Introduction to Biography

“The best biographies leave their readers with a sense of having all but entered into a second life and of having come to know another human being in some ways better than [she] knew [herself].” - Mary Cable in New York Times, 1969

A biography is an account of someone’s life which is written by someone other than that person. Biographies are written as a way to examine and understand a person’s life and importance. Information comes from primary sources such as diaries, interviews, letters; and secondary information, such as other biographies, reference books, and histories. While famous and infamous people are often the subject for biographies, lesser-known people and those who lived during a specific event can also lend compelling life stories. Biographies are written to examine a person’s importance and influence, make sense of mysterious or fascinating personalities or events, and give greater understanding that person’s role in society or history.

Writing a Biography

To begin writing a biography, you need to select a person of interest and decide how you’re going to present their life.  Will you move the reader through the story chronologically or by moving from one important accomplishment or event to the next? The first step will be to collect some of the person’s basic facts, such as:

Date of birth/death
Family information
Historical significance
Lifetime accomplishments
Major events in life

Remember, the purpose of writing a biography is not to just recount the basic information, it is to reveal meaningful aspects of their lives and experiences. This is especially true in the beginning. You want to grab your writer with your first sentence. 
For example, instead of: Toni Morrison was born in Lorain, Ohio on February 18, 1931, you might begin with something else:  After welding a perfect seam, George Wofford would sign his name next to it.  This habit, combined with having pride for hard work greatly impacted his second daughter, Chole Wofford, who would later sign her name, now more commonly known as Toni Morrison, to her award-winning novel, The Bluest Eye. Born in 1931 in Lorain, Ohio, a town was filled with Europeans, Southern blacks, and Mexicans, Toni would grow…….  

Other beginnings might include a letter to or by the subject, a diary entry, or dialogue.

You want to help your readers understand why this person is worth writing about, what about their experiences makes an interesting story.  To do this, you might consider questions such as:

• What makes this person special or interesting?
• What kind of effect did he or she have on the world and other people?
• What are the adjectives you would most use to describe the person?
• What examples from their life illustrate those qualities?
• What events shaped or changed this person's life?
• Did he or she overcome obstacles? Take risks? Get lucky?
• Would the world be better or worse if this person hadn't lived? How and why?
• 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?
• What was his/her impact on history? [12,13]

Try to include intriguing and little known facts that help keep your reader interested. For instance, many know the author of Beloved and first African-American female to win the Noble Prize in Literature to be Toni Morrison, but in reality, Toni is her nickname, she was born Chloe and she was not happy when the first publication of The Bluest Eye was printed with Toni Morrison on the cover. She also was the only student in her first-grade class to enter knowing how to read.  Once you have collected your information and thought about the importance of the person’s life and experience, begin organizing the information into a story that is coherent and rich in material that will help your reader gain a greater understanding of the person and their life. [15,16,17]