How To-36: "How to Write a Biography"

How to Write a Biography

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Whether it's a project for school or simply something to do in your spare time, it's always fun to write a biography on someone you admire. However, many of you will be wondering how to write a biography that will do justice to the wonderful life of your hero.

Steps

1. Choose a person to write about. It should be someone who's life you are interested in otherwise you won't be able to write much about them without getting bored.
   
2. Talk to them if possible. If it is a celebrity who you can't speak to then it can be useful to read other people's interveiws or their autobiography if they have one.
   
3. Research and decide on the best anecdotes to include in the biography. You may want to theme them, for example mainly funny or mainly heart-warming, or you may want a mixture. Different people and lives suit different styles better.
   
4. Do your background research. As well as stories, people reading the biography will expect to read basic facts such as place/date of birth, proffession and date/reason of death (if applicable).
   
5. Start writing. Generally, biographies are in chronological order (i.e. order that things happened in real life) but you're writing it so it's up to you.
   
6. Proof-read it - this means reading and re-reading it to make sure you havn't made any spelling or grammar mistakes. You might also decide to cut or add sentences to make sure your writing really is the best it can be.
   
7. Check your facts. You've almost finished but, because you're writing about a real life someone else, you want to make sure that everything you've said about them is true before you start showing other people.
   
8. Create a title and title page. A clever title will catch people's eye and make people want to read your biography. Think of a play on word on their name (newspaper headlines may give you ideas if you're writing about a celebrity) or a reference to a good anecdote you've written about. Make a nice front cover, print out and stable together (make sure it's in the right order).
   

Tips

• Reading biographies can give you a feel for the different styles.
  

Warnings

• Be truthful, don't lie about the person you are writing about.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Write an Autobiography
  
• How to Write an Autobiography for School Without Feeling Conceited
  
• How to Write an Autobiography
  
• How to Be a Good Writer
  
• How to Become a Writer
  
• How to Publish a Book at a Young Age
  

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