Opinions about autobiographies?

S

SavedStories17

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Do you guys think it is important to write your life story to save for your children and grandchildren? Any thoughts? I am a college student trying to learn as much as possible about this topic!
 

I think it is more important for children and grandchildren to collect the stories form parents and grandparents by interacting with them than it is for them to be written down and left in a drawer or on a shelf.

 
I don't think it's really important if there has been family communication as Aunt Bea has mentioned; but it can be quite nice if it's written well enough as not to be boring.

Readership will most often be only by those who are mentioned. Unless there's something written about them or their kids, they won't care overmuch, so it should be at least interesting.
 

One of my biggest regrets is that I never thought to ask enough about my parents' past. I don't even know how they met. They were both in their 20's when the depression hit, and I know they went through some tough times. My Mom was partially raised by her Aunt. But, I never thought to ask why. And, they were not the type to sit around and talk about the old days. Now, it's too late. Even relatives who might know are gone.

So, I decided to put some of my own life down on paper. Maybe my boys or granddaughter will be curious some day. Maybe not. But, no harm done. It's not a normal linear biography. Instead, it's a collection of short pieces on different subjects. If they are curious about high school, there's a page on that. Want to know about my Boy Scout experiences? That's another couple pages. So, it can be read in bits and pieces. And, I printed it out so technology changes won't make it unreadable.

The truth is, it was fun to do. I like to write anyway, and putting it down in words brought back things I hadn't thought of for a long time. My wife read it and said it was good. But, of course she's in it.

Don
 
That sounds like a great resource for future generations! My grandpa did a similar thing and I am very grateful.
Just out of curiosity: would you be willing to let other people besides your immediate family read your stories? Or would that be weird/uncomfortable?
 
Don, since you enjoy writing, I bet you made your memories interesting! The more you remember about your children when they were small, the better they will like it.
 
TechStudent said:
That sounds like a great resource for future generations! My grandpa did a similar thing and I am very grateful.
Just out of curiosity: would you be willing to let other people besides your immediate family read your stories? Or would that be weird/uncomfortable?
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I doubt whether anyone but family would find my autobiography interesting. I've had a pretty average life. I have written and published an e-book about my time in the submarine service. It's called Several Leagues Under the Sea, and it's on Amazon if you're curious. If you have Amazon prime you can borrow it free. Amazon has free software that makes their e-books readable on just about anything.

Don
 

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