A biography about someone
Exploring biographies
Watch: What is a biography?
A biography is a non-fiction text about someone's life.
Biographies are true pieces of text, based on fact, so biographers (the people who write biographies) have to do a lot of research. They use websites, letters, photographs, diaries and newspapers to help them.
Because biographies are written by someone else, they are written in the third person(//).
They are usually written in chronological order (the order in which events actually happened).
For example, watch this clip. It gives a biography of the scientist Marie Curie.
Watch: Biography of Stephen Hawking
Even though biographers do lots of research, they can only guess at what it was like to be that person, or the thoughts and feelings the person had.
If the person they want to write about, or anyone who knew them, is still alive, biographers sometimes carry out an interview to ask lots of questions about the person's life.
Here's another biography of a scientist, this time Professor Stephen Hawking.
Who are biographies about?
Often biographies are about people who are famous because of something they have done. Scientists, artists, sports stars or world leaders often have biographies written about them.
But you don't have to be famous to have a biography written about you. You just need to have a life story that someone else could find interesting or want to find out about.
People in the future will be interested in lives being led right now!
Biographies should be based on fact. How many facts do you remember about the biographies of Marie Curie and Stephen Hawking? Try this true or false quiz to find out!
Time to become a biographer! Write a short biography of someone you are interested in.
It could be a famous person from history, a sports star, a scientist or an artist. It could even be your favourite TV star!
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Do you want to write a biography about someone else? I have a notebook where I write down project ideas, including the names of people I&#;d like to interview about their life experiences. Over the last couple years, my list has become pretty long!
With my journalism background, I never have trouble sniffing out an interesting or eccentric personality. Honestly, everybody has some good stories to tell. You just need to practice your interview skills so people will share them.
There are so many interesting people in the world. Pick someone you know who&#;s led an interesting life and help them preserve and record their stories. It will be fun for you, and incredibly meaningful for the other person.
10 people to write a biography about
If you want to write a biography about someone else, here are 10 suggestions from my interview list:
Your grandma or grandpa. If you&#;re fortunate enough to still having living grandparents, put them at the top of your biography list! You&#;ll have so much fun asking them stories about their life and they&#;ll love spending time with you. Some grandparents need a little convincing to really open up and share their experiences. Others might talk your ear off. Be sure to get them to repeat the stories you grew up hearing. One day you will LOVE having that story in their own words.
An elderly relative. We all have a kooky great aunt or great uncle, or maybe a globe-trotting distant cousin, who has the most amazing and crazy stories. Get in touch with those relatives and start asking them questions. To get the conversation started, ask for details about a specific story you&#;ve heard. It&#;s a good way to warm them up and get them interested in sharing more with you.
Someone diagnosed with a memory disorder or memory condition. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing a gentleman who had just been diagnosed with Alzheimer&#;s. His family wanted to preserve his stories while the details and memories were still sharp Writing a biography can be a rewarding endeavor, but it can also feel a bit daunting if you’ve never written one before. Whether you’re capturing the life story of a famous person, a family member, or even yourself, creating a compelling biography involves a mix of thorough research, narrative skill, and a personal touch. So, how exactly do you write a successful biography? In this guide, we’ll break down the essentials to help you craft a biography that’s both informative and engaging, as well as our top tips for how to make it truly shine. A biography is a detailed account of someone’s life. A well-written biography needs to be objective and accurate. At the same time, it needs to depict more than just the basic facts like birth, education, work, relationships, and death—it should also portray the subject’s personal experience of those events. So, in addition to being a good researcher, a good biographer also needs to be a good storyteller. You should provide insights into the subject’s personality, motivations, and impact on the world around them. Understanding the distinctions between different genres of life writing is crucial for both writers and readers. Here’s a quick breakdown of the key differences between a biography and other related genres. Biography: a detailed account of a person’s life, usually written in the third-person POV and supported by extensive research Autobiography: a self-written account of the author’s own life, usually written in the first person POV and following a chronological order Memoir: a collection of memories that an individual writes about moments or events that took place in their life, usually in the first person POV and in an introspective and personal way Narrative nonfiction: a book that tells true stories using the techniques of fiction writing, such a .How to Write a Biography: A Step-by-Step Guide
What Is a Biography?
What’s the Difference Between a Biography, a Memoir, and an Autobiography?