Intellectual Biography Guidelines and Grading Rubric
These guidelines offer suggestions about:
Finding your subject
Conducting your research
What is an intellectual biography and how should I think about writing one?
Practical suggestions
Grading rubric
Finding Your Subject
• It is great if you already have a subject in mind (or a list of potential subjects) to write about. If you do, I may be able to point you in the direction of relevant secondary literature. If you do not, don’t panic. Let me know what questions, topics, and time periods are especially interesting to you. I’ll be happy to suggest possible subjects.
• There is no requirement that the subject be a famous intellectual or conform to conventional definitions of who intellectuals were and are (although it is fine if your subject does this). Be creative. Intellectual history can accommodate obscure and non-conventional people, thinkers who had bad ideas as well as good ones, and failed creative projects as well as ones we all know about because they succeeded.
• There is no requirement that the subject be someone you admire or whose ideas you share. Examining ideas that were discarded as useless or stigmatized as controversial or even bad can be just as illuminating as examining ideas that were so historically successful they now seem self-evident. Writing about intellectuals whose ideas seem distasteful or even bizarre to you can be challenging but worthwhile.
• There is no requirement that the subject be someone closely connected to the particular fields and topics we will be examining in this course, although you may find it convenient and efficient to choose someone in a related field.
• There is no requirement that your subject be a feminist or a person who was interested in questions of sex and gender.
• There is no requirement that your subject be a U.S. citizen, but you should aim to choose someone who made a discernible mark on American intellectual culture during the 20th century.
Conducting Your Research
• Begin with the work of your subject herself. For many subjects, that means published writing, but it may mean photographs, films, visual art, music, etc. If you have chosen to focus on someone who was very prolific and wrote much more than you can hope to read in a few weeks, decide what dimension of that person’s work interests you most. Focus on that.
• Locate the secondary literature about your subject if such a literature exists. Be sure to look for biographical sketches and journal articles as well as book-length treatments and biographies.
• Consider secondary literature about the general field in which your subject worked and about other women in that field. For example, if you are writing about Mamie Clark, consult histories of developmental psychology as well as scholarship on African-Americans and women who worked in that field from the 1930s through the 1960s. If you are writing about Barbara McClintock, consider scholarship on the history of genetics as well as on women in biology and the life sciences.
• Intellectual biographies offer insights into 1) the person’s life; 2) the intellectual and creative work of the person; 3) the relationship between life and work; and 4) the significance of the life and work historically. Ask yourself the following questions: Why am I interested in this subject? Why does this subject matter?
• Identify the larger context that makes your subject and her work meaningful, whatever it is. Was she a pioneer in a particular field? Was she part of an intellectual school, cultural trend, or social movement? Was her work important because it represents something bigger than the work itself, because it was utterly unique, because she made a contribution at a crucial moment in time, or for some other reason?
• In addition to profiling your subject, placing her in context, and assessing her intellectual legacy, your reader also wants to know what your specific questions and conclusions about the subject are. In this sense, an intellectual biography is just like any other historical essay or exercise in critical analysis. You should formulate an argument and present evidence to support it.
Practical Suggestions
• One useful thing to do is to read a few short intellectual biographies or sketches to get an idea of how scholars approach this task. Consider sketches in A Companion to American Thought , Notable American Women , or American National Biography .
• Remember that formulating original questions you may not be able to answer completely can be as informative as making sweeping judgements or bold claims.
• Keep an open mind. You may already think you know what is most important about your subject, and you may be right. But pay attention to what you don’t know. At its best, the research process can be surprising as well as educational. Things you learn about your subject may be either delightful or upsetting, and sometimes both.
Grading Rubric
In grading your essays, I will consider the following questions:
the person’s life
the intellectual and creative work of the person
the relationship between life and work
the significance of the life and work historically
(Note: There is is no formula about the order in which you need to cover these elements in your essay, or the number of pages devoted to each.)
Is your essay organized in a coherent and logical way? Is it easy or difficult for a reader to follow your ideas?
Does the quality of your writing enhance or detract from the arguments you make? Is your prose clear and direct? Or do writing problems (e.g. spelling, punctuation, grammar, word choice, convoluted or awkward sentence construction) make it difficult for the reader to understand?
Is your essay persuasive? Do you present specific, relevant evidence and examples to support your claims?
How to Write an Intellectual Biography for Graduate School
M.t. wroblewski, 26 sep 2017.
You have mailed your transcripts and finished celebrating the completion of your graduate school admissions test. With your application in hand, one final task remains: writing a biography – sometimes called a personal statement or statement of intent – for the screening committee. This intellectual exercise requires thought and planning, as you assume correctly that your biography should be purposeful and meaningful – far weightier and impressive than simply a recitation of the schools you have attended and your favorite subjects. Think of your biography as the story of you – as only you can tell it.
Give yourself plenty of time to write, edit and revise your biography, expecting that it will be a recursive process. If ever there was a writing assignment that deserves your time and careful attention, this is it. Schedule some time every day to work on your biography, then allow it to “go cold” for at least a day before you review your work with a fresh outlook. Try to give yourself a week – from brainstorming to completion – to write your biography.
Brainstorm a story arc for your biography or a theme that you will carry throughout. In doing so, you will display a sense of purpose that is vital to this intellectual pursuit. For example, if you are applying for admission to a graduate science program, you may wish to amplify those key moments when a science project or achievement in your academic life influenced your interest in and passion for the field.
Map out these pivotal moments on a timeline, being sure to mention one incident from elementary school and high school and several from college. Connect these incidents to your quest to seek an advanced degree, and stay on-topic. Weave your theme consistently throughout your biography. Invoke the journalist’s quest to “show, not tell” so that the reviewing committee quickly gets the idea that you have evolved from a serious student to an ardent scholar.
Begin your biography with a revealing anecdote that sets the stage appropriately. Be mindful that you are playing the role of storyteller who wants to keep your audience’s attention, so choose lively verbs and craft sentences that are specific and illustrative.
Demonstrate your interest in and capacity for research by singling out several faculty members in your program of interest and what you would most want to learn from them if you were a student in their classes or if they were guiding your research efforts.
Lead your biography to an obvious conclusion: that you wish to advance your career and fulfill your personal ambitions by obtaining a graduate degree. Without sounding solicitous, explain why the graduate program appeals to you. Consider linking your introduction with your opening anecdote to create a clean symmetry of ideas.
Edit your biography carefully during the week, deleting both vague and flowery words and phrases. It’s great to show enthusiasm for higher learning, but be sure you sound sincere. Let trusted friends and family members – those who know your history – read your biography and elicit their feedback.
Proofread and edit your biography with the meticulous attention to detail that you will reveal time and again once you are formally accepted into graduate school.
Do not confuse writing an intellectual biography with one that contains big, impressive words. While you should expose your vocabulary skills to some extent, keep showboating to a minimum. It’s more important that you tell a compelling story than flaunt your vocabulary IQ.
Stay close to the allotted word count for your biography. Coming up a few words short or going a few words over is acceptable, but do not unwittingly convey that you do not follow instructions.
1 Peterson’s: Write a Graduate School Essay that Will Knock Their Socks Off
2 Grad Schools.com: What Is a Personal Statement?
3 The Chronicle of Higher Education: Dos and Don’ts of Graduate School Essays
4 Purdue University Online Writing Lab: Writing the Personal Statement
5 Essay Edge: How to Write a Personal Statement
6 The New St. Martin’s Handbook; Andrea Lunsford and Robert Connors; 1999.
About the Author
With education, health care and small business marketing as her core interests, M.T. Wroblewski has penned pieces for Woman's Day, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal and many newspapers and magazines. She holds a master's degree in journalism from Northern Illinois University.
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Writing an intellectual biography, whether for business or personal use, requires research, high-quality background information and great writing skills. Make sure you are honest but also that you promote the best and brightest aspects of the person you're writing about.
Writing a Great Intellectual Biography
Do your research. Since you're crafting an intellectual biography, make sure you focus on that part of the person's background. Where did he or she go to school? What special achievements and accomplishments should be noted? What particular career path do you want to highlight? Take some time to interview the person over the phone or in person. If that isn't possible, use a resume and any other background materials available to you. Interview associates or classmates.
Make sure your writing style is in keeping with the assignment. Write in the third person ("he" or "she" rather than "I") and in the present tense. Use strong action verbs in your writing.
Focus on the facts--biographies are an account of someone's life and should be truthful and factual--but you can use your writing to make the facts come to life. Again, focus on the individual's particular intellectual achievements.
If possible, share the biography with the subject so he or she can approve everything.
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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.
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
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 1,878,024 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
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 Good Academic Biography (Part 1)
When your journal article gets accepted or you are preparing for a public presentation, you will often be asked for a short academic biography. For many people, these academic bios are more difficult to write than a dissertation. How do you sum up yourself and your work in 3-5 sentences? What do you need to include? What should you leave out?
What You Should Do
Start with your full name followed by your current position, your general interests, and your current project, keeping them all very brief.
If you are within a year of receiving a prestigious award, mention that as well.
Finally, finish with a sentence that’s personal: add a hobby, a pet’s name, the city you live in—whatever you are comfortable with that is personal but not too private.
What You Should Avoid
Avoid speaking in the first person, i.e., don’t use “I.”
Don’t divulge details beyond your current position.
In a longer bio of multiple paragraphs, you may add more awards and information about your master’s and bachelor’s degrees, but not in a short bio. Moreover, don’t add anything that happened before grad school—including your place of birth. For example:
Hi! My name is Scott. I was originally born in Vermont and now I’m a professor at North Yankee University in Fargone, New York (in upstate New York). I study antelopes’ migration patterns and their impact of native grain growth. My interest in antelopes began as a teenager when I first saw one in the wild. I did my undergrad degree in biology at SUNY and my masters and UCLA and my PhD in Forestry at Hunter College.
Related: Finished drafting your academic biography and heading for an international conference? Check out this post now!
The above example is far too casual and Scott’s work and current position are overshadowed by all the other random details. This can be written in a much better way:
Scott Sampson is a professor of Wildlife Biology at North Yankee University. His work focuses specifically on the migration patterns of antelope and their impact on the growth of native grain. His favorite place to do research in his backyard, which opens to the Akron National Forest.
This improvised version is concise, relevant, and makes Scott’s bio appear professional while giving a short description of his personal details.
Longer Bios
For longer bios, follow the same basic rules, but go into a bit more depth about your work, your education, and your future projects or interests. You may also consider adding a line about your immediate family. But as always, leave the personal details for a short and friendly mention at the end of the bio.
Mostly, your bio will be used by someone to introduce you at a conference or public event so if you write your bio using these tips, you will help them give a smooth and accurate introduction. Remember that the bio is the first thing that people know about you so pack it full of the most important things about yourself!
If you would like to know more about different formats of academic biography, read the next article in this series!
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Super helpful! Thank you for writing about this.
wow great article. I got lots of new ideas from this post. Thanks a lot.
Thank you! Really a short and precise description of how to write short biographic sentence.
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Excellent information…
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How to Write a Biography: A Step-by-Step Guide
By Hannah Yang
Table of Contents
What is a biography, a step-by-step guide to writing a biography, tips for how to write a great biography, conclusion on how to write a biography.
Writing a biography can be a rewarding endeavor, but it can also feel a bit daunting if you’ve never written one before.
Whether you’re capturing the life story of a famous person, a family member, or even yourself, creating a compelling biography involves a mix of thorough research, narrative skill, and a personal touch.
So, how exactly do you write a successful biography?
In this guide, we’ll break down the essentials to help you craft a biography that’s both informative and engaging, as well as our top tips for how to make it truly shine.
A biography is a detailed account of someone’s life.
A well-written biography needs to be objective and accurate. At the same time, it needs to depict more than just the basic facts like birth, education, work, relationships, and death—it should also portray the subject’s personal experience of those events.
So, in addition to being a good researcher, a good biographer also needs to be a good storyteller. You should provide insights into the subject’s personality, motivations, and impact on the world around them.
What’s the Difference Between a Biography, a Memoir, and an Autobiography?
Understanding the distinctions between different genres of life writing is crucial for both writers and readers. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key differences between a biography and other related genres.
Biography: a detailed account of a person’s life, usually written in the third-person POV and supported by extensive research
Autobiography: a self-written account of the author’s own life, usually written in the first person POV and following a chronological order
Memoir: a collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events that took place in their life, usually in the first person POV and in an introspective and personal way
Narrative nonfiction: a book that tells true stories using the techniques of fiction writing, such as character development, narrative arc, and detailed settings
Best Biography Examples to Study
The best way to learn how to write well is to read other successful books within the genre you’re writing.
Here are five great biographies to add to your reading list. For a longer list, check out our article on the 20 best biographies to read .
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand: the incredible true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian and World War II hero.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson: a comprehensive and engaging account of the Apple co-founder’s life.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow: the biography that inspired the hit musical, providing a deep dive into Hamilton ’ s life and legacy.
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford: a nuanced story that uncovers the family connection between the three Millay sisters and their mother.
Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston: the story of Cudjo Lewis, one of the last-known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade.
As with writing any book, writing a biography is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s easier to think of it as a series of smaller steps than as one big challenge to tackle.
Let’s break down the process step by step.
1. Choose Your Subject
Decide who you want to write about. It could be a well-known celebrity, a historical figure, or someone close to you.
In addition to figuring out who you’re writing about, this is also the step where you figure out why you want to write about them. Why is this a story worth telling, and what makes you interested in it?
Maybe the subject of your biography overcame major hardships in life to achieve success, and that story will inspire others facing similar struggles. Or maybe they made a really unique contribution to the world that not enough people know about, and you want to shine a bigger spotlight on that impact.
Knowing why you’re telling this story will help you make the right decisions about how to research, outline, draft, and edit your biography.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
Understanding your target audience is a crucial step in writing a good biography. You should tailor your biography to the interests and knowledge level of your audience.
A biography for a general audience will differ from one written for experts in a particular field. For example, two biographies about Emily Dickinson would be vastly different if one is written for young children and the other is written for adult poets.
3. Conduct Research
Dive deep into your research. Use a variety of sources to get a well-rounded view of your subject’s life. Take detailed notes and organize your findings.
Gather as much information as you can about your subject. This includes primary sources like interviews, letters, and diaries, as well as secondary sources such as books, articles, and documentaries.
Here are some primary sources to look for:
Letters and diaries: These provide intimate insights into the subject’s thoughts, feelings, and daily life, and can often be found in family archives, libraries, and historical societies.
Birth, marriage, and death certificates: These documents can provide crucial dates and familial relationships.
Census data: Census records can provide demographic information and track changes over time.
Property records: These can reveal where the subject lived and owned property.
Employment and school records: These records offer formalized insights into the subject’s education and career.
Military records: If applicable, military records can provide information on service, ranks, and honors.
Photos and videos: Look for photographs and videos in public libraries, historical societies, online databases like the Library of Congress, and family photo albums.
Historical newspapers: Access archives of local and national newspapers for articles, interviews, and obituaries related to the subject.
Digital archives: Use online resources like ProQuest, Chronicling America, and newspaper databases available through public libraries.
You can also look for secondary sources, which provide more context and perspective, such as:
Existing biographies: Search for existing biographies and books about the subject or their era. How does your project stand out from the crowd?
Academic articles and papers: Access journals through university libraries, which often have extensive collections of scholarly articles.
Documentaries and biographical films: You can often find these on streaming services or public television archives.
Websites and blogs: Look for reputable websites and blogs dedicated to the subject or related fields.
Social media platforms: The things people say on social media can offer insights into public perception about your subject.
Finally, you can also conduct your own interviews. Talk to the subject if they’re still alive, as well as their friends, family, and colleagues. You can ask them for personal anecdotes to add more color to your book, or more information to fill in any gaps in your knowledge.
4. Ask Engaging Questions
Great biographers start from a place of curiosity. Before you start writing, you should know the answers to the following questions:
What makes your subject’s story worth telling?
What was your subject’s childhood like?
What were your subject’s early interests and hobbies?
What level of education did your subject achieve and where did they study?
What was your subject’s personality like?
What were their beliefs and values?
How did your subject’s personality and beliefs change over time?
What were the major turning points in your subject’s life?
How was your subject affected by the major political, cultural, and societal events that occurred throughout their life?
What did their career path look like?
What were their major accomplishments?
What were their major failures?
How did they contribute to their field, their country, or their community?
Were they involved in any major controversies or scandals?
Who were the most important people in the subject’s life, such as friends, partners, or mentors?
If the subject is no longer living, how did they pass away?
What lasting impact did the subject leave behind?
5. Create an Outline
An outline helps you structure your biography. You can write an extensive outline that includes every scene you need to write, or you can keep it simple and just make a list of high-level bullet points—whatever works best for your writing process.
The best structure to use will depend on the shape of the story you’re trying to tell. Think about what your subject’s life looked like and what core messages you’re trying to leave the reader with.
If you want to keep things simple, you can simply go in chronological order. Tell the story from the birth of your subject to the death of your subject, or to the present day if this person is still living.
You can also use a more thematically organized structure, similar to what you would find on a Wikipedia page. You could break your book down into sections such as major life events, personal relationships, core accomplishments, challenges, and legacy.
Or, if you want to be more creative, you can use a nonlinear story structure, jumping between recent events and older flashbacks based on which events feel thematically tied together.
6. Write Your First Draft
Now that you have an outline, it’s time to sit down and write your first draft.
Your opening chapters should hook the reader and give a preview of what’s to come. Highlight a compelling aspect of the subject’s life to draw readers in.
In your middle chapters, cover all the key events you need to include about your subject’s life and weave in themes and anecdotes that reveal their personality and impact.
In your final chapters, wrap up your biography by summarizing the subject’s legacy and reflecting on their overall significance. This provides closure and leaves the reader with a lasting impression.
Remember that it’s okay if your first draft isn’t perfect. Your goal is simply to get words down on the page so you have something to edit.
7. Make Developmental Revisions
Now that you’re done with your first draft, it’s time to make big-picture revisions.
Review your biography for coherence and organization. Does the overall structure make sense? Are there any arcs or themes that aren’t given enough attention? Are there scenes or chapters that don’t need to be included?
8. Make Line Edits
Once you’ve completed your developmental edits, it’s time to make smaller line edits. This is your time to edit for grammar, punctuation, and style.
Make sure you keep a consistent voice throughout the book. Some biographies feel more conversational and humorous, while others are serious and sophisticated.
To get through your editing faster, you can run your manuscript through ProWritingAid , which will automatically catch errors, point out stylistic inconsistencies, and help you rephrase confusing sentences.
Don’t be afraid to ask others for feedback. No good book is written in a vacuum, and you can ask critique partners and beta readers to help you improve your work.
What makes a great biography stand out from the rest? Here are our best tips for how to take your manuscript to the next level.
Tip 1: Focus on Key Themes
Identify the central themes or patterns in the subject’s life—the ones that will really make readers keep thinking about your book. These could be related to the subject’s struggles, achievements, relationships, or values.
Tip 2: Balance Facts and Narrative
A good biography should read like a story, not a list of facts.
Use narrative techniques like imagery, character development, and dialogue to create a compelling and coherent story.
Tip 3: Add Your Own Perspective
Biographies need to be objective, but that doesn’t mean the author has to be entirely invisible. Including your own perspective can make the biography relatable and engaging.
Letting your voice shine can help illustrate the subject ’ s character and bring their story to life. It will also help make your biography stand out from the crowd.
Tip 4: Create a Timeline
Organize the key events of the subject’s life in chronological order. This will help you see the bigger picture and ensure you cover all important aspects.
Tip 5: Be Considerate
Because biographies are about real people, you should be mindful of who will be impacted by the story you’re telling, especially if your subject is still alive or still has living family members.
If the subject is still alive, ask them for permission to tell their story before you start writing. This also helps ensure that you don’t get sued.
Writing a biography is a journey of discovery, not just about the subject, but also about the craft of storytelling.
By combining thorough research, a clear structure, and engaging narrative techniques, you can create a biography that not only informs but also inspires and captivates your readers.
Don’t forget to run your manuscript through ProWritingAid so you can make sure your prose is as polished as possible.
Now, pick your subject, gather your resources, and start writing—there’s a fascinating story waiting to be told.
Good luck, and happy writing!
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Hannah Yang
Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.
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How to Write a Biography: 11 Step Guide + Book Template
So you’d like to know how to write a biography. We can help with that! Learning how to write a biography doesn’t have to be intimidating. In fact, it can be a lot of fun!
In this guide, we show you how to write a biography from the initial book idea all the way through to publishing your book , and we throw in a free template to help you on your way.
Ready to learn how to start a biography ? Let’s jump right in.
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).
How to Write a Biography in 11 Simple Steps
Here are the steps you need to take to learn how to write a biography:
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, if you want to learn how to write a biography, 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, celebrity, or business 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.
Once you’ve read some well-crafted biographies, you’ll have a better idea of how to start a biography of your own.
2. Identify your subject
In order to learn how to start a biography, you need 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.
When learning how to write a biography, here are few 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’re learning how to write a biography, 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?
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. That’s why we always recommend asking permission from your subject when learning how to write a biography.
Difference Between A Memoir and Biography
Autobiography vs Biography: Differences and Similarities
4. Create an outline
The next step of learning how to write a biography is to outline your story. 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 .
5. Select a working title (using a title generator)
Now is the fun part of learning how to write a biography! 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 .
Book Title Generator
Don't like it?
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 when learning how to write a biography.
Make good use of your primary and secondary sources, and double-check all of your facts. You’ve got this!
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.
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 when learning how to write a biography.
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.
9. Hire a book cover designer
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. So the next step in learning how to write a biography 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 !).
10. Get an ISBN
The next step in learning how to write a biography is getting 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.
11. Create a launch plan
Now is the most exciting part of learning how to write a biography. 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.
And you can’t just launch your book in a single day. When you go through all the work of learning how to write a biography, you want your book to succeed – and that requires a strategic marketing plan . Luckily, 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 with learning how to write a biography, remember that we’re standing by to assist you. Just schedule a book consultation and one of our team members will help answer any of your questions about the writing or self-publishing process.
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Biographical and Documentary Research (SIG #13)
An Introduction to Biographical Research
Among the numerous forms of biographical research in education, five types are often noted: scholarly chronicles, intellectual biography, life history writing, memoir biography, and narrative biography. These orientations may take the form of articles, vignettes, chapters, monographs, and full-length books. One need not draw fine distinctions among these different approaches, however, and each orientation offers particular strengths for the presentation of the biographical subject. Realms are crossed continually as the intent and purpose of the biographer become more clearly defined during the research process. Ultimately, biographers while engaged in their research are constantly examining their interpretive voices as much as the lives of their biographical subjects.
The scholarly chronicle is the most fundamental (and common) type of biographical research with its focus on the historical portrayal of an individual life. This basic research orientation constitutes telling the subject’s story in chronological order with emphasis upon the development of a quest plot (life pattern-stages) and the description of acts of recognition (or notoriety) as the biographer marches through the life of the biographical subject. The scholarly chronicle is often viewed as synonymous with biography; however, this research orientation is markedly different from other forms of biographical inquiry.
Another genre, intellectual biography, forsakes the need for basic chronological structure and develops a narrative of a life through the conceptual analysis of the subject’s motives and beliefs within the world of ideas. Those who write intellectual biography have overcome the interpretive angst of other educational researchers, what Rollyson (2005) has deemed “the biographical apologia,” who include pages of interviewee narrative and rich description but who refrain from interpreting motives and feelings. In contrast, the intellectual biographer recognizes and accepts the invasive yet justifiable analysis and overcomes the intrusive nature of inquiry with care resulting in self-reflective thoughtfulness and insight.
A third form of biographical research is defined as life history writing (and the narrative study of lives) with strong allegiance to the social science research traditions of oral history and narrative discourse and, specifically, great devotion to theoretical constructs from sociology and psychology. Case study paradigms emerge as life history writers address issues of generalizability, social interaction-social structure, and reliability and validity as well as the biographical quest of any study of a life. This research genre has taken many forms in the field of education, perhaps resonating most in the area of teacher education with the narrative study of teachers’ lives scholarship and, to a lesser degree, with the first-year teacher research that also remains loyal to aspects of intellectual biography (Goodson, 2008; Bullough, 2008).
In recent years a fourth genre, memoir biography (still distinct from autobiography and memoir) has begun to appear in the field of curriculum studies. Attention is devoted to the researcher’s motives in relation to the biographical subject and with emphasis upon the stylistic presentation of the biographer’s reflections and insights in relation to the factual account of the life. An interpretive narrative of the writer, alongside the presentation of the biographical subject, becomes part of the research. A life story is being told, yet in relation to the transactional experiences of the biographer that in turn influences and foreshadows similar experiences for the reader.
A fifth type, narrative biography, represents a dynamic portrayal of a life without the need for absolute facticity or a comprehensive account from birth to grave. Neither is this style burdened by the ultimate interpretation of the subject that must be accepted by the reader. Facts are recognized and some interpretations are accepted as being more significant than others; however, the biographer, though consciously aware of his or her personal emotions and reactions to the subject, acknowledges that the telling of the story is primarily defined by the subject in relation to the reader.
No definitive listing of biographical types can ever be constructed since, fortunately, new forms—content and process oriented—are continually being conceived and explored. Other more content-related designations include feminist biography (Alpern, et al., 1992; Ascher, et. al., 1984; Wagner-Martin, 1994) and black biography (Backscheider, 1997), all with emphasis upon identity and the restoration of the “invisible” subject.
Biography’s relationship to autobiography, memoir, and narrative research in education is well developed and will continually be redefined (Denzin, 1989; Epstein, 1991; Rollyson, 2008) Yet, with the emerging interest in biographical inquiry and with some growing interest in prosopography (group biography), little consensus of terminology exists; for example, it should be noted that while some qualitative researchers view the term as accurate, there are dramatic differences between biography and autobiography—much more than any slash or solidus can convey.
Alpern, S., Antler, J., Perry, E. I. & Scobie, I. W. (Eds.) (1992). . Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. Ascher, C., DeSalvo, L., & Ruddick, S. (Eds.) (1984). . Boston: Beacon Press. Backscheider, P. R. (1997). . New York: Oxford University Press. Bullough, R. V., Jr. (2008). . Albany, NY: SUNY Press. Denzin, N. (1989). . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Epstein, W. (Ed.) (1991). . West Lafayette, IN: Purdue University Press. Garraty, J. (1957). . New York: Knopf. Goodson, I. (2008). . Rotterdam: Sense Publishers. Josselson, R. & Lieblich, A. (Eds.) (1993). . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Oates, S. B. (Ed.) (1986). . Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press. Roberts, B. (2002). . London: Open University Press. Rollyson, C. (2008). . Chicago: Ivan R. Dee. Rollyson, C. (2005). Chicago: Ivan R. Dee. Wagner-Martin, L. (1994). . New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.
By Craig Kridel, University of South Carolina
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How To Do Biography
Nigel Hamilton
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ISBN 9780674066151
Publication date: 10/22/2012
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It is not surprising that biography is one of the most popular literary genres of our day. What is remarkable is that there is no accessible guide for how to write one. Now, following his recent Biography: A Brief History (from Harvard), award-winning biographer and teacher Nigel Hamilton tackles the practicalities of doing biography in this first succinct primer to elucidate the tools of the biographer’s craft.
Hamilton invites the reader to join him on a fascinating journey through the art of biographical composition. Starting with personal motivation, he charts the making of a modern biography from the inside: from conception to fulfillment. He emphasizes the need to know one’s audience, rehearses the excitement and perils of modern research, delves into the secrets of good and great biography, and guides the reader through the essential components of life narrative.
With examples taken from the finest modern biographies, Hamilton shows how to portray the ages of man—birth, childhood, love, life’s work, the evening of life, and death. In addition, he suggests effective ways to start and close a life story. He clarifies the difference between autobiography and memoir—and addresses the sometimes awkward ethical, legal, and personal consequences of truth-telling in modern life writing. He concludes with the publication and reception of biography—its afterlife, so to speak.
Written with humor, insight, and compassion, How To Do Biography is the manual that would-be biographers have long been awaiting.
This marvelous work--basically, a how-to book--is comprehensive in its treatment of everything necessary to creating a published biography. Hamilton, who has authored biographies of Field Marshall Montgomery, John F. Kennedy, and Bill Clinton, here leaves nothing unsaid on the subject. He thoroughly details biography's agenda and motivation and describes its target audience, who will expect something of a revelation concerning the human condition...He additionally scrutinizes autobiography and memoir writing, the consequence of telling the truth, and biography's afterlife. The exceptional excerpts Hamilton selects from published biographies to illustrate his points are both edifying and entertaining. —Robert Kelly, Library Journal
Drawing instruction from his own lifetime of biographic work and others'--including Samuel Johnson, Robert Caro, David McCullough, Hermione Lee, Edmund Morris, and others whom Hamilton has admired, known and worked with--the author takes readers on an intellectual journey through the creative process, from conception to publishing...Hamilton's passion, lyricism and collection of telling anecdotes make this "short book of advice" an unexpected page-turner; it's hard not to get caught up in the author's romantic vision of biography, a form he believes has nearly as many permutations as music. Elucidating not just the dos and don'ts of biography, but also the whys and hows, Hamilton has created a motivating, empowering guide for writers (and fans) of the genre. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
No one writing biography can afford to ignore this edifying book. Nigel Hamilton has the depth and breadth of experience to write about a genre that he champions...While this is a “how-to” book, even the most seasoned biographer will find much of value about choosing a subject; doing proposals for biographies; handling interviewing; negotiating the perils of publishing unauthorized biographies; managing biographical narratives; writing with an audience in mind; and the nexus between memoir, autobiography, and biography. —Carl Rollyson, thebiographerscraft.com
[ How To Do Biography ] offers a well-written, sensible, and, given its brevity, fairly encompassing assessment of what it is that a biographer does and how he goes about doing it...Hamilton is quite eloquent and persuasive in discussing how things come around at the end, not only at death, but after, when the life meets posterity. —Sven Birkerts, Boston Globe
The book is full of good advice and interesting stories. —Owen Richardson, The Age
Nigel Hamilton is the author of prize-winning biographies of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and of John F. Kennedy. He is currently a Senior Fellow of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.
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5-1/2 x 7 inches
Harvard University Press
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Blog • Perfecting your Craft
Posted on Jun 30, 2023
How to Write a Biography: A 7-Step Guide [+Template]
About the author.
Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.
About Dario Villirilli
Editor-in-Chief of the Reedsy blog, Dario is a graduate of Mälardalen University. As a freelance writer, he has written for many esteemed outlets aimed at writers. A traveler at heart, he can be found roaming the world and working from his laptop.
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.
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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 development 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.
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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 the middle of the action 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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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 publish your own 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 edit your own 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 applications , 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.
Continue reading
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URL: https://library.wcc.hawaii.edu/biography
Privacy Protection and Copyright: The Legal Side of Writing a Biography
Home » Blog » Privacy Protection and Copyright: The Legal Side of Writing a Biography
PRIVACY PROTECTION AND COPYRIGHT: THE LEGAL SIDE OF WRITING A BIOGRAPHY
Biographies are perennial bestsellers. Depending on the subject, biographies can turn an author into a household name almost overnight.
However, a biography can also leave an author with serious legal issues if they don’t approach the project in the right way. Authors also need to be objective in separating fact from opinion as they are accountable for the information they share.
Indeed, writing a biography is no easy task and must be done right, to avoid any problems along the way.
In this article, we will focus on the relevant privacy and copyright issues that may arise when writing both authorized and unauthorized biographies.
Biography Basics
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a biography is “a usually written history of a person’s life.” This definition encompasses accounts of a person’s life based on first-hand or second-hand information.
Moreover, biographies belong to the domain of non-fiction unless the events and characters surrounding actual events are fictional.
When it comes to biography sources, second-hand opinions, anecdotes, and experiences must come with documentation. For instance, interviews, videos, or even legal paperwork can substantiate claims.
Additionally, opinions must be carefully marked as such to ensure they do not constitute an attack on an individual’s character or reputation. After all, a biography should aim to tell an unbiased account of a person’s life.
Biographies can depict the lives of both living and deceased individuals.
Biographies of long-deceased historical figures often contain information extracted from previous works or otherwise in the public domain. In these cases, the risk for legal challenges is rather slim.
However, biographies of living or recently deceased figures may represent a legal challenge as there may be privacy protection and copyright issues involved.
Authorized vs. Unauthorized Biographies
There are two main types of biographies: authorized and unauthorized.
Authorized biographies have the consent of the book’s subject or their family or, at the very least, some collaboration from the subject or their representatives.
Unauthorized biographies, on the other hand, do not have the consent of the subject in question. These types of works often have salacious leanings, focusing on selling books first and the subject’s reputation second. Depending on the material's information, the author may face legal action by the subject or their representatives.
Legal Authorization for Writing a Biography
Ideally, authors would set about writing a biography with the full consent of the subject or their estate. Doing so provides the author with the confidence of knowing they will not face legal challenges once the work reaches publication.
Obtaining legal authorization generally involves writing material that has the subject’s seal of approval.
It is worth noting that authorized biographies usually require the author to paint the subject in a favorable light. While this isn’t always the case, subjects may require authors to remove certain events or information from the material if it is too salacious.
In the words of New York Times columnist Matt Knight , an authorized biography “suggests a puffy publicity piece.” As such, readers often view authorized biographies as skewed toward favoring the subject.
According to Writer’s Digest , a leading writer resource publication, in an authorized biography, “the author typically holds interviews with the subject of the book, the subject’s family members, and friends, co-workers, etc. The author is privy to information only attainable from the subject of the book.”
Thus, authorized biographies have an added layer of credibility that unauthorized ones do not.
Additionally, authorized biographies may require the author and publisher to share a portion of the revenue with the subject. In the event the subject is deceased, profits would be shared with their heirs or estate. As such, it is often more difficult to get authorization from a living subject than an estate.
To quote renowned literary critic Leon Edel:
“The secret of a biography resides in finding the link between talent and achievement. A biography seems irrelevant if it doesn’t discover the overlap between what the individual did and the life that made this possible. Without discovering that, you have shapeless happenings and gossip.”
Indeed, an authorized biography has a greater degree of credibility as it allows the author to portray the real person and not a public persona surrounded by gossip and hearsay (as long as the real person doesn’t have too much dirty laundry).
As far as publishing goes, traditional publishing houses generally require consent from the subject before the publication of a biography. Generally speaking, this position is due to credibility issues.
This makes it essential for authors to ensure they are providing accurate information. Otherwise, readers may dismiss the book due to false or inaccurate claims.
Risk is also an important consideration for both publishers and authors. Although the First Amendment covers authors in the United States, inaccurate information or misrepresentation of an individual can lead to serious legal consequences.
Therefore, authorized publications provide the safest means of producing a biography. Overall, this gives the book greater credibility while ensuring legal protection for all parties involved.
Writing an Unauthorized Biography
The heading for this section could easily read: “Proceed at your own risk.”
As its name suggests, an unauthorized biography does not have the official blessing from the subject or their representatives. As such, the author must proceed with caution as they would most likely have no cooperation whatsoever from the person who would otherwise be the primary source for their project.
Consequently, the author may have no way to corroborate the information presented in the book directly, which is the main reason why unauthorized biographies tend to contain information based on unreliable second-hand sources such as “insiders” or “people with knowledge.”
Critics point out that unauthorized biographies tend to have a sensationalist tone meant to generate buzz surrounding the topic at the expense of the subject’s reputation. To quote renowned biographer Kitty Kelley :
“Whether authorized or unauthorized, a good biography is nuanced and complex, because that is the way most people are. Being imperfect, most of us are messy and mixed-up in our private lives, inconsistent in our intentions, misled in our motives, and contradictory in our actions. Powerful public figures seem to have even more exaggerated faults and frailties, probably because their legions of publicists have spent years bleaching out the stains. The most authentic parts of a life are often quirky and filled with secrets that might startle the admissions committees of colleges and country clubs.”
Indeed, an unauthorized biography frequently paints the subject in an unfavorable light. While this assault may not have explicitly malicious intent, the point is to sell books, even if it is at the subject’s expense.
There are three main concerns when it comes to writing an unauthorized biography.
First, there is the question of libel. Libel is the use of information, usually hearsay or gossip, that damages an individual’s reputation.
Generally speaking, this information emanates from undisclosed sources or unsubstantiated information. Therefore, the publication of such information is defamatory and can lead to a lawsuit.
Authors may argue that personal opinions are factual. However, this defense is vague, especially if the overall statements are false or unsubstantiated.
While libel cases do not generally go far in court, such cases may damage the author’s reputation and hurt sales as a result.
Next, unauthorized biographies may constitute an invasion of privacy. If the author obtains information for the book using duplicitous or illegal means, the subject may have a legitimate court claim.
For example, if the information obtained emanated from hacked email accounts or bribed staff, such information would constitute an invasion of privacy. However, if the author obtained the same information lawfully via public record, an invasion of privacy claim would not be valid.
Lastly, the subject of an unauthorized biography may claim misappropriation of their likeness and any of their trademarks and copyrights. This claim occurs when authors and publishers use the subject’s name and likeness directly to promote the work, including trademarks and copyrights.
For instance, unauthorized biographies cannot use pictures of the subject on the cover unless the photographs are in the public domain. Moreover, authors and publishers need to include a disclaimer indicating the subject did not cooperate to create the content.
Biographies and PrivacyProtection
Privacy protection is a significant issue for public figures. After all, it is hard to define the extent to which a public figure’s life is public and what should remain private.
In general, intrusion on a person’s privacy is the result of obtaining information through unlawful means. While intrusion itself is not a crime, any false or fraudulent activity used to gain access to private information could be prosecuted as a felony.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, once said, “ The question isn’t ‘What do we want to know about people?’ it is ‘What do people want to tell about themselves?’ ”
Indeed, privacy is about what individuals want to tell others about themselves instead of what other people wish to know.
This implied breach of privacy is the reason why public opinion considers unauthorized biographies unethical as they profit from commercializing unflattering personal details.
Even if you can lawfully obtain this type of information, popular opinion considers it inappropriate to benefit from the more personal struggles a public figure might go through, including divorces, addictions, and other similar scandals.
Furthermore, copyright infringement is a serious matter. For example, the use of content extracted from quotes, letters, writings, emails, books, interviews, and so on, without the copyright owner’s consent, can lead to serious legal consequences.
Copyright holders almost always contest the use of images, brands, names, and likenesses without permission. As such, authors and publishers face the risk of being sued if they are not extremely careful with their content.
It is worth stating that the fair use principle does not apply if the author and publisher use personal information or copyrighted materials for commercial purposes.
And even First Amendment rights are moot if the intent to profit from a publication is apparent.
In these instances, the subject of the unauthorized work may seek fair compensation, particularly if their reputation suffered as a result of its publication.
One key consideration in this discussion is breach of confidence. This phenomenon occurs when an individual is privy to information on a public figure and then discloses it without consent.
Disclosure of confidential information is illegal in cases where doctors, lawyers, or employers reveal personal information about an individual. In professional circles, these types of actions generally result in a revocation of a professional license.
Is It Worth the Trouble?
At this point, it’s fair to ask, “Is it worth the trouble writing an unauthorized biography?”
The answer depends on the intent of the author and the publisher.
Unauthorized biographies for strictly commercial purposes are generally not worth the risk of legal action. On the other hand, an unauthorized work for entertainment or informational purposes may not trigger a lawsuit but may damage the reputations of the author and the publisher.
It is best to take into account potential privacy and copyright matters before publishing such a work.
Whenever possible, content with the subject’s consent is the best option. However, if an author or publisher feels compelled to publish an unauthorized account, they should proceed at their own peril lest they risk facing severe legal challenges.
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How to Write an Autobiography
Writing your autobiography is like exploring a treasure trove of memories that make up your life. But starting can feel overwhelming. Where do you begin? How do you turn your experiences into a compelling story? Don't worry – this guide is here to help. Whether you're a seasoned writer or a total beginner, we'll break down the process of how to write your autobiography into easy-to-follow steps. Together, we'll uncover the magic of storytelling and turn your life into a captivating reflective essay that's uniquely yours. Get ready to start this adventure of self-discovery and creativity!
What Is an Autobiography
The autobiography definition explains it is a written account of a person's life penned by the individual who has lived those experiences. It is a personal narrative that chronicles significant events, reflections, and emotions throughout various stages of the author's life. Unlike a biography, which is typically written by someone else, an autobiography provides a firsthand perspective, allowing the author to share their thoughts, memories, and insights. It is a cogent medium for self-expression, enabling students to convey the essence of their unique journey, impart lessons learned, and leave a lasting record of their lives for themselves and others to explore.
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Autobiography vs. Biography: What’s the Difference
The key distinction between an autobiography and a biography lies in the authorship and perspective. An autobiography is a personal account of one's own life written by the subject themselves. It offers an intimate insight into the author's experiences, emotions, and reflections. For instance, in "The Diary of a Young Girl," Anne Frank provides a poignant autobiographical account of her life hiding from the Nazis during World War II. On the other hand, a biography is a narrative of someone's life written by another person. It often involves extensive research and interviews to present a comprehensive and objective view. A notable example is "Steve Jobs" by Walter Isaacson, a biography offering an in-depth portrayal of the Apple co-founder, drawing on interviews with Jobs himself and those who knew him. While both genres illuminate lives, the crucial difference lies in the source of the narrative – whether it emanates directly from the subject or is crafted by an external observer.
A biography vs autobiography offers distinct perspectives on individuals' lives, shaping narratives through either personal reflections or external observations. Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is a powerful autobiography chronicling her tumultuous childhood and journey toward self-discovery. In contrast, a notable biography like "Leonardo da Vinci" by Walter Isaacson delves into the life of the Renaissance polymath, painting a vivid picture through meticulous research and analysis. Autobiographies often provide a deeply personal lens, as seen in "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls, where Walls recounts her unconventional upbringing. In contrast, biographies such as "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand meticulously document the extraordinary life of Louis Zamperini, offering a comprehensive view shaped by the author's investigative work. These examples underscore the unique storytelling approaches each genre employs, either from the firsthand perspective of the subject or the external perspective of an author.
Autobiography Example
Ready to explore autobiography examples? We've got a cool section coming up where we'll check out two awesome examples. Autobiographies are like personal tours into someone's life, and we'll be looking at the stories of Alex Sterling and Trevor Noah. They've poured their experiences onto the pages, and we're going to see what we can learn from their journeys. Get ready to be inspired and maybe even think about telling your own story down the line. Let's dive in!
Example 1: “Wanderer's Odyssey: The Uncharted Life of Alex Sterling”
This autobiography recounts the life of a character born in a bustling city who, driven by a thirst for adventure, leaves behind urban life to explore the open road. The narrative explores the protagonist's experiences of hitchhiking, forming connections, and finding self-discovery in the midst of the unpredictable journey. The story emphasizes the lessons learned from the road, the challenges faced, and the ultimate embrace of authenticity. The epilogue reflects on the character's life as a well-lived odyssey, highlighting themes of resilience, connection, and the pursuit of one's true identity.
Example 2: “Echoes of Eternity: The Memoirs of Amelia Reed”
This autobiography follows a character from a countryside village who harbors expansive dreams of adventure. The narrative unfolds as the protagonist sets out to pursue these dreams, facing trials and triumphs that shape their character and lead to self-discovery. The story emphasizes the transformative power of embracing the unknown, with the epilogue reflecting on a life well-lived, highlighting the legacy of fulfilled dreams and the enduring impact on future generations. In addition to examples, we have samples of narrative essay topics that might be useful for you as well.
Tell your story with EssayPro . Our skilled writers can help you craft an autobiography that truly reflects your journey. Share your unique experiences and life lessons in a way that resonates with readers.
Autobiography Elements Explained
Writing an autobiography provides a personal account of one's experiences, achievements, challenges, and personal growth. While each autobiography is unique, certain common elements are often found in this genre:
Introduction
Autobiographies typically begin with an introduction where the author sets the stage for their life story.
It may include background information such as birthplace, family, and early experiences.
Birth and Early Years
Authors often include details about their birth, childhood, and family background.
Early influences, relationships, and experiences that shaped the individual may be highlighted.
Significant Life Events
Autobiographies focus on key events and milestones that have had a significant impact on the author's life.
This could include achievements, failures, relationships, and other impactful experiences.
Challenges and Obstacles
Autobiographies explore the challenges and obstacles the author faced throughout their life.
This can include personal struggles, professional setbacks, or other difficulties.
Personal Growth and Development
Authors reflect on their personal growth and development over the years.
This may involve self-discovery, learning from experiences, and evolving perspectives.
Achievements and Milestones
Autobiographies highlight the author's achievements, whether personal, professional, or both.
Major milestones and successes are often detailed to showcase the individual's journey.
Influential Relationships
Autobiographies frequently discuss relationships with family, friends, mentors, and significant others.
The impact of these relationships on the author's life is explored.
Reflection and Insight
Authors often reflect on their lives, offering insights into their beliefs, values, and lessons learned.
This section may also include the author's perspective on the world and society.
Themes and Motifs
Autobiographies may explore recurring themes or motifs that run throughout the individual's life.
Common themes include resilience, determination, love, loss, and personal identity.
Autobiographies typically conclude with a summary or reflection on the author's life.
The author may share their current perspective and future aspirations.
Writing Style
The writing style can vary, ranging from a formal tone to a more conversational and reflective approach.
Authors may use literary devices and storytelling techniques to engage readers.
Remember that autobiographies are highly personal, and the structure and emphasis on different elements can vary widely depending on the author's preferences and purpose for writing.
Autobiographical Essay Structure
Autobiographies typically follow a chronological order, beginning with the author's early life and progressing towards the present or a significant moment. The introduction sets the stage, introducing the author and offering insight into the main themes. As you can see in an autobiography example, the narrative then unfolds, exploring the author's significant life events, challenges faced, and personal growth. Achievements and milestones are highlighted, and the impact of influential relationships is examined. Throughout, recurring themes and motifs add depth to the narrative. In the reflection and insight section, the author shares personal lessons learned and beliefs. The conclusion summarizes the autobiography, reflecting on the author's life and future aspirations.
Learning how to start an autobiography involves captivating the reader's attention while providing context. Authors often employ engaging anecdotes, vivid descriptions, or thought-provoking statements related to the overarching theme of their lives. The goal is to draw readers in from the beginning and establish a connection between the author and the audience. In the introduction, authors can introduce themselves to the reader. This can be done by sharing a captivating snapshot of their life or posing a question that intrigues the audience. The autobiography introduction sets the tone for the entire narrative, providing a glimpse into the themes and events that will be explored in the autobiography.
The autobiography conclusion offers the culmination of the author's life story. Here, authors often summarize the key points and experiences shared throughout the narrative. It is a moment of reflection, where the author can offer insights into the significance of their journey and the lessons learned along the way. The conclusion may also touch on the author's current perspective, providing a sense of closure to the narrative while leaving room for future aspirations and growth.
Literary Forms of Autobiography
Autobiographies, while generally a non-fiction genre, can take on various literary forms and styles. Here are some literary forms commonly found in autobiographical works:
Traditional Autobiography
The straightforward narrative of an individual's life, which is usually written by the person themselves. It follows a chronological order, covering significant events and experiences.
Similar to an autobiography but often focusing on specific themes, periods, or aspects of the author's life rather than a comprehensive account. Memoirs often delve into personal reflections and emotions.
Diary or Journal Form
Some autobiographies adopt the form of a diary or journal, presenting the author's life through dated entries. This format provides a more immediate and personal perspective.
Epistolary Autobiography
Written in the form of letters, an epistolary autobiography may consist of the author addressing themselves or others. This style adds an intimate and conversational tone to the narrative.
Graphic Novel or Comic Memoir
Autobiographical stories are presented in a graphic novel or comic format. Visual elements complement the written narrative, providing a unique and engaging way to convey personal experiences.
Experimental or Nonlinear Autobiography
Some authors choose to play with the chronological order, presenting their life story non-linearly. This experimental approach can create a more artistic and challenging reading experience.
Biographical Fiction
While not entirely autobiographical, some authors write fictionalized versions of their own lives. It allows for creative exploration and artistic liberties while drawing inspiration from real experiences.
Travelogue Autobiography
Autobiographies that take on the form of a travelogue often focus on the author's journeys, both physical and metaphorical. The narrative is shaped by the places visited and the impact of these experiences on personal growth.
Essayistic Autobiography
Autobiographies that incorporate elements of essays, exploring themes, ideas, and reflections on the author's life. This form allows for a more contemplative and philosophical approach.
Collaborative Autobiography
Co-written autobiographies involve collaboration between the autobiographical subject and a professional writer. It is common when the subject may not be a writer but has a compelling story to share.
These literary forms highlight the versatility of autobiographical writing, showcasing how authors can creatively shape their life stories to engage readers in various ways. Are you working on other academic assignments? Use our term paper writing services to put your finger on any pending task at hand quickly and for a reasonable price.
How to Write an Autobiography in 5 Steps
Writing an autobiography can be a rewarding and reflective process. Here's a simplified guide in 5 steps to help you get started:
Step 1: Reflection and Brainstorming
Begin by reflecting on your life, considering important events, challenges, and moments of growth. Make a mental inventory of key experiences and people who have influenced you.
Step 2: Establish a Focus
Choose a central theme or focus for your autobiography. This could be a specific period of your life, a significant achievement, or a recurring theme that ties your experiences together. Having a clear focus will guide your writing.
Step 3: Create a Chronological Outline
Develop a rough chronological outline of your life story, starting from your early years and progressing through significant events to the present or another crucial point. Identify key moments and experiences to include in each section.
Step 4: Write with Detail and Emotion
An important aspect of writing an autobiography for college is appealing to emotion. As you delve into each body paragraph, share your story with vivid details. Use descriptive language to bring your experiences to life for the reader. Infuse your writing with emotion, allowing readers to connect with the depth of your personal journey.
Step 5: Conclude Reflectively
In the concluding section, summarize the key aspects of your life story. Reflect on the significance of your journey, the lessons you've learned, and how you've grown. Provide insights into your current perspective and aspirations for the future, bringing your autobiography to a thoughtful conclusion.
Writing Techniques to Use in an Autobiography
When you write an autobiography, the process involves employing various techniques to make the narrative engaging, evocative, and compelling. Here are some tips for writing autobiography commonly used in autobiographies:
Descriptive Language
Use vivid and descriptive language to paint a detailed picture of events, people, and settings. Engage the reader's senses to create a more immersive experience.
Incorporate dialogue to bring conversations to life. Direct quotes can provide authenticity and convey the personalities of the people involved.
Show, Don't Tell
Instead of merely stating facts, show the emotions and experiences through actions, reactions, and sensory details.
Flashbacks and Foreshadowing
Employ flashbacks to delve into past events and foreshadowing to create anticipation about future developments.
Metaphors and Similes
Use metaphors and similes to enhance descriptions and convey complex emotions. Comparisons can make abstract concepts more relatable.
Integrate symbols and motifs that hold personal significance. This adds depth to the narrative and can be a thematic thread throughout the autobiography.
Humor and Wit
Infuse your writing with humor and wit when appropriate.
Introduce suspense by strategically withholding information or revealing key details at crucial moments.
First-Person Perspective
Utilize the first-person point of view to offer a direct and personal connection between the author and the reader.
Dramatic Irony
Introduce dramatic irony by revealing information to the reader that the author may not have known at the time.
Parallelism
Create parallel structures within the narrative, drawing connections between different periods, events, or themes in your life.
Experimenting with different styles can make your story more engaging and memorable for readers. If you haven’t used these techniques in your paper, simply say, ‘ edit my essay ,’ and our experts will imbue stylistic and creative devices in your document to increase its scholarly value.
Benefits of Writing an Autobiography
Working on an autobiography can be incredibly beneficial on a personal level. When you take the time to reflect on your life and put it into words, you gain a deeper understanding of yourself. It's like a journey of self-discovery where you uncover patterns, values, and beliefs that have shaped who you are. This process not only promotes self-awareness but can also help you grow and bounce back from tough times. Writing about challenging moments can be a therapeutic release, allowing you to confront and make sense of your experiences, leading to emotional healing.
On a broader scale, sharing your life story through an autobiography has its impact. It becomes a piece of history, offering insights into the times you've lived through, the culture around you, and societal changes. Your personal narrative connects you with others, creating empathy and understanding. Autobiographies often inspire people by showing that it's possible to overcome challenges, find purpose, and navigate the ups and downs of life. By sharing your story, you become a part of the larger human experience, contributing to a rich tapestry of diverse stories that help us better understand the shared journey of being human. Order an essay or any other type of task to streamline your educational progress is only a few clicks.
Best Piece of Advice for Making Your Autobiography Spot-on
The most valuable advice is to infuse authenticity into every word. Be genuine, raw, and honest about your experiences, emotions, and growth. Readers connect deeply with authenticity, and it's what makes your story uniquely yours. Don't shy away from expressing vulnerability, as it adds a human touch and makes your narrative relatable. Share the highs and lows, the triumphs and struggles, with sincerity, and let your true self shine through. This honesty not only enhances the impact of your autobiography but also contributes to a more profound connection between you and your readers, creating an authentic and memorable narrative. Here are additional tips for bringing your autobiography assignment up to par:
Essential Details. Focus on key moments that significantly contribute to your story, avoiding unnecessary details.
Thematic Cohesion. Introduce and explore recurring themes to add depth and coherence to your narrative.
Authentic Expression. Embrace your unique voice, personality, and storytelling style to create an authentic connection with readers.
Dialogue and Monologue. Use genuine dialogue and inner monologue to provide insights into your thoughts and emotions during pivotal moments.
Symbolic Elements. Incorporate symbolic imagery or metaphors to convey deeper meanings and emotions.
Strategic Foreshadowing. Use foreshadowing purposefully, providing subtle hints that contribute meaningfully to the overall narrative.
Reflective Closure. Conclude your autobiography with a reflective summary that offers insights into the broader significance of your journey.
Our essay writers know many more tips regarding all possible types of academic tasks. If you ever find yourself in writer’s block, not knowing how to tackle any particular assignment, let us know!
Final Words
If you want to understand how to write a good autobiography, think of it as painting a vivid picture of your life for others to see. It's about being real, digging deep into your memories, and choosing the moments that really matter. Let your personality shine through in your writing – be yourself because that's what makes your story unique. Weave in themes that tie everything together, and use storytelling techniques like dialogue and symbolism to make your narrative come alive. And as you reach the end, leave your readers with some food for thought – a reflection on the bigger lessons learned from your journey. If you ever need assistance with this or any other college assignment, use our research paper services without hesitation.
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Intellectual Autobiography Essay Example
Intellectual Autobiography Essay Sample. Home › Free Essay Examples › Education › Intellectual Autobiography Essay Sample. All I can remember from my childhood is that I was a quiet child. So quiet that my parents thought my siblings were wiser than I was and, therefore, would favor them at my expense. However, what was their wisdom when ...
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What is an intellectual biography and how should I think about writing one? • Intellectual biographies offer insights into 1) the person's life; 2) the intellectual and creative work of the person; 3) the relationship between life and work; and 4) the significance of the life and work historically.
You have mailed your transcripts and finished celebrating the completion of your graduate school admissions test. With your application in hand, one final task remains: writing a biography - sometimes called a personal statement or statement of intent - for the screening committee. This intellectual exercise requires ...
Writing an intellectual biography, whether for business or personal use, requires research, high-quality background information and great writing skills. Make sure you are honest but also that you promote the best and brightest aspects of the person you're writing about.
What is an intellectual biography and how should I think about writing one? • Intellectual biographies offer insights into 1) the person's life; 2) the intellectual and creative work of the person; 3) the relationship between life and work; and 4) the significance of the life and work historically. Ask yourself the following questions: Why ...
Fellowships and scholarships are structured as financial investments in an individual scholar, rather than a specific research project or scholarly endeavor. As such, applications for these types of awards often require a personal statement or personal essay of some sort that presents your intellectual biography as a scholar. Striking the appropriate tone and including the right details in a ...
Writing an intellectual biography can be a fun and rewarding task. An intellectual biography is a story of someone's life, focusing on their ideas, thoughts, and contributions to their field.
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.
Writing an intellectual biography can seem like a big job. It is a special kind of story about someone's life. This story focuses on their ideas, thoughts, and contributions to the world.
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 ...
An academic biography is a concise, informative paragraph that highlights your professional identity, research interests, and significant accomplishments. It's a crucial component of your academic presence, often required when proposing conference abstracts, contributing to edited collections, or publishing articles and books.
An academic biography is a concise description of a researcher and his career which is mostly used as an introduction to a conference or public event. This article discusses some important tips on writing an academic bio.
Whether you're capturing the life story of a famous person, a family member, or even yourself, creating a compelling biography involves a mix of thorough research, narrative skill, and a personal touch. So, how exactly do you write a successful biography?
In this guide, we show you how to write a biography from the initial book idea all the way through to publishing your book, and we throw in a free template to help you on your way.
Among the numerous forms of biographical research in education, five types are often noted: scholarly chronicles, intellectual biography, life history writing, memoir biography, and narrative biography. These orientations may take the form of articles, vignettes, chapters, monographs, and full-length books. One need not draw fine distinctions among these different approaches, however, and ...
Learn how to write a biography that intrigues readers using these tips and examples.
It is not surprising that biography is one of the most popular literary genres of our day. What is remarkable is that there is no accessible guide for how to write one. Now, following his recent Biography: A Brief History (from Harvard), award-winning biographer and teacher Nigel Hamilton tackles the practicalities of doing biography in this first succinct primer to elucidate the tools of the ...
Biographies are how we learn information about another human being's life. Whether you want to start writing a biography about a famous person, historical figure, or an influential family member, it's important to know all the elements that make a biography worth both writing and reading.
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.
Writing Your Paper: APA. Things to know before you begin: Font: Times New Roman. Font Size: 12 point. Margins: 1 inch. Paragraphs: All paragraphs (except the Abstract) should be indented. Spacing: All of the text in your paper should be double-spaced. Typical APA style papers have four main sections: Title Page.
Learn how to write a biography in 5 proven steps. From research to publishing, our experts will help you create a compelling story your readers will love!
Ideally, authors would set about writing a biography with the full consent of the subject or their estate. Doing so provides the author with the confidence of knowing they will not face legal challenges once the work reaches publication. Obtaining legal authorization generally involves writing material that has the subject's seal of approval.
Wondering how to write an autobiography? This article will instruct you on the definition, structure, elements, and writing tips.
Intellectual Autobiography Essay Sample. Home › Free Essay Examples › Education › Intellectual Autobiography Essay Sample. All I can remember from my childhood is that I was a quiet child. So quiet that my parents thought my siblings were wiser than I was and, therefore, would favor them at my expense. However, what was their wisdom when ...