If you are looking for a worthy writing project to devote time to, you should really write a biography. A biography is a genre that covers the story of another human being’s life.
The subject could be a famous person, influential member of your family, or a person of great historical relevance. If you are going to write a biography, you should make sure that you know where to begin. Here are key tips on how to write a biography this 2023.
1. Choose a fitting subject
When it comes to writing a biography, it is very important that you choose a fitting subject. Remember that while you are not obligated to write about a famous individual, it would help your biography book’s sales in the long run.
While a famous subject is a good way to sell books, you could still write about obscure subjects as well. Just as long as the subject is interesting and there is a key reason for writing the biography.
2. Know the key characteristics of a biography
If you are going to write a biography, you should also know its key characteristics. The book must contain basic information about the subject’s life. This includes their place of birth, interests, education, and any other facts that could be important for the overall narrative. The biography should also have information about the subject’s relationship with friends and family. Aside from the contents, you should also remember that a biography should be detailed and is written in third person.
3. Get permission to write the subject’s biography
After choosing the subject for your biography, you should now get permission to write the subject’s biography. This is not only good manners, this is also very important. While it is not really necessary to get express permission, it is better to be safe than sorry.
There are some subjects who value their privacy greatly. Should you write a subject’s biography without their express permission, there is a chance that the subject could take legal action against you. There may be times where you won’t need to get permission. If the subject is a public figure or has already passed away, you may not need to get permission.
As a rule, you should send out a letter asking the subject for his or her permission. Should the subject already have passed away and you still want express permission, you could also reach out to the subject’s family or the people who could give you permission to write the biography. They may even help you out during the research process, and provide you important details about the subject’s life.
4. Have a thesis ready
When you start writing the biography, you should reserve the first chapter or paragraph for the thesis statement. This is to inform the readers about the subject, and what they stand to learn from the biography.
5. Do thorough research
If you are going to write a quality biography, you should make sure to do your research as thoroughly as possible. Remember that you will be writing about the life of a specific person, so you should be sure that everything you write is as accurate as possible. These should include all the key dates, events, and details.
When you do your research, you should make sure to double-check all your sources. Remember that not all sources are trustworthy. If the subject is still alive, you could ask him or her. The subject is the most ideal source of information. If the subject has already passed away, you could reach out to the subject’s family and friends.
While other written information about the subject could be used, you should double check the information before you use them in your biography. If you are going to use written information about your subject, you should choose key sources such as emails, interviews, memoires that were personally written by the author.
6. Follow a set timeline
A key aspect of writing a biography is a workable timeline. Remember that the biography will contain a lot of dates, events, and places. If you want to make sure that the biography is as chronologically accurate as possible, you should make sure to create a timeline, and follow it to the letter.
7. Express your own thoughts on the subject
While you should write about the subject and the events in his or her life, this does not mean that you can’t express your own thoughts in the book. You can express your thoughts and opinions on the subject’s life. You could also point out key events in the author’s life that you would deem significant and how these events affected history and the world. Even though you should be honest in your opinions, you should also remember to be respectful as well.
Conclusion
If you are thinking of writing a biography this 2023, you should have a set strategy. With these tips, you’ll be able to write a truly great biography this 2023.