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Questions tagged [biography]

Questions about biographies of others and about autobiographies.

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10 votes
5 answers
13k views

How can one write about illegal deeds without getting into trouble?

What is some good advice for writing about things done, in an autobiographical sense, that may have been or still are illegal? For example, smoking or buying marijuana is illegal in many countries, ...
4 votes
1 answer
368 views

First name or last name(s) in a biography?

I'm deep into a biography of a well-known person. He was born with a last name, took his mother's last name following her divorce, took his stepfather's last name following her remarriage, then took ...
4 votes
1 answer
3k views

How do you refer to someone in a formal essay?

I'm writing a formal essay on a book. The book is about a real person, but they are referred to by their first name throughout the entire book. When writing the essay, do I stay consistent with the ...
10 votes
4 answers
3k views

In writing biographies how do you reference a change of last name?

Using first label as the full name - first, middle, maiden/birth name. (Margaret Anne Jensen was born on November...) Discuss early achievements by referencing only birth last name - Jensen. (Jensen ...
1 vote
2 answers
583 views

How to write a biography without pronoun repetition?

My question is similar to this one, but I am not happy with the answer. Also, my style and sample example are very different. I am writing a biography and all the writing has become, ' he did this' '...
2 votes
2 answers
87 views

Best way to explain references to historic currency

What is the best way to explain the pre-decimal British Pound in a text that has multiple references to it. I already have something written to explain how to convert from pre-decimal to post-decimal ...
3 votes
1 answer
525 views

How to organize memoirs for a biography?

I'm about to start organizing someone's life story to eventually send to a biographer to write a book and would like some suggestions on how to start and organize the process, please. As they are ...
2 votes
1 answer
146 views

What are the copyright laws on writing books about living artists?

I was wondering if I wanted to write, illustrate, and publish children's books that is about an artist and their life (their journey as a child to an adult but in a simple whimsical childlike story), ...
2 votes
1 answer
74 views

Ways to write a biographical introduction without using "___ was an..."

I'm writing a short biography on a relatively obscure ancient Greek figure. Since so little is known about this individual's life, I'm finding a dearth of information to support the 2-3 pages I'm ...
0 votes
1 answer
507 views

How do I go about writing a biographical account of my father? [closed]

I want to write a book involving the life of my father. He's been a political activist during his youth and the events that he narrates are worthy to be recorded. But I am confused as to what it ...
5 votes
5 answers
991 views

How do I approach writing an autobiography?

I have never kept a diary, and some time back I thought it would be fun to work on some sort of autobiography to note down any memorable events etc. I am not famous, and even if completed the '...
0 votes
2 answers
3k views

I'm writng a biography; what questions should I ask when interviewing the subject?

I will be meeting someone soon for a multi-session interview where I will be gathering information for the book i am writing about that person's life. I am not a journalist or a novelist nor have I ...
12 votes
5 answers
6k views

My autobiography is exciting, but I'm an unknown. Should I make it a novel instead?

I've kept diaries all my life and now have over 100...which I've recently started turning into an autobiography - where some of the original diary quotes are included along with the new text. I ...
2 votes
2 answers
89 views

Autobiography vs Perspective

When discussing the life story (fictional/non-fictional) of an inanimate object (like a brick not AI), is it appropriate to claim this endeavor as an autobiography of an inanimate object, when it ...
3 votes
2 answers
101 views

Can I include a short biography of the person to whom my book is dedicated?

I am writing a non-fiction, somewhat historic, book and I want to dedicate it to a person who did pioneer work on Education in Science in Brazil. She has passed away recently and was professionally ...
2 votes
2 answers
593 views

What should I call a short book about my life? [duplicate]

I want to write a very short book of 100 pages. I want to put into it what I've suffered throughout my life: Hardships, failures, disappointments.... as an inspiration that, despite hardships, I ...
0 votes
2 answers
147 views

I am an author that wrote a biography on a singer. Do I need to get permission to turn the book into a screenplay?

I am an author who wrote a biography on a singer. I want to turn the book into a screenplay. Do I have to get permission from the singer to do this?
0 votes
4 answers
150 views

Show more not tell implementation in writing?

What does this mean? If I have to SHOW more about a particular traumatic event which happened to me, I would probably not be able to recall the chain of events because I was in a panicked state of ...
3 votes
2 answers
339 views

Is it correct to use acronyms in a bio or should I omit it?

In writing a bio in a technical context, like an author blurb in a publication, should I use acronyms or spell them out? Always? Depending on the context? For example: Degrees: BS, MS, PhD, MCC ...
0 votes
1 answer
103 views

Is there a term that describes a written work that includes narrative in addition to scientific and historical information? [closed]

I can think of a few books, such as The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion, and I Can Hear You Whisper by Lydia Jones. In both these novels, the author was narrating a true experience, but at ...
3 votes
2 answers
195 views

Should I write 3 separate autobiographies?

I have started writing my autobiography. I am going to describe 3 very important life events. Now, should I write about all three life events in one book or should I write them separately?
2 votes
1 answer
302 views

Writing an autobiographical science fiction [closed]

I would like to write an absurd fictional biography/memoir How do I go about it? What does Autobiographical Science fiction inspire you?
0 votes
1 answer
105 views

How to write an autobiography... Kind of.

I'm wanting to write about my past in detail. I don't know how I should approach it as well as how to begin. I should say that my past is very painful and very traumatizing but I want to write this to ...
8 votes
6 answers
3k views

How to stop projecting yourself into your writing?

I am writing about a person who is transported 10 years into the past, and has the chance to relive their life (actually being able to: 'knowing what I know now I would...') The trouble is I keep ...
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Bio on my father

My father passed when I was very young. I hope to know him through individual q&a's I will have with his friends associates, collegues and register it as a bio. What type of questions should I ask....
1 vote
2 answers
118 views

Can I write about an old and real person that is strongly related to a company?

I'm thinking about Henri Nestlé, born in 1814 and deceased in 1890. He was the founder of the company with the same name, located in Vevey (Switzerland). He is going to be a not-so-important ...
4 votes
1 answer
2k views

What are some creative memoir writing styles?

I am in the process of writing a memoir covering several years of my life while I was at Google and working on the earliest versions of Chromebook. My goals are to write a book which is ...
3 votes
1 answer
283 views

Legal and Social effect of story involving real life people

I have written a novel based on my past life experiences, however the story involves a few people who might not like the idea of getting their stories published. What is the legal and social effects ...
2 votes
1 answer
186 views

Shift in tense and starting a historical account with the present tense

I was just writing a historical overview of a battle and decided I'd write the introduction in the present tense--the present tense being a narration of a specific event during the war. I just ...
4 votes
3 answers
227 views

How can people doing technical, archane work be portrayed interestingly?

I'd like to write the biography of an important, underrated scientist who performed a really important experiment. He persevered for many years, became ill (and recovered) along the way, and ...
3 votes
3 answers
17k views

How to write a powerful but uncomplicated conference biography?

I am working on a bio for a development conference I am presenting at. My writing style causes my Flesch Reading Ease score to trend high. While I like what I have below I'd like to simplify it a bit ...
2 votes
3 answers
112 views

My "Bio". Is the language OK? [closed]

I have a personal website and I have an "about me" text. I though I'd post it here for professionals to tell me if it's OK (English is not my primary language). My name is Primož Kralj, I am 22 ...
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

Citing speech and interviews in biographies

I am currently writing a biography of a band, and have a question regarding citing quotes, such as from interviews. Is it necessary to cite everything a person (for example a band member or manager) ...