that appraises the book and makes it more engaging for the reader.

Stepping into the book’s shoes:
After reading comes to the paramount task of writing the autobiography of a book. Channelizing your inner raconteur, sit down to write but while doing that, it is important to remember to empathize with the book and write its autobiography not as an outside character but with personal involvement. This would involve imagination and a personal attachment to the book which would grow from reading the book and thereby spending time in the figmental presence of its characters. While writing, it is of utmost importance that you feel the emotions and write it with your personal flair. If it has you innate essence in its making, the autobiography of a book would become phenomenal.

Reviewing and Rewriting:
Writing is a continuous process which never comes to end but with each level of rewriting it moves a step closer to becoming an epitome of perfection. Writing an autobiography of a book necessitates that the writer rereads every part and works on it with fresh rigour to improvise on parts that require improvement. Repeated editing and rewriting is what will finally result in a creation that would be lauded as a masterpiece and represent the true emotions of a book for the world.

Tips for Writing an Autobiography

Here are a few tips for writing an effective autobiography.

• Pay attention to details: Your writing should include details for the person to live that moment in their imagination. Use adjectives, adverbs, and make every detail count. If a scene includes the sea, write about the colour, temperature, and density of the water; Write how was the day like; etc.
• Make your characters come alive: If you are writing an autobiography of a book, write about the people surrounded by the book. Mention their qualities, personalities, movements, and elaborate it.
• Make your narration consistent: Your narration should have a structure and should be lucid and clear for the readers.
• Connect the story: Each scene in the autobiography should be connected with each other and the conclusion should focus on the central theme.

Did You Know? The earliest known autobiography written in English is the Book of Margery Kempe, written in 1438.

List of Questions for Elaboration

Writing an autobiography requires you to use your imagination and create a unique narrative. Try to frame questions for a better comprehension of your story. Here are a few sample questions for writing an autobiography of a book that will help you to understand better.

• What is the genre of the book? (Comedy, suspense, etc.)
• What is the best or the worst memory about any book you have read?
• Who are the main characters?
• Do you have a fictional story about books and related charaters? (Flying books, talking books)
• What is the central idea of your autobiography? What message do you wish to deliver? (For Example, Awareness about importance of reading or recycling paper, etc.)

Autobiography of a Book – Sample

Below is a sample of an autobiography of the book “Pride and Prejudice” by the extraordinary author Jane Austen who mesmerised the world with her outstanding works.

Hey there! I am Pride and Prejudice. I was born much before you were and having seen the world for so long, I realized that my astounding and intriguing life needed to be chronicled so I undertook it upon me to embark on this task. 

In my pages you will meet a world the contemporary society has never seen, a world of glittering ballrooms, breathtaking ladies and stunning gentlemen and a society full of nobility. Exciting, isn’t it? I was written by an exceptional woman at a time when most women were denied even the right to education. She is still revered around the world and so am I, her sensational creation written so ahead of its time!

My life doesn’t end with being on the list of every reading challenge made in the world. It gets more invigorating. Through me, the idea of women being subservient to men was first dispelled as malarkey. I love satire and use it to help this world see how important women are to the functioning of this world, not as a subordinate but as an equal. Now I am part of every literary circle, literally going circles as each hand tries to grab me and make a point using my words. Seriously, what has happened to creativity?

Often I see students toy with my pages but not read them. They are not privy to the large world I hide in myself. They are happier watching the movie than spending time with me. I sit alone on the bookshelf, dusty and forgotten. My wonders remain concealed in my hardcover. I hear the door open and I see a hand moving towards me. Excited, I hope they would reach for me but it diverts to another section of the room. Eh, never mind. Someone will find me soon again and read my tale of a relegated time. Till then I don’t wallow in self pity but wander back to a time when I was valued for my own self. That will happen fast enough again, I hope. After all, people do learn the importance of books in their learning!

Sample 2

Examples for Practice

Autobiographies of a book can be written in various forms as books could be of different types. Students can use the following examples to practice writing.

• Autobiography of a Novel
• Autobiography of a Textbook
• Autobiography of a Diary
• Autobiography of a Storybook

This blog is meant to create an idea about how the autobiography of a book is written. It is a task that is baffling for some, gruelling for others and invigorating for most. Writing is a process that involves skills and passion. These skills can be developed by studying them in various classes or as advanced courses. Leverage Edu provides you with a platform to discover the scope of the writing field and the processes to undertake writing as a profession by enrolling in esteemed writing degrees from world-renowned universities. Register today for a free counselling session!