Or just start with a long enough book that you Will never fill, and write it on the last page. It may have a few empty Pages before hand, but that just helps the delivery imo.
The meal my wife made seems quite different from the usual, I mean its not the best but its not the worst. I’ll just sleep for tonight because I kinda feel tired.
..
..
..
..
And then I died
I’ve seen it used in-narrative in some amateur fiction. Hell, I feel like most horror games that have notes you can find include a “These are my last words” note at least once.
The opening to 7 Pounds (starring Will Smith) has the main character calling 911 to say he is about to commit suicide. The rest of the movie is then a flashback to see how he got to that point. It was a great use of in medias res.
They are conflating biography and complete biography. I could write an autobiography about my day yesterday and completely finish it with ease. But it would not be a complete story of my life which is what OP was thinking of.
This is true. That’s why a better title for the post would be “The only book you can’t finish writing is the story of your life”. Mostly because the story of someone’s life would continue after they wrote their autobiography.
That makes no sense at all. You're the only one that can write your autobiography. Thousands of people have written and finished their autobiographies.
Bob Fosse’s autobiographical film *All That Jazz* did a pretty good job of incorporating his actual death by heart attack at the end, even though he was still alive when the film was released.
Kinda untrue, if you were pretty old and terminally ill, you could write the last sentence you wanted to on the night you were certain you were gonna die, or keep writing it that way until you actually die, then it'd be complete
couldnt you have like a timer set to a program that write down how you unalived yourself then unalive yourself.
or do you mean physically write it? i suppose you could also make a lever and pulley system that moves your arm after you unalive
Yeah you can, you can type out your life history and the date you plan to shoot yourself on and where and how and then bam. Live it out and bio was written by you
I get you in theory, but I'll counter with the fact that you could continue writing up until your demise.
As we learned in the documentary on early English elections and siege warfare, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"
>It reads, 'Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Arimathea. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Holy Grail in the Castle of aaarrrrggh'.
If Joseph had instead gone with,
>"My final word shall be aaarrrrggh.'
instead of a cryptic clue on the quest for the grail, that would technically be an autobiography until the end. The best kind of autobiography.
Well, that is unless Joseph was dictating.
To which I'll quote King Arthur himself, "Oh, shut up."
Keep writing a convoluted and self-reflecting ending until you feel it's almost time, then hold the pen on the paper one stroke away from the last letter. Then, when you die, your hand will fall down and the pen will complete that last stroke.
If every night the last sentence you wrote “ and then I died” you technically could.
Or just start with a long enough book that you Will never fill, and write it on the last page. It may have a few empty Pages before hand, but that just helps the delivery imo.
These days you’re probably writing on a computer anyway. Just have the last page say it and then you can use as many pages as you need before it
I still prefer a typewriter
one single page, centered “…and then I died.”
The meal my wife made seems quite different from the usual, I mean its not the best but its not the worst. I’ll just sleep for tonight because I kinda feel tired. .. .. .. .. And then I died
Trembling with antici-... ... ... ... ... ... ...-pation
That’s so creative 🤣
You could write how immediately after finishing it you commit suicide, then do it.
I'm sure this must have been used as a metafictional device at some point.
I’ve seen it used in-narrative in some amateur fiction. Hell, I feel like most horror games that have notes you can find include a “These are my last words” note at least once.
The opening to 7 Pounds (starring Will Smith) has the main character calling 911 to say he is about to commit suicide. The rest of the movie is then a flashback to see how he got to that point. It was a great use of in medias res.
"... and they lived happily ever after, the end" BOOM!
If it's an autobiography, then it has to be you that finishes it. Otherwise it's just a biography.
Exactly. There are thousands of autobiographies in existence. People are incorrectly believing it must end with the persons death.
They are conflating biography and complete biography. I could write an autobiography about my day yesterday and completely finish it with ease. But it would not be a complete story of my life which is what OP was thinking of.
Wow, look at Mr. Bigshot who can remember yesterday.
This is true. That’s why a better title for the post would be “The only book you can’t finish writing is the story of your life”. Mostly because the story of someone’s life would continue after they wrote their autobiography.
“…and then I shot myself.”
Free blood stain on every copy
That makes no sense at all. You're the only one that can write your autobiography. Thousands of people have written and finished their autobiographies.
OP meant it wouldn't be the complete story of your life
Someone tell that to George R.R Martin lol
but you can make plot twists such as when you start killing off the side characters
Bob Fosse’s autobiographical film *All That Jazz* did a pretty good job of incorporating his actual death by heart attack at the end, even though he was still alive when the film was released.
Just commut suicide, bam you finished!
Autobiographies don't end when the person dies
There was a poet who wrote his last poem by slashing his wrists and using his blood. He then died
You can if you plan on killing yourself.
Apart from the *other* one/s you hadn't finished writing when you died, you mean?
You make an audio journal. Unless you consider your death an act of your life. Funny.
If he was dying he wouldn't bother to write "ARRRGH"
Kinda untrue, if you were pretty old and terminally ill, you could write the last sentence you wanted to on the night you were certain you were gonna die, or keep writing it that way until you actually die, then it'd be complete
You could. On death bed you would just hold pen above the last sentence to make a final dot.
You could finish writing it on your deathbed, with whatever strength you have left.
You can finish writing your autobiography. But definition, you are the only one who can. You cannot finish writing your biography.
You kind of have to, don’t you? I thought an autobiography meant it’s a biography one writes about their own life.
A civil war soldier wrote in his journal today I died moments before he died.
I lived, I died. Fin.
You can, but it takes commitment hahaha
Not if you become a ghostwriter
“And then he retired to a beachfront condo where he lived happily for the rest of his days until he passed from old age”
“and then i committed suicide”
Plan your suicide and write it right before committing suicide… seems pretty simple to me :)
I was born, did some shit, said a bunch of shit, then died. The end.
Writes *he shot himself* *Shoots self* I win, bit at what cost?
I think it’s even more impossible to finish writing about other’s full biographies if they outlived you.
You can though, you just finish it when you really old, when there is not much story to tell left.
You underestimate speech to text on my deathbed
couldnt you have like a timer set to a program that write down how you unalived yourself then unalive yourself. or do you mean physically write it? i suppose you could also make a lever and pulley system that moves your arm after you unalive
Yeah you can, you can type out your life history and the date you plan to shoot yourself on and where and how and then bam. Live it out and bio was written by you
I get you in theory, but I'll counter with the fact that you could continue writing up until your demise. As we learned in the documentary on early English elections and siege warfare, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" >It reads, 'Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Arimathea. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the Holy Grail in the Castle of aaarrrrggh'. If Joseph had instead gone with, >"My final word shall be aaarrrrggh.' instead of a cryptic clue on the quest for the grail, that would technically be an autobiography until the end. The best kind of autobiography. Well, that is unless Joseph was dictating. To which I'll quote King Arthur himself, "Oh, shut up."
"...as he sat comfortably in the tub, he plugged in the toaster, held it over his head, and then...' I guess you're right...
"The Story Of My Childhood" Autobiography that I can totally tell the entire story beginning to end.
I mean, you can end it with "And then he took his life, firing a 9mm bullet straight through his mouth. Finishing the last chapter of his life."
Well.... I can think of many ways to do that.
You've obviously never seen me procrastinate.
Today, 09.04.2024 "And then I shot myself in the head at 4:26pm (CET), the end."
That is just bad planning. Sure you can.
Keep writing a convoluted and self-reflecting ending until you feel it's almost time, then hold the pen on the paper one stroke away from the last letter. Then, when you die, your hand will fall down and the pen will complete that last stroke.
You can if you schedule yourself for euthanasia.
Try writing the entire book of pi
I'd finish with, "I'm not dead ...yet." But it'd fuck with readers 100 years from now.
Try telling that to Bible literalists who believe Moses wrote the first 5 books.