Come on, admit it. You’ve imagined yourself portrayed in a movie. By a favorite actor. Lookin’ good. Inspirational even. Because in your mind, you are the writer, director and producer. But what happens if someone else writes, directs and produces your story?

Whether you’re famous or not, it’s more likely than ever that someone, somewhere will decide your life, or a piece of it, is worth writing about. Maybe in a non-fiction work with detailed footnotes. Maybe as the inspiration for a novel, from which you may or may not be recognized. Your story might be written by another family member, one who knows you or one yet to be born who decides to write the family history after you’re dead. You could end up being remembered for things you never said or did, simply because an author did sloppy research or took artistic license.

Three examples:

1. A world-famous actor died unexpectedly at a young age. Twenty-one years later, three books were published about him. One was purely about his career, thoroughly researched and handsomely produced. One was a very detailed and compassionate biography, told as honestly as the author could support with retrieved facts. The third was a salacious, unsubstantiated exposé that was largely debunked. But it’s the third book that sits on a shelf in my local library. Fortunately, the library bookshelf now has another book – one I edited and helped publish – that provides a more accurate recounting of the actor’s life.

2. A best-selling book that was made into an Oscar-winning film delicately unfolds a love story that was inspired by real people who lived a century ago. Artistic license was taken but the real names of the couple and the arc of their potent love story remains. I think the people who inspired the novel would be quite satisfied with its portrayal. But who knows? While the book and film have garnered excellent reviews, I’ve heard and read negative misrepresentations about the real people since they’ve gained a global audience. And they’re not alive to respond.

3. A former child star whose classic movies are still popular had a remarkable chiaroscuro life, pinging back and forth between rags and riches, joys and sorrows. A person of great achievement and a highly regarded inspirational speaker, he had rejected many requests to write his autobiography. I convinced him of the value publishing his story as a biography, autobiography or memoir. He decided only an autobiography would do. During the process, however, I learned some details few people know about the dark parts of his history. The untenable pain of retrieving certain memories made an autobiography impossible. Moreover, he couldn’t face the inevitable interviews that would rip through deep scars. We left the project with the idea of having the manuscript taken as far as possible, then safely stored where his wife could retrieve it if needed in the future after he was beyond its reach. In this way, he kept control of what was uniquely his.

If an accurate recounting of your life or character is important, you should write your own story. Make it an autobiography, complete and detailed. Or form it as a memoir in which you choose what to share. It doesn’t matter if your story is printed as a single text, if it is self-published in small quantities for a select audience, or it is released to a mass market. It is your story, told in your words. Let others say what they will, your voice will also be heard.