An essay describing a person's appearance. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - Clive Staples Lewis. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell

(estimates: 1 , the average: 5,00 out of 5)

In the previous article, you learned about. Now it's time to learn how to write about places as well, because every event happens somewhere. The reader always wants to know what this “somewhere” looks like and what it is. Sometimes a few paragraphs are enough to describe the area, and sometimes it may take several pages to recreate the atmosphere of the city. In this case, one cannot do without knowing some of the nuances of how to write about places... What if you need to write an entire travel article?

Writing about places is not as easy as it sounds

… And the reason is that you can talk about your travels for hours - after all, it is interesting to us. On the other hand, try to imagine yourself in the place of the interlocutor: how boring is it to listen to the endless speech of a tourist who is trying to tell you absolutely all the details of the trip. Agree, neither the listener nor the reader wants to know everything, but only some of the most delicious details.

There is no need to tell the reader the obvious. Everyone knows that Venice has canals and the Grand Canyon looks amazing. But if an attraction breaks down in Disneyland, it will certainly interest the reader. The details should be interesting, but not generally known.

In addition, many authors who write about places use too many banal and overly artificial epithets. Remember when in last time v real life have you used the words "amazing", "drunk", "adorable"? Almost all Beautiful places look "bizarre", and the town is sure to "stick" to the slope or the foot of the mountain. In the villages you will find many "quiet corners", usually "half-forgotten", etc. All this is nothing more than standard phrases and banal associations that will only worsen your material.

Style

Choose the words you use to describe the area carefully. It happens that this or that turnover just asks for the text - so it's worth thinking about, perhaps this is one of those pests that only clog the article.

There is nothing worse than artificial or bombastic phrases. After you write something, read it out loud and appreciate how casual the sentence sounds. If you want to describe a place in a special way, look for fresh, original metaphors and epithets. Do not use speech constructions popular in the press - they are most often empty, banal and lifeless.

Find fault with what you write. Don't tell the reader well-known or uninteresting details. When describing the seashore, do not mention that it was strewn with stones, and seagulls soared over it. If only for the simple reason that most authors do just that. Look for details that give the text new meaning, or just funny, curious facts. Try to get a feel for the place you are writing about.

Practice writing articles on multiple locations. To do this, you do not have to go on a trip - just go to the nearest shopping center or a sports complex. Before writing, it is important to understand the place: what is its peculiarity, what is its atmosphere. Look for the answer in the people who live here or visit. Include fragments of the interview in your material: get people talking, and perhaps their story will be the culmination of an article or essay.

Acquaintance - important stage relationships of people. It is often said that already at the first meeting, you can draw many conclusions about what it is like. this person... In this article, we will consider several options for how you can tell about yourself with humor.

Performance

Every normal acquaintance begins with a performance. However, just to say: “Hi, I'm Anya (Petya, Sasha)” - it's not very interesting and original. So, you can try more skillfully. The first option is a poetic form. Here you need to choose a rhyme to own name and use it if you need to recommend yourself. As an option - Tanya the jumpy (if the person Natasha is your joy (if the person radiates positive) and so on. However, this phrase should be at least a little truthful. By the same principle, you can recommend yourself in prose, simply by adding something to your name. something characteristic that determines a person's personality. This is if you need to tell briefly about yourself with humor. So, for example, you can tell about your profession: "Hello, I am Sasha, I like to torment children" (if you are a teacher). such an acquaintance will not end with friendship, it will definitely be remembered by a person forever.

A little bit about yourself

If the acquaintance is not limited to the presentation of people, but proceeds further in a warm, friendly atmosphere, you can just as cheerfully talk about yourself. So, this does not always have to be true. Why not just try to make your surroundings laugh with a little fantasy? So, you can come up with a story about yourself that will be similar to the truth, and in this way cheer up the company. However, it is original to tell the truth about yourself with humor. Interesting phrases that will help with this: "I was born (was) secretly from my parents ...", "Childhood was just wonderful, who doesn't like twirling the tails of cows?" etc. The main thing in this matter is to look at the reaction of people, because not always such an attitude towards the company can please everyone present. In a humorous tone, you can just say a couple of phrases or even make up a whole story and tell it to others.

Nuances

You can tell a lot about yourself with humor. So, for example, why not talk about your hobby? A very funny phrase: "My hobby is anomalous squint." It seems that the person answered the question, but also try to understand what he wanted to say by that. By the same principle, you can answer: “I love music. Favorite singer - Lenin. " And the people will laugh, and the new comrade will be remembered for a long time. I must say that there can be a huge number of such trifles. About favorite things - "I love the game of snowballs for undressing", oh life position- “I believe in all the colors of the rainbow,” etc.

Appearance

What else can you tell about yourself with humor? So why not describe your looks in a fun way? This is suitable if a person is getting to know each other blindly: via the Internet or by phone. You can highlight your special features and present them in a fun way. For example, if you are too tall or too small, promise the person to grow or shrink. In the event that someone has big ears, we can say that this is in order to better hear others (as in the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood"), etc. It is important to just show your imagination and not be afraid to make a little joke on yourself.

Achievements

What else can a girl tell about herself with humor? For example, if she knows how to drive a car, you can say that she does it better than a monkey gets along with a grenade ( it comes about a saying that everyone knows). By the same principle, it is easy to highlight your achievements. Indeed, for some people such information is very important, but very few people want to immediately reveal all the cards when they first meet. You can try to joke on this topic. For example, to say that life, like everyone else's - a striped zebra, there are both ease and difficulty. When it comes to work or study, you can fantasize something ("I am the president of a large international bank" or "I am a secret agent of the security service") and present everything with a serious air.

disadvantages

Talking a little about yourself with humor, why not dwell on your shortcomings? So, we can say that all of them have already lined up in a queue for correction, but they will not wait in any way. In this case, you need to smile ambiguously. It will be, as they say, "in the subject." Considering something separately, why not highlight the most common characteristics? You can have fun talking about your laziness (especially if the person is a workaholic) or gluttony (this story will be especially fun from the lips of a lady weighing 50 kg).

Application form

Very often today a person, if he wants to register on a particular site, must fill out a short questionnaire. In such a situation, you can also joke. The questionnaire can be a little funny or even funny. It is easy to tell about yourself with humor here too. However, you must first think about whether they will understand the person correctly, because joking is not always possible. So, for example, if you register on a dating site, you only need to hint at what is inherent. After all, a completely humorous questionnaire can be taken by potential gentlemen or brides simply for mockery, and real goal- to find your soul mate - alas, it will not be achieved. However, a person who can laugh at himself or make others smile always likes people, because it is often easy and simple to communicate with such persons. Without restrictions, humorously fill in small annotations about yourself on various sites of interest, where real information doesn't really matter.

Fundamental rules

Before telling something about yourself with a grain of humor, you need to learn a few simple rules... The first of them: it is possible, and even necessary, to speak, not always the truth. In such a situation, lying is a sweet thing. Why not, the main thing is that the interlocutor has fun. Next tip: you need to know where and with whom you can joke. Talk about yourself with humor when interviewing for a major job in big company- the top of frivolity. In addition, such a person will most likely be treated like a clown and tactfully asked to leave. You can joke at parties, with people of your own circle and with friends. However, it should be remembered that uncomfortable situations occur here too. So, the following rule emerges from this: look at the reaction of the interlocutor. If a person decides to talk about himself in a cheerful tone, you need to start with something light and simple. And watch the reaction of others. If the joke is over, you can continue in the same spirit. If not, then it is better to leave this venture, the company, most likely, got caught more seriously than expected. What else do you need to remember? So, you should not openly ridicule your own or other people's shortcomings. Few people like this, and it betrays a person who is not very confident in himself and tries to hide behind such behavior. The humor should be light, but not in any way derisive. And, probably, one of the main rules: to speak with a beautiful clear speech, do not use it, or Such behavior will betray a person low level culture and overall development, and very few people will like it.

What to talk about and what to avoid?

It is also important to know what to talk about when you first meet, and what it is better to keep silent and not joke about. So, you can tell everything about yourself and your life, even from childhood. Moreover, such stories will be really funny, because while a person is young at heart, he has a lot of interesting, unforgettable and just funny events and situations. You can also tell a lot about your immediate environment. But what is not worth talking about even in a joking tone is about the secrets and secrets of loved ones. There is no need to go down to the level " yellow press". It is better to keep silent about this. It will most likely be even interesting to those around you, but later on it will leave an unpleasant "aftertaste" about the person. Women also have to hide something. You can tell a lot about yourself with humor, but at the beginning of your acquaintance it is best to keep silent about the intimate side of life. It is advisable not to admit it even as a joke. By the way, this also applies to men, because it is better if personal life remains with a person and does not become public. And people who immediately reveal all the cards will seem to the majority simply frivolous.

Previously, it was planned to continue to write point by point and describe each: how to write, what to write, but I think this is no longer necessary, if only because you understood the meaning:

In what you write, you need to put not only soul, but also meaning.

Therefore, let's go back to the beginning and remember three types of working descriptions:

Descriptions of the atmosphere
Character descriptions
Descriptions of the character's inner world

The most important thing about descriptions.

Descriptions of the atmosphere require descriptions of locations in accordance with the plot and character. Do not extra words... Only actions, character disclosure, emotions.

Character descriptions require a painstaking approach to personality. Don't take everything out of thin air. Everything in the character should be organic. A calm person will not wear everything bright, colorful, and if so, this should be explained by the author. Come from psychology, not just your desire to create an unusual image. Pay attention not to the clothes themselves, but to the manner of dressing, not to the color of the hair, but to how they are styled, how they are groomed, not to the eyes, but to the look. And most importantly, do not forget about distinctive features that will fully characterize your character or strongly stand out from the crowd. Neck tattoos, freckles, dimples on the cheeks, protruding ears, black bottomless eyes, slit eyes, toad mouth, tall or short stature, physique, long arms, etc.

Description of the inner world. The most important thing is to get into the character's situation and evaluate everything adequately, based on the canon that you yourself have outlined. Show your acting skills and live your character, then you will understand his actions and deeds. This means that his thoughts will open to you. Don't get too deep in philosophy. If you want to reveal it - do it through the actions of the character. After all, I don’t think there are only Dostoevskys among us.

From different faces.

1. “I entered a stuffy apartment. Already at the threshold, an unpleasant picture began. The old striped wallpaper was covered in grimy, sticky stains, and numerous cobwebs rounded the corners of the ceiling. Something fragile shattered in another room and a black creature ran between my legs with a hoarse squeal. Rat".

2. “I've only seen her twice. The first time it was at a carnival, whose name I do not remember. A clown with a brightly painted face and a huge red bow around his neck was handing out boxes with multi-colored scented candles to children, she took raspberry ones. Bright freckles on her face, a wide smile and hair, so lush, wavy. Before, I would not have paid attention to her, but that day I was captivated by her smile. Her dimples in her cheeks. I don't even remember what she was wearing, but I definitely liked it. "

3. “Lily was amazing today. Her timid step and gentle hand, which fell like a feather on my shoulder, made my heart flutter, and my eyes rolled with pleasure. My eyelids closed, and my lips stretched into a smile, it seems that I look ridiculous in front of her. But how wonderful this feeling, the smell of camellias woven into her hair, I cannot control myself. I will put my hand on her wing-blade, catch the beat, and we will swim in the waltz. Piano, Chopin. I guess I'll never be so happy again "

And now from the third person:

1. “The stuffy apartment Kyle entered was plunged into gray gloom. Motes of dust played in the dim rays of light that penetrated the dull windows. Kyle wanted to sneeze, but closed his mouth and emitted only an incomprehensible sob, which was drowned out by the chatter from the kitchen. Kyle ran to the sound, hitting the dust-blackened chest of drawers along the way and earning a long stain on his shirt. It was just a rat knocking down a vase from the table, which shattered into small particles, colliding with the ceramic granite. "

2. “Grab met her only once and fell in love at the same moment. The noisy carnival, which took place on the square, not far from his house, left behind only two images: an unpleasant colorful clown with a frog red mouth and a girl with ridiculous sun freckles on a snub nose. But how bright her smile was. Those playing dimples on her slender cheeks, those wavy hair that lay casually on her tanned shoulders. And he will forever remember the smell of raspberry candles that she bought from that unpleasant clown. "

3. “The breath did not obey Ein, it lived separately from him or went on strike, however, he did not have time to negotiate with him, even if it threatened him with his life. Do not come to her now, then life will still be wasted. And now he invites her to dance, bowing gallantly and smiling charmingly, as he did with any other girls. Heartbreaker. But she is special for him, different. Muse. She agreed, placing her hand on his, but he didn't even straighten up, letting her take the initiative.
- You can not do it this way! She screams and laughs. And her laugh is like a bow trying to break the heart that groans inside Ein. And she still takes the lead and puts her little hand on Ein's shoulder. He is tormented by the short pleasure of being with her. "

Here I have presented to you my sketches from the works that are based in my head, but have not yet been presented on paper, even virtual. Probably, I myself do not yet know what kind of plot was sitting in my head, yes, and when I began to write each new description, I vaguely imagined a picture ... Did you catch me at my word?

Inspiration.

Let's talk about inspiration, which, as many believe, is beyond our control. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance to have so much free time to wait for inspiration and be ready to continue my work at any moment. Therefore, I have to subdue him.

Many have an idea, a plot, but it is impossible to write precisely small filling moments, so we try, learn.

In fact, inspiration is very controllable, just like emotions. To write interesting description, which will also be alive, you have to start writing, even if nothing comes to mind.

Now you know what should happen to your character in the story, but you just can't write. There is not enough life and environment.
Take, for example, a situation: some detective John is called to work in the morning. How can I describe this?

1. Write the first thing that comes to mind, even if it's just the word "hat". Then everything will flow. “The hat lay well on the bedside table, under the sun. It’s a pity, they quickly ripped it off and put it on the owner’s greasy head. John didn't even have time to wash again. Another challenge. " That says it all. Both the call and the morning, everything is in place and seems to be dynamic, and it is not necessary to write about alarm clocks or the rays of the sun. Even the "morning" itself does not need to be mentioned.
"Well, the first word came to my mind, what to do with it next?" - you thought, so it doesn't flow. It's okay, if this method didn't work, let's move on.

2. Introduce yourself in the situation as an observer. You know, as an author, that now your character should wake up and run out of the house, but again you don't know how to describe it in an interesting and dynamic way.
Imagine. You are now in your character's house. Look where what lies, scattered or removed, what color the walls are, what open spaces. What the character uses all the time, such as hand cream. Why? Well, the work is hard, hands are cracked, chapped, dry. Yeah, new information about the character for the author. And then the character wakes up, what does he do first? Stretches, does exercises, and most likely - no, shaves, ops, cut himself again - is in a hurry somewhere. I cut myself, so now I'm angry, puts on a coat, goes down the narrow (!), old stairs... The old-fashioned elevator has been out of service for a long time.
Clear? It's just that often in the subconscious we know the character and his actions better than when we are trying to come up with them out of nothing. When you visualize an event, it will be easier for you to describe it. Just be a witness and write down what you see.

About dynamics.

Much has been said about her here, so I have no doubt that you suspect her importance. To write interesting descriptions remember:
1. While your hero is acting, the world does not stand still. The world is moving. Somewhere something falls, someone plays football, a car drives by.
2. Your hero is always influenced by some forces. Elementary - the wind.
3. Your hero is always hindered by something: bangs, bright light, shoes are rubbing, knee hurts, someone's laughter or voice irritates.
4. People always have some kind of habits. Walk slowly, tuck your hair behind your ear, bite your nails, wind a lock of hair on your finger, hum melodies that you have invented on the go.

A little more colorful.

A colorful and interesting description, of course, not only the dynamics and environment, but also the mode of action. Therefore, let us ask ourselves the question not only: “what did you do?”, “What was around?”, But also “how was it?”. The first thing that should have appeared in the head: an adverb. It is this, alas, that answers the question "how?" But any writer knows that adverbs are insidious enemies. The point is, they are actually empty. Than to write: "I ran quickly", you can write simply "I ran" or, for more paint, "I was rushing", "I was running at breakneck speed." “I listened attentively” - “listened”, “listened”, “kept my ears open”, “listened attentively”. In such cases, I use synonym dictionaries. And you enrich your speech and make your creativity more colorful.
Of course, comparisons are very important in such cases, and preferably your own. The more unusual and brighter they are, the better.
"He alone rushed along the corridor like a herd of deer."
“My heart skipped a beat and did a triple somersault” - not quite a comparison, but a vivid description of the course of action. "Like a triple somersault."
"His eyes sparkled so that they could be made into jewelry."

Out of place.

It is very important to write in such a way that every word is appropriate.
1. If in historical novel will slip technical term, the text will lose its harmony.
2. Writing too many comparisons will be pretentious.
3. If you write too much complicated words, will be abstruse.
4. If you make sudden insertions about the philosophy of ancient times (and not only) in the middle of the work, when simple relationships between a man and a woman (and not only) are described, the reader will think that the author considers him an idiot who has not read textbooks, and now wants help him catch up.
Do this only in cases where it somehow affects the plot, and at the same time it is spoken from the words of the character, and not from the author. And then try to make the information either not very abstruse (preferably primitive), or unique.
As one writer put it: "It is important that the reader at any time clearly understands what is at stake."
5. Avoid too long sentences. There is famous writers, which can stretch one sentence to the entire page, but these are the only ones who know what they are doing and how they are doing. At the same time, they explain themselves very simply, understandable language for almost any reader. And we usually have people with complex words the same as people with long sentences. What's the point? Leo Tolstoy wrote richly, beautifully, but it was clear what the speech was about. Apparently, these authors copy Lomonosov.
6. Prolonged descriptions before the action, even very interesting ones, are tiresome. Do not overdo it.

And one more secret.

And one more thing that has hardly ever been mentioned in other articles. At least I haven't met yet.
In general, everything that I wrote was far from invented by me, and what I will write about next, too.
Each person has five systems of perception: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell.
Have you ever noticed that some descriptions, even good ones, are difficult to read? And those that are read with pleasure?
All people have one favorite system. For example, an author whose vision prevails would write like this:
“The sun was at its zenith. The bright green fence contrasted with the ad printed on red paper. "CIRCUS" - it was written in bold letters. "
And everything would be fine, some would like it, while others seemed alien and unpleasant to these three proposals. Why? Because everything here is written only for the reader with the prevailing system of perception - vision, like the author's.
“The anticipation of an uncooked breakfast was in the air. The boys, with a menthol flavor on their tongues from the toothpaste, were on their way down to the kitchen. One of them, standing on a stool, opened the window. Freshness has crept into the house. "
Something like this will be written by someone who lives in a system where smell and taste prevail.
But we have different readers! And with different systems of perception. Some of them, some of them. Therefore, in order to grab the reader from the first lines, try to grab all systems. Let the readers see and hear and touch and taste.

And on this I will finish my work. Yes it is written as if by different people, yes, unstructured as a whole, but the main thing is that it will benefit you. Thank you for the attention. Lovingly, your underliterated POV. Incognita.

We have prepared a few tips and tricks for you, following which you can easily increase your sales on any photo bank, including ours.

For a stock photographer, having a good shot is only half the battle. For a photo to sell well on stocks, it must be properly described. Otherwise, even the most successful snapshot will simply get lost in the database, and no one will ever see it.

Describing stock photos is easy, it is much more difficult to find time for this dreary job. But as a motivation, just think about how nice it will be for you to see the sales of your images, which, if you do it right, will not keep you waiting.

Put yourself in the shoes of the buyer

The average potential client will not enter too complex queries into the search box such as "breathtaking model, 192 cm, 22 years old, all so beautiful and posing." He will ask as much as possible about the hair color, background and length of the dress. Be as specific as possible - this is your mantra from today.

Try to search for something on the photo bank for yourself. Imagine you need a nature photo on your desktop or a beautiful pattern to print on a T-shirt. Submit the picture you want to find, formulate your request and see the search results. When you find exactly the picture that you imagined, look at its name - does it reflect the essence of the picture? Do this a few times to get a better understanding of your customers' mindsets.

Name

Come up with a name - the most creative part this monotonous occupation. The title of the image should reflect the idea that you want to convey through your work. This is yours Subjective opinion... Think about the circumstances in which this or that picture can be used, and tell your customers about it. The optimal length of the title is from three to seven words, excluding articles and prepositions. It is not necessary to indicate the street and, moreover, the exact address of the shooting, but indicate the landmark, if it is in the photo, or the city, if it is recognizable. You don't have to write an essay in three sentences. Brevity is the soul of wit.

Successful examples: Grandiose plans // Unrealizable dreams of a bicycle // Girl at the edge of the world //

Attributes (keywords)

Your goal is to describe the image as concretely and truthfully as possible. The most effective number of keywords is from 10 to 35. Experience shows that correctly described images are more likely to find their customers. Start with objects, list who or what is depicted, use nouns (synonyms), numbers and words describing the number (group, crowd, class, team), names of professions or occupations, gender, age, social status if applicable. It will not be superfluous to add belonging to an ethnic group.

Don't describe parts of a whole. If the photo shows a family with two children, then you should not list the father, mother, son and daughter. Do not write what is not in the picture. Don't write words that contradict each other.

You should not invent something that does not exist: for example, a pen cannot be sad, smart, or disappointed.

Moving on to the circumstances: how the objects are depicted. Describe the background, posture, color effects... Indicate whether the shot was taken indoors or on outdoors, morning, afternoon, evening, sunset, if applicable, mention time of year. If the photo was taken using interesting lighting or an unusual angle is chosen, write about it. Tell what is happening in the photo, do not avoid verbs. If there is a person on it, then write whether he is standing, lying, running, looking or crying, laughing, screaming. You can describe the direction of gaze - at the camera, up, down, to the side, etc. And also describe the size of the depicted object: in full height, waist-high, head portrait, separate part of the body, as a whole, macro photography.

Let's assess, don't forget about adjectives. Try to use negative descriptions more often - 90% of stock photos express positive emotions, stand out!

You shouldn't be zealous where it doesn't make sense. Remember, a pen is not likely to be sad, adorable, smart, or disappointed. Also, it cannot be a ruler, a stapler or all stationery at once. Don't make up a non-existent context for the clip art, but use the word "isolated". The "noise" in the search results only annoys buyers.

No tricks

Remember that by adding everything to your keywords, you prevent the buyer from finding the image they want. In addition, your images do not match your search query and end up in the bottom of the search results. Less is better, but to the point.

An example of a correct description

Name: Cashless Shopping, Easy Shopping

Description: Girl, model, cover girl, credit card, packages, purchases.

She makes purchases, shopping, cashless payments, shows a credit card, smiles maliciously, smiles mysteriously, smiles pretty.

Blurred background, girl on the background, light background, straight hair, bright makeup, bright lips, full lips, close-up, open eyes, makeup, hairstyle, styled hair, red hair.

Description of vector graphics

The favorite word of all authors is abstract. In second place is grunge. On the third - bokeh. What are the chances for a client to find your masterpiece (and we are sure that you are creating masterpieces) among 300,000 abstract grunge backgrounds with bokeh elements? Agree, they are minimal.

Tips for describing vectors are similar to describing photographs, but there are some nuances. The title can be more specific when it comes to backgrounds, patterns, layouts. When a vector is a plot drawing, a series of objects, a site layout, or something more or less specific, it's easy to describe. But what if you drew a background, a pattern, or let your imagination flow into a drawing in any shape? Grab onto the details. Indicate the style of the picture, its type, everything that is depicted on it, the predominant color, the contrasting color with it, the presence of halftones, gradients, effects and possible areas of application.

An example of a correct description

Name: Seamless background with large flowers

Description: Pattern, seamless pattern, pattern, elegant, old-fashioned, retro, retro style, vector, ornament, design, texture, flowers, colors, background, element, pattern, repetition, wallpaper, paper, fabric, plants, Victorian revival, floral, lilac, blue, yellow, large flowers.

Successful photo stock sales don't just depend on your unique style, photo quality, and rich portfolio. Describing photos is an incredibly critical part, neglect of which will lead to the fact that, despite the quality, your work will not sell - it will simply be lost among millions of other images. Don't let your work go to waste, describe it correctly!

Acquaintance is an obligatory stage of communication with the people around you. Of course, it is easier to contact old friends: these people are aware of your character, habits and others. individual characteristics... And the new ones have to tell everything anew. It’s also good if it’s about a casual conversation with friends! But you often have to talk about yourself in writing, sometimes even in official documents. All sorts of questionnaires, resumes, accounts and interest clubs are waiting for you to tell them information about yourself. For some, this is a sheer formality, limited to a couple of standard sentences. But it happens that a lot depends on your description. In this case, you need to write about yourself not only honestly and competently, but also as interesting as possible so that your story does not get lost among other similar autobiographies.

Self-storytelling, oral or written, is not easy for everyone. There are people for whom self-presentation is a familiar and even pleasant thing, they willingly share the facts of their biography and present them fascinatingly, like a literary work. But for the majority, the need to write about themselves, and even in a special, non-standard style, is a serious test of their natural shyness, creative imagination, and simply writing talent. For such people, we have prepared a kind of "cheat sheet" with tips and small tips on how to start, build and design your work, so that readers would be interested in reading about you even if there were no outstanding events in your life, the description of which can become the basis adventure novel... In fact, everything is much simpler: even the biography of the average person who leads the most calm and peaceful life can be read avidly if it is written interestingly.

A story about yourself: rules, nuances and tips
An interesting feature of autobiography as a genre is that one and the same person can have as many descriptions of his life as he wants. Moreover, life also remains one, and all the events that took place in it are true. But, depending on the style, purpose, conditions of writing, these works turn out to be completely different. As in any text, while maintaining one storyline, an almost infinite number of plot development options are possible, where the narration will be chronologically consistent or artistically distorted, logically correct or creatively adapted. As they say, everything has its place and time, and an autobiography when applying for a job has little to do with self-presentation when entering a drama school. The only factor that unites them is you, or rather, the actual events of your life. Therefore, let's first define why and for what purpose you needed to write about yourself. The most common options are:

1. When applying for a job, admission to study or service. This is the shortest, in fact formal and therefore the simplest option. It is not difficult to cope with it without special prompts, especially since in such cases, an autobiography is usually written according to, right up to filling out the column of the questionnaire. But even if in front of you clear sheet paper, you are only required to chronological order present basic information about the time and place of your birth, education received, professional experience and in short - marital status... More formal autobiography does not require. An exception may be the biographies of representatives creative professions: journalists, copywriters, editors. There are more requirements for them in terms of the used vocabulary and possibly examples of work. But a portfolio is a separate task and it is also formed according to its own standards, independent of the autobiography.
   
2. When joining a thematic organization / circle / section more detailed information about the candidate may be required. Depending on the direction of the institution, include in the list of data corresponding to it. For example, tell us about the won sports awards, diplomas, medals and certificates for participation and victories in the Olympiads, intellectual games and competitions. If we are talking about a creative workshop, then it will not be superfluous to talk about your preferences and tastes, your favorite genres and techniques, idols and role models. Your life story's challenge in this case- to reveal your own character in front of people who still do not know anything about you, and to join their formed team. Therefore, the more friendly and open your written story is, the sooner it will resonate and you are more likely to receive an invitation to a personal oral interview.
   
3. When registering on a social network / dating site there are not and cannot be any hard and fast rules. But there are certain techniques you can use to make your story about yourself interesting and attractive to other users. For example, many women use poetry, lyrics of their favorite songs or quotes from literary works for this, which, in their opinion, correspond to their character and worldview. This tactic should be recognized as quite witty, because, in the absence of confidence in your own literary talent, you can use the win-win creation of a recognized genius. One way or another, your task is to create the image you need in the eyes of strangers, and even people invisible to you. And for this it is not at all necessary to adhere to documentary accuracy. Allow yourself a little invention, paint your own image in your imagination so that you like it - then others will like it, whose tastes coincide with yours. But do not get carried away with fantasizing - you still write about yourself, and do not create a fictional image of an ideal, but, alas, non-existent person.
   
4. When creating your own blog and / or literary work interesting to write about yourself is easy and difficult at the same time. On the one hand, for a professional writer, telling about oneself is not even a job, but a pleasant rest, bordering on subtle intellectual pleasure. And, since you dared to become an independent "parent" of a whole book or tool mass media(and a blog can easily be equated with an information publication), then writing an original and exciting autobiography should not be a problem for you. On the other hand, it is the self-narration that catches many professionals by surprise. Because it's one thing to analyze and present information within the framework of a well-studied and interesting topic. And it is quite another to open up to readers as a person, to demonstrate to them not only their fundamental knowledge, erudition and talent, but also the traits inherent in mere mortals, sometimes far from the qualities of an ideal creator. Plus, not all creative personalities are alike in their desire to speak in public. And for writers, unlike actors and musicians, this causes many internal barriers: embarrassment, fear of excessive frankness, etc. In this case, you can advise to call on a sense of humor to help. A good joke can disguise unsightly facts and even turn them into advantages, or it can simply fill a pause or fill the content with unexpected meaning.
   

These recommendations were not invented yesterday or even last week, according to similar canons, biographies were created at all times, starting with the most ancient events in the history of mankind. Depending on the incidents and cultural property of that time, not only and not so much the facts of personal life were documented, but public significant achievements... Thus, the eastern kings wrote down stories about their military victories, the ancient military leaders took over the baton from them, and Julius Caesar subsequently created the "Notes on the Gallic War", which are both a manual on military affairs and an exciting story about the events of those times.

Medieval philosophers, travelers and even skilled artisans described their lives for students and descendants. The autobiography genre then gained such popularity that it even became independent literary direction, a classic and witty parodic model of which remains, for example, "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" by Rudolf Raspe. It is difficult to remember at least one writer who did not publish a description in his books own life... Even the most mysterious personalities managed to find out a lot of details with the help of their personal diaries and correspondence. By the way, epistolary genre- an inexhaustible source of inspiration when writing a story about yourself. After all, in letters people try to be sincere, trust the addressees a lot of secret things. This can serve as a good school and a mine of ideas for you. So don't be lazy to read biographies. famous people, feel free to borrow from them interesting tricks and speech turns.

Example interesting story About Me
So with theoretical aspect writing a story about ourselves, we figured it out, it's time to move on to practice. Because no one, except you, will write a biography about you in such a way as to reveal to the readers all the facets of your character and bright personality. Remember that the hardest part is getting started, overcoming the resistance of a blank sheet of paper. And then, word by word, the story will flow by itself, if you allow yourself to be creative. You can find such liberation gradually, for this, start with a simple one: first write a formal autobiography, then expand it with introductory phrases and artistic vocabulary, and then bloom altogether beautiful images and literary techniques... And save each next option separately, it will be useful to you in the appropriate situation. Thus, you will receive blanks of several stories about yourself at once and will be able to use and refine them as needed.

An example of a formal autobiography:

“I, Ivan Ivanov, was born on June 13, 1980 in Kiev. In 1987 he was admitted to the first grade of secondary school №13, which he graduated in 1997 with honors. In the same year he entered the Kiev National University them. T.G. Shevchenko to the Faculty of Philosophy with a degree in Political Science. During my studies at the university I passed full preparation under the training program for reserve officers, received the title " Ensign". Graduated from the university in 2002, received a diploma in political science. Immediately after graduation, he began to work in news agency as an analyst and consultant to the editor-in-chief. In 2008, he took up the position of editor of the policy department, which I still hold today.

He is married with a 7-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter. Wife, Ivanova Anna Valentinovna, born in 1986, journalist by education, works in a monthly publication. I am fond of photography and painting, I like to travel. I lead healthy image life, go to the gym regularly and take bike rides. Bad habits I don’t have it, I prefer to spend my free time with my family and on active holidays ”.

Now let's imagine that this person, already a little familiar to us, decided to join the club of travel photographers. The club is virtual, the main communication between its members takes place on its own forum on the Internet. And now our friend has to register and greet the old-timers of the club, at the same time explaining to them who he is, why and why he came to the forum. The text of the story about yourself in that case will differ significantly from the above. It can be, for example, like this:

An example of an interesting autobiography:

“Dear friends, let me introduce myself! My name may seem funny to you at first glance, but believe me: it's real. This is exactly what my parents called me, thanks to their sense of humor, and it is written in my passport - and this, by the way, is an official document! In general, my name is Vanya, my surname is Ivanov. You can start joking. But it will be even easier to remember me this way J

I have been fond of photography for a long time, already seven years. But, unfortunately, I recently learned about your community. I really hope that you do not have any bullying, and that newcomers have not been ordered to enter the club. Because your work and the accumulated experience I was extremely interested in. I had the courage to look through the photo gallery presented on the site, and I am ready to take off my hat to the authors of these pictures. The accuracy of the reports, the quality of the images, and the artistic flair of the photographers are very impressive. For my part, I promise that I will do my best to comply with this. high level and present your work with dignity.

As for me personally, I am the most ordinary person and practically not outstanding at all. I earn my living by doing what I love most and what I can best: make hypotheses and make predictions about political situation in our country and abroad. It's a troublesome and ungrateful business, but someone has to do it. J But at home I have an almost adult first-grader son, a sweetheart daughter and, of course, my beloved and only wife, Anya. All three of them, by the way, also know a lot about travel and beautiful pictures.

In general, if I have not tired you too much with my life story and can be at least somewhat useful to the respected community, then I will be very glad to be accepted into its ranks. I promise to be disciplined, polite and obedient to follow all the rules of the club. All Kievites - a separate greeting and an invitation to Sunday bike rides. Everyone else is just my immeasurable disposition and best wishes J "

Can you feel the difference between the first and second text? It is fully justified and caused by the specifics of communication and the purpose of the story about yourself. An analysis of the features of the above texts will help you understand the nuances of presenting information and in the future can be used by you when writing your own biography:

1. In both cases, the author did not sin against the truth and provided truthful information about himself. But in the second story, he deliberately omitted those facts that are irrelevant to the case. But I brought into the first paragraphs what may be of interest directly to this group of readers. This is a very correct tactic from the point of view of self-presentation - it takes into account the interests and characteristics of the audience's perception.
   
2. The same goes for presentation style and vocabulary. In the first case, it is dry and official, as required by the documents. In the second, it is replete with vernacular expressions, figurative turns and other means of language that are inadmissible in business correspondence... But for a company of friends with the same interests, this is the language that will be the most understandable and enjoyable.
   
3. Unlike the first, strictly text, in the second story the author uses humor and personal charm, expressed by means of language, with might and main. He verbally draws in front of readers the image of such a joker and easy man, which has to itself. it great way to make the story about yourself interesting because it hides the roughness of written speech at the expense of the ease of friendly chatter.
   
4. In the second story, the author constantly keeps in touch with the readers. Talking about himself, he managed not to get hung up on himself, beloved, but all the time to address the audience. Use this technique to keep the reader interested, because everyone is happy to be given special attention.
   
5. The author even took into account the fact that his story about himself will be perceived not by ear, but visually, and on a platform designed for interactive communication. That is why he allowed himself to use graphic symbols not allowed in printed correspondence or handwritten notes. You can do the same: if you need to write about yourself on the Internet, then feel free to use emoticons and unicode characters. But use them in dosage, do not overload the text, because the excessive number of pictures annoys the reader.
   

As you can see, with the right attitude and preliminary theoretical preparation, it is not at all difficult to write about yourself in an interesting and not dry way. Finally, let me give you one more final piece of advice. Before starting your story, make a list for yourself in which you list some of your brightest and characteristic features... It could be personality traits, outstanding accomplishments, or just fun facts from the past. Describing each of them, you will be carried away by memories and involuntarily make the text captivating and expressive. And readers will be much more interested in learning about non-standard situations than about the average “born / studied / worked”. In general, write in such a way that it would be interesting for you to read about yourself, as if in front of you were the biography of some other, unfamiliar, but witty, cheerful and friendly person.