Autobiography Editing and Proofreading

WordsRU’s experienced and professional editors will ensure your autobiographical editing is relevant to your particular style. They will strengthen and rework your sentences to benefit the flow and readability of your manuscript. Along with a grammar check, their editing of your autobiography will ensure that it is free from spelling and typographical errors.  As with manuscripts in other genres, checking for appropriate punctuation is an important element of the editing or proofreading and is given close attention as is word choice, tense, syntax and overall readability. Why not obtain a complimentary assessment along with your detailed quote.

 

 

 

"Your grandmother says you read a lot. Every chance you get. That’s good, but not good enough. Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with the shades of deeper meaning."
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- Maya Angelou


 
WordsRU - Book Autobiography editing and proofreading

 

In the passage above, Maya Angelou is describing the process that restored a nine-year-old girl’s ability to communicate following a horrific incident, and then commence a dialogue not only with her self, but with others as well as events, places and time. This juxtaposing of self, other people, experiences, events, time and place is at the heart of autobiographical writing.  WordsRU’s experienced and professional editors are sensitive to the conflicts of identity and ‘voice’ that arise during the writing of autobiographies, memoirs and personal histories.  They understand that autobiographical editing (as well as memoirs and personal histories) are a form of social discourse where at one and the same time, the author is examining his or her self vis-à-vis the world around them.

 

During the course of WordsRU autobiographical editing, the overall balance, structure, and development of the work are reviewed and your editor will make suggestions or comments about these aspects. It is always the intention of our manuscript editors to enhance your words, to preserve your voice and to unify that which may be in conflict — unresolved issues, inconsistencies and lapses in continuity and so forth — to ensure your autobiography is given the best possible presentation. 

 

There are those who will say you don’t have to be a former president to write your autobiography – though it helps!  You don’t necessarily have to be particularly interesting but if this is the case, it helps if you can write.  On the other hand, if you have attained celebrity status then writing ability diminishes relative to the incandescence that surrounds you. 

 

Here are a few lighthearted thoughts on writing your autobiography:

 

  • Some of the most successful autobiographies have been written by people who were completely unknown when they decided to write their story.

  • Don't worry about being famous. If you have something interesting or unusual to write about then there is a good chance others will be interested in reading about it.

  • You don't necessarily have to be interesting if you are famous for something and your face is recognized. Readers will want to know more about you even if they discover there is not much else to know.

  • Try not to be too honest – you can leave out all the uninteresting episodes that might bore your readers to tears. Concentrate instead on the main events. You can stretch the truth a little, and exaggerate a bit but avoid the big whopper and anything that comes remotely close to plagiarism.

  • If you overcame an awful childhood or some terrible illness in some highly unusual way, people will be interested. Note that terminal illnesses have been — ahem . . . done to death.

  • It’s okay to name drop even if you don’t really know the people. Just mentioning famous people works wonders!

  • Self-belief is everything in writing an autobiography!

 

We edit - you take the credit!

View our book testimonials from published authors.

WordsRU Writer Services:

 

WordsRU editing will ensure that your autobiography is edited in a way that will attract the highest possible quality outcomes.

 

 


2002—2009 Copyright © WordsRU