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[General Brewster]

Outside of school "personal narrative" projects, I have not... I assume you're considering it?

Yeah, I have around 40 notepads full of notes laying around. I think I could make something out of it giving a perspective of my working life and my mixed feelings on it.
I only wouldn't know where to start, or how.

[Commissar Caligula_]

Start with the time you saved the world from the Nazi dinosaur conglomerate from Mars?

[General Brewster]

I fear it began with that one time I saved the moon from the Darkside Space-Nazi's that tried to breed dinosaurs

[Zeus Almighty]

I’ve not, but I’ve considered doing one. Not because I’m important but because I think a revealing first person hospital employee perspective is always needed. I don’t think most people truly understand that aspect of life.

[Tigellinus]

I'm doing well, Caillagh! Quite well, actually.

I'd never be able to write an autobiography on myself. I haven't done enough yet for it to be terribly interesting XD

[General Brewster]

I’ve not, but I’ve considered doing one. Not because I’m important but because I think a revealing first person hospital employee perspective is always needed. I don’t think most people truly understand that aspect of life.

Now that is actually something I would read!

I'm doing well, Caillagh! Quite well, actually.

I'd never be able to write an autobiography on myself. I haven't done enough yet for it to be terribly interesting XD

Haha well we can't have all we desire right?

[Owlparrot3]

All the charcters in my story are exactly like me ,you would have noticed that William Trent and Richard Matson and mad orc are all the same at the basic level .
Though Trent is more developed that Matson .

[Axis Sunsoar]

Yeah, I have around 40 notepads full of notes laying around. I think I could make something out of it giving a perspective of my working life and my mixed feelings on it.
I only wouldn't know where to start, or how.

Wow, that's a lot of notes. Were you thinking more along the lines of the "full story" of your life (or at least your working life)?

It might be easier to find a place to start if you pick out a specific event from your life that you recall particularly well that you feel could be used to portray the full story, and encapsulate the mixed feelings you mention. Of course, I don't know if there is any such single event you could pick out, not knowing your own story/thoughts, but I think if you can come up with one, this could be a very effective way to convey what you are trying to.

Alternately if you prefer to try and cover as much ground as possible, still consider a particularly significant or important experience and set it as the climax of the story, then build towards it as if it was a moment in any other novel. This may include an introduction/ exposition with an early nod toward this event/ a preview of it. Generally I would say avoid the starting at the very beginning/ your birth trope, but depending on how the rest of the story works out, that can still be workable. Given the focus you've mentioned maybe your first job, or the first major challenge you experienced in your working life would be good starting places, and in both you could allude early on to whatever major moment you're working towards, and the main point you're trying to get across.

[General Brewster]

Nearing my 20th year in service

This is very helpful! I hadn't thought about it in that way. It's going to be fully professional. Some parts omitted ofc.

Huge help!!

[Tigellinus]

All the charcters in my story are exactly like me ,you would have noticed that William Trent and Richard Matson and mad orc are all the same at the basic level .
Though Trent is more developed that Matson .

See, I'd be worried if my characters were like me. Eleusis is an egotistical megalomaniac, utterly willing to sacrifice any and all if it gets him what he wants.
I hope I'm not like that on a base level! XD

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

I hope you're not like Eleusis, too, Tigellinus!

General Brewster, Axis is right, that sounds like a huge amount of information you have available about your life.

Axis's advice is good (of course). I wonder if you might be able to find threads of 'plot' to follow as the story unfolds, too. If you could, it might help you decide what elements of your life you want to focus on most in your autobiography. And if they're strands that run through quite a large portion of your life, they might link the different episodes of your life together quite well, too.

(For instance, if you were someone who started out lacking in self-confidence, but eventually developed more and more self-confidence over the years, through various experiences, referring to that each time you write about one of those experiences will link the experiences to each other, as well as to the things happening immediately around them.)

You should take this advice with a large pinch of salt, though, because I've never even attempted anything like an autobiography. I'm far too uninteresting for that!

[Admiral Van Tromp]

Something else, has anyone here ever tried to write an autobiography on him or herself?

I'm afraid I haven't and I can't think of better advice than Axis and Caillagh's. I just wanted to say that, knowing some "scenes" from that book, I'd read it.

About autobiographical characters in fiction, I remember someone claiming they weren't a very good idea, but I can't remember who said it or the reasons they stated. In any case, I avoid creating them but end up scattering parts of me around the cast.

[Commissar Caligula_]

Any of ya read Malazan Book of the Fallen by Stephen Erikson? Even if you haven't here's two good Facebook posts (5000 words total I think) written by Stephen Erikson (the aforementioned author, who is amazing) on the importance of characterization.
Post One
Post Two
It might be interesting/helpful to some of ya.

[Monarchist]

I can't believe this thread I started 8 years ago has gotten to so many pages. Makes me happy to see. I think I'll contribute to my old forum again soon.

Thanks for the links Caligula. I like this particularly:

"Characterization is not an isolated creation – not exclusively internal landscape. It’s also about relationships, to other characters, and to the environment and circumstances: this is what makes it so changeable, so malleable, so outwardly unpredictable."

[Caillagh de Bodemloze]

Thanks for the links, Caligula! (I admit I haven't read them yet - I've only just seen them - but they look interesting, especially considering the bit Monarchist quoted.)

No, I haven't read any of Erikson's books. But I remember you were thinking of posting about them so that I can decide whether or not I want to.


Monarchist, hi. And welcome back.

I like that comment about characterisation, too. I know I behave differently with different people, and in different circumstances, so it does seem right that my characters should do that, too.

I'll hope for you to post some of your writing for us. I'll look forward to seeing what you choose to do!

[General Brewster]

I'm afraid I haven't and I can't think of better advice than Axis and Caillagh's. I just wanted to say that, knowing some "scenes" from that book, I'd read it.

About autobiographical characters in fiction, I remember someone claiming they weren't a very good idea, but I can't remember who said it or the reasons they stated. In any case, I avoid creating them but end up scattering parts of me around the cast.

You humble me old friend
Surely going to give it a try in the near future!

[Axis Sunsoar]

Any of ya read Malazan Book of the Fallen by Stephen Erikson? Even if you haven't here's two good Facebook posts (5000 words total I think) written by Stephen Erikson (the aforementioned author, who is amazing) on the importance of characterization.
Post One
Post Two
It might be interesting/helpful to some of ya.

Excellent share Caligula, I love the information and the way its presented, I certainly plan to do my best to work some of it into my own writing, although I must confess that I have not read Malazan Book of the Fallen but I may have to add it to my list for whenever I have some time, considering this material from the author!

I can't believe this thread I started 8 years ago has gotten to so many pages. Makes me happy to see. I think I'll contribute to my old forum again soon.

Thanks for the links Caligula. I like this particularly:

"Characterization is not an isolated creation – not exclusively internal landscape. It’s also about relationships, to other characters, and to the environment and circumstances: this is what makes it so changeable, so malleable, so outwardly unpredictable."

Well, I'm a bit too young on the forums to recognize or remember you, but using the highly advanced tools at my disposal, the "started by" note on this thread does indeed seem to have your name attached to it, so welcome back!

I must say, I think you've very nearly selected my favorite portion of the linked posts, although I also find myself rather partial to the semi-concluding message of the second post: "The point I’m trying to make here is this: the master filter is powerful. Your narrative tone colours the entire story and its inner world, and everyone in it, and if one isn’t careful, it can distort the reader’s perception to such an extent that they can’t get past it."
Which is something I shall certainly be trying in my own writing when discussing different characters, I find it intriguing to consider playing with the entire writing style and allowing it to take take on (subtly) different form and tone to match the character.

I hope that you indeed elect to spend some more time posting here, It's always good to have people kicking around the old WS, especially those so prestigious! Hopefully indeed some of your writing shall appear soon!

[Commissar Caligula_]

Characterisation and world building are two really important aspects for me if I'm going to enjoy a book. If I ever do do the book blog, most of it will be ing about authors who do em poorly.

I can't remember whether I've told you guys this before, or I was in the midst of typing it but then realised I couldn't explain it adequately. So if you've read this, just skip it.
I am a big fan of Malazan, but they're a daunting task to read. The main series (the only series I've read) is ten books, five of which are 1300 pages and the other five are 800-1000 words.
There's also spin-off series by another author which ties up various loose plots (but apparently he's nowhere near as good as Erikson).

The series throws you into the deep end, the magic system itself is never adequately explained (but its barely ever used as a deus ex machina), and some plots are completely and utterly useless until the last moment when you work out why all the characters had been acting in certain ways for the past 200 pages (which is incredibly annoying, but only happens twice I can think of). The books do jump around quite a bit, and some characters aren't seen again for like 5000 pages as other stories take precedence, but all of the stories and characters tie together.

[Axis Sunsoar]

Have you ever attempted Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time? And if so, how would you compare the reading experience? Because as much as I enjoyed those books it was a bit of a slog to get through them, and I'm not sure I'm mentally or emotionally ready for round two, even three years later.

[Commissar Caligula_]

Have you ever attempted Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time? And if so, how would you compare the reading experience? Because as much as I enjoyed those books it was a bit of a slog to get through them, and I'm not sure I'm mentally or emotionally ready for round two, even three years later.

Yep the Wheel of Time was the series I did right before Malazan. Malazan is much better overall, and nearly every book is equally exciting but it is a much bigger slog mentally because you have to draw all the strings together and work out how everything works yourself, and remember minor characters when they pop up a few thousand pages later. I found it pretty rewarding though.

Edit: Forgot to add to my previous post that having the main author write the main series, and then extraneous stuff being tidied up by a separate author can be incredibly annoying. Characters who were pretty big and influential just disappear and are never heard of again because they'd been relegated to the other author's books (which as I said are apparently sub-par)