How to Write a Biography

How to write a biography

A biography is a description of someone’s life and times, usually published in the form of a book or an essay, or film. It can be a résumé of a few sentences or hundreds of pages. The length will depend on the amount of information available to you, and who your intended audience is.

The success to any project is to have a plan. Writing a biography is no different ,so here are 4 simple steps you could follow.

Research and Learning: You will need to thoroughly research your subject to analyse and understand the events in their life and identify the accomplishments, activities and actions that you want to include in your writing which will make it an interesting and attractive piece for the reader.  Make sure you verify the basic facts of birth date place, parentage, family tree etc. If you can meet with your subject compile a list of all the questions you need to be answered. Try and gain information that the subject hasn’t shared with anyone before. Ask intelligent questions that draw out the feelings and experiences of the subject so you can make your reader feel in touch with the subject when you include these in your biography.

Compilation: Once you’ve completed your research and had all your questions answered you’ll need to review it all and decide what you are going to include in your writing and what to leave out – this may be governed by the intended length of the piece. Set some items aside as reserves in case you find you need more as your project progresses. If you have a specific motivation for choosing the subject, make sure you have the material to support this theme.  

Organisation: Decide how you are going to present the information.  Most biographies are written in chronological order but others may be arranged by theme such as childhood, early career, post-retirement etc.  You should also consider if you want to present particular opinions of a person and ensure your chosen materials support these. If you are going to include photographs, diagrams or facsimiles of documents, decide exactly where in the compilation you will present them.

Editing: You must edit your work by checking your spelling and grammar, making sure your sentences flow naturally. Ensure you are happy with your construction in terms of paragraph and chapter organisation and the way you have ordered the events if you haven’t chosen chronological order. You should also read it thoroughly to be confident that you have portrayed your subject in a manner that the reader feels what you want them to.

Above all, you should tell a great story and not just a dry life history that’s a recollection of facts and events.