How To Do Biography
Contents:
How To Do Biography — Nigel Hamilton | Harvard University Press
An ability to convey this sensation is, I believe, at the heart of the matter. If you, the biographer, don't thrill to your subject, you can hardly in all fairness expect the reader to do so. In a sense not of course the commercial sense the choice of subject is irrelevant so long as it meets that requirement. You could say that I was extremely lucky to choose Mary Queen of Scots for my first foray since there proved to be a world-wide public for the troubles of the ill-fated Queen.
But you could argue equally that I made my own luck, since I had always been obsessed by Mary's story from childhood. Nor was success fore-ordained. It was, after all, the leading publisher Mark Bonham-Carter of then Collins who said to me when I confessed my project, "They say that all books on Mary Queen of Scots sell and no books on South America do", before adding with a laugh, "Perhaps yours will be the exception. Nevertheless I did have luck. In the 60s, so-called narrative biography was said to be out of fashion.
Mary Queen of Scots was an early beneficiary from the fact that the public continued to have an appetite for it, so long as the research was felt to be solid. The actual research for a biography - now that's a whole other matter.
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The paramount need for it - historical truth not Stracheyesque truth must be established - means that biographers discover for themselves the reality of Dr Johnson's wise dictum about the greatest part of a writer's time being spent in reading in order to write: Obviously it is every researcher's dream to discover such papers, and their discovery once again may make a project commercial which would not otherwise be so. There is also no excitement like that of viewing the piece of paper on which the subject actually wrote.
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Ask the subject for permission to write the biography. Before you dive into your research, make sure you get the okay from the subject to write their biography. Writing in the third person will make your bio sound more objective – like it's been .. How do I write a biography if I am applying for a job?.
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later. Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. While thousands of excellent books exist explaining the methods and craft of writing various genres of fiction and nonfiction books, there is little to no authoritative, professional volumes that explain the detailed intricacies of writing biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs.
Luckily, for those searching for a book on biographical prose, Nigel Hamilton has shared with us his expertise in this marvelous tour-de-force of all things biography. Instructive, thoughtful, and entertaining, this book will give even the novice biographer all the tools necessary to successfully navigate the treacherous terrain of writing about our fellow human beings; both contemporary and historical. My only regret in this review is that I can't give Hamilton stars for his seminal work on the topic. This book saved my thesis. I was writing a critical essay on a specific aspect of biographical practice, and Hamilton's book showed me how to approach the essentials of biography.
For the first time since I started the project, I began to recognise the fundamentals. He writes in a warm and encouraging voice. His assumption is that you are writing a commercial biography of a single individual over several years of research and writing. This was not my situation at all, but I could adapt his well-structured advice to suit my purposes. His excellent bibliography introduced me to several other useful texts. I recommend this book to writers and I was pleased to quote him in my thesis.
I hope he sees this review!
- How To Do Biography.
- How to Write a Biography (with Examples) - wikiHow.
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I wish I had opened it before the 7 days to return was up. It's a complete waste of money. I cannot take advice from an author with an atrocious writing style. It's a little better than those awful websites that sell content by the word, but not much. This book is VERY helpful and insightful. I know my book will be much better thanks to this one!
This is not the book I imagined it to be. For example, if you're writing a professional bio for your website in order to market yourself and your skills, look at websites created by others in your field. See how they present themselves, and figure out what you think they do well.
Good places to look for professional bios could be professional websites, Twitter accounts and LinkedIn pages. Narrow down your information. Be ruthless here——even the most interesting of anecdotes may not be appropriate. For example, an author's bio on a book jacket often mentions past writing accomplishments, whereas an athlete's bio on a team website often mentions the person's height and weight. While it's often okay to add a few extraneous details, they should not make up the majority of your bio. Remember that your credibility is important here.
While you may enjoy going on pub crawls with your buddies on a weekend, that may not be what you want to advertise in a bio aimed at finding a job. Keep your details relevant and informative. Write in the third person. Experts recommend that you always write professional bios in the third person. For example, begin your bio with a sentence such as "Joann Smith is a graphic designer in Boston," rather than "I am a graphic designer in Boston. Begin with your name. This should be the first thing you write.
Assume that the people reading the bio know nothing about you. Give your full preferred name, but avoid nicknames. State your claim to fame. What are you known for?
Do Research
What do you do for a living? How much experience or expertise do you have? Don't leave this to the end or make your readers guess—they won't and they may well lose interest quickly if it's not up front. This should be explicitly stated in the first or second sentence. Usually, combining it with your name is easiest. Dan Keller is a columnist for the Boulder Times. Mention your most important accomplishments, if applicable. If you have earned achievements or awards that are relevant, include them.
However, this element is tricky and might not be applicable in all situations. Remember that a bio is not a resume. Do not simply list your accomplishments; describe them. Remember that your audience may have no idea what these accomplishments are unless you tell them. Include personal, humanizing details. This is a nice way to invite the reader to care. However, avoid too much self-deprecation in your tone, and don't include details that are too intimate or potentially embarrassing for either you or your audience. Ideally, these personal details will serve as conversation-starters should you meet your audience in real life.
Conclude by including information on any projects you have in the works. For example, if you're a writer, state the title of the new book you're working on. This should be kept to a sentence or two.
He is currently working on a memoir. This is usually done in the last sentence. If it's to be published online, be careful with the email address in order to avoid spam. Many people write email addresses online as something like: If space permits, include a couple of ways of contacting you, such as your Twitter profile or a LinkedIn page. Aim for at least words. For an online blurb, this is just enough to give the reader a taste of your life and personality without becoming a bore. Avoid a profile that is longer than words. Rarely is writing perfect the first time it hits the pages.
And because personal bios are only a small snapshot of a person's life, upon rereading your bio, you might realize there was information you forgot to include. Have a friend read your bio and give you their feedback. This is important because they can tell you if all the information you want to get though is coming across clearly. Keep your bio up to date. Every once in a while, go back and update your bio. By putting in a little work frequently to keep it up to date, you'll save yourself a lot of work when you need to use it again. The best way to do this is to make the structure your own by telling a story, not outlining key factoids.
There are many possible structures to choose from, including: This structure starts at the beginning and ends at the end. This structure start at an important or climactic moment D , backtracks A , and then explains all the events leading up to that moment B, C , eventually bringing the reader full circle.
This structure focuses on one critical event for example, C to symbolically tell a larger story. It might use a few small, surrounding details a, d to orient the reader, but otherwise, the moment is important enough to stand on its own. Keep the focus on yourself. On top of that, praising the school at the expense of describing yourself makes you sound unworthy to attend. My brother was lucky that his surgeon studied at one of the best programs in the country. By doing the same, I hope to one day mean to another family what Dr. Heller does to mine.
Trying to force a ho-hum story to be more dramatic will just make it look silly, especially compared to the truly epic tales some of your co-applicants will have. Thanks to that assignment, I now know I want to pursue American Studies.
Step back in time
It sounds like you're trying too hard. This is one of the most important things you can do to help your bio stand out. Many students will state things like "I learned a valuable lesson from this experience" or "I developed a new understanding of X. Now, when I see my younger sister acting up, I understand better how to help her without sounding bossy or controlling.