autobiographies
Authors' own stories
Autobiographies are books in which people tell the stories of their own lives.
The word distinguishes self-written life accounts from biographies, which are written by someone else about their subject.
She's reading the autobiographies of jazz musicians.
An autobiography typically covers a full life or significant portion of it, while a memoir may focus on particular events or themes.
Written personal recollection
- life storyAccount of someone's existence
- chronicleOrdered historical record
- personal historyAccount of someone's life
- recollectionsRetrieved past experiences
reminiscences · anecdotes · testimony · confessions · self-portrait · introspection · self-examination · retrospective
Literature about real events
- memoirsWritten personal history
- diariesPersonal daily records
- journalsPeriodicals or personal logs
- lettersAlphabetic characters or mail
collected writings · ghostwritten · as-told-to · celebrity memoir · political memoir · tell-all · bestseller · book deal
Uncredited hired author
- co-authorJoint creator of text
- first-person"I" as narrator
- voiceSound from throat
- perspectiveAttitude or spatial rendering
hindsight · selective memory · embellishment · accuracy · fact-checking · editorial · manuscript · drafting
Resounding, celebrated victory
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- overcomingDefeating a challenge
- transformationThorough change in form
self-discovery · empowerment · courage · determination · grit · achievement · success · adversity
Inherited cultural legacy
- contributionSomething given to help
- impactForceful contact or consequence
- influencePower to affect others
- testamentWritten proof or legacy
footprint · posterity · remembrance · documentation · historical record · philanthropy · achievements · life's work
memoir
Written personal recollection
- life storyAccount of someone's existence
- chronicleOrdered historical record
- personal historyAccount of someone's life
recollections · reminiscences · anecdotes · testimony · confessions · self-portrait · introspection · self-examination · retrospective · vignettes
nonfiction
Literature about real events
letters · collected writings · ghostwritten · as-told-to · celebrity memoir · political memoir · tell-all · bestseller · book deal · publishing
ghostwriter
Uncredited hired author
- co-authorJoint creator of text
- first-person"I" as narrator
- voiceSound from throat
perspective · hindsight · selective memory · embellishment · accuracy · fact-checking · editorial · manuscript · drafting · revision
triumph
Resounding, celebrated victory
- resilienceCapacity to recover quickly
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
- overcomingDefeating a challenge
transformation · self-discovery · empowerment · courage · determination · grit · achievement · success · adversity · redemption
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- contributionSomething given to help
- impactForceful contact or consequence
- influencePower to affect others
testament · footprint · posterity · remembrance · documentation · historical record · philanthropy · achievements · life's work · endowment
- booksnovel, textbooks, study guides, book, paperback
- Autobiographiesmemoirs, personal memoirs, life stories, personal narratives
- celebrity booksmemoirs, tell-all books, tell-alls, famous lives, life stories
- American proseessays, biographies, creative nonfiction, personal essays, narrative essays
- biographical writingshagiographies, vitae, confessions, character sketches
- biography typeslife stories, memoirs, personal accounts, author biographies, royal biographies
autobiographiesbiographies
Accounts of people's lives
hagiographies · profiles · obituaries · biographical sketches · historical biographies
autobiographiesnovels
Extended prose fiction
fiction · fictional narratives · fantasy · fabrications · autobiographical fiction
autobiographiesdiaries
Personal daily records
journals · diary entries · letters · correspondence · snapshots
- autobiographical novelsFiction based on writer's life
- autobiographical fictionImagined tales from life
- autobiographical writingSelf-narrative prose
- autobiographical essaySelf-written personal account