How do you start off an autobiography about being in a car accident?

Answer 1

This depends on your writing style and likely audience. For example, this may be a deeply personal story where you are trying to gain healing and you may not want to get artistic. Or maybe you want to get your readers interested and invested, maybe the paper is for a writing class. These are very different reasons to write and require different styles.

I'll assume you are not writing as part of a healing process. Personally I believe that if you hook your reader early you have a better chance of keeping their interest and getting them invested in your story. The first line or two is a great place to do this. Be unique..say something shocking, emotional or unexpected. Start the story off in the middle of the action and then backtrack. Let's say you were in an accident where your hear stopped as the paramedics were working on you. One way to surprise people and get them interested might be to say something like:

"When I think back over my life and examine those moments in time that deeply shaped or changed me, the one I come back to most often is the night I died."

Good writing takes some chances and breaks some rules, but be careful not to force it. Few things sound as bad as a writer trying to hard. Make sure it sounds natural to you. If something like the line above sounds cheesy to you it might sound that way to everyone else. Play with your thoughts and words until it comes out right.