Biography people to write about

Hi Hal, thanks for your comment! Now, if you were helping that person to ghostwrite their own autobiography, that would be different, but still settled between the two of you. This article is very useful and well organized. Writing the biography sounds like a fun project to undertake. Thank you for your advice. What Is a Biography? Difference Between a Biography and an Autobiography A biography is an account of the life of someone other than the author.

What Should a Biography Include? Choose your subject. Conduct thorough research. For research, biographers rely on both primary and secondary sources. Primary sources : If you are writing about a living person, primary sources might include interviews with that person, their family members, friends, and colleagues, as well as letters, journals, diaries, speeches, newspaper accounts, school records or reports, and other documents.

Secondary sources : If you write about a famous person, chances are there are already other books written about them. Biographies that another person has written fall under secondary sources, as do reference books and histories that support your information. Write an outline of your biography. Specific time periods : Another way of outlining is to group certain time periods around a specific theme.

Start writing your first draft. Take a break before proofreading and fact checking your first draft. Get another perspective. Send a copy to your subject. Publish Your Biography Congratulations! 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.

This provides closure and leaves the reader with a lasting impression. Your goal is simply to get words down on the page so you have something to edit. Review your biography for coherence and organization. Does the overall structure make sense? 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. 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. 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. Including your own perspective can make the biography relatable and engaging.

It will also help make your biography stand out from the crowd. This will help you see the bigger picture and ensure you cover all important aspects. If the subject is still alive, ask them for permission to tell their story before you start writing. Prefer to read about fascinating First Ladies rather than almost-presidents? Check out this awesome list of books about First Ladies over on The Archive.

A prolific essayist, short story writer, and novelist, Hurston turned her hand to biographical writing in with this incredible work, kept under lock and key until it was published A dexterous balance of in-depth research and intimately drawn details makes this biography a perfect tribute to the mercurial man who led Britain through World War II.

Just what those circumstances are occupies much of Bodanis's book, which pays homage to Einstein and, just as important, to predecessors such as Maxwell, Faraday, and Lavoisier, who are not as well known as Einstein today. Without sliding into easy psychobiography, Bodanis explores other circumstances as well; namely, Einstein's background and character, which combined with a sterling intelligence to afford him an idiosyncratic view of the way things work--a view that would change the world.

From the origins and development of its individual elements energy, mass, and light to their ramifications in the twentieth century, Bodanis turns what could be an extremely dry subject into engaging fare for readers of all stripes. When Enrique was only five years old, his mother left Honduras for the United States, promising a quick return. And while Kahlo no doubt endured a great deal of suffering a horrific accident when she was eighteen, a husband who had constant affairs , the focal point of the book is not her pain.

Perhaps the most impressive biographical feat of the twenty-first century, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is about a woman whose cells completely changed the trajectory of modern medicine. Five months later, McCandless was found emaciated and deceased in his shelter — but of what cause? Another mysterious explorer takes center stage in this gripping biography.

Grann tells the story of Percy Fawcett, the archaeologist who vanished in the Amazon along with his son in , supposedly in search of an ancient lost city. Titled after one of her most evocative poems, this shimmering bio of Sylvia Plath takes an unusual approach. Instead of focusing on her years of depression and tempestuous marriage to poet Ted Hughes, it chronicles her life before she ever came to Cambridge.

Wilson closely examines her early family and relationships, feelings and experiences, with information taken from her meticulous diaries — setting a strong precedent for other Plath biographers to follow. What if you had twenty-four different people living inside you, and you never knew which one was going to come out? Such was the life of Billy Milligan, the subject of this haunting biography by the author of Flowers for Algernon.

Decorated scholar Andrew Roberts delves into the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, from his near-flawless military instincts to his complex and confusing relationship with his wife. Lyndon Johnson might not seem as intriguing or scandalous as figures like Kennedy, Nixon, or W. Johnson himself was a surprisingly cunning figure, gradually maneuvering his way closer and closer to power.

Finally, in , he got his greatest wish — but at what cost? Anyone who grew up reading Little House on the Prairie will surely be fascinated by this tell-all biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Could there be a more fitting title for a book about the husband-wife team who discovered radioactivity? What you may not know is that these nuclear pioneers also had a fascinating personal history.

Marie Sklodowska met Pierre Curie when she came to work in his lab in , and just a few years later they were married. Go deeper with what motivates you. Stating what drives you to do the work you do is essential to employers and customers alike. Describe your accomplishments. While you should avoid sounding braggy, the reader is looking for information about what your qualifications are , and your accomplishments generally measure these qualities.

Biography people to write about

Even though you could probably go on for ages about the details of your accomplishments, save that for an interview. In a short bio, only include the most impressive of your achievements to outline. Include contact information. The purpose of a short bio as either a business or a job seeker is to inspire the reader to reach out. Without contact information, this pursuit becomes futile.

Make sure your short bio has some way to contact you at the end. Your full name. You can choose to write your bio in the first person I, me, my or third person he, she, they , but either way, you need to include your full name at some point. Your brand. What you do. Summarize what you want the reader to know about what you do in one sentence — tricky, we know.

Your accomplishments. For a short bio, you can stick with just one major accomplishment from your professional life. Or, if you have a string of impressive achievements, try condensing all of them down to one sentence. Your goals and values. Let the reader know what makes you tick — why do you do what you do and what do you hope to achieve with your work?

Something personal optional. Contact info optional. If your bio is serving as a call-to-action to drum up business or get leads on job opportunities, it makes sense to include your contact information at the end of your bio. Mitchell Morrison is an upcoming video producer and editor who believes in the art of visual organization. He is a recent graduate from the University of Washington and focused on post-production during his time studying there.

He was introduced to the magical world of visual art production by watching his father work on editing commercials growing up and has been working towards his dream of becoming a video editor ever since. During his last year of college, Mitchell participated in a competitive internship with Digital Space Films. He was chosen out of 2, applicants based on his academic portfolio and personal statement essay.