The document provides guidance on writing a compelling biography, emphasizing the importance of understanding the subject's motivations and the reasons for writing their story. It outlines research methods, including primary and secondary sources, and describes the process of transforming a life into a structured narrative. Key steps in writing include drafting, revising, and editing to create an engaging and informative text.

1. Ready to start work on your hit biography yet? Are you sure? In that case, we wish you luck,
writer ‒ heed our advice because there’s a long road ahead…
Words: Caolan Blaney
Design: Amber Hicks
For more information, visit: www.storyterrace.com/blog
The best biographies are written for novel reasons. They aim to inform,
captivate, enrage, inspire, or all of the above. They offer us an extensive
insight into the life of a remarkable person. They are the lifeblood of any
section marked ‘Non-Fiction’.
The Idea
The distinction between biography and plain old history is
that the thing that makes a story interesting is not the facts
or events, but the feelings and motivations of the people
involved. Whilst you might have an idea of who you want to
write about, it is more important to think why you want to
write about them.
What makes your subject interesting?
What is it about your subject that a reader
would want to know?
How can you make the story come alive?
The Research
If you’re unable to rely on interviews, then it comes down
to good old fashioned research;‒ roll up your sleeves and
prepare for a long ride. You’re going to need to amass a
wealth of primary and secondary sources if you want your
biography to have any legitimacy, so hit the books, scan the
internet and talk to experts for information. Do periphery
research, too. If your subject lived long ago, then study what
life was like back then.
The hard method: Using very specific
questions to reveal specific answers.
The soft method: Using open questions,
allowing the interviewee to move in the
direction that they want.
The conversational method: letting the
interviewee lead the discussion; maybe
revealing something unexpected.
The Method
Depending on whether your subject is alive, living and
unwilling to help, recently deceased or long deceased, your
research may take a different path. If they’re alive then your
best shot - and primary research tool - would be to interview
the subject, their family, friends and anyone else who may
have a unique perspective on the person. Here are a few
different types of jouranlistic methods you could try:
What was happening socially,
economically and politically?
What were the attitudes and opinions of
the people around your subject?
How might this have informed their life?
The Process
What you’re essentially trying to do is condense an entire
life into the form of a book; an interesting book. And let’s get
one thing clear: life and life-writing are not the same thing.
Life has no form, no structure and is completely unlike a
book. The job of the biographer, therefore, is to shape and
condense a person’s life into a structured story. This means
focusing on the relevant parts of the subject’s life, choosing
the bits that developed them as a person and arranging it all
into narrative form.
Drafting: Creating and shaping the original
body of text.
Revising: Reviewing and altering the text
to craft a more cohesive work.
Editing: Correcting, organising and
condensing the text into the best it can be.
How To Write A Good Biography