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How to Write a Biography
Last Updated: May 28, 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. 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 1,878,360 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
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- ↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/how-to-write-a-biography.html
- ↑ https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-a-bio
- ↑ 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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Citation Needed! A Guide to Writing and Editing on Wikipedia
- Editing an Existing Wikipedia Article
- Creating a New Wikipedia Article
- Women's History Month
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The Process
- Create your account and practice editing. Try to make 10 edits before you get started on your assignment. Information on account creation can be found on the ENL 3895 section of this guide.
- Make sure your article doesn't already exist! Search for it on Wikipedia. If it does exist, you can simply edit the existing article.
- Use the Article Wizard to start creating your new article. This will help you create a draft space for your article. Make sure to bookmark it and share with your group. Multiple people can edit the same draft, so only one person in your group needs to create the draft.
- Write! Check out the links in the Helpful Resources box if you need some more guidance.
- Hit the blue "Publish page..." button when you're done! This will allow the page to either be published, or be sent for review by other Wikipedia editors. Consider saving a copy of your article somewhere to ensure you have an extra copy of it. The 'download as PDF' link on the left is great for doing just that.
Helpful Resources
- Manual of Style From Wikipedia. "The MoS presents Wikipedia's house style, to help editors write articles with consistent and precise language, layout, and formatting, making Wikipedia easier and more intuitive for users. Plain English works best. Avoid ambiguity, jargon, and vague or unnecessarily complex wording."
- Your First Wikipedia Article Everything you need to know about writing and creating your first Wikipedia article.
- Article Development The process by which articles turn from short 'stubs' into useful, longer articles.
- Examples of Good Articles Language and literature articles that are considered 'good articles' by Wikipedia. These can serve as good examples of what your finished article should look like.
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- Last Updated: Jan 17, 2023 3:01 PM
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Template. : Biography. Subject's complete name (birthdate - death) can be a lead-in to the subject's popular name. Describe the subject's nationality and profession (s) in which the subject is most notable. Provide a description of the subject's major contributions in the immediately relevant field (s) of notable expertise.
Step 6: Publish your biography. The final step is to publish your biography on Wikipedia. Your biography can be made public once it has been reviewed and approved by other editors and posted on the platform. In conclusion, creating a Wikipedia biography requires careful research, writing, and editing.
Starting a new biography page on Wikipedia is a responsibility that should be taken seriously. To ensure accuracy and reliability, it's important to follow the step-by-step process outlined below: Step 1. Research the subject thoroughly to gather accurate and verifiable information. Step 2.
Step 1: Start with making a Wikipedia account. This is the first step on the long ladder you need to climb. For example, if you have a test, you will first buy the book or PDFs to study for it. In the same way, you need a Wikipedia account for a smooth Wikipedia page.
Step 1: Wikipedia Account Creation. Wikipedia is one of the largest informational sites globally that has no limitations for users. However, you need an account to create your page on Wikipedia. Once that bit is sorted, you can create a biography page. The process is simple, so don't stress about it.
e. Writing an autobiography on Wikipedia is an example of conflict-of-interest editing and is strongly discouraged. Editing a biography about yourself is acceptable only if you are removing unambiguous vandalism or clear-cut and serious violations of our biography of living persons policy . Wikipedia has gone through many prolonged disputes ...
The lead section should summarise with due weight the life and works of the person. When writing about controversies in the lead section of a biography, relevant material should neither be suppressed nor allowed to overwhelm: always pay scrupulous attention to reliable sources, and make sure the lead correctly reflects the entirety of the article. . Write clinically, and let the facts speak ...
Step #5- Write Your Wikipedia Page about Yourself. When you set off to write the Wikipedia page, you need to follow the format of a Wikipedia biography which is shown below: As per the format, first, you have to add the basic information about the person followed by his career goals and work achievements.
Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Wikipedia Biography Step 1: Research Thoroughly. Before you start writing, gather all the necessary information. This includes personal details, early life ...
Here are the steps to write a biography on Wikipedia: Create a Wikipedia Account: First, you need to create an account on Wikipedia. This will allow you to edit and create pages.
Creating a Wikipedia biography can be a challenging task. It involves a lot of research, writing, and editing. You need to ensure that the biography is both informative and neutral. Wikipedia has ...
Search for the name of the page you want to create in the upper-right search box in Wikipedia. In the search results, click on the red title of the name near the top. You will be taken to a page where you can copy and paste the Wiki-code (or write the code from scratch) which creates the page.
Follow. 3 min read ·
Step 6. Add Bibliography and Submit for Approval. The first site that clicks on one's mind when looking for information is Wikipedia because that's the only global website where you can find everything about anything you have been looking for. Whether looking for a person, a concept, a living or a non-living object, if you can find a ...
Write in a professional tone; avoid loaded language. Add citations as you go. This is much easier than writing first and trying to remember later where you found each piece of information. You don't have to write the article all at once! Save your progress frequently, with an appropriate edit summary. The Publish button saves your progress.
1. Go for a chronological structure. Start chronologically from the subject's birth to their death or later life. Use the timeline of the person's life to structure the biography. Start with birth and childhood. Then, go into young adulthood and adulthood.
Draft your page. Format, cite and categorize. Prepare to submit for review. Adjust and cooperate. Monitor your entries. Let's kick this off with the dealbreaker. 1. Check your notability. The most common reason why Wikipedia pages fail the review process is the lack of notability.
From Wikipedia. "The MoS presents Wikipedia's house style, to help editors write articles with consistent and precise language, layout, and formatting, making Wikipedia easier and more intuitive for users. Plain English works best. Avoid ambiguity, jargon, and vague or unnecessarily complex wording."
Many people want to know how to write a biography Wikipedia. Writing a biography for Wikipedia can be tricky. You need to follow certain rules and make sure it's interesting and true. In my ...
A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or curriculum vitae (résumé), a biography presents a subject's life story, highlighting various aspects of ...
2. Create a Wikipedia Account. The first step in your journey to creating a Wikipedia page is registering an account on the platform. While starting an account enables you to create pages, it has other benefits, including: access a permanent user page where you can share a brief bio and a few photos.
Steps to Write a Wikipedia Biography Using Affpilot AI. Here's a simple guide to writing a biography for Wikipedia using Affpilot AI: 1. Gather Basic Information.
Falcon's Fury is a freestanding Sky Jump drop tower attraction at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, an amusement park in Tampa, Florida.Manufactured by Intaride, a subsidiary of Intamin, the ride is one of North America's tallest freestanding drop towers, with a height of 335 feet (102 m).It was also the first drop tower to use 90-degree tilting seats, facing riders straight down through five seconds ...
If you have a complaint about a biography of a living person, and you wish to contact the Wikimedia Foundation, see contact us.. Editors must take particular care when adding information about living persons to any Wikipedia page, including but not limited to articles, talk pages, project pages, and drafts. [a] Such material requires a high degree of sensitivity, and must adhere strictly to ...