Video:How to Write a Biography

Transcript:How to Write a Biography

Hello friends, my name is Alexandra and today we're going to talk about writing a biography.

Collecting Information to Put in Biography

You'll have to start off by collecting all the basic information available on your subject: date and place of birth, family information, lifetime accomplishments, major events in life, impact on society and historical significance. Like a professional journalist, always check your information from three reliable sources and write them down on research note cards.

Keep Reader Interested in Biography

Besides the obvious facts, don't forget that you're supposed to tell a story and eventually impress the reader. Don't start off with a boring phrase like "Virginia Woolf was born on January 25, 1882 in Kensington, England." Instead, you can try, "On a cold January day in 1882, a little girl was born in Kensington, England. She was to become one of the most important British authors of all time and an essential literary figure of the twentieth century." Find as many inside details and stories and you can and connect them to the specific data you already have.

Questions to Answer When Writing Biography

Here are some guideline questions for writing a biography: Was there something in your subject's childhood that shaped his/her personality? Was there a personality trait that drove him/her to succeed or impeded his progress? What adjectives would you use to describe him/her? What were some turning points in this life? How did his/her personal life connect with his/her career or body of work? What was his/her impact on history? The final paragraph should summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim about your subject and his/her importance. Don't forget to attach a bibliography of all the sources you have used for research.

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