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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/19336
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/19336
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

If the moments of that events are jumbled and chaotic, then write it down that way.

> _crashing sounds oh my god what just is that smoke? people running my heartrate starts to spike the ground is thrumming my legs are jelly I need to get out of here push you idiot get out of my way that is smoke what's burning need to run I need to run_

You can remember what led up to that point, and learn about what happened afterwards, and use that new information to impress a more rational timeline on the events. But report what _you_ felt in that moment, what _you_ thought, however fragmented.

Also, someone writing an autobiography has had time to research, compare notes, talk to other people, consult diaries, and so on. It's not like the book pours out of the writer's head fully formed and perfect like a transcribed newsreel.

For the future: carry a notebook with you wherever you go. Practice being observant. Sit on a bench and watch the world go by. Observe the clouds, the sunlight, the traffic. Find a park, take off your shoes, and walk barefoot. Pay attention to the sensations. Write these things down. This will start to teach you the disciplines of observation, memory, and iteration (putting things into words).

Original score: 3