Write Your Autobiography

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$389

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$599 AUD

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
6020 Students

Learn how to create and distribute an inspirational and professional autobiography for family, friends, and others.

Have you thought about writing your story, sharing life-altering events? Does your family really know about their heritage? If you've ever thought about writing your life story, now is the time. You will have the satisfaction of telling history your way. You may even find a lucrative market for your story, just like the authors of the bestselling Rocket Boys and Angela's Ashes. This course walks you step-by-step through the process of writing your life story. It's fun. It's exciting. It's a story only you can tell.

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

Has anyone ever told you that you have an incredible life or asked if you've written your life story? Are there things that you want to put in print for yourself, your loved ones, or the reading public? If so, then this is the class for you! In this first lesson, you'll discover why only you can write your life story, how to give yourself permission to do it, and explore some ways to empower yourself.

Where should you start? The beginning might not be the correct answer. That's the focus of today's lesson. We'll also talk about becoming an observer of yourself and others around you. I hereby give you permission to ask questions and eavesdrop on conversations (without being rude, of course). What direction will you take with writing about your life? Will it be a book-length memoir or a collection of shorter essays? Today, we'll explore the endless possibilities and why you don't have to make any decisions just yet.

Writing a life story is like making a pot of vegetable soup. You assemble all the ingredients, chopping some or maybe shelling fresh peas and peeling carrots. Then you find a pot that's the right size and begin putting the ingredients in it. Next comes the waiting part. You must simmer the soup for a while or it won't be soup—just cold water with raw vegetables. Right now, your life story might be just that—a bunch of ingredients that you need to assemble and let simmer. So, today, we'll talk about how to select the right ingredients for cooking up a life story that will satisfy you and your reader.

In this lesson, we'll talk about the people who have been in your life and discuss their influence on you. In order to spark your memory and to pull these influential people into your story, you'll fill out character sketches on each person. You might even discover some things about yourself as you reflect on those who have been a part of your world.

When you write your life story, you'll be revealing yourself. You may share moments few know about. You'll tell your side of events, adventures, and episodes. You'll make judgments, you'll give opinions, you'll speak out, and you may allow others to see sides of you that have never been revealed. We'll talk about—perhaps even wrestle with—these topics in today's lesson.

Today, you'll learn quick, easy, and virtually guaranteed methods to spark memories. You'll do this by investigating your senses and your memories. This might include looking at photographs, going to movies, or even eating comfort foods from your past.

In this lesson, we'll continue to focus on how to jog memories and find creative inspiration. First, we'll talk about writing in a journal. I hope that by the time this course is over, your writer's journal will be your new best friend. If you're serious about writing the stories in your life, you will need time to do it. So we'll also cover time management today. You'll learn where to find writing time and when may be the most creative times for working on your life story.

Today, you'll learn ways to preserve your story, your own history. We'll talk about how to capture your writer's voice or the voice of the person you're writing about. Everyone has a unique speech pattern and word selection. Your job is to discover these voices and include them in your writing. We'll also go over how to get ready to interview others for information and how to fill in the blanks you may have in your own story. Then, we'll discuss how to find information you need through research. The challenge and fun of writing life stories is to write them as if you're sitting across a table from your reader, telling the tales. In this lesson, you'll find out how to do it.

If you write, at some point you'll have to get information from another person. This is especially true when you're writing your life story. So, we'll devote this entire lesson to interviewing. I know, all the information is in your head. Or is it? Let's say you want to include how you and a grandparent share the same features, or so you've been told. By interviewing a friend or relative who also knew this person, you can get many more details. That's what interviewing is all about—asking questions to get information. And if you're helping another person write a life story, most of the information you get will be through interviews.

Location, location, location! You need to clearly describe the details of the locations in your life story. In this lesson, you'll learn professional ways to describe your location so that it jumps off the page. You'll gather up the tools to make your story shine. Yes, it's all in the details. In addition, I'll teach you how to create a mental picture of a typical reader. You'll find out why, as you write your life story, it's smart to concentrate on this person and make sure he or she understands what you're saying.

Do I need to know about grammar to write my life story? If you've wondered that, you can breathe easier because in this lesson, you'll get a quick review of the grammar you need to know and some tips to make it all much easier. Really. Then, because writer's block is real, pesky, and tends to destroy even the most hopeful writer, we'll take it head on. You'll discover the trick to dealing with this creative brain slow down: staying focused while giving your mind some serious down time. That doesn't mean you should give up your project or put it on hold. Just take some time out. Today, you'll find the answers to questions that may have plagued you in the past and stopped you from writing.

When I first began writing, the hardest part was to gently, but relentlessly edit my own work before I shared it with others. Often, in my desire to create golden words—you know, the ones that are too beautiful to cut out of a manuscript—I have sacrificed entire paragraphs. Of course, after I tried to rework my writing, I always discovered that the golden words had to go. Today, you'll learn how professional writers self edit and what they do to make their writing sing. We'll also talk about selecting titles and including supplemental material—focusing on the extras that could make your book visually appealing. And finally, we'll discuss how to work with groups and when to share your work.

Eva Shaw

Eva Shaw, Ph.D. is a full-time working writer of 1000 articles, essays and short stories. She’s the ghost or author of 70 books including: Ghostwriting for Fun & Profit, Writeriffic: Creativity Training for Writers, Write Your Book in 20 Minutes ... Read more

Read Eva Shaw's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

What people are saying about our courses

Eva has been the best writing instructor I've ever had, always providing positive guidance without any form of discouragement. A simple "nudge" here and "let me point you in this direction" etc., is quite refreshing from an instructor instead of the raw criticisms that may hinder one's goal to write and share a personal life story. Thank you Eva and thank you classmates.

Verified Student

Eva, you have an extraordinary gift reaching students of all levels. You have much to offer all who want to discover and explore, becoming more aware. As a teacher and writer you have a divine gift and for me this course has been an answer to prayer. I wish I could have taken it 50 years ago.

Verified Student

From one gardener to another. Some six weeks ago I planted myself in your wonderful writing class, from there you took over and helped me grow. You fertilized me with just the right amount to make me bloom, from there you kept me weeded from the insecurities that might creep in and choke out my roots. Your soil is rich and deep so that I may fluorish for years to come, your skies always sunny and bright so that I will try to grow tall and strong.

Verified Student

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The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Write Your Autobiography you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

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Learn At Your Own Pace

We believe in personalised learning. That's why we provide all the tools and support you need to succeed at your own pace. With flexible learning, you'll stay motivated and retain more information. Plus, you can balance your studies with work and family commitments to make your dreams a reality.

We Won't Break The Bank

Education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. That's why we offer some of the most competitive prices in the industry with payments plans for just $25 per week. Investing in your future is a smart choice and doesn’t have to break the bank.

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There's no better way to learn than from experts with years of experience in your field. That's why each of our 200+ industry-led courses are designed to give you a real-life perspective on your industry. With our expert mentors, you'll learn from people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and who are passionate about sharing it with you.

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At Vibe Learning, we're real people who are dedicated to providing you with personal support every step of the way. Our industry experts are not only professional and knowledgeable but also incredibly passionate about sharing their expertise with you. With their guidance, you'll gain invaluable insights and practical knowledge to help you succeed.

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Write Your Autobiography

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Microsoft Word 2007 Intermediate

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
3590 Students

Learn more advanced features of Microsoft Word 2007, which enable you to create an index, a list of figures, and a table of contents, do desktop publishing, perform a mail merge, and use timesaving macros.

Microsoft Word 2007 is a powerful and popular program, yet most people use only a fraction of its features. In this course, you'll learn Microsoft Word's more advanced features, which can make writing easier, faster, and more fun. You'll improve your creativity and efficiency at the same time!

In the first part of the course, you'll see how to perform a mail merge, and we'll explore macros, styles, and templates. Macros let you type repetitive words and phrases quickly and accurately at the touch of a button. Styles let you save text formatting. Templates let you create documents that contain predefined formatting and text, making it a snap to create documents that look right every time.

In the second part of the course, we'll cover how to use Word as a simple desktop publishing program to create signs, flyers, menus, brochures, and even newsletters. You'll learn how to insert different types of graphics in a document including digital photographs from your own camera, clip art images provided by Microsoft, and different types of charts such as bar, line, or pie charts.

Next, you'll find out how to wrap text around graphic images and divide a page into columns and text boxes. Both columns and text boxes give you different ways to display text beyond the traditional appearance of text that fills an entire page.

Finally, in the last part of this course, you'll learn about printing labels, making form letters, and creating an index, table of contents, and list of figures automatically. If you need to create long documents, you'll appreciate Word's ability to keep track of page numbers for your chapter headings or index entries.

Whether you need to produce a short letter, flyer, report, or book-length manuscript, this course will teach you how to get the most out of Microsoft Word 2007!

We've come a long way since the days of the typewriter. What used to take hours can now be done in seconds with Microsoft Word 2007. And the less time you spend typing, the more time you can spend being creative and having fun. In this lesson, you'll learn shortcuts in Word that can help you create documents faster and more accurately than ever before. Not only will these shortcuts save you time, but they'll help you create letters and reports more easily than you might have thought possible.

What you write is half the battle of communication. The other half is getting people to read what you write. One way to make your writing more appealing is to make it look presentable with formatting. Of course, formatting text is easy, but applying different types of formatting over and over again can get tedious. That's why today you'll learn a fast and easy way to format chunks of text quickly and consistently using something called Styles. You'll find out what a Style is, how to apply it, and more important, how to create and save your own Styles to use in any document. By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to make any document look presentable with just the click of your mouse.

If you've ever baked cookies, or even just watched someone else do it, you know how difficult it can be to make cookies look exactly alike. Some turn out big, some small, some gooey, and some burned! However, if you use a cookie cutter, you can make identically shaped cookies every time. That's the same principle you'll learn in this lesson, instead of using a cookie cutter, though, you'll use something called a template. A template stores the formatting of a document so you can apply it to another document. Templates let you format entire documents as easily as formatting a single word. Word offers lots of convenient templates stored right on your computer or available over the Internet, and you'll also find out how you can create your own.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so what better way to spice up your documents than by adding pictures? Today, you'll learn how to add your own digital photographs to a document so you can show everyone your vacation pictures, family holidays, or just interesting sights you've captured with your own camera. In addition to adding your own photos, you can also add clip art from Word's massive library of free graphics. And you'll find out how to resize, rotate, and style your pictures, as well as wrap your document text around them. By the end of this lesson, you'll see why Word documents are about much more than words!

Digital photographs and clip art are just the beginning of what you can do with graphics in Word. Today, you'll discover how to add a variety of informational graphics, including charts, graphs, and WordArt, which allows you to display text as a graphic image. Not only will you learn how to add these graphics, but you'll also find out how to edit them when your data changes. We'll finish off the lesson by seeing how Word allows us to format documents with multiple columns--a handy skill for creating newsletters and publications!

Do you often create long documents? If so, you'll appreciate this lesson, which shows you how to divide a large document into parts called sections. Sections allow you to format part of a document a certain way without that formatting affecting the rest of your text. For example, you may want headers and footers to appear on some pages but not others. Sections make this easy! We'll also spend some time inserting footnotes and endnotes in a document. If you need to write research papers or other academic content, Word makes it a snap to add and format these previously pesky notes!

If you've ever seen a spreadsheet, you know how rows and columns let you organize numbers and text on the screen. Well, tables do the same thing in Word. In this lesson, you'll see how to create tables of all different sizes right in a Word document! We'll cover how to modify tables, too. And don't think Excel users get to have all the fun--you can even enter formulas to perform calculations in your tables, sort them, and style them for a customized look. Your data has never looked so appealing!

You probably print most of your documents on standard letter-size paper. While this is great for ordinary letters or business reports, sometimes you may want to get creative with your paper sizes. But then there's the trouble of printing. In this lesson, you'll see how you can define the dimensions of the paper you're using so Word will print everything correctly. You'll also learn how to print names and addresses directly on envelopes of any size. After this lesson, you won't feel confined to boring 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper anymore!

As you've probably already figured out, Word can do more than write letters. It can also function as a simple desktop publishing program for creating greeting cards, calendars, or newsletters. Today, you'll find out how text boxes are the key to simple desktop publishing, and you'll see how other elements come into play in customized documents. Along the way, we'll look at business cards and greeting cards to get a feel for how desktop publishing works. If you've always wanted to create a document that combines text and graphics in an artistic or visually appealing way, you'll find out how to do that and much more.

With the basics down, it's time to take our desktop publishing skills to the next level. Discover the magic of linked text boxes that give you the power to move your text anywhere you want on the page and keep it flowing. You'll see how to create, position, resize, and group text boxes so you have total control over your text.

Did you ever get one of those "personalized" letters from a company in the mail? You can be sure that nobody typed the entire sales letter from scratch. Instead, the company used a form letter and something called mail merging. In this lesson, you'll learn how to store long lists of names and addresses that you can use over and over again in a form letter. Just create a document once, leave blanks for inserting information such as names and addresses, and let Word personalize each letter for you. Now you, too, can create personalized letters for business or personal use, such as sending out holiday greetings to family members and friends.

Look in most books, and you'll find a table of contents at the beginning and an index in the back. Often, these are the last components added to a document, since they need to have accurate titles and page numbers. But Word takes a lot of the tedious work out of creating these components. In this final lesson, you'll see how you can use Styles to make creating a table of contents a snap, and we'll explore how to tag index terms so Word knows what page they're on, even if they move later. Word can also help you keep track of any figures, such as charts, illustrations, or graphs, in your document. By letting Word worry about the details, you can create an accurate table of contents, index, or list of figures with very little extra effort on your part. These finishing touches will make your most important documents shine!

Wallace Wang

Wallace Wang is the author of over 40 computer books including "Microsoft Office 2007 For Dummies." In addition to writing computer books, he has also co-authored "Breaking Into Acting for Dummies" and ghost written several books about investing i... Read more

Read Wallace Wang's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Microsoft Word 2007 Intermediate you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.