Are you keen on the genre of biographies and are inspired to write one about someone you consider your role model? Well, if you find yourself keen on this, then here are some tips for you that you can follow!
Although realistically speaking, knowing every single thing about a person and being able to successfully trace the history of somebody, without any gaps is impossible, the first thing that could help you get organized, is to make a timeline, as comprehensive as possible. This will give you an idea about the person, the life they had, the beliefs they held, and the endeavours of the person, in the particular field in which they are specialized. This will help you get a rough idea of what are the things you are broadly expected to cover.
However, don’t use the timeline, and write accordingly, with an unthought chronology. Instead, now that you have the timeline, make the point of studying it in extreme detail, carefully, and determine the general pattern of the person’s life, his thoughts, his ideas, his philosophy of life, his lesser-known facts, his personal life and more. Considering these factors helps to draw upon a more compelling image of the person that you are writing about!
One more thing, which I started with in the first point, is that remember, while you are doing this work, that there will be gaps in the timeline that you create. Don’t sit down to therefore reconstruct these parts, nor try and cover them up, to make the perfect chronology. What will be more interesting is to acknowledge the gap and write that in your biography. Write in the silence too! It makes it more realistic, gives an understanding that the biographer has thought about it, and also allows the reader to think about the possibilities of what would have happened. It is a more engaging way of putting forward a biography, rather than the near-impossible feat of a complete reconstruction!
One thing, before you begin you must do, is ask yourself, why you are writing about this person. Don’t rush this question. Ponder over it, and make notes: think it out carefully, and take sufficient time to do so! Remember, that this will guide your entire writing process. It is the reason you will choose to narrate certain incidents and anecdotes that occurred in the person’s life and will give your biography the structure, and put forward your perception about the person.
Before you begin your biography, one of the things that you should do is create an expansive literature review, of previous biographies, books and articles written about the person, if any. This is very important, as it helps you know what has been explored about this person. Furthermore, it also helps you think along the lines: of how is your book or essay going to contribute to the existing literature. This is a tough question to answer, but important, as it will justify the writing of your book further, making it even more important!
Though documents and written sources are quite important, don’t dismiss the value of oral narratives as well. Find people who were associated with the person, and take their interviews. You will be surprised at the material you might gather!
