AustLit

We all carry around in our heads a story-of-self which we continually consult in order to know who we are, where we’ve been, and where we want to go. That story-of-self is a web comprised of many, many narrative strands. As we move through life we continually revise the story-of-self in the light of new happenings, new insights into our selves. To the have the story-of-self in one’s head is to possess what we call the autobiographical consciousness. Virtually every human being possesses this form of consciousness. People who write autobiography transfer parts of the story-of-self to the page. In order to do this, they have to exercise narrative craft: the story-in-the-head is so intricate that only parts of it can be included in the autobiography, and the written version must make the story compelling for a reader. The narrative craft required to do this well is demanding and only comes with real dedication to writing. But the good news is that because you already possess...