How do people writing biographies recall their lives in such detail. I barely remember my childhood just bits and pieces here and there. But nothing close to writing a book.

Question

How do people writing biographies recall their lives in such detail. I barely remember my childhood just bits and pieces here and there. But nothing close to writing a book.

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Answer 1

I recently wrote an autobiography (as yet unpublished), and I kind of wrote it in pieces. The more I thought about the events of my youth, the more I remembered, and the more I was able to fill in the gaps. The whole writing process took about a year, and that’s a lot of time to spend remembering your past. I imagine that if you made a concerted effort, you could remember a lot more than you’re giving yourself credit for right now.

My process involved carrying around a notebook everywhere I went, and when I was reminded of something, I’d write a quick note to myself so that when I sat down to actually write, I’d have a whole bunch of inspiration saved up. This worked pretty well.