how to start a biography on someone else

How to Write a Biography About Someone Else

Do you want to write a biography about someone else? I have a notebook where I write down project ideas, including the names of people I’d like to interview about their life experiences. Over the last couple years, my list has become pretty long!

With my journalism background, I never have trouble sniffing out an interesting or eccentric personality. Honestly, everybody has some good stories to tell. You just need to practice your interview skills so people will share them.

There are so many interesting people in the world. Pick someone you know who’s led an interesting life and help them preserve and record their stories. It will be fun for you, and incredibly meaningful for the other person.

10 people to write a biography about

If you want to write a biography about someone else, here are 10 suggestions from my interview list:

Your grandma or grandpa. If you’re fortunate enough to still having living grandparents, put them at the top of your biography list! You’ll have so much fun asking them  stories about their life and they’ll love spending time with you. Some grandparents need a little convincing to really open up and share their experiences. Others might talk your ear off. Be sure to get them to repeat the stories you grew up hearing. One day you will LOVE having that story in their own words.

An elderly relative. We all have a kooky great aunt or great uncle, or maybe a globe-trotting distant cousin, who has the most amazing and crazy stories. Get in touch with those relatives and start asking them questions. To get the conversation started, ask for details about a specific story you’ve heard. It’s a good way to warm them up and get them interested in sharing more with you.

Someone  diagnosed with a memory disorder or memory condition. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing a gentleman who had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His family wanted to preserve his stories while the details and memories were still sharp and clear. Before the interview, I did two things. I emailed questions to Paul and his wife to answer before I arrived. And I asked his grandchildren for a list of stories they liked to hear Grandpa Paul tell. This gave me a great outline for the interview. (You’ll hear more about Paul and his biography next month!)

A World War II veteran. Of the 16 million Americans who served in World War II, less than 100,000 will be alive in 2021. If you know any WWII vets, please, please, please go interview them! These men and women have experienced incredible world events. They have lived through mind-boggling scientific advancements. Their stories need preserved! And while their war memories are just a small part of their life story, it’s often a subject they enjoy talking about. Also, do some advance research about where they served so you can ask the right questions and help trigger more memories. After all, World War II was about 80 years ago! Finally, be sure to ask if they have scrapbooks or memorabilia you could look at with them. This is a great way to help them remember more details.

A first-generation American. Both sides of my family have been in the United States for a long, long time. So I don’t have any relatives who could provide a first-person narrative of what it’s like to be an immigrant. But, it’s on my wish list to interview someone about their decision to immigrate to the United States and start a new life. If your family has living relatives who immigrated to the U.S., start asking questions and define your family’s history! What an awesome gift this will be for future generations to read.

Someone diagnosed with a terminal illness. When my aunt was in the final stages of cancer last year, I tried to interview her. She’d had some pretty wild adventures and lived through challenging times. And I wanted to hear those stories in her sassy voice. But my aunt just couldn’t face doing an end-of-life conversation. She said she wasn’t ready to talk about it. And that’s OK. I made the offer twice and then dropped it. If you know someone with a terminal diagnosis, let them know you’re here to help if they want it.

A recent retiree. A great time to ask someone to reflect on their career and accomplishments is right after they have retired. In addition, a biography book would make an awesome retiree gift! Help them define and celebrate the legacy they are leaving behind and get them excited about the next chapter of their lives.

A stay-at-home mother. Too often equate accomplishments to bullet points on our resumes. This mindset leaves out the millions of women (and now lots of men!) who have devoted their lives to running households and supporting children and spouses. Honor their work by helping them define and articulate the legacy they’re leaving behind. Plus, they probably have hilarious kid stories and loads of life wisdom.

A person of a different race or ethnicity. If you want this biography project to be an educational experience for you, use it as an opportunity to better understand a person of a different race or ethnicity. Let’s face it, the world would be a much better place if we all sought out, listened to and actively tried to understand more people who don’t look like we do.

Someone in a nursing home or veteran’s home. If you want to write a biography about someone else, just visit the program director at a nearby nursing home or veteran’s home (when it’s safe to do so). Ask if there are residents who might like someone to visit with and share their stories. Following the isolation of the pandemic, there will be many lonely people looking for new friends and opportunities to reminiscence. This would be a great opportunity to create mini biography books — simple documents filled with their stories and memories. They could share them with their families, or just have them for themselves.

Start your biography project

Now that you have ideas of who to interview, it’s time to get started! Begin with a list of questions to ask your subject. For some good questions, visit our Resources Page and download the 200+ interview questions. Never written someone’s life story? Don’t worry. I’ve outlined step-by-step instructions for writing a biography . Good luck!  Don’t have the time to write a book yourself, let the Circa Legacy team do it for you!  We’ll interview you or a loved one and turn it into an amazing Custom Legacy Book .

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How to Write a Biography

Last Updated: April 13, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA . Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada. Stephanie's writing has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut's Avenue, and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,852,609 times.

Writing a biography can be a fun challenge, where you are sharing the story of someone’s life with readers. You may need to write a biography for a class or decide to write one as a personal project. Once you have identified the subject of the biography, do your research so you know as much about them as possible. Then, dive into the writing of the biography and revising it until it is at its finest.

Researching Your Subject

• If the subject does not give you permission to write the biography, you may want to choose a different subject. If you decide to publish the biography without the subject’s permission, you may be susceptible to legal action by the subject.
• If the subject is no longer alive, you obviously do not need to ask permission to write about them.

• You may create research questions to help focus your research of the subject, such as, What do I find interesting about the subject? Why is this subject important to readers? What can I say that is new about the subject? What would I like to learn more about?

• For in person interviews, record them with a tape recorder or a voice recorder on your computer or phone.
• You may need to interview the subject and others several times to get the material you need.

• You may also want to visit areas where the subject made a major decision or breakthrough in their life. Being physically in the area can give you a sense of how the subject might have felt and help you write their experiences more effectively.

• When researching the time period ask yourself: What were the social norms of that time? What was going on economically and politically? How did the social and political climate affect the subject?

• You may also include historical events or moments that affected the subject on the timeline. For example, maybe there was a conflict or civil war that happened during the person’s life that affected their life.

Writing the Biography

• You may end up focusing on particular areas of the person’s life. If you do this, work through a particular period in the person’s life chronologically.

• For example, you may have a thesis statement about focusing on how the person impacted the civil rights movement in America in the 1970s. You can then make sure all your content relates back to this thesis.

• Flashbacks should feel as detailed and real as present day scenes. Use your research notes and interviews with the subject to get a good sense of their past for the flashbacks.
• For example, you may jump from the person’s death in the present to a flashback to their favorite childhood memory.

• For example, you may focus on the person’s accomplishments in the civil rights movement. You may write a whole section about their contributions and participation in major civil rights marches in their hometown.

• For example, you may notice that the person’s life is patterned with moments of adversity, where the person worked hard and fought against larger forces. You can then use the theme of overcoming adversity in the biography.

• For example, you may note how you see parallels in the person’s life during the civil rights movement with your own interests in social justice. You may also commend the person for their hard work and positive impact on society.

Polishing the Biography

• Revise the biography based on feedback from others. Do not be afraid to cut or edit down the biography to suit the needs of your readers.

• Having a biography riddled with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can turn off your readers and result in a poor grade if you are handing in the text for a class.

• If the biography is for a class, use MLA , APA , or Chicago Style citations based on the preferences of your instructor.

Biography Help

Community Q&A

• Be careful when publishing private or embarrassing information, especially if the person is not a celebrity. You may violate their "Right of Privacy" or equivalent. Thanks Helpful 31 Not Helpful 5
• Have the sources to back up your statements about the subject's life. Untruthful written statements can lead to litigation. If it is your opinion, be clear that it is such and not fact (although you can support your opinion with facts). Thanks Helpful 16 Not Helpful 15

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/how-to-write-a-biography.html
• ↑ https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-a-bio
• ↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/how-to-write-a-biography.html
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/3-tips-for-writing-successful-flashbacks
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-bio/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://www.plagiarism.org/article/how-do-i-cite-sources

About This Article

Before you write a biography, gather as much information about the subject that you can from sources like newspaper articles, interviews, photos, existing biographies, and anything else you can find. Write the story of that person’s life, including as much supporting detail as you can, including information about the place and time where the person lived. Focus on major events and milestones in their life, including historical events, marriage, children, and events which would shape their path later in life. For tips from our reviewer on proofreading the biography and citing your sources, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write a Biography

Learn how to write a biography with our comprehensive guide.

Last updated on Dec 8th, 2023

When you click on affiliate links on QuillMuse.com and make a purchase, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission—this helps us keep up with publishing valuable content on QuillMuse.  Read More .

Table of Contents

How to write a biography can be a fun challenge as you share someone’s life story with readers. You may need to write a biography for a class or decide to write a biography as a personal project. Once you’ve identified the subject of your biography, do your research to learn as much as you can about them. Then, immerse yourself in writing the biography and revising it until it’s best. What I am going to share with you in today’s post is how to write a biography. If you want to know the rules of how to write a biography correctly then this post of ours is essential for you. 

Introduction

While it’s true that most biographies involve people in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. But most of the time, famous or not, the person we’re talking about has an incredible life. Although your students may have a basic understanding of How to write a biography, you should take some time before putting pen to paper to come up with a very clear definition of biography.

Before knowing how to write a biography, let’s first understand what a biography is. A biography is an account of a person’s life written by someone else. Although there is a genre called fictional biography, by definition biographies are mostly non-fiction. In general, biographies trace the subject’s life from early childhood to the present day or until death if the subject is deceased. 

Biography writing is not limited to describing the bare facts of a person’s life. Instead of just listing basic details about their upbringing, interests, education, work, relationships, and deaths, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of a person’s personality as well as that person’s life experiences.

Tips and Tricks For How To Write a Biography

1. ask the subject’s permission to write a biography.

Here are the first tips on how to write a biography. Before starting your research, make sure you get your subject’s consent to write their biography. Ask them if they’re ready to be the subject. Getting their permission will make writing a biography much easier and ensure that they are open to information about their lives.

If the theme does not allow you to write a bio, you can choose another theme. If you decide to publish a profile without the subject’s permission, you may be subject to legal action from the subject. 

If the topic no longer exists, you don’t need to ask permission to write about them. 

2. Research primary sources on the topic

Primary sources may include books, letters, photographs, diaries, newspaper clippings, magazines, Internet articles, magazines, videos, interviews, existing biographies, or autobiographies on the subject. Find these resources in your local library or online. Read as much as you can about the topic and highlight any important information you come across in your sources. 

You can create research questions to help you focus your research on this topic, such as: 

What do I find interesting about this topic? Why is this topic important to readers? 

3. Conduct interviews with subjects and their relatives

Interviewing people will turn your research into reality: the people you interview will be able to tell you stories you can’t find in history books. Interview the subject as well as people close to them, such as spouses, friends, business associates, family members, co-workers, and friends. Interview in person, over the phone, or via email.

For in-person interviews, record them with a voice recorder or voice recorder on your computer or phone. You may need to interview the subject and others multiple times to get the documents you need.

4. Visit places important to the topic

Whenever you want to know how to write a biography, to understand the history of the subject, spend time in places and areas that are significant to the subject. This may be the subject’s childhood home or neighborhood. You can also visit the subject’s workplace and regular meeting places. 

You may also want to visit areas where the subject made important decisions or breakthroughs in their life. Being physically present in the area can give you an idea of what your subjects may have felt and help you write about their experiences more effectively.

5. Research the time and place of the subject’s life

Contextualize your subject’s life by observing what’s going on around them. Consider the period in which they grew up as well as the history of the places they lived. Study the economics, politics, and culture of their time. See current events happening where they live or work.

When you studying how to write a biography, ask yourself about time and place: 

What were the social norms of this period? 

What happened economically and politically? 

How has the political and social environment influenced this topic?

6. Make a timeline of a person’s life

To help you organize your research, create a timeline of a person’s entire life, from birth. Draw a long line on a piece of paper and sketch out as many details about a person’s life as possible. Highlight important events or moments on the timeline. Include important dates, locations, and names. 

If you think about how to write a biography You can also include historical events or moments that affect the topic in the timeline. For example, a conflict or civil war may occur during a person’s lifetime and affect their life.

7. Focus on important events and milestones

Major events can include marriage, birth, or death during a person’s lifetime. They may also achieve milestones like their first successful business venture or their first civil rights march. Highlights key moments in a person’s life so readers clearly understand what’s important to that person and how they influence the world around them.

For example, you might focus on one person’s achievements in the civil rights movement. You could write an entire section about their contributions and participation in major civil rights marches in their hometowns.

8. Cite all sources used in  biography

Most biographies will include information from sources such as books, journal articles, magazines, and interviews. Remember to cite any sources that you directly quote or paraphrase. You can use citations, footnotes, or endnotes. If the biography is for a course, use MLA, APA, or Chicago Style citations according to your instructor’s preference.

9. Reread the biography

Check the biography for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Circle all punctuation marks in the text to confirm they are correct. Read the text backward to check for spelling and grammar errors. 

Having a biography full of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can frustrate readers and lead to poor grades if you submit your work to the class.

10. Show your biography to others to get their feedback

It is a momentous step of how to write a biography. Once you have completed your draft biography, show it to your colleagues, friends, teachers, and mentors to get their feedback. Ask them if they have a good understanding of someone’s life and if the biography is easy to read. Be open to feedback so you can improve the biography and make it error-free. Revise profile based on feedback from others. Don’t be afraid to trim or edit your biography to suit your readers’ needs.

11. Use flashbacks

Flashbacks happen when you move from the present to the past. You can start with the present moment, and then bring in a scene from the person’s past. Or you could have one chapter focusing on the present and one focusing on the past, alternating as you go.

The flashback scene must be as detailed and realistic as the present-day scene. Use your research notes and interviews with subjects to better understand their past to reminisce. 

For example, you can move from a person’s death in the present to reminiscing about their favorite childhood memory.

12. Outline Your Story Chronologically 

This is another important step in how to write a biography is to write an outline that describes your story in chronological order. An outline is a tool that helps you visualize the structure and key elements of your story. This can help you organize your story into chapters and sections. 

You can write your plan in a digital document or draw it with pen and paper. Remember to store your outline in an easily accessible place so you can refer to it throughout the writing process.

What citation style should I use for my biography?

Use MLA, APA, or Chicago Style citations based on your instructor’s preference when citing sources in your biography.

Should I include personal opinions in a biography?

No, a biography should be objective and based on facts. Avoid injecting personal opinions or bias into the narrative.

What’s the difference between a biography and an autobiography?

A biography is written by someone else about a person’s life, while an autobiography is written by the subject themselves about their own life.

Can I write a biography about a living person?

Yes, you can write a biography about a living person with their consent. Ensure you respect their privacy and follow ethical guidelines when writing about them.

Conclusion 

Other than creating a sense of closure, there are no set rules about how a biography ends. An author may want to summarize their main points about the subject of their biography. If the person is still alive, the author can inform the reader about their condition or circumstances. If the person has died, inheritance can be discussed. Authors can also remind readers how they can learn from the biographical subject. Sharing a closing quote or about a person can leave the audience with a point to consider or discuss in more detail.

For further insights into writing and to avoid common mistakes, check out our article on Most Common Mistakes in Writing . Additionally, explore the Best Writing Tools for Writers to enhance your writing skills and discover the tools that can assist you. If you’re looking to improve your typing speed and accuracy, our article on How to Type Faster with Accuracy offers valuable tips.

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How to Write a Biography

Biographies are big business. Whether in book form or Hollywood biopics, the lives of the famous and sometimes not-so-famous fascinate us.

While it’s true that most biographies are about people who are in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. Primarily, though, famous or not, the person who is written about has led an incredible life.

In this article, we will explain biography writing in detail for teachers and students so they can create their own.

While your students will most likely have a basic understanding of a biography, it’s worth taking a little time before they put pen to paper to tease out a crystal-clear definition of one.

What Is a Biography?

A biography is an account of someone’s life written by someone else . While there is a genre known as a fictional biography, for the most part, biographies are, by definition, nonfiction.

Generally speaking, biographies provide an account of the subject’s life from the earliest days of childhood to the present day or, if the subject is deceased, their death.

The job of a biography is more than just to outline the bare facts of a person’s life.

Rather than just listing the basic details of their upbringing, hobbies, education, work, relationships, and death, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of the subject’s personality and experience of life.

Full Biographies

Teaching unit.

Teach your students everything they need to know about writing an AUTOBIOGRAPHY and a BIOGRAPHY.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ( 26 reviews )

Features of a Biography

Before students begin writing a biography, they’ll need to have a firm grasp of the main features of a Biography. An excellent way to determine how well they understand these essential elements is to ask them to compile a checklist like the one-blow

Their checklists should contain the items below at a minimum. Be sure to help them fill in any gaps before moving on to the writing process.

The purpose of a biography is to provide an account of someone’s life.

Biography structure.

ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Open your biography with a strong hook to grab the reader’s attention

SEQUENCING: In most cases, biographies are written in chronological order unless you are a very competent writer consciously trying to break from this trend.

COVER: childhood, upbringing, education, influences, accomplishments, relationships, etc. – everything that helps the reader to understand the person.

CONCLUSION: Wrap your biography up with some details about what the subject is doing now if they are still alive. If they have passed away, make mention of what impact they have made and what their legacy is or will be.

BIOGRAPHY FEATURES

LANGUAGE Use descriptive and figurative language that will paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read. Use time connectives to link events.

PERSPECTIVE Biographies are written from the third person’s perspective.

DETAILS: Give specific details about people, places, events, times, dates, etc. Reflect on how events shaped the subject. You might want to include some relevant photographs with captions. A timeline may also be of use depending upon your subject and what you are trying to convey to your audience.

TENSE Written in the past tense (though ending may shift to the present/future tense)

THE PROCESS OF WRITING A BIOGRAPHY

Like any form of writing, you will find it simple if you have a plan and follow it through. These steps will ensure you cover the essential bases of writing a biography essay.

Firstly, select a subject that inspires you. Someone whose life story resonates with you and whose contribution to society intrigues you. The next step is to conduct thorough research. Engage in extensive reading, explore various sources, watch documentaries, and glean all available information to provide a comprehensive account of the person’s life.

Creating an outline is essential to organize your thoughts and information. The outline should include the person’s early life, education, career, achievements, and any other significant events or contributions. It serves as a map for the writing process, ensuring that all vital information is included.

Your biography should have an engaging introduction that captivates the reader’s attention and provides background information on the person you’re writing about. It should include a thesis statement summarising the biography’s main points.

Writing a biography in chronological order is crucial . You should begin with the person’s early life and move through their career and achievements. This approach clarifies how the person’s life unfolded and how they accomplished their goals.

A biography should be written in a narrative style , capturing the essence of the person’s life through vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and quotes. Avoid dry, factual writing and focus on creating a compelling narrative that engages the reader.

Adding personal insights and opinions can enhance the biography’s overall impact, providing a unique perspective on the person’s achievements, legacy, and impact on society.

Editing and proofreading are vital elements of the writing process. Thoroughly reviewing your biography ensures that the writing is clear, concise, and error-free. You can even request feedback from someone else to ensure that it is engaging and well-written.

Finally, including a bibliography at the end of your biography is essential. It gives credit to the sources that were used during research, such as books, articles, interviews, and websites.

Tips for Writing a Brilliant Biography

Biography writing tip #1: choose your subject wisely.

There are several points for students to reflect on when deciding on a subject for their biography. Let’s take a look at the most essential points to consider when deciding on the subject for a biography:

Interest: To produce a biography will require sustained writing from the student. That’s why students must choose their subject well. After all, a biography is an account of someone’s entire life to date. Students must ensure they choose a subject that will sustain their interest throughout the research, writing, and editing processes.

Merit: Closely related to the previous point, students must consider whether the subject merits the reader’s interest. Aside from pure labors of love, writing should be undertaken with the reader in mind. While producing a biography demands sustained writing from the author, it also demands sustained reading from the reader.

Therefore, students should ask themselves if their chosen subject has had a life worthy of the reader’s interest and the time they’d need to invest in reading their biography.

Information: Is there enough information available on the subject to fuel the writing of an entire biography? While it might be a tempting idea to write about a great-great-grandfather’s experience in the war. There would be enough interest there to sustain the author’s and the reader’s interest, but do you have enough access to information about their early childhood to do the subject justice in the form of a biography?

Biography Writing Tip #2: R esearch ! Research! Research!

While the chances are good that the student already knows quite a bit about the subject they’ve chosen. Chances are 100% that they’ll still need to undertake considerable research to write their biography.

As with many types of writing , research is an essential part of the planning process that shouldn’t be overlooked. If students wish to give as complete an account of their subject’s life as possible, they’ll need to put in the time at the research stage.

An effective way to approach the research process is to:

1. Compile a chronological timeline of the central facts, dates, and events of the subject’s life

2. Compile detailed descriptions of the following personal traits:

•      Physical looks
•      Character traits
•      Values and beliefs

3. Compile some research questions based on different topics to provide a focus for the research:

• Childhood : Where and when were they born? Who were their parents? Who were the other family members? What education did they receive?
• Obstacles: What challenges did they have to overcome? How did these challenges shape them as individuals?
• Legacy: What impact did this person have on the world and/or the people around them?
• Dialogue & Quotes: Dialogue and quotations by and about the subject are a great way to bring color and life to a biography. Students should keep an eagle eye out for the gems that hide amid their sources.

As the student gets deeper into their research, new questions will arise that can further fuel the research process and help to shape the direction the biography will ultimately go in.

Likewise, during the research, themes will often begin to suggest themselves. Exploring these themes is essential to bring depth to biography, but we’ll discuss this later in this article.

Research Skills:

Researching for biography writing is an excellent way for students to hone their research skills in general. Developing good research skills is essential for future academic success. Students will have opportunities to learn how to:

• Gather relevant information
• Evaluate different information sources
• Select suitable information
• Organize information into a text.

Students will have access to print and online information sources, and, in some cases, they may also have access to people who knew or know the subject (e.g. biography of a family member).

These days, much of the research will likely take place online. It’s crucial, therefore, to provide your students with guidance on how to use the internet safely and evaluate online sources for reliability. This is the era of ‘ fake news ’ and misinformation after all!

COMPLETE TEACHING UNIT ON INTERNET RESEARCH SKILLS USING GOOGLE SEARCH

Teach your students ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF THE INFORMATION ERA to become expert DIGITAL RESEARCHERS.

⭐How to correctly ask questions to search engines on all devices.

⭐ How to filter and refine your results to find exactly what you want every time.

⭐ Essential Research and critical thinking skills for students.

⭐ Plagiarism, Citing and acknowledging other people’s work.

⭐ How to query, synthesize and record your findings logically.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip #3: Find Your Themes In Biography Writing

Though predominantly a nonfiction genre, the story still plays a significant role in good biography writing. The skills of characterization and plot structuring are transferable here. And, just like in fiction, exploring themes in a biographical work helps connect the personal to the universal. Of course, these shouldn’t be forced; this will make the work seem contrived, and the reader may lose faith in the truthfulness of the account. A biographer needs to gain and maintain the trust of the reader.

Fortunately, themes shouldn’t need to be forced. A life well-lived is full of meaning, and the themes the student writer is looking for will emerge effortlessly from the actions and events of the subject’s life. It’s just a case of learning how to spot them.

One way to identify the themes in a life is to look for recurring events or situations in a person’s life. These should be apparent from the research completed previously. The students should seek to identify these patterns that emerge in the subject’s life. For example, perhaps they’ve had to overcome various obstacles throughout different periods of their life. In that case, the theme of overcoming adversity is present and has been identified.

Usually, a biography has several themes running throughout, so be sure your students work to identify more than one theme in their subject’s life.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip: #4 Put Something of Yourself into the Writing

While the defining feature of a biography is that it gives an account of a person’s life, students must understand that this is not all a biography does. Relating the facts and details of a subject’s life is not enough. The student biographer should not be afraid to share their thoughts and feelings with the reader throughout their account of their subject’s life.

The student can weave some of their personality into the fabric of the text by providing commentary and opinion as they relate the events of the person’s life and the wider social context at the time. Unlike the detached and objective approach we’d expect to find in a history textbook, in a biography, student-writers should communicate their enthusiasm for their subject in their writing.

This makes for a more intimate experience for the reader, as they get a sense of getting to know the author and the subject they are writing about.

Biography Examples For Students

• Year 5 Example
• Year 7 Example
• Year 9 Example

“The Rock ‘n’ Roll King: Elvis Presley”

Elvis Aaron Presley, born on January 8, 1935, was an amazing singer and actor known as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Even though he’s been dead for nearly 50 years, I can’t help but be fascinated by his incredible life!

Elvis grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, in a tiny house with his parents and twin brother. His family didn’t have much money, but they shared a love for music. Little did they know Elvis would become a music legend!

When he was only 11 years old, Elvis got his first guitar. He taught himself to play and loved singing gospel songs. As he got older, he started combining different music styles like country, blues, and gospel to create a whole new sound – that’s Rock ‘n’ Roll!

In 1954, at the age of 19, Elvis recorded his first song, “That’s All Right.” People couldn’t believe how unique and exciting his music was. His famous hip-swinging dance moves also made him a sensation!

Elvis didn’t just rock the music scene; he also starred in movies like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.” But fame came with challenges. Despite facing ups and downs, Elvis kept spreading happiness through his music.

Tragically, Elvis passed away in 1977, but his music and charisma live on. Even today, people worldwide still enjoy his songs like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Elvis Presley’s legacy as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll will live forever.

Long Live the King: I wish I’d seen him.

Elvis Presley, the Rock ‘n’ Roll legend born on January 8, 1935, is a captivating figure that even a modern-day teen like me can’t help but admire. As I delve into his life, I wish I could have experienced the magic of his live performances.

Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis faced challenges but found solace in music. At 11, he got his first guitar, a symbol of his journey into the world of sound. His fusion of gospel, country, and blues into Rock ‘n’ Roll became a cultural phenomenon.

The thought of being in the audience during his early performances, especially when he recorded “That’s All Right” at 19, sends shivers down my spine. Imagining the crowd’s uproar and feeling the revolutionary energy of that moment is a dream I wish I could have lived.

Elvis wasn’t just a musical prodigy; he was a dynamic performer. His dance moves, the embodiment of rebellion, and his roles in films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock” made him a true icon.

After watching him on YouTube, I can’t help but feel a little sad that I’ll never witness the King’s live performances. The idea of swaying to “Hound Dog” or being enchanted by “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in person is a missed opportunity. Elvis may have left us in 1977, but he was the king of rock n’ roll. Long live the King!

Elvis Presley: A Teen’s Take on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Icon”

Elvis Presley, born January 8, 1935, was a revolutionary force in the music world, earning his title as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Exploring his life, even as a 16-year-old today, I’m captivated by the impact he made.

Hailing from Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis grew up in humble beginnings, surrounded by the love of his parents and twin brother. It’s inspiring to think that, despite financial challenges, this young man would redefine the music scene.

At 11, Elvis got his first guitar, sparking a self-taught journey into music. His early gospel influences evolved into a unique fusion of country, blues, and gospel, creating the electrifying genre of Rock ‘n’ Roll. In 1954, at only 19, he recorded “That’s All Right,” marking the birth of a musical legend.

Elvis wasn’t just a musical innovator; he was a cultural phenomenon. His rebellious dance moves and magnetic stage presence challenged the norms. He transitioned seamlessly into acting, starring in iconic films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.”

However, fame came at a cost, and Elvis faced personal struggles. Despite the challenges, his music continued to resonate. Even now, classics like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” transcend generations.

Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is undeniable. He was known for his unique voice, charismatic persona, and electrifying performances. He sold over one billion records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling solo artists in history. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including three Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Elvis’s influence can still be seen in today’s music. Many contemporary artists, such as Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, and Justin Timberlake, have cited Elvis as an inspiration. His music continues to be featured in movies, TV shows, and commercials.

Elvis left us in 1977, but his legacy lives on. I appreciate his breaking barriers and fearlessly embracing his artistic vision. Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is timeless, a testament to the enduring power of his artistry. His music has inspired generations and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Teaching Resources

Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.

BIOGRAPHY WRITING TEACHING IDEAS AND LESSONS

We have compiled a sequence of biography-related lessons or teaching ideas that you can follow as you please. They are straightforward enough for most students to follow without further instruction.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 1:

This session aims to give students a broader understanding of what makes a good biography.

Once your students have compiled a comprehensive checklist of the main features of a biography, allow them to use it to assess some biographies from your school library or on the internet using the feature checklist.

When students have assessed a selection of biographies, take some time as a class to discuss them. You can base the discussion around the following prompts:

• Which biographies covered all the criteria from their checklist?
• Which biographies didn’t?
• Which biography was the most readable in terms of structure?
• Which biography do you think was the least well-structured? How would you improve this?

Looking at how other writers have interpreted the form will help students internalize the necessary criteria before attempting to produce a biography. Once students have a clear understanding of the main features of the biography, they’re ready to begin work on writing a biography.

When the time does come to put pen to paper, be sure they’re armed with the following top tips to help ensure they’re as well prepared as possible.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 2:

This session aims to guide students through the process of selecting the perfect biography subject.

Instruct students to draw up a shortlist of three potential subjects for the biography they’ll write.

Using the three criteria mentioned in the writing guide (Interest, Merit, and Information), students award each potential subject a mark out of 5 for each of the criteria. In this manner, students can select the most suitable subject for their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 3:

This session aims to get students into the researching phase, then prioritise and organise events chronologically.

Students begin by making a timeline of their subject’s life, starting with their birth and ending with their death or the present day. If the student has yet to make a final decision on the subject of their biography, a family member will often serve well for this exercise as a practice exercise.

Students should research and gather the key events of the person’s life, covering each period of their life from when they were a baby, through childhood and adolescence, right up to adulthood and old age. They should then organize these onto a timeline. Students can include photographs with captions if they have them.

They can present these to the class when they have finished their timelines.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 4:

Instruct students to look over their timeline, notes, and other research. Challenge them to identify three patterns that repeat throughout the subject’s life and sort all the related events and incidents into specific categories.

Students should then label each category with a single word. This is the thematic concept or the broad general underlying idea. After that, students should write a sentence or two expressing what the subject’s life ‘says’ about that concept.

This is known as the thematic statement . With the thematic concepts and thematic statements identified, the student now has some substantial ideas to explore that will help bring more profound meaning and wider resonance to their biography.

BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 5:

Instruct students to write a short objective account of an event in their own life. They can write about anyone from their past. It needn’t be more than a couple of paragraphs, but the writing should be strictly factual, focusing only on the objective details of what happened.

Once they have completed this, it’s time to rewrite the paragraph, but they should include some opinion and personal commentary this time.

The student here aims to inject some color and personality into their writing, to transform a detached, factual account into a warm, engaging story.

A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING BIOGRAPHIES

Teach your students to write AMAZING BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES using proven RESEARCH SKILLS and WRITING STRATEGIES .

• Understand the purpose of both forms of biography.
• Explore the language and perspective of both.
• Prompts and Challenges to engage students in writing a biography.
• Dedicated lessons for both forms of biography.
• Biographical Projects can expand students’ understanding of reading and writing a biography.
• A COMPLETE 82-PAGE UNIT – NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.

FREE Biography Writing Graphic Organizer

Use this valuable tool in the research and writing phases to keep your students on track and engaged.

WRITING CHECKLIST & RUBRIC BUNDLE

To Conclude

By this stage, your students should have an excellent technical overview of a biography’s essential elements.

They should be able to choose their subject in light of how interesting and worthy they are, as well as give consideration to the availability of information out there. They should be able to research effectively and identify emerging themes in their research notes. And finally, they should be able to bring some of their personality and uniqueness into their retelling of the life of another.

Remember that writing a biography is not only a great way to develop a student’s writing skills; it can be used in almost all curriculum areas. For example, to find out more about a historical figure in History, to investigate scientific contributions to Science, or to celebrate a hero from everyday life.

Biography is an excellent genre for students to develop their writing skills and to find inspiration in the lives of others in the world around them.

HOW TO WRITE A BIOGRAPHY TUTORIAL VIDEO

OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BIOGRAPHY WRITING

How to write an Autobiography

How to Write a Historical Recount Text

15 Awesome Recount & Personal Narrative Topics

Personal Narrative Writing Guide

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Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Posted on Jun 30, 2023

How to Write a Biography: A 7-Step Guide [+Template]

From time to time, nonfiction authors become so captivated by a particular figure from either the present or the past, that they feel compelled to write an entire book about their life. Whether casting them as heroes or villains, there is an interesting quality in their humanity that compels these authors to revisit their life paths and write their story.

However, portraying someone’s life on paper in a comprehensive and engaging way requires solid preparation. If you’re looking to write a biography yourself, in this post we’ll share a step-by-step blueprint that you can follow. 

How to write a biography: 

1. Seek permission when possible 

2. research your subject thoroughly, 3. do interviews and visit locations, 4. organize your findings, 5. identify a central thesis, 6. write it using narrative elements, 7. get feedback and polish the text.

FREE RESOURCE

Biography Outline Template

Craft a satisfying story arc for your biography with our free template.

While you technically don’t need permission to write about public figures (or deceased ones), that doesn't guarantee their legal team won't pursue legal action against you. Author Kitty Kelley was sued by Frank Sinatra before she even started to write His Way , a biography that paints Ol Blue Eyes in a controversial light. (Kelley ended up winning the lawsuit, however).  

Whenever feasible, advise the subject’s representatives of your intentions. If all goes according to plan, you’ll get a green light to proceed, or potentially an offer to collaborate. It's a matter of common sense; if someone were to write a book about you, you would likely want to know about it well prior to publication. So, make a sincere effort to reach out to their PR staff to negotiate an agreement or at least a mutual understanding of the scope of your project. 

At the same time, make sure that you still retain editorial control over the project, and not end up writing a puff piece that treats its protagonist like a saint or hero. No biography can ever be entirely objective, but you should always strive for a portrayal that closely aligns with facts and reality.

If you can’t get an answer from your subject, or you’re asked not to proceed forward, you can still accept the potential repercussions and write an unauthorized biography . The “rebellious act” of publishing without consent indeed makes for great marketing, though it’ll likely bring more headaches with it too. 

✋ Please note that, like other nonfiction books, if you intend to release your biography with a publishing house , you can put together a book proposal to send to them before you even write the book. If they like it enough, they might pay you an advance to write it.  

Book Proposal Template

Craft a professional pitch for your nonfiction book with our handy template.

Once you’ve settled (or not) the permission part, it’s time to dive deep into your character’s story.  

Deep and thorough research skills are the cornerstone of every biographer worth their salt. To paint a vivid and accurate portrait of someone's life, you’ll have to gather qualitative information from a wide range of reliable sources. 

Start with the information already available, from books on your subject to archival documents, then collect new ones firsthand by interviewing people or traveling to locations. 

Browse the web and library archives

Put your researcher hat on and start consuming any piece on your subject you can find, from their Wikipedia page to news articles, interviews, TV and radio appearances, YouTube videos, podcasts, books, magazines, and any other media outlets they may have been featured in. 

Establish a system to orderly collect the information you find 一 even seemingly insignificant details can prove valuable during the writing process, so be sure to save them. 

Depending on their era, you may find most of the information readily available online, or you may need to search through university libraries for older references. 

For his landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow spent untold hours at Columbia University’s library , reading through the Hamilton family papers, visiting the New York Historical Society, as well as interviewing the archivist of the New York Stock Exchange, and so on. The research process took years, but it certainly paid off. Chernow discovered that Hamilton created the first five securities originally traded on Wall Street. This finding, among others, revealed his significant contributions to shaping the current American financial and political systems, a legacy previously often overshadowed by other founding fathers. Today Alexander Hamilton is one of the best-selling biographies of all time, and it has become a cultural phenomenon with its own dedicated musical. 

Besides reading documents about your subject, research can help you understand the world that your subject lived in. 

Try to understand their time and social environment

Many biographies show how their protagonists have had a profound impact on society through their philosophical, artistic, or scientific contributions. But at the same time, it’s worth it as a biographer to make an effort to understand how their societal and historical context influenced their life’s path and work.

An interesting example is Stephen Greenblatt’s Will in the World . Finding himself limited by a lack of verified detail surrounding William Shakespeare's personal life, Greenblatt, instead, employs literary interpretation and imaginative reenactments to transport readers back to the Elizabethan era. The result is a vivid (though speculative) depiction of the playwright's life, enriching our understanding of his world.

Many readers enjoy biographies that transport them to a time and place, so exploring a historical period through the lens of a character can be entertaining in its own right. The Diary of Samuel Pepys became a classic not because people were enthralled by his life as an administrator, but rather from his meticulous and vivid documentation of everyday existence during the Restoration period.

Once you’ve gotten your hands on as many secondary sources as you can find, you’ll want to go hunting for stories first-hand from people who are (or were) close to your subject.

With all the material you’ve been through, by now you should already have a pretty good picture of your protagonist. But you’ll surely have some curiosities and missing dots in their character arc to figure out, which you can only get by interviewing primary sources.

Interview friends and associates

This part is more relevant if your subject is contemporary, and you can actually meet up or call with relatives, friends, colleagues, business partners, neighbors, or any other person related to them. 

In writing the popular biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson interviewed more than one hundred people, including Jobs’s family, colleagues, former college mates, business rivals, and the man himself.

🔍 Read other biographies to get a sense of what makes a great one. Check out our list of the 30 best biographies of all time , or take our 30-second quiz below for tips on which one you should read next. 

Which biography should you read next?

Discover the perfect biography for you. Takes 30 seconds!

When you conduct your interviews, make sure to record them with high quality audio you can revisit later. Then use tools like Otter.ai or Descript to transcribe them 一 it’ll save you countless hours. 

You can approach the interview with a specific set of questions, or follow your curiosity blindly, trying to uncover revealing stories and anecdotes about your subject. Whatever your method, author and biography editor Tom Bromley suggests that every interviewer arrives prepared, "Show that you’ve done your work. This will help to put the interviewee at ease, and get their best answers.” 

Bromley also places emphasis on the order in which you conduct interviews. “You may want to interview different members of the family or friends first, to get their perspective on something, and then go directly to the main interviewee. You'll be able to use that knowledge to ask sharper, more specific questions.” 

Finally, consider how much time you have with each interviewee. If you only have a 30-minute phone call with an important person, make it count by asking directly the most pressing questions you have. And, if you find a reliable source who is also particularly willing to help, conduct several interviews and ask them, if appropriate, to write a foreword as part of the book’s front matter .

Sometimes an important part of the process is packing your bags, getting on a plane, and personally visiting significant places in your character’s journey.

Visit significant places in their life

A place, whether that’s a city, a rural house, or a bodhi tree, can carry a particular energy that you can only truly experience by being there. In putting the pieces together about someone’s life, it may be useful to go visit where they grew up, or where other significant events of their lives happened. It will be easier to imagine what they experienced, and better tell their story. 

In researching The Lost City of Z , author David Grann embarked on a trek through the Amazon, retracing the steps of British explorer Percy Fawcett. This led Grann to develop new theories about the circumstances surrounding the explorer's disappearance.

Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with jaguars and anacondas to better understand your subject’s environment, but try to walk into their shoes as much as possible. 

Once you’ve researched your character enough, it’s time to put together all the puzzle pieces you collected so far. 

Take the bulk of notes, media, and other documents you’ve collected, and start to give them some order and structure. A simple way to do this is by creating a timeline. 

Create a chronological timeline

It helps to organize your notes chronologically 一 from childhood to the senior years, line up the most significant events of your subject’s life, including dates, places, names and other relevant bits. 

You should be able to divide their life into distinct periods, each with their unique events and significance. Based on that, you can start drafting an outline of the narrative you want to create.  

Draft a story outline 

Since a biography entails writing about a person’s entire life, it will have a beginning, a middle, and an end. You can pick where you want to end the story, depending on how consequential the last years of your subject were. But the nature of the work will give you a starting character arc to work with. 

To outline the story then, you could turn to the popular Three-Act Structure , which divides the narrative in three main parts. In a nutshell, you’ll want to make sure to have the following:

• Act 1. Setup : Introduce the protagonist's background and the turning points that set them on a path to achieve a goal. 
• Act 2. Confrontation : Describe the challenges they encounter, both internal and external, and how they rise to them. Then..
• Act 3. Resolution : Reach a climactic point in their story in which they succeed (or fail), showing how they (and the world around them) have changed as a result. 

Only one question remains before you begin writing: what will be the main focus of your biography?

Think about why you’re so drawn to your subject to dedicate years of your life to recounting their own. What aspect of their life do you want to highlight? Is it their evil nature, artistic genius, or visionary mindset? And what evidence have you got to back that up? Find a central thesis or focus to weave as the main thread throughout your narrative. 

Or find a unique angle

If you don’t have a particular theme to explore, finding a distinct angle on your subject’s story can also help you distinguish your work from other biographies or existing works on the same subject.

Plenty of biographies have been published about The Beatles 一 many of which have different focuses and approaches: 

• Philip Norman's Shout is sometimes regarded as leaning more towards a pro-Lennon and anti-McCartney stance, offering insights into the band's inner dynamics. 
• Ian McDonald's Revolution in the Head closely examines their music track by track, shifting the focus back to McCartney as a primary creative force. 
• Craig Brown's One Two Three Four aims to capture their story through anecdotes, fan letters, diary entries, and interviews. 
• Mark Lewisohn's monumental three-volume biography, Tune In , stands as a testament to over a decade of meticulous research, chronicling every intricate detail of the Beatles' journey.

Finally, consider that biographies are often more than recounting the life of a person. Similar to how Dickens’ Great Expectations is not solely about a boy named Pip (but an examination and critique of Britain’s fickle, unforgiving class system), a biography should strive to illuminate a broader truth — be it social, political, or human — beyond the immediate subject of the book. 

Once you’ve identified your main focus or angle, it’s time to write a great story. 

While biographies are often highly informative, they do not have to be dry and purely expository in nature . You can play with storytelling elements to make it an engaging read. 

You could do that by thoroughly detailing the setting of the story , depicting the people involved in the story as fully-fledged characters , or using rising action and building to a climax when describing a particularly significant milestone of the subject’s life. 

One common way to make a biography interesting to read is starting on a strong foot…

Hook the reader from the start

Just because you're honoring your character's whole life doesn't mean you have to begin when they said their first word. Starting from the middle or end of their life can be more captivating as it introduces conflicts and stakes that shaped their journey.

When he wrote about Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild , author Jon Krakauer didn’t open his subject’s childhood and abusive family environment. Instead, the book begins with McCandless hitchhiking his way into the wilderness, and subsequently being discovered dead in an abandoned bus. By starting in medias res , Krakauer hooks the reader’s interest, before tracing back the causes and motivations that led McCandless to die alone in that bus in the first place.

You can bend the timeline to improve the reader’s reading experience throughout the rest of the story too…

Play with flashback 

While biographies tend to follow a chronological narrative, you can use flashbacks to tell brief stories or anecdotes when appropriate. For example, if you were telling the story of footballer Lionel Messi, before the climax of winning the World Cup with Argentina, you could recall when he was just 13 years old, giving an interview to a local newspaper, expressing his lifelong dream of playing for the national team. 

Used sparsely and intentionally, flashbacks can add more context to the story and keep the narrative interesting. Just like including dialogue does…

Reimagine conversations

Recreating conversations that your subject had with people around them is another effective way to color the story. Dialogue helps the reader imagine the story like a movie, providing a deeper sensory experience. 

One thing is trying to articulate the root of Steve Jobs’ obsession with product design, another would be to quote his father , teaching him how to build a fence when he was young: “You've got to make the back of the fence just as good looking as the front of the fence. Even though nobody will see it, you will know. And that will show that you're dedicated to making something perfect.”

Unlike memoirs and autobiographies, in which the author tells the story from their personal viewpoint and enjoys greater freedom to recall conversations, biographies require a commitment to facts. So, when recreating dialogue, try to quote directly from reliable sources like personal diaries, emails, and text messages. You could also use your interview scripts as an alternative to dialogue. As Tom Bromley suggests, “If you talk with a good amount of people, you can try to tell the story from their perspective, interweaving different segments and quoting the interviewees directly.”

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How to Write Believable Dialogue

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These are just some of the story elements you can use to make your biography more compelling. Once you’ve finished your manuscript, it’s a good idea to ask for feedback. 

If you’re going to self-publish your biography, you’ll have to polish it to professional standards. After leaving your work to rest for a while, look at it with fresh eyes and self-edit your manuscript eliminating passive voice, filler words, and redundant adverbs. 

Then, have a professional editor give you a general assessment. They’ll look at the structure and shape of your manuscript and tell you which parts need to be expanded on or cut. As someone who edited and commissioned several biographies, Tom Bromley points out that a professional “will look at the sources used and assess whether they back up the points made, or if more are needed. They would also look for context, and whether or not more background information is needed for the reader to understand the story fully. And they might check your facts, too.”  

In addition to structural editing, you may want to have someone copy-edit and proofread your work.

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Importantly, make sure to include a bibliography with a list of all the interviews, documents, and sources used in the writing process. You’ll have to compile it according to a manual of style, but you can easily create one by using tools like EasyBib . Once the text is nicely polished and typeset in your writing software , you can prepare for the publication process.  

In conclusion, by mixing storytelling elements with diligent research, you’ll be able to breathe life into a powerful biography that immerses readers in another individual’s life experience. Whether that’ll spark inspiration or controversy, remember you could have an important role in shaping their legacy 一 and that’s something not to take lightly. 

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8 Steps to Writing a Great Biography

Home » Blog » 8 Steps to Writing a Great Biography

8 STEPS TO WRITING A GREAT BIOGRAPHY

People are naturally curious beings. And they love to read about the lives of others, and what makes them tick. It is for that very reason that biographies remain a very popular genre of nonfiction.

But what is it that makes the difference between a mediocre biography and a truly good one?

What is a biography?

Before we dive too far into what makes a good biography, let’s first take a look at exactly what a biography is.

By definition, a biography is simply an account of someone’s life, written by someone else. Pretty easy, right?

Not so fast. Anyone can write a story about someone else’s life. But not just anyone can make it a story worth reading.

To start with the basics, any good biography should contain the following key elements:

• A third-person account of the person’s life
• Descriptions of the person’s life or significant events in their life
• Factual (and not fabricated) information
• Inclusion of historical information about the time period
• Personal information that describes who the person is at the core, and why they are who they are

How to write a good biography

Now that we’ve established what a biography is, let’s discuss the eight steps to writing a great biography.

Step 1: Ask permission.

While it is technically true that anyone can write a biography about anyone else, if the subject is still living, it is always best to seek permission.

For starters, unless your information comes entirely from factual sources in the public domain, such as newspaper articles or other reputable books, you could face defamation and privacy lawsuits if the subject of the book feels that their privacy has been violated.

Even without the threat of lawsuits, though, it always helps to have input from the book’s subject. After all, they are the best experts on themselves!

In the case of subjects who are deceased, you do not have to seek permission, as the right to sue for defamation or invasion of privacy stops at the grave.

Be conscientious about what you write, though, as some states extend the right of privacy to family members of the deceased.

Besides, just as it’s helpful to get input from the subject themself, it can also be helpful to ask family for their support and input.

Regardless of who you are writing the biography about, be sure to research the laws in your state and, when in doubt, consult a lawyer.

Step 2: Collect the basic facts.

Before you can get started with writing your biography, you must first collect basic information about your subject. This should include things such as:

• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Names of parents
• Names of siblings
• Cultural background
• Organizational or political involvement

Once you have all of the relevant basic information about your subject, you will know what areas you need to research further.

Step 3: Do research.

One of the most important steps to writing a good biography is to conduct quality research.

If possible, if the subject is still living, take the time to thoroughly interview your subject . Ask them questions about their childhood, significant events in their life, their career, and what they most value in life.

Once you have gotten a good feel for who your subject is and what makes them tick, solicit interviews from their relatives and friends.

While the first-person account is incredibly important, it’s also valuable to hear from people who know the subject and can speak about how the subject has influenced their lives.

Another great way to find information on your subject is to look into primary sources such as emails or letters they wrote, diary entries, and even social media accounts.

And if you’ve exhausted all of your primary sources, looking into secondary sources, such as newspaper articles written about them, can prove to be very helpful as well.

Step 4: Nail down your theme.

You’ve conducted your research and gathered all of the important information about your subject. The next big step is to nail down a theme for your biography.

The theme is the reoccurring idea or message that you want to get across to your readers.

For a biography, this could be anything from the important lessons that your subject learned throughout their time as the CEO of a company, or their transformation from rags to riches.

Nailing down the theme you wish to convey with your biography is a must, as it helps provide direction and a goal for your writing.

Step 5: Identify what makes the subject special or unique.

Everybody has something that makes them special and unique. And if you are going to the trouble to write a biography about a person, this is probably especially true.

What kind of impact did they have on the lives of others? What kind of impact did they have on their community?

Don’t be afraid to include your own personal thoughts about what made your subject noteworthy. After all, biographies are not meant to be just a list of facts.

Step 6: Identify major “chapters” of the subject’s life.

Now that you have established what makes your subject special or unique, it’s time to figure out the contributing circumstances that helped shape who they are.

Did they lose a parent at an early age? Did they fight in a major war?

It’s no secret that who we are is a direct result of what we have lived through. As German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche so eloquently put it, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”

So, find out where your subject’s strength came from. Research both personal events in their life and world events they lived though, and see how they were affected by those experiences.

Step 7: Make a chronological outline or timeline of the subject’s life.

Once you have determined exactly what you want to write about, it’s time to pinpoint what the true storylines for your biography are.

All of the facts about a person are part of their story. But not all facts are worth diving into and telling in depth.

Think about what kinds of things your readers will want to know.

What were the high points in your subject’s life? What were the low points?

What were the situations that presented a challenge that had to be overcome?

Keep in mind that even when the book you are writing is factual, your audience is still going to expect to be entertained. So, find those major moments that shaped your subject’s life, and then use them to form an outline for your biography.

Once you have done that, the outline can be used as the map that guides your writing.

Step 8: Start writing.

Now comes the fun part!

Actually, when it comes to biographies, the whole process can be a lot of fun. But putting all of your research and interviews together to write the story is especially rewarding.

As you start writing, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Keep your audience engaged. Paint a picture of who this person is (or was) and what makes them tick.
• Try to include the “why” as much as possible. Facts are good, but facts can be boring. People want to know what motivated someone’s actions.
• Provide background context. If the person you are writing about grew up in East Berlin during the Cold War, explain the political (and geographical) ramifications of that.
• Be selective with what you include. Chances are, you have enough material to write several books about this person. But there is such a thing as too much. Think about the information you are including, and whether or not the reader will really find value in it. While it’s definitely impressive if you know what your subject had for breakfast on their 14 th birthday, unless it’s a critical part of the storyline, that’s probably best left on the cutting block.

Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you get to the point where the writing feels like too much to handle on your own, consider hiring a ghostwriter . A professional ghostwriter can help you get past those hurdles and take your biography to the finish line.

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7 Different Ways to Write a Great Biography

Ever considered writing a biography? Individual decisions and circumstances shape life stories, but so do biographers. By adapting set patterns, writers determine public opinion of their subject’s lives. Draw inspiration for a future project from this roundup of common approaches.

Journalists and media outlets love biographies, particularly when relatives or academics dispute the most controversial claims.

Some of the favorite topics are instantly familiar: Napoleon’s downfall, Churchill’s leadership, Diana’s letters and her lovers, Sylvia Plath’s relationship with Ted Hughes, the genius of Steve Jobs, and Alan Turing’s sexuality. Each worthy of separate, in-depth discussion. Each a delicate balance between sensationalism and historical interest.

Of course, the trademark combination of gossip and mythmaking has given biography a bad reputation. For some, it seems too much like rummaging through the paper bin, looking for someone’s bank statements or the shreds of a discarded missive.

Or else it seems like a dubious exercise in trying to draw life lessons from someone else’s fame and success, which might have been coincidental or undeserved.

Laying the Groundwork

Researching a biography involves a lot of borrowing and persuading. Anecdotes, interviews, letters and public records are the standard ingredients of every book biography, film biopic, or feature ‘based on a true story’. Getting hold of information may be difficult.

Relatives of the deceased may block access to the diary, friends of the family may demand cash for answering your questions, and obtaining permission to reproduce images will give you grey hairs. You may be overwhelmed by the quantity of books to plough through, or frustrated by the lack of data at your disposal.

“Composing the life requires speculation and interpretation. At times, you’ll marvel at what your subject achieved. Sometimes you’ll be disappointed by their actions, maybe even shocked.”

Composing the life requires speculation and interpretation. At times, you’ll marvel at what your subject achieved. Sometimes you’ll be disappointed by their actions, maybe even shocked. If you’re writing about a dictator or a criminal, you may struggle to strike a balance between humanizing and demonizing them.

If you’re lucky, you’ll stumble across something no-one else has found before and hope it makes waves. If you’re underhand, you’ll make an unverifiable claim and wait for the public outrage.

But let’s assume that you’ve been principled. You’ve found a worthy subject, done the laborious work of searching through the archives and ringing through the phone book, read the relevant literature and thought about the ethical dilemmas. Now it’s time to write, but where should you begin? How do you bring order to the chaos of a life?

1. Cradle to Grave

If in doubt, the ‘cradle to grave’ approach is your fallback option. Put your notes in order, get the chronology sorted, and start work. One by one, tick off the following from your list: birth, family background, childhood influences, schooling and education, early career, professional successes and setbacks, twilight years, death. Choose a first sentence a bit like this:

“Napoleon Buonaparte was born at Ajaccio in the island of Corsica, on the fifteenth day of August, 1769. He was the son of Charles Buonaparte, an advocate in the royal court of assize, and of Letitia Ramolini, a Corsican lady of great beauty, and of a good family, descended from that of Colalto at Naples.” William Hazlitt, The Life of Napoleon Buonaparte , 1828

As the conventional approach in Western book biographies for hundreds of years, this may sound like the easy option. Yet a chronological biography has its pitfalls. Expect gaps in the story, mysteries you’ll never solve, and conflicting accounts.

Establishing causality is another dilemma and not only because it’s tricky to prove links between particular experiences and later events. Strands of the story developing in parallel, encounters that only obtain significance many years later, and the after-effects of major turning points all pose a challenge to the apparent simplicity of this approach – also see our biographical piece on Emmeline Pankhurst for an example of the pitfalls and opportunities of a ‘cradle to grave’ story.

2. The Deathbed Departure

Like Agatha Christie, many biographers hold off checking the birth certificate by beginning at the end. Opening with a deathbed scene or the public announcement of the death is a ubiquitous variation on the ‘cradle-to-grave’ structure.

Think of the exaggerated public mourning in a Buenos Aires cinema at the beginning of the film adaptation of Evita , followed immediately by sepia-coloured evocations of Eva’s provincial childhood.

By contrasting a dramatic demise with humble beginnings, you can immediately establish both suspense and a narrative arc.

3. Trace Your Steps

If your research process deserves a book of its own, or if your subject was hard to track down, you may want to put the biographical mechanics on display. Documenting the process of biographical research also allows you to write someone else’s story in the first-person. By revealing your techniques and the problems you faced, you can mitigate for the inevitable causal leaps or puzzling gaps.

Literary historians like to cite A. J. A. Symons’s The Quest for Corvo (1934), but it’s a technique found in other genres, such as documentary theatre. For example, Ivna Žic’s play Blei (2017) sees a young woman enlist her friends to reconstruct her grandfather’s experience of the disputed Bleiburg repatriations of 1945, including video interviews, excerpts from books, and taped phone calls.

4. Make It Up

Plenty of would-be historical biographies contain made-up stories impossible to verify, such as the wholly speculative story of Shakespeare’s encounter with Elizabeth I at Kenilworth, enthusiastically mythologized by nineteenth-century biographers.

“A short time previous to this, when our poet was in his twelfth year, and in the summer of 1575, an event occurred which must have made a great impression on his mind; the visit of Queen Elizabeth to the magnificent Earl of Leicester, at Kenilworth Castle.” Nathan Drake, Shakespeare and His Times , 1838

Given biography’s tendency to improvise with anecdotes and dodgy causal connections, critics say it’s a kind of fiction masquerading as history.

You can make a virtue of a necessity by augmenting the historical sources, as in Edmund Morris’s Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan (1999). Or else turn the practice of biography on its head by writing it as historical fiction, as in Hilary Mantel’s bestselling Wolf Hall (2009). Familiar representatives of the genre include the films Amadeus (1984) and Shakespeare in Love (1998), both inspired by long-standing myths associated with the lives of Mozart and Shakespeare.

If you aim to popularize a life or just to convey the atmosphere of the times, then so-called ‘biofiction’ allows you to indulge your imagination and free the life story from the strictures of the historical record.

5. Change the Received Wisdom

Myths and legends proliferating? Promise a glimpse behind the scenes and unmask your subject with a revisionist biography. Celebrities’ public personas – historical or contemporary – can easily deceive. By deconstructing appearances and identifying discourses, you can add academic sobriety to fiercely contested terrain, as in Sarah Churchwell’s The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe (2004).

You can also throw caution to the winds with a thorough debunking. This is the kind of biography that likes to offend. You can do damage to the subject’s reputation (and possibly your own) by focusing on character flaws or allegations of a moral nature. You’ll need persuasive evidence and a biographee long since deceased – that or a good lawyer.

“No man knew better than Johnson in how many nameless and numberless actions behaviour consists: actions which can scarcely be reduced to rule, and which come under no description. Of these he retained so many very strange ones, that I suppose no one who saw his odd manner of gesticulating, much blamed or wondered at the good lady’s solicitude.” Hester Lynch Piozzi [Hester Thrale], Anecdotes of the Late Samuel Johnson , 1786

6. The Life of the Mind

Select a scientist or a philosopher for your project and chances are you’ll be writing an ‘intellectual biography’.

Following the development of ideas across a life, biographies of great minds can play an important role in public understandings of science. You’ll also be looking at how institutions or cultural and historical contexts influenced your subject, how networks champion or resist particular ideas, and how even the best ones are greeted with scepticism.

Challenges include making the material comprehensible for a non-specialist and turning the genesis of complex thoughts into a compelling narrative. Feel free to do something inventive – Darwin’s great-great-granddaughter Ruth Padel wrote a biography of her forebear in poems.

“In the brown-black gloam of closing-time he meets his future colleague, a published entomologist. ‘I had no idea! So many thousand different beetles within ten miles of home!” Ruth Padel, Darwin: A Life in Poems , 2009

7. A Single Chapter

Very often, society values a given life for a single episode within it. In ‘History as a Poetess’ (1943), Stefan Zweig calls these history’s ‘heroic, poetic moments’.

Reducing a life course to a representative year or two may depart from the genre’s established conventions. But as James Shapiro has demonstrated in two books on Shakespeare, it gives you the chance to focus on what was most important in a life – or at least to make that case.

Collective biographies can do the same for groups. As in Lara Feigel’s The Love Charm of Bombs: Restless Lives in the Second World War (2013), seeing how people’s lives interweave and diverge enables a more personal and unexpected take on familiar historical events.

[Title Image by  Ehud Neuhaus  via  Unsplash]

Edward Saunders

Edward Saunders was Deputy Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for the History and Theory of Biography, Vienna until August 2017. His research interests are in biography and life writing, as well as urban history and cultural memory. Learn more about him on his website.

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How to Write a Biography (Examples & Templates)

A biography is a written account of a person’s life that details their life in chronological order. Another person usually writes this detailed account, and it contains reports of their childhood, career, major life events, relationships, and social impact. It also details their relationships with their family, children, and life accomplishments.

The best way to find out more about a popular figure is through reading their biographies, so you need to make sure you get the correct information. Before writing a biography, you need to do a lot of research and interviews to represent a person’s life accurately.

Types of Biography

A biography is the story of someone’s life as written by another writer. Most biographies of popular figures are written years, or even decades, after their deaths. Authors write biographies of popular figures due to either a lack of information on the subject or personal interest.

A biography aims to share a person’s story or highlight a part of their life.

There are different types of biographies, depending on the story. Some biographies are written true to the story, while some are written as fictional works. Biographies can give you true understanding of a person on an internal as well as external level along with a lot of life lessons.

Autobiography

An autobiography is different from a biography because it is written by the subject of the story, themselves. The author writes in the first-person narrative, and it flows step-by-step like a story of their life. Autobiographies contain personal accounts of the subject’s life, along with their perspectives and opinions on events in their life.

How To Write a Biography

Pick a subject.

Picking a subject is the first step in writing a biography. You can pick an already famous person or a relatively unknown person with a great life story. If you already have a few in mind, you can start by asking yourself some questions such as;

• What has the subject accomplished that makes them a good subject?
• Have they had an impact on society?
• Is the subject a celebrity or a well-known personality?
• Will the biography appeal to a wide audience?

Get Permission

When you pick a subject, the next thing to do is to get permission from them or their family or rights owners. Although, with some historical figures, there may not be any need for permission. Getting permission from your subject makes it easier for you to get stories to put into your book. You can get the chance to obtain additional personal stories and anecdotes that will make your book more interesting by doing so as well.

Do The Research

Research is the most important part of a biography’s process as the entire content of the book is dependent on it. Irrespective of what you know about the subject, you need to carry out as much research as possible to get the story’s facts precisely.

Biography research comes from various sources, depending on the book’s subject. Firsthand reports from family, friends, or personal accounts from the subjects are primary sources. They are usually the most accurate and reliable, and they are crucial for a biography. Secondary sources come from other sources like magazines or documentaries.

Pick a Format

Biographies come in various formats, with each of them having their pros and cons. A typical biography will start at the beginning, usually with the birth and childhood of the subject. Yet, if the biography’s theme involves a different event in their life, the author may want to explore the flashback option or one with concurrent events from different times.

Usually, biographies have a theme or a general life lesson at the center. The author’s role is to tell the subject’s story leading up to the major event.

Which-ever format you choose should place the theme at the center, with the other events detailing the journey.

Create a Timeline Of The Story

Since a biography takes place in chronological order, there needs to be a timeline of the events in the right order. The timeline should contain the key events in the subject’s life, in the order the author plans on revealing them. A great way to declutter the story and keep it interesting is to use flashbacks . This way, the author can introduce past events and explain later events excluding the element of monotony.

Add In Your Thoughts

The good thing about biographies is that you don’t have to stick to the hard facts only. As the author, you can share your opinions and emotions in writing. The author has the freedom to do this by commenting on a significant action by the subject in a manner that describes why they feel the subject may have done what they did.

The author can also include commentary on events depicted in the biography – how it was influenced society or its impact on the lives around them. Recounting these events through a different perspective can make the biography more relatable and interesting to read.

FAQ’s

Why is a biography template important.

A biography template has an outline that makes the writing easier for the author. Biography templates usually contain a sample timeline, format, and questions that provide more information about the subject. With a great biography template, you can cut your writing time in half and spend less time coming up with an outline.

How are biographies better in comparison to autobiographies

Since a different person writes biographies, they tend to be more objective and somewhat accurate than autobiographies. An autobiography tells things from the author’s perspective, so their views and perspective cloud it. Thus, a biography will likely tell a more factual story.

These are the important steps you need to take to help you write a great biography. Now, to make things easier for you, we have a free customizable autobiography and biography template that you can use to start your first book. Get the template and start writing today

What are some of the most important elements to keep in consideration while writing a biography?

Any author looking to write a biography must consider the factors below. They aren’t the only important factors, but a biography isn’t complete without them. • Date and place of their birth • Academic background • Professional expertise • Death, if deceased • Facts and anecdotes about the person • Main accomplishments • Detailed accounts of their child and adult life

Biographies tell the untold stories of some incredibly relevant people in the world. But biographies are not always strictly accurate. So, every biographer needs to follow the necessary steps to provide a biography with all the requirements.

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How to Write a Biography: 10 Step Guide + Book Template

POSTED ON Nov 14, 2023

Written by Nicole Ahlering

So you’d like to know how to write a biography. We can help with that! In this guide, we show you how to get from the initial book idea to publishing your book , and we throw in a free template to help you on your way. 

Let’s jump right in. 

This guide teaches you how to write a biography in the following steps:

Get Our 6″ x 9″ Pre-Formatted Book Template for Word or Mac

We will send you a Book Template for US Trade (standard paperback size).

Step 1: Read other biographies 

Austin Kleon, Author of Steal Like an Artist , says “the writer tries to master words. All of these pursuits involve the study of those who have come before and the effort to build upon their work in some way.”

In other words, to be a great writer, you need to read the best biographies written by other excellent authors!

In this case, it would behoove you to read several biographies – whether historical or celebrity biographies is up to you and your sub-genre. 

A good author to start with? Walter Isaacson . He’s written highly acclaimed biographies on everyone from Abraham Lincoln and Steve Jobs to Leonardo Da Vinci and Elon Musk. 

Step 2: Identify your subject

Next, it’s time to choose who you’d like to write about – if you don’t already have someone in mind.  

The most important factor will be, of course, your interest in the person you’re planning to write about. You’ll spend months (or even years) deep-diving into this person’s history, so you want to choose someone who you’re unlikely to tire of. 

Here are a few other factors to consider: 

• How impactful has your potential subject’s life been? In other words, will people care to learn more about this person? 
• How readily available is information about your potential subject? Biographies require extensive research, so it’s critical to choose someone who has enough information out there to dig into! Consider whether your subject has done interviews, written journals, has family or a partner willing to speak with you, and more. 
• Are there already books written about your potential subject? Just because there’s an existing biography about the person you’re interested in doesn’t (necessarily) mean you can’t write another one. But if there are two or three biographies, you may want to reconsider. If you do choose to write about someone who has already been well-documented, be mindful about approaching the topic with a new angle or perspective. For instance, there are several biographies about George Washington, but author Alexis Coe wrote one about how Washington isn’t “quite the man we remember.” This brilliant iteration has over 12,000 ratings on Goodreads .
• Is there a market demand for a book about your potential subject? If you’d like to publish your book, you need to be mindful of whether folks will want to read it. Do some research to determine if readers will be receptive to a book about the person you’re interested in. 

Related: Is a Biography a Primary Source?

Step 3: Get permission to write about your subject

We’ll start by stating the obvious. It’s a good idea to get permission to write about your subject, even if you’re not legally required to. For one thing, it’s just good manners. Plus, you’re much more likely to get unfettered access to the information and sources you need to write your book. 

But do you have to get permission? It depends.

In some cases, if your subject is considered a “public figure,” permission may not be required. The definition of a public figure varies depending on your jurisdiction, so you should always consult a lawyer before writing a biography. 

If you do decide to proceed without permission, be mindful of how your book will be received and any legal issues that may arise. 

Related : Difference Between A Memoir and Biography

Step 4: Create an outline

It’s critical to outline your biography before you begin writing it. Among other things, it helps ensure you cover every topic you’d like to and get the book in the correct chronological order. It also helps you identify themes that emerge as you organize your ideas. 

Need help creating your outline? Learn how to do it (and take advantage of free templates!) in our guide to outlining a book . 

Step 5: Select a working title (using a title generator) 

Now is the fun part! It’s time to create a working title for your book. A working title is just what it sounds like: it’s a title that works – for now. 

Of course, it’s helpful to have something to call the book as you’re working on it. And it encourages you to think about the message you’d like your book to convey. When your biography is complete, you can always do a little more research on how to write book titles for your specific sub-genre and update your working title accordingly.

Or, you can decide you still love your initial title and publish your book with that one! 

We’ve made it easy for you to develop a working title – or multiple – using our book title generator . 

Don't like it?

Step 6: Write a rough draft 

Okay, now it’s time to start writing your rough draft. Don’t be intimidated; just focus on getting something down on the page. As experts on all things writing and self-publishing, we’ve got a rough draft writing guide to help you get through this phase of writing a biography.

Remember to be as balanced and objective as possible.

Make good use of your primary and secondary sources, and double-check all of your facts. You’ve got this!  

Step 7: Self-edit

There are several different types of editing that we recommend each manuscript undergo. But before you give your rough draft to anyone else to review, you should edit it yourself. 

The first step to self-editing?

Take a break! It’s essential to give your mind some time to recuperate before you go over your work. And never self-edit as you go!

After you’ve completed your break, here are a few things to consider as you edit: 

• Grammar. This one is self-explanatory and usually the easiest. You can use an AI editor to make a first pass and quickly catch obvious spelling errors. Depending on prompts and your experience with the tool, you can also use AI to catch some grammar and syntax issues as well.
• Content and structure . This is the time to make sure the bones of your piece are good. Make sure your content flows logically (and in chronological order), no important pieces of information are missing, and there isn’t redundant or unhelpful information. 
• Clarity and consistency. Keep an eye out for any confusing copy and ensure your tone is uniform throughout the book.
• Try reading your draft aloud. You’d be surprised at how many errors, shifts in tone, or other things you’d like to change that you don’t notice while reading in your head. Go ahead and do a read-through of your draft out loud. 

Step 8: Work with an editor

Once you’ve created the best draft you can, it’s time to hire an editor. As we mentioned, there are multiple types of book editing, so you’ll need to choose the one(s) that are best for you and your project. 

For instance, you can work with a developmental editor who helps with big-picture stuff. Think book structure, organization, and overall storytelling. Or you might work with a line editor who focuses on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and the like. 

There are also specialized copy editors, content editors, fact-checkers, and more.

It’s in your best interest to do a substantial amount of research before choosing an editor since they’ll have a large impact on your book. Many editors are open to doing a paid trial so you can see their work before you sign them on for the entire book. 

Step 9: Hire a book cover designer + get an ISBN 

Once you’ve worked with your editor(s) to finalize your book, it’s time to get your book ready to go out into the world. Your first step is to hire a book cover designer to create a cover that grabs readers’ attention (pssst: did you know that all SelfPublishing authors get done-for-you professional book design? Ask us about it !).

Then, you’ll need to get an ISBN number for your book – or an International Standard Book Number. It’s a unique way to identify your book and is critical for ordering, inventory tracking, and more. 

Bear in mind that each rendition of your book – regardless of when you publish them – will need their own ISBN numbers. So if you initially publish as a softcover and hardcover book and then decide to publish an ebook with the same exact content, you'll need 3 total ISBN numbers.

To get an ISBN, head to ISBN.org and follow the steps they provide.  Or reference our guide right here for step-by-step instructions (complete with photos) on how to get an ISBN number for self-published books.

Step 10: Create a launch plan 

Now is the most exciting part. It’s time to get your book out into the world! You’ll need to map out your plan, schedule events , finalize your pricing strategy, and more. 

We have an entire guide to launching a book to help you figure it out. 

Get your free book template!

Learning how to write a biography can be challenging, but when you have a clear plan and guidance, the process is much easier. We've helped thousands of aspiring authors just like you write and self-publish their own books. We know what works – and how to become a successfully published author faster.

Take the first step today and down the book template below!

And, if you need additional help writing your biography, remember that we’re standing by to help. Just schedule a book consultation and one of our team members will help answer any of your questions about the writing process.

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How to Write a Biography Essay and Get an A+

03 July, 2020

7 minutes read

Author:  Elizabeth Brown

Got a chance to write about your idol but need help with realization? Read our article to know the secrets of effective biography essay writing. Whoever you decide to write a biography essay about, don’t try to include random information at once. The person you describe would not like it. Instead, read our article about how to write a biography essay correctly and, more importantly, take pleasure in composing it. We’ll share some smart tips and tricks that you’ll find particularly useful for your writing.

What is a biographical essay?

Some tend to mistakenly attribute biographical essay to the process of writing about themselves. But actually, biography definition has nothing to do with you. It’s more about telling the engaging story about a person’s life. This individual can be anyone: a famous historical figure, a well-known actor, politician, dancer, musician, artist, writer, inventor – you get the point. Such task sounds intriguing and interesting, and indeed it is. A biographical essay is a great chance to dilute simple academic tasks with a pinch of new article full of interesting facts and opinions.

Biography essay outline

Before writing a biography essay, it’s important to pay attention to essay structure and build up a biography outline. An outline is generally a schematic plan that helps to organize biography essays in accordance with the writer’s preference. In this, the primary task is to create a list of the most significant facts you’ll want to develop in the essay. The easiest way of arranging an outline is to add a numbered list indicating the main points, and a list of sub-points marked with bullets. Also, don’t forget to include a biography thesis statement that’ll sum up the main idea of your essay in one sentence.

How to start a biography essay?

Before writing, you first need to understand what to include in a biography essay. An eloquent biography essay always starts with the introduction of a chosen person. The initial step of writing it involves the inclusion of such information as the person’s name, date of their birth, and the place they were born in. Of course, it’s not a uniform set of data necessary for this part. You can take the situation in your hands and write about some cultural or historical background surrounding one’s birthplace or the day they were born. Adding such information to the introductory part will help to create some context by connecting you and readers closer to the described character and broadening the common knowledge with more absorbing facts.

How to write a biography essay about someone else?

When people ask how to write a biography paper, the only thing they think of is a random flow of ideas about someone’s life. In fact, writing a biography paper is more complicated. The section following the introduction is devoted to life description. Here, you’ll need to feature early life and childhood of a chosen person. This part should cover general information about their parents, and divert readers’ attention to some facts related to their origin, education, and relationship status. Next, focus more on education and place where the person grew up. In this section, include more detailed information about the critical moments of their childhood life, like the name of the school they studied in or the point of moving to another city or town. Perhaps there are more facts worthy of note, such as family problems or health issues that revolved around one’s childhood. If there are such, include them as well.

The second section of your biographical essay will tell readers about someone’s adulthood. Depending on the person, this piece of story can be outlined differently. For example, you can write about their university or college life, or indicate their first job. The point here is to chronologically depict a period of moving from childhood to adult life. Then, talk about the formation of a person’s career path, starting with the first working experience and ending with the remarkable moment of revealing talents and skills that shaped their life. In the next paragraph, mention the person’s relationship during their adulthood. If applicable, describe how someone special helped them to become successful or motivated them throughout their career. Another significant aspect in this section has to do with the person’s success, in which readers could know about their notable accomplishments and achievements.

The final section of a biography essay will touch the person’s current or later life. If they are alive, include the overlook of their place of living and write about their activities. You can also add such information as to their current projects or career plans, along with other meaningful facts about their life.

If the person you’re writing about is no longer living, emphasize on the brightest moments at the sunset of their life. Mention the definitive moments and aspects, and write about the cause of their deaths.

Other tips on writing a biography

If you want your biography essay to leave a great impact on readers, don’t conclude it with a simple explanation of why this or that person died and what their latest works were. This is only factual information which brings no specific value to your essay and, more importantly, doesn’t breathe life into it. To wrap up your essay content with a memorable grabber, include a couple of sentences in which write about the person’s legacy. That is, add the opinion of why this individual’s activity became an exceptional contribution to the world’s history, and why they have changed some aspects of their field.

Biography essay writing is a responsible task that aims at showing a well-acclaimed person from the best light. Therefore, you need to write about one’s life as you would about your mother – with maximum details and showing respect for that person. So follow our advice to compose an A+ biography essay that you and your audience will enjoy reading.

Note that our company provides academic writing help. You can buy a Biography essay written from scratch by our  essay writer .

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• Writing Workshop

Writing a biography - 5 tips for a life story

• At 11 May 2021

What is important in a biography?

The cover is a central element of your book and tells the reader a lot about the content. Therefore, it is also a design feature for a biography, with which you can attract readers to your story. When researching your biography, you should also be very thorough and look for sources that could be exciting for your story.

Beyond design and content, you should definitely consider some legal aspects, which we have compiled here. In the foreground is the protection of the personal rights of third parties. You will also learn whether you can publish a biography in a Publishing house or self-publishing should publish. Let me say right up front: There is no one "right" way. Your choice depends on your needs and goals.

What is a biography?

In general language use, biography and autobiography are often used synonymously. But in fact they are similar but not identical genres. In a biography the author writes about the life of another person. This person can be (world) famous or come from the private environment of the author.

The protagonist of an autobiography, on the other hand, is the author himself, because he writes about his own life. Many (more or less) well-known personalities have already written an autobiography. A current example is the biography of Michelle Obama. Some of these personalities have an (exciting) story to tell, but they lack the talent to write. Here help Ghostwriter or co-authors.

There is a growing number of less or not at all prominent people who write their life stories. The intention here is less the attention of a broad mass. Some autobiographers want to process events from the past by writing their book. Others try to encourage a certain target group to set an example or simply write down their personal life story for future generations.

Besides the basic distinction between biography and autobiography, the genre can be divided into four categories:

• (Auto)biography: The chronological account of events in the life of a person. The time span reaches from birth to the time of the book. In a biography, the person concerned is often no longer alive. The focus of the work is on personal development.
• (Auto)biographical novel: It contains the same elements as (auto)biography, but mixes real events with fictional ones. This serves to develop a tension that makes the life story particularly worth reading. Within the book the reader can hardly distinguish fiction and reality. However, it is important to point out in the preface that not all elements of the story are real.
• Life memories: These can also be written about the author himself or another person. However, not the whole life is dealt with, but only important stages of life.
• Memoirs: In this form of (auto)biography, the person is put back somewhat and placed in a social, political or historical context. In the memoirs of a politician, for example, personal life tends to take a back seat. The focus is on the political career.

How do I write a biography?

These four steps are important for a biography:

• Think about who should read your biography
• Work out a good structure for these readers
• Define the appropriate writing style: factual or narrative
• Identify the extraordinary moments of the biographed person

Whether you're writing about your own life or someone else's, the first thing you should do is create a structure and think about what is most important for the book. Particularly for an autobiography, this consideration includes who the target audience of the work should be. Do you want to record your life or certain events from it for friends, family and future generations? In this case, your focus of interest is probably not on the sales success of the autobiography. 

Nevertheless, a certain Arc of suspense When you publish a book, you are automatically competing with many other book titles. Always make sure that there is a common thread running through the story. Because no matter whether your private environment reads your book or a reader unknown to you: The claim should be that your book presents the respective topic and the portrayed person in an interesting and vivid way.

If your goal is to become a successful author, your book should cover the interest of a wide audience. So ask yourself what from your life is interesting and extraordinary for your readers. Maybe a special love story? A rare career path? A stroke of fate? An illness overcome? Remember to highlight the thematic aspects that make your life story stand out wherever the reader is drawn to your book: In the Subtitle of the book, in the short description, in the Blurb etc.

How is a biography structured?

First you need a rough structure for your narrative. A very simple timeline on which you record important life events can help here. You can also print this later in the book for better orientation for the reader. You can also use the timeline to plan time jumps and flashbacks without the book losing its logical context. This overview also helps you to filter out key stages of your life. Because you should not include too many events, both you as author and the reader will lose the overview. For this reason, you should also determine from the beginning how much and, in relation to individual topic blocks, how detailed you write.

What makes an exciting biography?

Every author knows Writer's Block . In the case of a narrative about one's own life, there is the additional complication that one often wonders whether certain events are actually interesting for a (broad) audience. In the introduction we have already put forward the thesis that there are extraordinary aspects in every life, you just have to find them and process them in an interesting way.

In order to help you find your way through this process, we have put together some questions that will help you keep the thread running and filter out exciting events. What belongs in a biography? With the answers to these questions, you will work out what makes a biography exciting:

• What makes the person?
• Who or what shapes her life and work?
• Which events from childhood are important for later development?
• Who are/were the most important companions? (relationships, friendships, colleagues, family, role models)?
• What crises and successes has the person experienced?
• What were the turning points in life?
• What influence do political or social events have (religion or culture can also play a role here)?

Thorough research is important

In order to answer these questions, you will have to do extensive research, although this is limited in the case of an autobiography. However, if you want to link your own history with that of your family, then it is worth going to the registry office or city archives. In addition, every life is connected to historical events, so check these again carefully in any case.

Otherwise, research for an autobiography is limited to your home or that of your family. Look through photo albums, old letters, diaries or other records. This helps to refresh memories and gives you clues for the narrative. In addition, photos or other illustrations will liven up your finished book and give the characters a face for readers.

arouse emotions

The research for a biography is much more complex. Be sure to contact the person you are biographing. In the best case, you should have one or more personal conversations. Prepare yourself well for these and draw up a list of questions. During the interview, take notes or, if the person allows it, record the interview. Be an active listener and also let emotions such as enthusiasm, sadness or passion flow into the book. If a biography results from a direct conversation, the book will always have a very personal and lively touch and will make the person tangible.

However, if your main person is no longer alive or a conversation is not possible for other reasons, then contact descendants, friends or companions. Additionally, use all sources you can find. These include personal records, photo albums, diaries, videos, films, books, newspaper articles or documents from archives. Also view existing biographies. There is nothing wrong with getting inspiration. However, if you have a famous person about whom a lot has been written, you should look for a niche. In other words, an aspect of life about which not much is known yet.

If the person has a certain level of familiarity, the Internet also offers various databases. For example the Estate and Autograph Collection of the Hamburg State Library .

Set great store by accuracy and thoroughness in the research. However, you should not get too lost in details. The more information you find, the more difficult it can be to filter out exciting aspects for your book.

Use an appealing writing style

In a mystery novel, it's much easier to build up an arc of suspense. But (fortunately) murder and manslaughter do not occur in every life. Nevertheless, a biography must not be boring. It must have the suspense of a novel and the informational value of a Nonfiction show. To achieve this goal, you should develop a unique writing style. This can be humorous and cheerful or factual and informative. While you should stay true to your style, you should adapt it to the person and the events at hand. A consistent approach to perspective and tense is also recommended. In most cases, you will probably choose a first-person narrator and past tense for an autobiography.

entrée medias res

Furthermore, although you can orientate yourself on the chronological sequence of events, you do not have to start with the earliest time. Start your biography with an unusual and concise detail or period of your life. In this way, you will captivate your readers and build up a tension. Also, you should not string year after year and label the chapters with numbers only. This looks very dry and probably reminds your readers more of history lessons. Other elements to bring the person to life are photos, a timeline, important documents, a chronology of events, a family tree or a glossary. A preface and dedication will give your book a personal touch.

What legal aspects must be taken into account in a biography?

Detailed information on this can be found in the Federal Agency for Civic Education . By the way, the personal rights in Switzerland and Austria differ slightly from the German ones. For this reason, we recommend obtaining a declaration of consent from all persons present. This should not only be done for named persons. Especially with very famous people, it is often easy to guess the name from a description, which is equivalent to being mentioned by name. The same applies, by the way, to the publication of photos, pictures or other documents. Accuracy is the top priority here, because in the past there have been numerous disputes in this context, which often ended up in court. It is therefore essential to contact relatives if a person is no longer alive, because in this case the personal rights are transferred to third parties.

An autobiography is not the right medium to use for a personal act of revenge or as a reckoning with a particular person. This is not only extremely questionable from a human and legal point of view, but also contradicts the work of a professional author.

The requirements of a biography for layout and book cover

When you're writing a book, it's not just the actual content that matters. Every genre has different requirements for Layout and book covers. And these, in turn, have a very significant effect on the sales of your book. Why is that?

In terms of content, your book focuses on the biographed person, whereby different aspects can be highlighted. These can be, for example, personal development or the importance of the person in a historical context. The reader should recognize this directly on the cover of the book. This way, he or she already has a rough idea of what to expect when first looking at the book. His interest is aroused and he risks a second look at the book.

On the biographical novel "Henry VIII" by author Margaret George, for example, the monarch is depicted in the royal robe that was customary at the time. Otherwise, the cover is kept dark. So the reader expects a historical story from the Middle Ages and this is what he gets.

The following applies to the blurb: Do not string events together in excerpts, but summarize what the person is about. You can also briefly outline why you decided to write this (auto)biography. Please do not get lost in details, but write short and precise sentences.

Publish a biography in self-publishing or publishing house?

You've already received an answer to the question, "How do I write a biography?" Now the question remains: Where and how can you publish your biography. You can't think about that too early. Self-publishing or classic publishing house? Both options have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of a Publisher lies in the fact that the design and marketing of your book is done there. However, experience shows that only the works of well-known authors are promoted to any significant degree, so you have to do it yourself. Also, at major publishing houses, only a fraction of the submitted Manuscripts read at all. And even if you are accepted into a publisher's program, it can take up to a year or more for your book to be published.

If a renowned publishing brand is important to you, you should definitely make sure that the publishing house of your choice also fits the topic and profile of your (autobiography). You can read in detail at tredition what you need to bear in mind when submitting a manuscript.

A real alternative is therefore the Self-Publishing dar. Here you don't have to apply, but can publish your book immediately. Of course, depending on the service provider, you will receive less support in terms of layout, typesetting, illustration and marketing than in a traditional publishing house.

However, some service providers offer services to help you with this and not leave you on your own. We have written a detailed overview about this: "The best self-publishing platform: what to look for when comparing self-publishing providers" . If you want to self-publish, you can also take a look at tredition's tools. For example, our Cover Designer for the layout and the typesetting you create quickly and easily with the automatic book setting .

A biography is a special discipline within book writing. The art is to present the life of a person in an experienceable, exciting and authentic way. Nevertheless, you have to do justice to the person with your book. In order to master this challenge, you should put special emphasis on research and give the biography a suitable structure. In this way you write a book worth reading about an extraordinary person. But please never forget to pay attention to the personal rights of the people in the book.

If you've got the taste and would like to start writing and publishing your biography right away, get started with tredition: it's 100% free of charge!

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How To Write Someone Else’s Biography

June 20, 2022 (Updated: January 18, 2024)

It’s the dreaded question most people get asked at some point in their lives: “write your bio,” or “tell us about yourself.” It’s a difficult question. You don’t want to over- or under-share and come off looking silly. But when someone asks you to write your own bio, you at least have the benefit of knowing the subject inside and out. Here’s an even trickier proposal that agencies, marketers, and content creators encounter: “write a biography about someone else.”

How are you supposed to tackle that assignment? Whether your team’s writing a byline for a guest blogger or creating a write-up about the company’s founder, this guide covers how to write someone else’s biography.

Jump ahead:

What Is a Biography?

Why would companies use biographies in marketing, how to write a biography about someone else, bios and content marketing: is it all about the writers.

A biography is an account of someone’s life, career, or accomplishments written by another person. This is different from an autobiography, where the subject is also the author. Biographies can be short, with just one line explaining someone’s job role like journalist Katie Van Syckle’s  New York Times  bio.

Image via The New York Times

They may also be longer and include information about past employment, awards, relationships, geographic location, and hobbies, like sportswriter Josh Yohe’s bio at  The Athletic .

Image via The Athletic

These are the kinds of biographies agencies and marketing teams use most. They’re likely one to two paragraphs long. Companies use them to tell the audience more about their writers and team members. Other uses for biographies in marketing besides introducing writers include:

• Presenter bios for conferences, webinars, podcasts, or other events.
• Team or staff bios for websites.
• Blurbs about influencers or other partnerships tied to your company.
• “About Us” write-ups for individuals or organizations associated with your brand.

Another type of biography, one most people are more familiar with, is novel-length. They receive publication in book or eBook format and cover the events of someone’s life from birth to death or birth to the time of publication. These types of biographies typically exist for celebrities, politicians, athletes, and other influential figures. They’re less common in content marketing, though some biographical content marketing pieces could influence or contribute to a longer, book-length biography.

One of the biggest games brands and content marketers play is reaching for awareness and authority. You’re trying to grab brand recognition and get people to remember your company exists. You’re also trying to prove that you know what you’re talking about. Bios show your audience that the team you’ve assembled has the credentials and experience to speak on a topic and that any information they provide is accurate and valuable. When you build up that credibility and authority, your brand can position itself as a subject matter expert or  thought leader in the field or niche .

Bios let you capitalize on the expertise and experience of your content creators. What do they know? What can they do? Do they have the credentials to back up what they’re saying? This doesn’t apply in every situation. Not everyone cares about the individual who wrote the content if they already trust the brand name. For example, if IKEA produced a piece about how to put together bookshelves, the audience probably doesn’t care who wrote it. The brand name IKEA ties directly to DIY furniture kits. That’s enough authority for the audience.

But if Joe’s Furniture Shack publishes a similar article, why should the audience trust that brand over IKEA? The author’s bio may explain the writer’s background in carpentry and home renovations. That expertise proves that the article from Joe’s Furniture Shack is also relevant and valuable because the writer has the necessary experience to speak on the topic.

Use these steps to write a biography about another person:

1. Know What Information To Collect

Most biographies, long or short, typically follow a similar format. They list the information that makes the writer or subject look credible, smart, and authoritative on their focus topic. When collecting information about another person to write their bio, ask for the following details:

• Preferred name, including stage names, nicknames, pronouns, or other considerations.
• A clear, relevant photograph.
• Job title and description.
• Current city.
• Major life and career achievements.
• Information that makes the subject an authority on their topic or niche.
• Interesting facts or qualities about the subject, such as hobbies, volunteer efforts, or family life.
• Links to the subject’s personal blog, website, or social media profiles.

You may not use every single one of these pieces of information for every bio, but it’s important to have them, especially if you end up writing multiple bios for the same person for different formats or online locations.

2. Conduct Your Interview

Unless the biography subject also happens to be a family member or a close friend, chances are you don’t have enough information on your own to write it. Once you know what information to collect, it’s time to have an interview with the subject. Depending on who that is, you may choose to interview them in person, over the phone or a video call, or send the questions through email.

The interview doesn’t have to be long, about half an hour or less. Simply ask for the information from step one. If you’re conducting the interview in person or over the phone, provide an email address or a way for the subject to send you electronic information, like an acceptable image and profile links.

3. Do Extra Research

Doing additional online research about the subject helps you find things they forgot to tell you in the interview or things you didn’t think to ask. Has someone else written a feature article about your subject? Do they have their own blog? What information do they share on their social feeds? The more research you do, the more information you have to reference for the bio. This helps if you get stuck with an angle or you need to expand their bio into a longer piece later. You’ve already done the work upfront.

4. Decide Where To Host the Bio

We already discussed the different reasons you may use a bio in marketing. It’s important to know which type you’re creating and where it’s going to live online. Where people access the bio affects its length and the content within. Staff or team bios may fit best on an “About Us” or “Meet Us” page on your website. These can be any length, depending on the size of your staff and the layout of the page.

You may include an author bio with every piece of content you publish. Should the bio go at the beginning or end of the content? Is there another page that houses all the author’s work where you can include it, too? Writer bios tend to be shorter, only about three sentences. They include just the important information about the person’s job and experience. The host location also helps you determine if there’s room for an image or social links.

5. Start With the Name

Yeah, it sounds redundant and a bit ridiculous, but the first thing to include in someone’s bio is their name. It should be the first thing the reader sees when they encounter the bio. How else will they know who you’re talking about?

It’s not only important to spell the subject’s name right but also to make sure you’re using their preferred public or business name. Some people don’t always use their given name for business. Authors may use pen names. Some married people continue to use their maiden names if they established themselves in the industry before getting married. You can clear up these questions during your interview.

6. List the Subject’s Job Information

Following the subject’s name, the next thing the audience wants to know is what they do. Why is their information appearing on this website or with this piece of content? If we used author bios at CopyPress, the first line of a writer’s bio may read:  Alli Fiedler is a marketing writer for CopyPress .

If you’re writing a bio for an outside source or partner, someone not directly associated with the content host, be sure to get the person’s exact job title and company name. To create a bio for a guest blogger, the first line may read: Alli Fiedler is the owner of A. Fiedler Consulting and a guest blogger for CopyPress .

7. Add the Subject’s Job Responsibilities

Not every job title is straightforward. Use the bio to explain more about the subject’s job responsibilities and how it gives them the experience and expertise to speak on their topic. For example, the next sentence of the bio for our fictional guest blogger may read:  Alli works with agencies to develop top-performing SEO strategies in a variety of industries .

This section lets your audience know why the author is trustworthy in regards to the content they produce.

8. Include What Makes the Subject Different

What sets your subject apart from other people in their niche? What gives them more credibility to speak on their topics than others? This is where you can incorporate more about who the subject is as a person and the accomplishments they have from their career. What are their values? Have they won any awards? Is there a tidbit about their personal life that helps build more trust with the audience? This section helps with both credibility and connection.

9. Consider the Tone

Not every bio has to be strictly professional. Just as you focus on brand voice in all your content, let it shine through in your bios, too. If your brand voice is funny, find a way to incorporate humor into the bio. If your brand voice is more serious, stick with professionalism. Subject bios are just another type of content you present to your audience. You want to make sure it’s consistent with everything else you put out on every channel.

10. Try a Template

If you’re still stuck writing a professional bio for someone else, try a template. Reminiscent of Mad Libs, these  templates from HubSpot  tell you exactly what information to collect from your subject and where to put it for an informational and engaging bio. HubSpot has two types of templates in first- and third-person, so you can write the bios as if someone else is the author, or as if the subject is supposed to be the bio author themselves.

Adding bylines and bios to your content marketing can be a great way to give your pieces that personalized touch. They can also help increase your credibility and put a face to the writers and team behind your brand. But is this really the best way to present your content to the target audience? While it’s great to have a team of qualified writers on your marketing staff or at your agency, at what point does the audience stop following the brand and start following writers individually on their own channel?

When you put the spotlight on your writers, you allow them to outshine the brand. There are plenty of arguments about why you should or shouldn’t credit your content writers, but it comes down to the team mentality of writing and the job. When writers get a byline or bio for their work, yes, the publication matters. But it introduces an ego side to things. How can this piece help my career? Since my name is attached, what does this piece say about  me ? See how the conversation switches from “we” to “me”?

Image via  Penn State Athletics

It’s the same mentality that circulates in college sports, especially football. The logo on the front of the jersey is more important than the name on the back. Or, it’s supposed to be. That’s why teams like Penn State have gone back and forth on whether to put player names on the backs of their jerseys. Once the name is there, players start to see what they can get out of their careers for themselves rather than making things a team effort.

Are Author Biographies Right for Your Team?

When all your writers act under your brand name, you don’t have to worry about an author’s experience or reputation. You just have to focus on finding qualified staff who can produce a clear, cohesive message in your brand voice.

Establishing authorship is more important than ever, especially when positioning your brand as an authority in your market. Luckily, our CEO, Dave Snyder, discusses this exact topic in his latest guide, Establishing Authorship and Authority for Successful Content Marketing . Download the free eBook and discover how to build authority and develop an authority-driven content strategy that will drive more results for your brand.

CopyPress writer

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13 Jul 2022

How to Write Great Bios for Others: 5 Do’s, 5 Don’ts, 5 Good Examples

• Written By Lena Katz
• Updated: November 16, 2023

Keys for writing someone else’s bio: Keep it succinct, start with current role and responsibilities, don’t get hung up on dates, and leave out information that could describe ten thousand other people.

Did you finally nail your own professional bio ? Yes? Outstanding! No? We get it: Writing about yourself is difficult. You know too much, and have too many opinions and expectations. Keep fine-tuning it. Regardless of that, you may be able to tap into a consistent source of income writing other people’s bios.

Executive and corporates bios are fundamental needs in a company’s suite of PR, investor, website, and related brand info. Regular content consultants for enterprise businesses may be kept busy writing only executive team bios and profiles (very much like a bio, only with a more editorial slant). Non-profits, startups, creative ventures and restaurants also typically need bios of their key players for web publication and sales/media kits. And additional to public-facing bios, a lot of marketing teams will put together bios of people that either are fulfilling a role for a campaign (spokesperson, guest expert, customer testimonial) or being considered for one.

Writing a professional bio for another person, or even a business entity, comes with the opposite challenge to writing your own bio: When the subject is a stranger, you start the job without any insight or background information. But once you know how to collect and organize that, it just takes an intuitive mind and an aptitude for identifying highlights, and you can find steady paying work.

Let’s have a look at this in-demand writing specialty and how you can improve at it fast.

How to write a bio for executives and others: Top 5 do’s

1. Push for a phone interview if you feel it will help the piece (and you’re getting paid well).

An interview is only a recommendation if the compensation you’re getting for writing the bio, including research time, averages to your ideal rate. In that case, spend the extra effort to get the subject on the phone. It may be difficult to get phone time on the calendar, but you will get some jewels of insight and quotes if you secure the interview. Keep your request to 30 minutes or less, and be patient when you need to reschedule two or three times.

If the interviewee wants questions in advance or to review the draft afterward, accommodate them. When coming from another field like television production or magazine editorial, this may be the opposite of your training. But keep the new chain of approvals in mind, and do your utmost  to make your subject shine.

2. Collect all previously published/vetted/approved pieces on the particular person.

Researching what has been written before — both the subject’s favorite pieces and the ones they took issue with — will give you extra insight. Make sure you know which pieces they liked versus which ones weren’t favorable.

When you do your interview, use your previously researched insight to lead the subject into talking expansively about things they have enthusiasm for, and likewise avoid triggering them with negative memories. If this piece is an editorial-style profile, you may want to gently dig into controversial topics or past moments. But if it’s a bio for press or web purposes, keep it brief and positive.

3. Begin with the most important pieces of current information

Start with why you’re in this position, and then move to past highlights in the next paragraph. Although many subjects will want to begin with their lifetime bio highlights, you always want to start by positioning them here and now — what are they doing that’s significant, and why is it significant? In the next paragraph, you can jump to their lifetime achievements.

4. Stick with the highlights, and keep it succinct.

The first few times someone’s asked to come up with a bio, they’re likely to go all the way back to grade school or college for significant achievements and memories. Then they’ll carry on trying to re-create the breadcrumb trail that led them to now.

Don’t get bogged down trying to follow that.

Your final piece should be a clear distillation of the high points, starting with now and looping back to career achievements, accolades, with perhaps a final sentence on education and/or training.

5. Stick with third-person singular. (Unless first person is more organic.)

This rule is hardest for entrepreneurs to follow, because they tend to blur the lines between themselves and their business. Thus, you often see bios that refer to the founder of a startup but switch regularly to the the pronoun “they” to refer to the entire company — sometimes in the same sentence.

The question to answer right away is: Are you writing about a person or a company? If it’s a person, keep it as a narrative about the person, not the company. And if you’re revamping rough copy they’ve written themselves, decide whether it’ll be first-person or third-person  and clean it up to be cohesive even if it loses a shade of personalization.

Five things to avoid when writing a bio: Top 5 don’ts

1. don’t write a person’s chronological history..

A lot of non-writers tend to start their biographical narration at childhood and progress forward in a linear way. The problem with this is that most people are not interested in the long road that led to here and now.

Start with the currently relevant info, skip the childhood memories unless something is extremely  compelling (and then it goes in the second-to-last paragraph). Grab the highlights. Pepper in awards and degrees toward the end.

2. Don’t include information that could apply to lots of people.

Is your client a chef who found his love of cooking in the kitchen with his grandma? Is your client a retail entrepreneur who loved to shop as a child? Was your client curious in school? All of these statements are sweet and relatable and should not make it into a bio — because they are so vague, thousands of people can claim the same thing.

If your client borrowed a James Beard Award-winning pastry recipe from his grandmother, that’s what you include in the bio. If their school-age curiosity won a scholarship to MIT, that might get a mention. Always look for the unusual, standout details and gently rinse away the experiences that are common enough to make your subject blur into a thousand others on paper.

3. Don’t include everything of importance that ever happened in someone’s life.

Most creative consultants can remember a few times when they received someone’s “final” bio and it was 2,000 words rehashing everything the person could remember from kindergarten to the current day. Clients need to understand: Most people’s attention span is short.

Start off with the relevant, interesting info. Fill in the bio with the highlights and milestones that create a foundation for the here and now. Keep out details unless they’re going to grab people for some reason (emotional, comical, pertinent).

4. Don’t get hung up on dates.

Were the dates of your client’s third executive position from 2001-2004, or were they 2001-2005? Or wait, did they actually join that company in 1998? Quick easy answer: Nobody cares.

Not only that, but with ageism in certain industries running rampant, it’s typically better not to anchor someone by their dates. Unless your subject/client has a globally significant dated event in their bio — for example, a significant role in an international sporting event , or a victorious run for office — it’s quicker and neater to leave dates out altogether.

5. Don’t let the client have the last pass at this.

A lot of people will want to have final approval of their bio, and that’s understandable. It is the document that presents them to the world. Let them see it, with the tacit understanding that after their final review and adjustments (there will always be some), you’ll give a final once-over and proofread to get rid of any extra hyphens — or a surprise extra sentence that mentions a favorite junior high teacher and switches pronouns three times and ends! With an exclamation point!

5 good examples of bios…

1. For making entrepreneurs personable

One of the most successful makeup brands created by a social media personality, Huda Beauty is built around one person, Huda Kattan . Most people who buy her cosmetics have some understanding , however vague it may be, that there’s one millennial powerhouse behind this line. Her bio personalizes the brand by using informal first-person tone that personalizes her striking, full-face headshot.

2. For lending credibility to corporate executives

As you would expect from an iconic American brand, the Walmart executive bio format follows a classic format: It starts with the person’s role and responsibilities at Walmart , then goes backward to summarize past key roles and accomplishments in a single paragraph, then moves to accolades and awards, wrapping up with education.

3. For humanizing non-profits

Although non-profit organizations may be as large and established as for-profit companies, their public-facing information often is a little bit lacking in personalization. Non-profits think first about grant writing, but anyone who works in the communications department eventually has to grapple with the substantial challenge of getting leadership and board member profiles written. And that may be just the beginning. If an organization is trying to put a human face to the work they do, volunteer spotlights and case studies of people they’ve helped may be next on the to-do list.

Check out this page of leadership profiles on Operation Homefront to see very impressive careers distilled down to a single lengthy paragraph per person — sufficient to impress any reader at first glance, but not even long enough to require a dedicated page.

4. For capturing the essence of creative professionals

The quirkiness and nonconformity that many agencies and production companies allow in their bio writing is amusing at best and self-indulgent most of the time. A headshot with an ironic Chaplin mustache on a stick, an “About Me” that includes a favorite sea creature and recommended urban bike route… Is it a professional bio or a dating profile?

For those who prefer more substance, LA-based Anomaly   strikes a nice balance between quirky and practical. Its menu expands horizontally and then vertically, instead of normal dropdown fashion, causing a first-time visitor to turn their head at a confused 45-degree angle. But the bios themselves are relatively compact and stuffed with impressive details on blue-chip clients and accolades.

5. For conveying the values of a partnership

Sometimes a company name becomes better known than its founders — such as Altamarea Group, the restaurant mini-empire owned by Ahmass Fakahany and Chef Michael White . This duo’s bio is more of a mission statement, but conveys their values and longstanding history before gracefully segueing to introduce the rest of the team.

What’s next?

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