The only difference between talking and writing is for the first you use your tongue and when writing you use your finger. Simply write as if you were telling friends your story. Think tongue - think finger. Write for you. If you were a gifted artist you wouldn’t necessarily paint pictures to sell: You would paint because you like to paint for yourself; your family and friends. Writing is no different.
You do not have to use your own name. You can choose any pen name you wish.
Any story long or short is based on five times ‘W’: Who, When, What, Where and Why. Your story is about you; your background, what inspired you or led to the crossroads and dramas of your life. Who? You. When? Think of your story or bio as a diary. What? What happens? Where? Where these dramas happened. Why? What motivated you through life; your successes, failings, inspirations; your feelings, life’s little and big dramas.
It isn’t essential to start at the beginning. Get the easy bits out of the way first; the dramas you want to get down. The beauty of writing is you can chapter build, not necessarily in order. You can start at the middle; get the reader intrigued in the high dramas of your life. Some authors begin at the end and work back. You can go back to start as and when you chose. For instance; I could write about the dramas I experienced as a seaman. I could then go back to my childhood and what inspired my seagoing career.
Ignore writer’s block. Just begin to write even if it is nonsense. You can always re-write it later. Writing it like pausing at the pool’s edge; once you’re in you realise it is fun and you don’t wish to stop. Don't look for perfection; that is futile. The best authors do not so why should you be any different?
Keep trivia to a minimum; it is filler only. No one wishes to read small talk between two ladies strolling through a park; unless it is jaw-dropping gossip.
If your story might embarrass others then change their names; disguise the situations.
Feelings do matter; express them. Readers want to empathise; they will imagine how they would have handled your situation. They will laugh with you, weep with you. Writing is truly liberating; you can write about situations that you might find difficult to talk about.
An author photograph or other photographs help the reader to identify better with the storyline.
Don’t worry about lousy spelling and syntax, grammar, flow and flair. Writing to retail standards is a gift, which few people have. Even Jeffrey Archer employs a ghost-writer. 40 percent of all books are ghosted; 80 percent of celebrity bios. Just tell it your way as if you were writing to a friend who really wants to know. I do that bit for you. Books are rejected by publishers not because of poor storylines but because it is not up to retail standards.
Your ghost re-writes it; corrects; edits, lengthens, shortens, adds flair, character and gives it that essential page-turning formula until you are both happy.
Size is not important. A story or biography does not have to be paperback size (80,000) words. There are some beautiful short stories and mini-bios of around 20,000 words. Most famous writers started by writing short stories but they must be interesting and must have a beginning and end.
It isn’t essential that your book is written for publication. Take it one step at a time. Even if it is not publishable or you don’t wish it to be. It is a record of your life or your story. It has been set down for posterity. The publishing option can come later. You can even post it on the internet free of charge.