Autobiography: what is it, practical examples and parts it should contain?

A simple way to understand the main characteristics and stages of this type of text.

It is likely that you have read or read an autobiography by some author, or that you have been asked to write a short autobiography as a class assignment or as a presentation to a group.

In any of the two cases and independently of its purpose, we will be in the presence of a writing that summarizes the main events experienced during the course of the life of the the main events of the protagonist's life, written by himself.

However, and especially when we are asked to do it, sometimes it can be confusing or we may not know what exactly to include. That is why in this article we will see a small and summarized example of autobiography..

An example of autobiography

The following is a brief example of an autobiography based on a fictitious character. Specifically, we are going to imagine that it is written by a man in his thirties, named Peter (although this last detail is irrelevant), and during its development we are going to divide it into different sections according to the vital moment to which they make reference to.

"My arrival in the world and first years".

In this part of the autobiography we present the basic data of the birth of the writer, and what happened during his early childhood. The family and social the family and social context in which socialization began.

I was born thirty years ago today, on a hot October 3, 1988, in the maternity ward of a hospital located in the city of Murcia. Although the third and youngest of my siblings, my birth was also highly desired by my parents. The first two years of my life were very happy, surrounded by my family and beginning to discover the world around me. However, during the second year my parents received a job offer in Madrid, and we all moved to an apartment near Puerta del Sol.

"The school stage".

In this phase of the autobiography we continue explaining what happened during childhood, in this case linked to coming into contact with the world of formal education.

At the age of three I was enrolled in a local school, a period I remember as happy and innocent. My grades at that time were relatively high, and learning to read and write was the birth of what would become a great hobby: reading. Mathematics, however, was a subject in which I never excelled.

I also remember afternoons playing in the park with some school friends, as well as vacations in different towns in the area or revisiting my native Murcia.

"Adolescence: a complex phase".

Adolescence introduces a qualitative change in any autobiography, since here the themes linked to adulthood are introduced for the first time, and the entry into contact with the and the entry into contact with more abstract thinking.

Adolescence was complicated for me. Since, despite being sociable, I am extremely reserved, at that time it was difficult for me to make stable friendships, having only a few friends that I still keep today. I also had some self-esteem problems with my body image, something that made me start practicing sports with great intensity (something that would end up becoming a hobby). I would also begin to dabble with theater, poetry and literature, writing and performing, albeit only as a hobby. That stage was also very exciting, discovering my first loves and starting to travel to different countries in Europe.

Another aspect that was especially difficult for me at that time was deciding my professional future. Many options crossed my mind, such as theoretical physics (a subject I always liked), as well as options such as computer science or biology. However, I ended up deciding to study medicine. Before that, I had to take the PAU or Selectividad tests, which I managed to pass successfully and with enough marks to get into that career.

"Beginning my adult career".

Adulthood is the stage of the consolidation of the personalityThe development of hobbies and personal interests, and in many cases the achievement of economic stability.

I got a place at the University of Barcelona, where in my first year I would meet a large number of people from different origins and backgrounds from whom I could learn a lot. Unfortunately, I would only keep in touch with half a dozen of them, who would become close friends. After several years of career and after taking the MIR entrance exam, I managed to enter as a resident at the Hospital Clínico. It was a hard stage, with constant on-call duty and facing complex situations and medical emergencies that, in addition to learning at a professional level, made me value more and more the importance of living in the moment.

During the residency I also met the person who would become the love of my life, a psychiatry resident with artistic tastes and a strong mentality despite showing a fragile side that awakened in me a strong protective instinct. We met initially as professional colleagues, and gradually became friends. In 2010 I finished my residency, having specialized in immunology, during the celebration party I finally asked her to go out with me. She accepted.

"Current situation."

In many autobiographies, the stage closest to the time of writing is described in greater detail and dedication than the rest. That is why in this part of the text there is usually more freedom, since the topics to be addressed and the approach to be taken are more flexible. the topics to be addressed and the approach to be used vary greatly..

That same year, surprisingly, I started working at the hospital after getting the position left by a retirement. I was also hired by a private company. Although I had little time for myself beyond vacations (which I took advantage of to travel around Europe), I hardly had any free time. Fortunately, I was also gaining a portfolio of clients. My relationship with my partner deteriorated and we were on the verge of breaking up, but it survived.

During 2014 a meeting of students from my graduating class was held at the university, reuniting me with my classmates and coming up with the idea of creating a medical and psychiatric clinic among all of us. We would finish planning and defining it that same year, creating a limited company. Although we initially started with losses, surprisingly by mid-2015 we recovered the initial investment.

In 2016, after years of relationship with the one who to this day is still my partner, I decided to ask her to marry me. The process was long and planned for months, firstly managing to match our vacations that summer to go to Paris together, during the same weekend that in 2012 he agreed to go out with me. There, at twelve o'clock at night on the top floor of the Eiffel Tower, I put my knee on the ground, took out a ring I had bought months before and asked her to marry me. And she said yes.

And although two years have already passed, we have reached today, October 3, 2018, at a time in my life when my professional career has yet to continue for many more years and I have managed, together with my partners, to open a relatively successful clinic, while facing what will undoubtedly be my biggest project: my next fatherhood.