Use * for blank tiles (max 2)Use * for blank spaces
Find the
of
Pronounce the word
in
Find Names
Appearance
✓
Use device theme
✓
Dark theme
✓
Light theme
in a sentence ? Here are some examples. which breaks no new ground but is a good summary of current knowledge.
But the picture drawn by Volkmar Braunbehrens's 1989 is of a serious, steady, occasionally irascible man.
The library also has a wide range of titles on gardening, cookery, history, computers, and travel.
It exposes the paradox that Plath's texts cannot be read through and cannot be read apart from it.
Over the centuries, Laozi's life took on elements of the mythological hero's .
Goodrich limned some of her into her last known self-portrait, where she fashioned herself as an artist at work at her easel.
His , written by St Gregory of Nyssa, describes the crowning moment of divine theophany.
The political is preceded by a fine chapter on his cricketing career.
Although soberly written, this of the dictator bristles with moral indignation.
As in his of Macarthur, the Aborigines are incidental, minor problems for his hero to overcome.
The next chapter in Zorn's musical is also one of the most surprising.
It combines numerous illustrations with a , an artistic appreciation and a complete catalogue of his works.
The author, like so many writers of popular , is guilty of being fashionably irreverent toward her subject.
A booklet containing the of Mr. Nayanar, poems on Nayanar and photographic vignettes from his life, is also supplied along with it.
But as is revealed in a startling new , he fathered illegitimate children and had numerous affairs.
Tolstoy set out to write a personal memoir of O'Brian, but it turned into a full .
Yet we are still waiting for a compact, scholarly of his entire life in a single volume.
His is eminently sensible on a subject about which much high-flown transcendental nonsense has been written.
In the postbag was also a handwritten note and a few words of on Peter Seward.
A typical note card would provide a of an author or a review of a book.
What political written last or this century has included every last detail.
Alexandra Lapierre, award-winning French novelist and biographer, has produced a book that combines , fiction and scholarship.
Her written requirements were pared down to writing half an essay, half a , and half of everything they initially required.
For example, Hawass said, on show along with the mummy of Ramses II would be models of his Nubian temples, statues, reliefs and a .
Even European history of the period was an official or semi-official of the state.
It has been suggested that his Pitt is part of a grand publicity plan to jockey back into position as a future leader.
It's a good starter for younger viewers who might go on to familiarize themselves with the writings of this great author.
According to a new , he narrowly escaped being expelled and, at 17, was beaten by his housemaster for flouting the rules.
However hard we try to concentrate on the paintings, the sad facts of Solomon's insist on obtruding themselves.
Miss Eisner's book, while not replacing Zamoyski's , does not seek to do so, and provides a lively and readable supplement.
So, does the beautiful title of the evoke the man, his work or the Aranda culture that was his subject?
This is of general importance chiefly because it is, surprisingly, the first comprehensive of the artist.
In a , one expects to be told that so-and-so first met his best friend at such-and-such a place.
Because some people have come forward with an interest in writing my , I thought it might be no harm to have a crack at it myself.
There was the case of Dr James Mackay, widely touted in the early 1990s as the leading authority on Burns and author of a capacious .
Johnson's is an engrossing portrait of a brilliant physicist who happens to be a complex and, at times, troubled character.
In the New York Times I read religiously each capsule of a World Trade Center victim.
You can almost feel the bitter cold and biting Antarctic wind in this excellent of a polar hero.
Thus this will be of interest to any student of the mid-twentieth century South.
The tone of Nicholls' is dispassionately respectful, admiring even.
A of Elvire O'Connor, the ostensible writer of this piece, is included in the program and is a tiny work of art in its own right.
The volume begins with the editors' contributions, a short of Gegenbaur and a history of comparative anatomy at the University of Jena.
He presents a celebratory of an African-American woman removed from her culture and family.
As one would expect from his highly efficient of Ted Heath, he shows a masterly command of the politics of the period.
The of William Blake warmly portrays the visionary poet's wife Katherine as the helpmate who made Blake's work possible.
An award-winning writer of 11 previous books of history, travel and , Nicholl retranslates many of da Vinci's mirrorscript writings.
To see how this description of the series fits with Gregory's series for arctan see the of Madhava.
One of last century's most potent literary and political figures is put under the microscope in this prize-winning .
Hill's is a thematic , moving emotionally as much as argumentatively.
It is a pity that there exists no serious of Archibald Wavell, an intriguing and arresting figure.
There is a very complete of Alec Guinness and the theatrical trailer for the film.
He wrote the bestselling of U2 in 1985, just before the band became rock superstars.
Was it possible to write the bestselling to match the box-office hit?
I'm leaning towards some kind of but I have no particular subject in mind.
But in light of his political there can be no doubt of his preparedness to assume a ministerial office in a Union-led government.
The Wonder edition includes an informative and a discography of his recordings.
At the end of this marvellously observed , it's the drunken rants, financial embarrassments and the sexual misadventures I remember.
Here, with a short artist's , is the concert programme listed in full.
It would have been easy for him to write a rousingly romantic which glossed over the enormous contradictions of Ryan's career.
For individual , the cataloger lists the name of the biographee as the first subject heading.
This rich, authoritative is written by an American Russophile who knew him personally.
A good is weakened by not giving the major biographical facts due prominence.
My brother Marvin and I once wrote a of the former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
He wrote a worthy of Red Smith and edited a book of columns by Smith.
I think I may write a non-linear starting from now and going in both directions at once.
This might suggest the difficulty of writing the of someone who spent so much of his life recreating his life in fiction.
I can't help but feel that if you could write a of Pepys with only side references to the diary it'd work a lot better.
When I went on to write the of Charles, true to his character, he gave me complete freedom of access to friends and documents.
She once toyed with writing a of Margaret Thatcher, the first time she's ever been interested in writing about a living person.
Responding to criticism that his attacks on Elton and Madonna in his new are unfair, he has decided to set the record straight.
Drummund, who was also a biographer for Billy Graham, wrote an excellent on Finney which deals with this.
He was also responsible for publishing Dorothy Wordsworth's diaries and wrote a ground-breaking of her.
Her of Nietzsche is a double hagiography, comic and almost sad in its reflection of her own will to power.
This is what is said to have prompted Asan to write a of Achutha Menon, drawing on his close relationship with him.
In The Name is not a Pilger but an account of Pilger's television work with which the journalist himself co-operated.
If there is a slippage between fiction and in this text then how does this apply to the image?
Volume 2 of Roy Foster's magisterial of W. B. Yeats opens in 1915, when Yeats was in his fiftieth year and at a crossroads in his life.
One of the essays deals with the interesting question why is a genre that has been rarely well practised even in modern India.
Over half a century she published more than 20 novels, alongside works of poetry, criticism and .
By taking on these sympathetic forms, literary can supply parallel narratives to those of novels.
Literary theory has recently held to be a literary construct, rather than a factual enterprise.
Ireland, in short, has no monopoly on the use of memoir, fiction, or autobiography as a political tool.
Yet men dominate in this field also, even in fiction, poetry, literary .
Who has ever said such connections are not the stuff of literary ?
Greenblatt instead wants to write, and most consumers of literary want to read, a story extraordinary and uplifting.
He is the sort of phenomenon literary in its present form can only flatten.
There is now a considerable body of theoretical and discursive work on as an artistic form.
It also has, for the first time, little essays on subjects such as , short stories, detective fiction and so on.
It is closer to literary Criticism, than but without ever being boring.
To that end, Harlan concludes that Up From Slavery was more a work of fiction than .
As a work of literary and analysis American Sympathy is compelling.
Some knowledge of Shapiro's is open to any reader in the dedication.
There is also a text and a complete discography included to complete the bonus features.
Less gripping are those swaths of the book that are essentially a of Salk, who simply wasn't a colorful character.
The comments I earlier made concerning the of the subject ladder are equally apposite to the present circumstances.
In his strange digressive and allusive of Christ he presents him as the incarnation of the overwhelming mystery of God.
First, Wood reviews the extant literature in order to present a short .
For each name, dates of birth and death are given, followed by a potted of 20-30 words.
It takes a bold writer to attempt a of one of the most recognized and cited of Restoration Englishmen.
His daughter Margaret is writing a book about her unusual childhood and a by Paul Alexander is seeping unannounced into bookstores.
A would bore her, she says, preferring to fill in the gaps left by earlier writers and to give them a fresh, contemporary perspective.
Her professional career spanned literary and theatrical criticism, broadcasting for the BBC, fiction, and an uncompleted memoir.
There is a complete for virtually every artist, and each section is preceded by an introductory essay.
Next to this , Phillips describes his own therapeutic dialogue with an anonymous patient.
The trailer actually undersells the film, while the storyboards and make for intriguing viewing.
The major events of Woodman's have clearly marked her artistic growth.
With an affectionate and admiring smile on his own face, he has written an unaffected of an unaffected great man.
Indeed, at times I wasn't sure if I was reading a or a hagiography.
Find out more about this multi-talented creationist by reading her on our site.
For all his undeniable artistic significance, the feels too close to the bone to be in good taste.
Despite the crises unfolding around him, he has continued a whirlwind tour to promote his , a 900-page doorstopper.
This might be recorded on their tombstone as an epitaph or in an obituary, commemoration portrait, or in some cases a .
I always thought that you had to finish your career and be in the happy twilight of retirement before releasing a compilation or .
To help him play Trevor with conviction, Ferns invented a fictional for the troubled man.
Ross McMullin's short works, like Watson himself, both unostentatiously and effectively to achieve results.
This is noted by the author's listed at the bottom of the article in small print.
He has become steadily more aware of the usefulness of that unprivileged .
While going through such varied sources, it is a great joy when one finds an autobiography or a or an unpublished piece of writing.
But one thing about now, as opposed to then, has been the rise of graphic novels, and comics and autobiography.
It makes one wonder how much of the speech is true and how much is false, based on Stalin's tendency toward revisionism of his revolutionary .
He produced the feature-length documentary, Bill Cunningham New York, and is at work on a of Sam Wagstaff.
He is producing a feature-length documentary on Bill Cunningham of the Times, and working on a of Sam Wagstaff.
Sandrart's story of Caravaggio's death is easily interpreted as an apologue rather than as because there is so little ground to confuse moral and factual truths.
Mr. Ziegler's is an elegant, sympathetic, and extremely readable , which really does breathe the breath of roistering life back into the vanished knight of letters.
Longtime press baron and Murdoch frenemy Conrad Black on what Michael Wolff got wrong in his new of the media titan.
Possibly only Professor Peter Groenewegen, the author of a magisterial of the English economist Alfred Marshall, could surpass him in this.
Larkin had his diaries destroyed, Hardy burnt all his personal papers, then got his second wife to put her name to the he had actually written himself.
A new of famed British author Somerset Maugham explores his complicated love life and defends his literary genius.
A double of Rommel and Montgomery, foes in North Africa in World War II, splendidly brings both military men to life.
Equal parts , sociology text, and mash note, it is the most complete account yet of his influence on pop music and a fervent memoir of fandom.
This is the of a great Canadian scientist, whose discoveries were all the more extraordinary because he was largely self-educated in science.
The also includes the memoirs of people she taught dance to in the 1960s, but does not mention anything about the circumstances of her death.
Her book is a mesh of and a wider history of the geisha.
Unfortunately, J. Michael Lennon tries something in the same vein in the last quarter of his sprawling .
At Slate, tanner Colby does the experiment with Woodward's of John Belushi.
Schmid first learned the art of mezzotinting in the Czech Republic, she notes in her , and developed this skill in Slovakia, where she was a Fulbright fellow.
The intellectual of the curator has to be on shaky ground.
After it was published in January, some said it read more like a love letter to the general than a .
There's already more than one shamelessly indiscreet .
Other special features include a brief of profiler Pat Brown, as well as cast bios that seem directly lifted from the Season One release.
If we want to read , however, we will decide which one to read on the basis of the specific biographee not on the basis of the genre itself.
It is not easy to write a about a person who is known to be reticent and the problem gets compounded when the attempt is not authorised.
Lee said it wasn't his decision to sack Bell and if anything is written otherwise in the , which is due out in the autumn, he will take legal action.
The result is a written wholly in the spirit of its subject.
Much of the debate swung around definitions of and memoir.
The contains several misspellings and occasional factual errors.
In moving towards you must have felt that journalism was insufficiently rewarded to provide a living and also that its bittiness was in itself too limiting?
A new captures the unflinching life of war photographer Tim Hetherington.
A new by A. Scott Berg makes the case for Woodrow Wilson as an unrecognized great American president.
Though he is often celebrated as the American father of Protestant liberalism, Horace Bushnell's and writing defy the categories of theological typology.
Ironically, it is only possible to write a cultural of this horse, insofar as it is possible, because of his multiply commodified status.
She's probably already boning up on the of Nelson Mandela.
A shocking new reveals a brutal truth behind the fiction of v.s. Naipaul.
The packaging features comprehensive sleeve notes and from US music writer Rich Kienzle and exclusive photographs from throughout Cash's career.
But none of this comes close to making up for what is a standard made-for-television eviscerated by massive, inexcusable bowdlerization.
Going even further, there are two 1930s movie newsreels that were filmed with the actual Grey Owl, a text , and a screen of web links to Grey Owl sites.
From a season spent embedded with the New York Jets to a of a self-mythologizing Pinkerton detective.
No of Jack Nicholson could long skirt the issue of his prodigious appetites.
Thompson's nearly 50 published pieces include essays, book and film reviews, short stories, a novelization, and a young-adult of the writer Charles Chesnutt.
But only a political could illuminate the personal, human dimension of Khrushchev's decision to follow the risky path of de-Stalinization.
A straight would have been a more obvious project to undertake.
The author of this new, third of the poet notes that Cummings signed his name in capitals in his personal correspondence, dealings with publishers and his diaries.
A jumbled curiosity of a film, Charlie isn't sure whether it wants to be a hard-boiled gangster thriller, a thoughtful , or a legal drama.
Vasari's confirms that Leonardo began to draw the cartoon in the Sala del Papa of the monumental Dominican building complex of Santa Maria Novella.
Composing a Borgesian alternative for those forfeited years would make for the perfect parlour game if parlours, like Scottish writers of genius, still survived.
And if you're a longtime fan, the helps explain the inner workings of the band and offers factoids you can use to, ahem, impress your friends.
Most of his cabinet colleagues spoke to him before he left to offer sympathy, including many whom he criticised in remarks made public in the ill-starred .
Well, even if you happen to be fixated on one life in particular, be it Einstein or Frank Sinatra, you can find a coffee-table book with a pictorial of your hero.
In fact, according to a recent of Jackson, Churchill actually fagged for two England captains, having earlier served Archie MacLaren as well.
This highly condensed allows little room for analysis.
Consociates are mutually involved in one another's .
There are and filmography profiles for Nicholas Lyndhurst and Clive Francis, and a short history of the MI5 counter-intelligence service.
Brenda Maddox, who had written a of Thatcher to accompany the programme, credits Dennis Thatcher with liberating his wife from her repressive background.
Regarding his and psychology, four years ago Kelly converted to the Baha'i religion, a pacifist faith that strongly condemns suicide.
It is a work of and criticism with the drama and sweep of a historical novel.
Adolf Eichmann is not an obvious candidate for a full-length , and before his capture in 1960 and trial the following year no one would have thought of writing one.
Turning in a 500 word , written painstakingly in the past tense, I sighed as my class was assigned another essay, this time in the future tense, due the next day.
Linda Lear is author of the definitive of Rachel Carson.
Lying somewhere between an academic treatise, a of an eco-activist, and a guidebook for Green campaigners, it is a truly remarkable book.
Such information is catalogued in his website's , a curious document that, through its endearing use of Eeyoreish negatives, gives you a flavour of the man.
The one major error I have detected in Perkins' is the confident assertion that she would not have tried to expurgate every unflattering reference.
There are no music examples, but, as in Professor Todd's , a number of plates that illustrate Mendelssohn's talent as a draughtsman and water-colourist.
On the debit side, a number of discrepancies detract from an otherwise riveting .
In some ways, this should be applauded for its total absence of the prurient interest so common to most of its peers.
On the downside, this dependency on and history means that sometimes the tales do not stand in their own right.
Sylvia Plath and the Theatre of Mourning continues this tense push-pull struggle with throughout its pages.
It is neither a full-scale nor a comprehensive history of the Korean War.
The artist was drawn to Ludwig's life after seeing a on the eccentric king's behaviour.
This massive describes the rise to power of the last great English churchman to preside over the King's government.
With regard to literary genre, Mark's gospel is a , similar to other lives of famous people written in the ancient Greco-Roman world.
Both deeper and wider than a , the book documents and vivifies events that still affect us today.
Neil McKenna's 2003 , The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde, offers an exploration of Wilde's sexuality.
William Roper's of More was one of the first biographies in Modern English.
Tilley is the author of a of the Australian performer Leigh Bowery titled Leigh Bowery, The Life and Times of an Icon.
An early of Sidney was written by his friend and schoolfellow, Fulke Greville.
He is also the subject of perhaps the most famous in English literature, namely The Life of Samuel Johnson by James Boswell.
His early works include the Life of Mr Richard Savage, the poems London and The Vanity of Human Wishes, and the play Irene.
When it came to , Johnson disagreed with Plutarch's use of biography to praise and to teach morality.
Johnson's thoughts on and on poetry coalesced in his understanding of what would make a good critic.
These early writings coloured all subsequent and have become embedded in a body of Keats legend.
Inspired by the 1997 Keats penned by Andrew Motion, it stars Ben Whishaw as Keats and Abbie Cornish as Fanny.
Sir Timothy threatened to stop the allowance if any of the poet were published.
Also in 1845, Percy Bysshe Shelley's cousin Thomas Medwin approached her claiming to have written a damaging of Percy Shelley.
Soon after Percy Shelley's death, Mary Shelley determined to write his .
Anthony Powell mentions in his review of that contains that in his view Belloc was thoroughly antisemitic, at all but a personal level.
The situation was compounded as successive generations of the family expunged and sanitized the already opaque details of Austen's .
In 1991, Michael Shelden, an American professor of literature, published a .
Hermione Lee's 1996 Virginia Woolf provides a thorough and authoritative examination of Woolf's life and work.
Wilson's was not the first to address the question of Lewis's relationship with Moore.
Each interview begins with a short of the interviewee, including their major publications.
Listings include a of each inductee and an explanation of his or her achievements in the accounting field.
And no, there's no truth El Tigre's will be called Great Expectorations.
In the of cancer, retinoblastoma is a lead character.
The festival is taking in tartan noir, erotica, horror, and poetry with some music and film thrown in too.
Thanks largely to the research of John Harley, knowledge of Byrd's has expanded in recent years.
In Eisenhower Jean Edward Smith has produced what may well be the best one-volume on this figure.
According to articles, reports and a , Turpin couldn't deal with the obscurity resulting from the loss of his crown.
American seaman Haskell Wexler later won two Academy Awards, the latter for a of his shipmate Woody Guthrie.
As her shouts, Ewa Mataya Laurance is one of the most visible superstars in the history of pocket billiards.
Roberts ends this detailed with appendixes on Coxeter groups and diagrams as well as Fibonacci numbers and phyllotaxis.
Peavy and Smith have collaborated on 10 books on women's history and .
There has only been one , written by Paul Allen, and this primarily covers his career in the theatre.
He also wrote his first book there, a of Giacomo Meyerbeer, an opera composer.
Cleo McNelly Kearns notes in her that Eliot was deeply influenced by Indic traditions, notably the Upanishads.
In 1984, he wrote his first book, a of the band Duran Duran, as well as Ghastly Beyond Belief, a book of quotations, with Kim Newman.
Alan Llwyd's 2011 of Roberts used diaries and letters to shed fresh light on her private life and her relationship with Morris.
But who needs one more perfectly excellent Mozart ?
A newspaper review of a Conrad suggested that the book could have been subtitled Thirty Years of Debt, Gout, Depression and Angst.
Aymer Vallance was commissioned to produce the first of Morris, published in 1897, after Morris' death, as per the latter's wishes.
In 1973 Burton agreed to play Josip Broz Tito in a film , since he admired the Yugoslav leader.
In his of his father, Francis Deng deals frankly and in detail with Deng Majok's prodigious uxoriousness.
The cultural of urnfields and the long-term history of a mythical landscape.
In Updike, literary critic Adam Begley offers the first full-length on a larger-than-life American writer.
An experiment in , rather less successful than Symons' Corvine, on a par perhaps with Ackroyd's Dickensian direct address strategems.
In his , Ploughman of the Moon, Service recalled that his second effort, The Ballads of a Cheechako, also caused the House some anxiety.
Foran is the author most recently of the of Mordecai Richler, another iconic Montrealer.
The 1988 by Melvyn Bragg provides a detailed description of the many health issues that plagued Burton throughout his life.
He was stunned by the backlash from some of the sleazier revelations in Tom Bower's recent tell-all , Sweet Revenge.
Science historian Daniel Lewis set out to write a of Robert Ridgway, the Smithsonian's first curator of birds.
In The Puppetmaster, the life of Li Tien-lu the Taiwanese puppeteer is the subject of Hou's hybrid fictional and documentary film.
This year's Costa book award shortlists in five categories, novel, first novel, poetry, and children's book, have been announced.
In the of Helen Keller, for example, one chapter has definition boxes for Emanuel Swendenborg and the Braillewriter.
Another stereotyped feature of the criminal was the portrayal of the biographee in the role of criminal-as-sinner.
But Jim Steinmeyer's efficient though vexing new makes it clear why we all live today in Charles Fort's benightedly bizarre world.
The locus classicus for this modern-sounding concept occurs in a contemporary by Wipo, a member of the royal chapel.
Heinlein, In Dialogue With His Century, William Patterson has given us a scholarly doorstop that's smoothly readable.
Happenstance opened the book for me to the of Margaret Leeson, listed only as Brothel-keeper.
Her recent book provides us with a new paradigm for modern .
The includes conjectures about the writer's earliest ambitions.
Alfred commissioned Bishop Asser to write his , which inevitably emphasised Alfred's positive aspects.
Gruffudd ap Cynan's was first written in Latin and intended for a wider audience outside Wales.
However, Hibbert notes in his that the letter can be found among the Duke's papers, with nothing written on it.
Rolt, in his of the Stephensons, describes the event in some detail.
His was first written by Cardinal Boso in his extension to the Liber Pontificalis.
Written by their daughter-in-law, this joint defly interlaces the personal and political to tell a human story behind the national struggle.
David Harris Willson's 1956 continued much of this hostility.
Evading Sir Timothy's ban on a , Mary Shelley often included in these editions her own annotations and reflections on her husband's life and work.
It's about a young man who tries to distill the true of his dying father by looking for the kernels of truth in the many tall tales he has told.
Hardy is a key character, played by Jeremy Irons, in the 2015 movie The Man Who Knew Infinity, based on the of Ramanujan with the same title.
Rolt in his of Stephenson suggests that a faction on the Board continued to ask Stephenson for second opinions, and Rennie took umbrage at this.
Writing his , Funny Peculiar, also had an influence.
Very few knew the details of his early life until six years after his death, when John Forster published a on which Dickens had collaborated.
The first version appeared in about 715 followed by a later revision in the 730s, the first written by a contemporary to appear in England.
The Color of Law spares no detail in its intimate portrayal of a real-life hero of the courtroom, and is a worthy addition to college and public library shelves.
In the Eighteenth Century Shakespeare's image was in the ascendant, beginning with Nicholas Rowe's in 1709, the primary source of the Stratfordian story.
Hamid's own reflects these trifurcated notions of origin and questions the ease with which the native, the immigrant, or the cosmopolitan is defined.
The History is a Renaissance , remarkable more for its literary skill and adherence to classical precepts than for its historical accuracy.
As related in the book The Life and Times of Private Eye, Moss was the subject of a less than respectful cartoon in the magazine Private Eye.
One of Orwell accused him of having had an authoritarian streak.
The most obvious flaw of this is its relentless tendentiousness.
The term hagiography may be used to refer to the of a saint or highly developed spiritual being in any of the world's spiritual traditions.
In the chapter of Pisa three years later Bonaventure's Legenda maior was approved as the only of Francis and all previous biographies were ordered to be destroyed.
Rick Dodgson had filled the gap by offering the first academic of the best-selling author and inspirational figure amongst psychedelic enthusiasts.
The Victorian age witnessed a continuation of Milton's influence, George Eliot and Thomas Hardy being particularly inspired by Milton's poetry and .
Though at least one of Virginia Woolf appeared in her lifetime, the first authoritative study of her life was published in 1972 by her nephew Quentin Bell.
And I would gladly swap the BBC's mean-spirited drama for the far more even-handed approach in Barbara Stoney's excellent of Enid Blyton.
A new musical by Wirral songwriter Dean Johnson, called Ice Picks And Violets, aims to shed some light on what might have happened in their last moments.
But the Sunday Mirror can reveal Arrival Films has bought the rights for a six-figure sum from Lenny's widow Val and the ghostwriter of his , Pete Gerrard.
The stage play Being Sellers premiered in Australia in 1998, three years after the release of the by Roger Lewis, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.
Huxley was commissioned by Walt Disney in 1945 to write a script based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the of the story's author, Lewis Carroll.
Like his wonderful book on Cannonball Adderley, Walk Tall, this new of flutist Herbie Mann treats us to an album-by-album chronicle of the musician's life.
Crawford published a of Elizabeth and Margaret's childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family.
The first full was published in 1848 by Richard Monckton Milnes.
Capua, author of many Hollywood film star biographies and correspondent for an Italian film magazine, provides a of American film legend Janet Leigh.
Several costumes and banners featured images of pigs following claims in a new that Mr Cameron took part in a bizarre initiation ceremony at Oxford.
The proposals were first published in 1970 in a of de Valera.
Barrow, in his on Robert the Bruce, accused Edward of ruthlessly exploiting the leaderless state of Scotland to obtain a feudal superiority over the kingdom.
FitzGibbon's 1965 ignores Thomas's heavy drinking and skims over his death, giving just two pages in his detailed book to Thomas's demise.
Chapter 2 summarizes Dominici's and his activities as a preacher, writer, diplomat, and pedagogue.
This is Mr. Van Doren at his worst and hack at normal.
Suzanne then slipped away to her new victim, whose must here be given.
A handful of inset black-and-white photographs illustrate this respectful of a true believer.
And if his were written from his childhood to his death, it would be not only an ensample, but confusion to the world.
Judge Driscoll had generously left the law feature out of Wilson's which he had furnished to the twins.
Readers may remember the first chapter of my of Watkin Tench about my work in tracing his family in Chester, England.
Why does Boswell yet wear the crown of indivisible supremacy in ?
This act, a bar-sinister in the of Gorges, sullies his escutcheon at the outset.
Neil Clark, author of a brief of john deere, states that the diamond-shaped piece was cut out of a circular saw.
With the opening installment of the first serial the Free Press published a photograph of the author over a stickful of .
Mr. Bingley also, in his animal , says that eels are viviparous.
It took me years to shape the president’s life story into an engaging biography. 🔊
Since the actress never asked you to write about her rise to stardom, your book isn’t an authorized biography. 🔊
The popular author will recount the singer’s upbringing in a biography. 🔊
In order for the writer to pen my biography, he’ll need to ask me numerous questions about my life. 🔊
Using my grandmother’s diaries, I was able to mesh her stories into a biography. 🔊
Other words in the Books and Reading Material category:
Most Searched Words (with Video)
Voracious: In a Sentence
Verbose: In a Sentence
Vainglorious: In a Sentence
Pseudonym: In a Sentence
Propinquity: In a Sentence
Orotund: In a Sentence
Magnanimous: In a Sentence
Inquisitive: In a Sentence
Epoch: In a Sentence
Aberrant: In a Sentence
Apprehensive: In a Sentence
Obdurate: In a Sentence
Heresy: In a Sentence
Gambit: In a Sentence
Pneumonia: In a Sentence
Otiose: In a Sentence
Definition of Biography
Common examples of biographical subjects, famous examples of biographical works, difference between biography, autobiography, and memoir, examples of biography in literature, example 1: savage beauty: the life of edna st. vincent millay (nancy milford).
One of the first things Vincent explained to Norma was that there was a certain freedom of language in the Village that mustn’t shock her. It wasn’t vulgar. ‘So we sat darning socks on Waverly Place and practiced the use of profanity as we stitched. Needle in, . Needle out, piss. Needle in, . Needle out, c. Until we were easy with the words.’
Example 2: The Invisible Woman: The Story of Nelly Ternan and Charles Dickens (Claire Tomalin)
The season of domestic goodwill and festivity must have posed a problem to all good Victorian family men with more than one family to take care of, particularly when there were two lots of children to receive the demonstrations of paternal love.
Example 3: Virginia Woolf (Hermione Lee)
‘A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living’: so too with the biography of that self. And just as lives don’t stay still, so life-writing can’t be fixed and finalised. Our ideas are shifting about what can be said, our knowledge of human character is changing. The biographer has to pioneer, going ‘ahead of the rest of us, like the miner’s canary, testing the atmosphere , detecting falsity, unreality, and the presence of obsolete conventions’. So, ‘There are some stories which have to be retold by each generation’. She is talking about the story of Shelley, but she could be talking about her own life-story.
Post navigation
How to Write a Biography: A Step-by-Step Guide
By Hannah Yang
Table of Contents
What is a biography, a step-by-step guide to writing a biography, tips for how to write a great biography, conclusion on how to write a biography.
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.
What’s the Difference Between a Biography, a Memoir, and an Autobiography?
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 as character development, narrative arc, and detailed settings
Best Biography Examples to Study
The best way to learn how to write well is to read other successful books within the genre you’re writing.
Here are five great biographies to add to your reading list. For a longer list, check out our article on the 20 best biographies to read .
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand: the incredible true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympian and World War II hero.
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson: a comprehensive and engaging account of the Apple co-founder’s life.
Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow: the biography that inspired the hit musical, providing a deep dive into Hamilton ’ s life and legacy.
Savage Beauty: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford: a nuanced story that uncovers the family connection between the three Millay sisters and their mother.
Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston: the story of Cudjo Lewis, one of the last-known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade.
As with writing any book, writing a biography is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s easier to think of it as a series of smaller steps than as one big challenge to tackle.
Let’s break down the process step by step.
1. Choose Your Subject
Decide who you want to write about. It could be a well-known celebrity, a historical figure, or someone close to you.
In addition to figuring out who you’re writing about, this is also the step where you figure out why you want to write about them. Why is this a story worth telling, and what makes you interested in it?
Maybe the subject of your biography overcame major hardships in life to achieve success, and that story will inspire others facing similar struggles. Or maybe they made a really unique contribution to the world that not enough people know about, and you want to shine a bigger spotlight on that impact.
Knowing why you’re telling this story will help you make the right decisions about how to research, outline, draft, and edit your biography.
2. Identify Your Target Audience
Understanding your target audience is a crucial step in writing a good biography. You should tailor your biography to the interests and knowledge level of your audience.
A biography for a general audience will differ from one written for experts in a particular field. For example, two biographies about Emily Dickinson would be vastly different if one is written for young children and the other is written for adult poets.
3. Conduct Research
Dive deep into your research. Use a variety of sources to get a well-rounded view of your subject’s life. Take detailed notes and organize your findings.
Gather as much information as you can about your subject. This includes primary sources like interviews, letters, and diaries, as well as secondary sources such as books, articles, and documentaries.
Here are some primary sources to look for:
Letters and diaries: These provide intimate insights into the subject’s thoughts, feelings, and daily life, and can often be found in family archives, libraries, and historical societies.
Birth, marriage, and death certificates: These documents can provide crucial dates and familial relationships.
Census data: Census records can provide demographic information and track changes over time.
Property records: These can reveal where the subject lived and owned property.
Employment and school records: These records offer formalized insights into the subject’s education and career.
Military records: If applicable, military records can provide information on service, ranks, and honors.
Photos and videos: Look for photographs and videos in public libraries, historical societies, online databases like the Library of Congress, and family photo albums.
Historical newspapers: Access archives of local and national newspapers for articles, interviews, and obituaries related to the subject.
Digital archives: Use online resources like ProQuest, Chronicling America, and newspaper databases available through public libraries.
You can also look for secondary sources, which provide more context and perspective, such as:
Existing biographies: Search for existing biographies and books about the subject or their era. How does your project stand out from the crowd?
Academic articles and papers: Access journals through university libraries, which often have extensive collections of scholarly articles.
Documentaries and biographical films: You can often find these on streaming services or public television archives.
Websites and blogs: Look for reputable websites and blogs dedicated to the subject or related fields.
Social media platforms: The things people say on social media can offer insights into public perception about your subject.
Finally, you can also conduct your own interviews. Talk to the subject if they’re still alive, as well as their friends, family, and colleagues. You can ask them for personal anecdotes to add more color to your book, or more information to fill in any gaps in your knowledge.
4. Ask Engaging Questions
Great biographers start from a place of curiosity. Before you start writing, you should know the answers to the following questions:
What makes your subject’s story worth telling?
What was your subject’s childhood like?
What were your subject’s early interests and hobbies?
What level of education did your subject achieve and where did they study?
What was your subject’s personality like?
What were their beliefs and values?
How did your subject’s personality and beliefs change over time?
What were the major turning points in your subject’s life?
How was your subject affected by the major political, cultural, and societal events that occurred throughout their life?
What did their career path look like?
What were their major accomplishments?
What were their major failures?
How did they contribute to their field, their country, or their community?
Were they involved in any major controversies or scandals?
Who were the most important people in the subject’s life, such as friends, partners, or mentors?
If the subject is no longer living, how did they pass away?
What lasting impact did the subject leave behind?
5. Create an Outline
An outline helps you structure your biography. You can write an extensive outline that includes every scene you need to write, or you can keep it simple and just make a list of high-level bullet points—whatever works best for your writing process.
The best structure to use will depend on the shape of the story you’re trying to tell. Think about what your subject’s life looked like and what core messages you’re trying to leave the reader with.
If you want to keep things simple, you can simply go in chronological order. Tell the story from the birth of your subject to the death of your subject, or to the present day if this person is still living.
You can also use a more thematically organized structure, similar to what you would find on a Wikipedia page. You could break your book down into sections such as major life events, personal relationships, core accomplishments, challenges, and legacy.
Or, if you want to be more creative, you can use a nonlinear story structure, jumping between recent events and older flashbacks based on which events feel thematically tied together.
6. Write Your First Draft
Now that you have an outline, it’s time to sit down and write your first draft.
Your opening chapters should hook the reader and give a preview of what’s to come. Highlight a compelling aspect of the subject’s life to draw readers in.
In your middle chapters, cover all the key events you need to include about your subject’s life and weave in themes and anecdotes that reveal their personality and impact.
In your final chapters, wrap up your biography by summarizing the subject’s legacy and reflecting on their overall significance. This provides closure and leaves the reader with a lasting impression.
Remember that it’s okay if your first draft isn’t perfect. Your goal is simply to get words down on the page so you have something to edit.
7. Make Developmental Revisions
Now that you’re done with your first draft, it’s time to make big-picture revisions.
Review your biography for coherence and organization. Does the overall structure make sense? Are there any arcs or themes that aren’t given enough attention? Are there scenes or chapters that don’t need to be included?
8. Make Line Edits
Once you’ve completed your developmental edits, it’s time to make smaller line edits. This is your time to edit for grammar, punctuation, and style.
Make sure you keep a consistent voice throughout the book. Some biographies feel more conversational and humorous, while others are serious and sophisticated.
To get through your editing faster, you can run your manuscript through ProWritingAid , which will automatically catch errors, point out stylistic inconsistencies, and help you rephrase confusing sentences.
Don’t be afraid to ask others for feedback. No good book is written in a vacuum, and you can ask critique partners and beta readers to help you improve your work.
What makes a great biography stand out from the rest? Here are our best tips for how to take your manuscript to the next level.
Tip 1: Focus on Key Themes
Identify the central themes or patterns in the subject’s life—the ones that will really make readers keep thinking about your book. These could be related to the subject’s struggles, achievements, relationships, or values.
Tip 2: Balance Facts and Narrative
A good biography should read like a story, not a list of facts.
Use narrative techniques like imagery, character development, and dialogue to create a compelling and coherent story.
Tip 3: Add Your Own Perspective
Biographies need to be objective, but that doesn’t mean the author has to be entirely invisible. Including your own perspective can make the biography relatable and engaging.
Letting your voice shine can help illustrate the subject ’ s character and bring their story to life. It will also help make your biography stand out from the crowd.
Tip 4: Create a Timeline
Organize the key events of the subject’s life in chronological order. This will help you see the bigger picture and ensure you cover all important aspects.
Tip 5: Be Considerate
Because biographies are about real people, you should be mindful of who will be impacted by the story you’re telling, especially if your subject is still alive or still has living family members.
If the subject is still alive, ask them for permission to tell their story before you start writing. This also helps ensure that you don’t get sued.
Writing a biography is a journey of discovery, not just about the subject, but also about the craft of storytelling.
By combining thorough research, a clear structure, and engaging narrative techniques, you can create a biography that not only informs but also inspires and captivates your readers.
Don’t forget to run your manuscript through ProWritingAid so you can make sure your prose is as polished as possible.
Now, pick your subject, gather your resources, and start writing—there’s a fascinating story waiting to be told.
Good luck, and happy writing!
Write like a bestselling author
Love writing? ProWritingAid will help you improve the style, strength, and clarity of your stories.
Hannah Yang
Hannah Yang is a speculative fiction writer who writes about all things strange and surreal. Her work has appeared in Analog Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, The Dark, and elsewhere, and two of her stories have been finalists for the Locus Award. Her favorite hobbies include watercolor painting, playing guitar, and rock climbing. You can follow her work on hannahyang.com, or subscribe to her newsletter for publication updates.
Get started with ProWritingAid
Drop us a line or let's stay in touch via:
About These Results
Advanced Search
Advanced search - signup for sentence stack pro.
Only premium subscribers can use the advanced search. Signup now, or login if you already have an account.
Query Too Long - Signup for Sentence Stack Pro
Longer queries require a paid membership. Signup / Learn more
If you are seeking grammar & spelling correction, visit our Sentence Corrector .
Sentence Corrector - Length Exceeded
Get longer grammar checks with Sentence Stack Pro! Paid subscribers can check 3X as much text.
Listen to Audio
Listen to English audio with Sentence Stack Pro! Paid subscribers can hear the spoken English audio of over 300 million sentences.
Get More with Sentence Stack Pro
I'm sorry, but you've exceeded your free submission limit. Sign up for Sentence Stack Pro to unlock greater access to our advanced grammar, style, and syntax tools without distractions. Elevate your writing with suggestions from our AI-driven insights, ensuring your work is not only flawless but impactful.
In a library, the word biography refers both to a kind of book and to a section where books of that kind are found. Each biography tells the story of a real person's life. A biography may be about someone who lived long ago, recently, or even someone who is still living, though in the last case it must necessarily be incomplete. The term autobiography refers to a biography written by the person it's about. Autobiographies are of course also necessarily incomplete.
Sometimes biographies are significantly shorter than a book—something anyone who's been asked to submit a biography for, say, a conference or a community newsletter will be glad to know. Often the word in these contexts is shortened to bio , a term that can be both a synonym of biography and a term for what is actually a biographical sketch: a brief description of a person's life. These kinds of biographies—bios—vary, but many times they are only a few sentences long. Looking at bios that have been used in the same context can be a useful guide in determining what to put in your own.
Examples of biography in a Sentence
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'biography.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Late Greek biographia , from Greek bi- + -graphia -graphy
Kids definition of biography, more from merriam-webster on biography.
Nglish: Translation of biography for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of biography for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about biography
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
Can you solve 4 words at once?
Word of the day.
See Definitions and Examples »
Get Word of the Day daily email!
Popular in Grammar & Usage
Every letter is silent, sometimes: a-z list of examples, plural and possessive names: a guide, the difference between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.', more commonly misspelled words, absent letters that are heard anyway, popular in wordplay, weird words for autumn time, 10 words from taylor swift songs (merriam's version), 9 superb owl words, 15 words that used to mean something different, 10 words for lesser-known games and sports, games & quizzes.
How to Write a Biography in 8 Steps (The Non-Boring Way!)
Compelling biographies help us better connect with others while fostering empathy and understanding. Discover the steps to write one that captivates your audience!
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter
Have you ever been captivated by someone’s life story? From the ancient tales of great conquerors to the modern accounts of influential figures, biographies have enchanted readers and viewers for centuries.
The stories of real people’s lives not only entertain and educate but also provide a unique window into the human experience. In fact, according to research 1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8796048/ , human stories like biographies can help us better connect with others while fostering empathy and understanding.
In this article, let’s dive into how to write a compelling biography, from the research phase to delivery.
What Are the Key Elements of a Biography?
The key elements of a well-written biography bring characters to life. They include thorough research, relevant interviews, clear structure, captivating prose, compelling themes, and a balance between objectivity and empathy.
Thorough research: Helps create an accurate portrayal of your subject
Relevant interviews: Insights help provide a deeper understanding of your subject
Clear structure: Helps you outline your ideas for a compelling narrative
Captivating prose: Provides descriptive language to paint a picture of your subject
Compelling themes: Showcases the motivations and desires behind your subject
A balance between objectivity and empathy: Keeps biases in check and allows your subject to shine for who they are
As you develop your biography, remember that these stories hold an enduring appeal because they offer people an opportunity to explore the depths of the human psyche, unravel extraordinary accomplishments, and discover the vulnerabilities and triumphs of individuals who have left their mark on the world.
Here are the topics a biography typically covers:
Early life and background : Provide context about the subject’s upbringing, family, and cultural influences.
Achievements and milestones: Highlight notable accomplishments, contributions, and significant events throughout their life.
Challenges and struggles: Explore the obstacles they faced, the lessons learned, and how they overcame adversity.
Personal characteristics: Describe their personality traits, values, beliefs, and motivations that shaped their actions and decisions.
Impact and legacy: Discuss the lasting influence and contributions of the subject, both during their lifetime and beyond.
Ready to start crafting your biography? Find greater success with this helpful goal-setting resource!
How To Set Better Goals Using Science
Do you set the same goals over and over again? If you’re not achieving your goals – it’s not your fault! Let me show you the science-based goal-setting framework to help you achieve your biggest goals.
Let’s look at the six key elements of a well-written biography more closely and the steps you can follow to develop your own.
How to Write a Biography in 8 Steps Using Key Elements
Choose your presentation format.
Presenting your biography can take on various forms, the most traditional being written form. The basis for this article assumes you’re writing a conventional biography; however, this foundation can also help you create a multimedia presentation or website as well.
Consider these various formats to present your biography:
Traditional Written Biographies: This classic approach provides a comprehensive account of a person’s life through the written word. Traditional biographies can be published in print or ebooks , allowing readers to engage deeply with the subject’s story.
Multimedia Presentations: In the digital age, multimedia presentations offer a dynamic way to present biographies. Incorporate audio, video, photographs, and interactive elements to enhance the audience’s experience.
Online Platforms: Online platforms, such as blogs or dedicated biography websites, provide accessible avenues for sharing biographies. They allow for easy updates, reader engagement, and the incorporation of multimedia elements.
Choose your subject and conduct research
To create a vivid and accurate portrayal of a person’s life, conduct extensive research. Dive into archives, read letters, examine diaries, explore photographs, and immerse yourself in the historical and cultural context surrounding your subject. This will help you unearth the small details that breathe life into your biography.
Whether you’re writing a biography about a historical figure, contemporary icon, or everyday individual, you’ll want to consider the different factors to focus on. Here are some examples of three types of individuals and the kind of research that will be most helpful.
Historical Figures: When writing about historical figures, immerse yourself in their era. Understand the social, political, and cultural forces that shaped their lives. I recommend visiting your local library and connecting with a research librarian for support. Otherwise, other tools for historical research include Google Scholar. Analyze primary sources and multiple perspectives to present a well-rounded account.
Contemporary Icons: Biographies of modern icons offer a chance to delve into their ongoing impact. Conduct interviews or gather insights from their close associates to understand their present-day influence. Stay current with the latest developments, and be prepared to update your work as the subject’s story unfolds.
Everyday Individuals: Biographies need not be reserved for the famous. Every day individuals possess stories that can be just as compelling. Uncover the extraordinary within the ordinary, highlighting the struggles, triumphs, and personal growth of individuals who might otherwise remain unsung.
Yourself! Want to write a biography on yourself? Autobiographies are a great way to explore who you are. Get ready to do some serious self-reflection with the steps below.
Pro Tip: Compile your research digitally using helpful cloud filings systems like Google Drive , OneDrive , or Dropbox . Organize your files by category, including information about their youth, family, achievements, and life lessons. You may also choose to write down research references or collect paper clippings on note cards, categorizing your physical files of research along the way.
Develop compelling themes and motifs
Identify overarching themes or motifs that emerge from the subject’s life. These could be resilience, ambition, love, or societal change. Weave these elements into the narrative, highlighting their significance and impact on the person’s journey. Here are some examples:
Overcoming Adversity: These biographies feature perseverance, resilience, and determination. Examples include Helen Keller, Nelson Mandela, and Malala Yousafzai.
Pursuit of Excellence: These biographies highlight people who have worked tirelessly to achieve their goals. Examples include Steve Jobs, Serena Williams, and Michael Jordan.
Quest for Knowledge: These biographies focus on the curiosity that led to significant contributions to our world. Examples include Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, and Charles Darwin.
Personal Transformation: These biographies explore a change in beliefs, values, or priorities. Examples include Malcolm X, Oprah Winfrey, and Maya Angelou.
Legacy and Impact: These biographies examine a body of work that made a lasting contribution to society. Examples include Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Conduct relevant interviews
Whenever possible, seek firsthand accounts from those who knew or interacted with the subject. Conduct interviews with family members, friends, colleagues, or experts in the field. Their insights and anecdotes can provide a deeper understanding of the person’s character and experiences.
When conducting interviews for a biography, consider the following tips to ensure a productive and insightful conversation:
Familiarize yourself with the interviewee’s background and accomplishments.
Develop a list of well-thought-out questions that cover key aspects of their lives and experiences, including questions about your subject’s youth, family, achievements, and life transitions or struggles.
Begin the interview by establishing a comfortable and friendly atmosphere to put the interviewee at ease.
Show genuine interest in their story and listen actively to their responses.
Ask open-ended questions encouraging detailed and reflective responses.
Avoid yes/no questions and ask for their insights, memories, and personal perspectives.
Some topics you might consider for your questions include early life, achievements, challenges, motivations, values, relationships, lessons learned, and advice.
Pay close attention to the interviewee’s answers, body language, and tone of voice.
Ask follow-up questions to clarify or delve deeper into specific topics.
Show empathy and understanding, creating a safe space for the interviewee to share personal or sensitive information.
Remain flexible during the interview, allowing the conversation to flow naturally.
Be prepared to deviate from your prepared questions if unexpected but relevant topics arise.
Respect the interviewee’s boundaries and be mindful of any topics they may not wish to discuss.
Take thorough and organized notes during the interview to capture important details.
Consider recording the interview (with permission) to ensure accurate quotes and references.
Ask for permission to follow up with additional questions or for clarification.
Doing a biography on yourself? Ask yourself deep questions to harvest new stories and anecdotes.
Remember, the goal of the interview is to gather valuable information and personal perspectives that will contribute to the authenticity and depth of your biography. Approach the interview process with sensitivity, respect, and genuine curiosity about the interviewee’s life and experiences.
Develop a clear structure
Outline your biography, ensuring a logical and engaging narrative flow. Consider the chronological order, significant milestones, and turning points in the subject’s life. Organize your gathered information to capture the essence of their journey while maintaining a compelling rhythm throughout.
A good outline for a biography can vary depending on the specific subject and the desired structure of the narrative. However, here’s a general outline that can serve as a starting point:
A. Introduction
a) Hook or engaging opening to capture the reader’s attention
b) Background information (birthplace, date, family, etc.)
c) A brief overview of the subject’s significance or why they are worth exploring
B. Early Life and Background
a) Childhood and upbringing
b) Influences, such as family, education, or cultural factors
c) Formative experiences or events that shaped the subject’s character or interests
C. Major Achievements and Milestones
a) A chronological exploration of the subject’s notable accomplishments, contributions, or milestones
b) Focus on key moments or achievements that highlight their impact or significance.
c) Provide context and details to paint a vivid picture of their achievements
D. Challenges and Obstacles
a) Discussion of the challenges, setbacks, or adversities the subject encountered
b) How they overcame obstacles or grew through difficult experiences
c) Insights into their resilience, determination, or problem-solving abilities
E. Personal Life and Relationships
a) Exploration of the subject’s relationships, such as family, friends, or romantic partners
b) Insights into their personal joys, struggles, or transformative experiences
c) How their personal life intersected with their professional or public achievements
F. Legacy and Impact
a) Examination of the subject’s lasting influence, contributions, or impact on society
b) Discuss how their work or actions continue to resonate or shape the world today
c) Reflection on their legacy and the lessons we can learn from their life story
G. Conclusion
a) Summarize the key aspects of the subject’s life and their significance
b) Provide a final reflection or insight on their overall journey or impact
c) Leave the reader with a lasting impression or call to action
Pro Tip: Looking for help drafting an outline to get you started? Use free tools like ChatGPT to jumpstart your outline by putting in a prompt request like, “Write an outline for a biography about X, including any relevant details on the subject that should be included.”
Craft captivating prose
Employ descriptive language to transport readers into the subject’s world. Paint vivid portraits of their physical appearance, mannerisms, and surroundings. Use sensory details to evoke emotions and create a strong connection between the reader and the subject.
Here are some examples:
“She was a force of nature, with a fierce determination and an unwavering commitment to justice.” (Ruth Bader Ginsburg)
“His piercing blue eyes seemed to look right through you, and his voice had a commanding presence that demanded attention.” (Winston Churchill)
“She moved with a grace and elegance that belied her inner strength and resilience.” (Audrey Hepburn)
“His rugged features and piercing gaze made him a natural leading man, but it was his depth and vulnerability that set him apart.” (Marlon Brando)
“She had a contagious energy and a magnetic personality that drew people to her like a moth to a flame.” (Princess Diana)
“His quiet intensity and unwavering dedication to his craft made him one of the greatest artists of his time.” (Leonardo da Vinci)
Action Step: While writing descriptive prose takes some practice, it’s an art you can master with little creative writing skills. To help you write descriptive prose, practice closing your eyes and imagining your subject.
What expression is on their face?
How are they dressed?
What does their body language express?
How do they smell?
How do they make you feel?
How do they make others feel?
What’s in their surroundings?
What are they doing with their hands?
What do you imagine they’re thinking about?
With questions like these, you’ll start to use descriptive language to bring your subject to life.
Build a balance of objectivity and empathy
Strive for an objective portrayal while infusing empathy and understanding into your writing. Remain aware of biases and preconceived notions, giving your subject the space to shine in their unique light.
To check yourself, filter your writing and interviewing with these tips:
Verify Information: Cross-reference information from various sources to ensure accuracy. Use tools like Fact Check Explorer to fact-check claims, dates, and events to avoid errors or inaccuracies that could skew the narrative.
Multiple Perspectives: Seek out different viewpoints on the subject. This includes interviewing or reaching out to people with significant interactions or relationships with the subject. Incorporating diverse perspectives can counterbalance biases and provide a broader understanding.
Empathetic Listening: During interviews or conversations, practice active listening and empathize with the interviewee’s experiences and emotions. This allows you to understand the subject’s perspective and incorporate their insights and feelings into the narrative.
Contextualize Emotions: When sharing the subject’s emotional experiences or personal struggles, provide sufficient context and background. This helps readers understand the motivations and circumstances behind their actions and allows for empathetic understanding without veering into excessive sentimentality.
Credible Interpretation: While interpreting the subject’s thoughts, motives, or intentions, be clear about what is factual and what is speculative. Clearly distinguish between evidence-based information and your interpretations to maintain objectivity.
Respect Boundaries: Be mindful of the subject’s privacy and any requests they may have regarding sensitive or personal information. Respecting their boundaries shows empathy and allows for a respectful portrayal while maintaining the necessary level of objectivity.
Acknowledge Limitations: Recognize that achieving complete objectivity in a biography is challenging. Biases can inadvertently seep into the narrative. However, by being aware of your biases and consciously presenting a fair and balanced account, you can mitigate their influence.
Respect truth, privacy, and sensitivity
Remember, writing biographies carries ethical responsibilities. It’s important to maintain accuracy through credible research and gain consent while being sensitive to controversial or difficult topics. Here are some considerations:
Accuracy: Maintain a commitment to truth and accuracy. Verify facts and corroborate information from multiple sources to ensure the reliability of your narrative. Cite your sources and be transparent about any uncertainties or gaps in knowledge.
Privacy and Consent: Respect the privacy of living individuals mentioned in your biography. Seek consent when sharing personal details or sensitive information. Balance the subject’s right to privacy with the importance of honesty and transparency.
Sensitivity: Approach sensitive or controversial topics with care and empathy. Consider the potential impact of your words on the subject’s loved ones or affected communities—present differing perspectives without sensationalism or bias.
Writing a Biography FAQs
The length of a biography can vary greatly, depending on the subject and the depth of exploration. Some biographies span a few hundred pages, while others extend to multiple volumes. Focus on capturing the subject’s life’s essence rather than strictly adhering to a predetermined length.
Some common mistakes to avoid when writing a biography include the following: Lack of thorough research or reliance on a single source. Inaccurate or misleading information. Excessive personal bias or projection onto the subject. Neglecting to verify facts or failing to cite sources. Poor organization or a disjointed narrative flow. Neglecting to balance objectivity with empathy. Overloading the biography with irrelevant details or digressions. Failing to respect privacy or ethical considerations.
While chronological order is commonly used in biographies, it is not required. Some biographers employ a thematic approach or explore specific periods or events in the subject’s life. Experiment with different structures to find the most engaging way to tell your subject’s story.
The purpose of writing a biography is to capture and share an individual’s life story. Biographies provide insights into a person’s experiences, achievements, and challenges, offering readers inspiration, knowledge, and understanding. They preserve the legacy of individuals, contribute to historical records, and celebrate the diversity of human lives.
When choosing a subject for your biography, consider someone who inspires you, interests you, or has significantly impacted society. It could be a historical figure, a contemporary icon, or even an everyday individual with a remarkable story. Choose a subject with sufficient available information, access to primary sources or interviews, and a narrative that resonates with you and potential readers.
Key elements to include in a biography are: Early life and background: Provide context about the subject’s upbringing, family, and cultural influences. Achievements and milestones: Highlight notable accomplishments, contributions, and significant events throughout their life. Challenges and struggles: Explore the obstacles they faced, the lessons learned, and how they overcame adversity. Personal characteristics: Describe their personality traits, values, beliefs, and motivations that shaped their actions and decisions. Impact and legacy: Discuss the lasting influence and contributions of the subject, both during their lifetime and beyond.
Including personal anecdotes can add depth and humanize the subject of your biography. However, be selective and ensure that the stories are relevant, contribute to understanding the person’s character or experiences, and align with the overall narrative. Balancing personal anecdotes with factual information is critical to maintaining accuracy and credibility.
Conducting research for a biography involves exploring a variety of sources. Start with primary sources such as personal papers, letters, journals, and interviews with the subject or people who knew them. Secondary sources such as books, articles, and academic papers provide additional context and perspectives. Online databases, archives, libraries, and museums are valuable resources for finding relevant information.
Consult a wide range of sources to ensure a comprehensive and accurate biography. Primary sources, such as personal documents, letters, diaries, and interviews, offer firsthand accounts and unique insights. Secondary sources provide broader context and analysis, including books, articles, scholarly works, and historical records. Remember to evaluate the credibility and reliability of your sources critically.
Organize the information in your biography logically and engagingly. Consider using a chronological structure, starting with the subject’s early life and progressing through significant events and milestones. Alternatively, adopt a thematic approach, grouping related information based on themes or significant aspects of their life. Use clear headings, subheadings, and transitions to guide readers through the narrative flow.
Writing Biographies Key Takeaways
In summary, take note of these ideas and tips before you start writing your biography:
Biographies hold enduring appeal, offering a glimpse into the human experience across time.
Thorough research, interviews, and captivating prose are essential for crafting compelling biographies.
Ethical considerations, such as accuracy, privacy, and sensitivity, are crucial when writing about real people’s lives.
Choose subjects that genuinely inspire and resonate with you.
Immerse yourself in the subject’s world to understand their motivations and challenges.
Develop strong research skills and utilize a wide range of sources.
Craft a compelling narrative that engages readers from the very first page.
Seek feedback from trusted sources to refine your writing and storytelling abilities.
Continuously explore new biographies to broaden your understanding of different styles and approaches.
Embrace the unique voice and perspective you bring to the storytelling process.
Writing a biography book? Check out this helpful article, How to Write a Book: 10 Questions to Ask Before You Start Writing !
Article sources
Popular guides, how to deal with difficult people at work.
Do you have a difficult boss? Colleague? Client? Learn how to transform your difficult relationship. I’ll show you my science-based approach to building a strong, productive relationship with even the most difficult people.
Related Articles
Science of People offers over 1000+ articles on people skills and nonverbal behavior.
Get our latest insights and advice delivered to your inbox.
It’s a privilege to be in your inbox. We promise only to send the good stuff.
🧠 Body Language Mastery is OPEN. Claim your 25% launch discount.🚨
English Grammar Here
5 Example of Biography, Biography Samples and Formats
Table of Contents
Biography appears as a genre of literature. There are different types. Biography in general means telling about a person’s life. In our article, you will find answers to the questions of what is a biography and how to write it.
What Should Be Considered When Writing A Biography? How To Write A Biography?
Biography means writing about a person. Therefore, a person must be determined first. Usually, biographies are written for well-known people. Shakespeare, for example, could be an example. So what should be considered while writing? Chronology is important when writing a biography. We have to give the events in order.
So what do we need to talk about? We can talk about the person’s place of birth, place of residence, education, business life, marriages, and children. Apart from these, we can add important events in the person’s life to the biography. Biographies can consist of five different types and these are as follows.
Popular biography
Historical biography
Literary biography
Reference biography
Fictional biography
Why Are Biographies Written?
The purpose of writing a biography is not always just to do literature. They can be written to help us learn from the lives of important people. They can also serve as a guide for us. This is not the case with fictional biographies. Those works are written for literary purposes only and are delightful to the reader.
Examples Of Biography
Below you will see different examples of the biography. Biographies are long works. We offer you some snippets. The names mentioned below are purely fictional.
Emily Anderson is a very successful writer born in 1991. She herself completed her education at Cambridge University. His works are always published in the horror category. She has received many awards and appeared in different magazines so far. She is now married and has 3 children. He has 5 works in total, but she declared that he will continue to write.
Mark Merlin appears as a Nobel prize-winning physicist. He was born in 1960 and died in 2005. He actually started his education in Spain but studied university in America. The university he graduated from is Harvard University. The reason for his Nobel Prize winner is his discovery of a previously undiscovered physics rule. He was married 3 times but has no children. His main profession is teaching. He did his work in his spare time.
Coming from a very poor family, Matthew Wesley is a self-help professional who has improved a lot over time. A person who has devoted his life to learning and teaching. He was born in 1985 and has analyzed our age very well. His main profession is software engineering. The reason it does not do its job is that enough software is already in progress. His purpose is to inspire and motivate people. He gives seminars every week. His seminars are famous around the world and she goes to different countries. You can also attend these seminars online if you wish.
Would you like to meet a very famous photographer? You will be surprised to see why he became famous. Jack Brown is a blind photographer. So how does he take pictures of it? Thanks to his mother, who is always beside him. He has not received any training. When asked, he said that he was very impressed by the sound of the camera. He cannot see himself, but he makes people’s memories immortal. Despite not seeing it, he decides where the photos will be taken and the poses and tells people. He won an award for some of the landscape photographs he took. She tells her mother what she wants a picture and her mom tells her to press the shutter when the time is right. This turns out to be a complete success story.
As you can see in the examples, we talked about different characteristics of people. You don’t always have to talk about education or anything else. Specifically, a biography can be written by mentioning 2 features. First of all, you need to determine the features you want to focus on. You can also choose to write in much more detail while writing. However, you usually have to pay attention to the chronological order.
Related Posts
What is Independent Clause? Independent Clause Examples and Definition
Signs & Symbols List
What is Proverb? Proverb Examples and Definition
About the author.
How to write a strong one-line biography (with examples!)
As a blogger or content marketer, you’re spreading your content across the internet to build your name as a thought leader and to drive traffic back to your (or your client’s) website.
One of the best ways to do this is via a strong biography, where sites will often allow you to also link back to somewhere. But you need to get their interest to learn more, so you need a strong one-line biography as most sites will only allow a short biography.
Here’s how you write a strong one-line biography for your blog author page:
Write in 3rd person
Highlight your role/profession.
Keep it short
Include a call to action
Biographies should be written in third person. Instead of “I am a serial entrepreneur…” you should write “John is a serial entrepreneur…”
Some publications may have different guidelines, in which case you should follow them, but as a general guideline always write your bio in 3rd person.
Your bio should tell readers who you are and what you do, so be sure to highlight your role or profession.
“John is a serial entrepreneur and digital marketing veteran who…”
This gives people more information about you, why you are qualified to be talking about the topic you are bylined on, and helps them decide if they want to click your link to learn more.
Don’t be afraid to brag a little bit! In our world of fake humility, finding someone who is willing to state what they’ve done can be refreshing and encourage them to click to learn more about you.
Don’t overdo it though. A quick interesting fact is usually more than enough to get them interested.
For example:
“John is a serial entrepreneur and digital marketing leader who via his company Credo has generated over a quarter billion dollars in leads for agencies since 2015.”
The lead value number is a brag, but it’s also true and lets people know that John knows what he’s doing.
Have some fun!
In today’s social media world, people want to connect with the person behind the account.
So don’t be afraid to use emojis or a bit of humor.
This advice does not carry over to a professional website like LinkedIn where people are more professional and you should present your best face to the world.
Keep it short, but readable
If you’re required to keep your biography to just one sentence, you have just 15 to 20 words on average to get your point across. You need to be succinct and make every word count.
As such, remove superlatives and flowery language that could make it harder to read. This is not the place to be cute or show off – it’s the place to communicate effectively.
Include a backlink/hyperlink
Most websites where you publish will allow you to link back to a site of your choice from your biography. Don’t be spammy and try to link back to multiple places – link to a place where people can find out more about you or your company easily.
Finally, include a call to action (CTA) if you have enough space and can work it in. At minimum, make sure you follow the above advice and include a hyperlink back to your main website where people can learn more about you or your business.
Some examples
Here are some examples of great bios.
Dan Martell (Instagram)
Dan Martell is a coach to software founders, an entrepreneur with 3 business exits, an award-winning angel investor, and a proud dad and husband.
How do we know this? Because he says so in his Instagram bio. Short and effective.
Kimberly Bryant
Kimberly Bryant is the founder of Black Girls Code , a company that “build[s] pathways for young women of color to embrace the current tech marketplace as builders and creators by introducing them to skills in computer programming and technology.” Here is her Twitter biography, which clearly states what she does and gives insight into who she is.
Chris Ducker
Chris Ducker is a UK-based entrepreneur who “helps midlife leaders and entrepreneurs build future proof businesses around their expertise” with his Youpreneur coaching program.
Pat Flynn is a serial entrepreneur, dad, and husband who also has a physical product and a Pokemon card side hustle with over 100,000 YouTube subscribers. Here’s his Instagram profile:
Rand Fishkin
Rand is also a serial entrepreneur and currently the CEO of Sparktoro, an audience insight software tool. He’s formerly the cofounder and CEO of Moz, an SEO software suite. His LinkedIn bio says succinctly what he does, and also adds a bit of personality to let you know what he believes.
John Doherty
John is the founder and CEO of Credo and EditorNinja. (Hi, I’m John writing this!). His bio tells you what he cares about (his family and Colorado), what he does and the various projects he works on as well as his accomplishments.
Publishing on the internet?
Are you publishing on the internet and care about the correctness and quality of your content?
Click here to schedule a free editorial assesssment to learn about how EditorNinja can solve your copy editing and proofreading problems.
Your Word Balance is Zero!
It looks like you’re making great use of EditorNinja. Nice work!
You have a few options from here:
Keep adding documents to your account, knowing that they’ll be edited after your next billing cycle begins.
Add some Anytime Words (one-time purchase, use in the next 12 months) and we’ll start on your overflow documents sooner. Click here to see options .
You can also increase your monthly subscription. Reach out to your contact on our team about this
Remember, you can always adjust priority on documents if you need specific ones back sooner. Just remember to let your editing team know in Slack.
Look up a word, learn it forever.
Other forms: biographies
A biography is an account of somebody's life written by somebody else, complete with details of the most important parts.
These days, anyone, of any age, can be the subject of a biography: Justin Bieber, at the tender age of 17, had one written about his life. A biography is not to be confused with an autobiography, an account of someone's life written by the subject himself. You'll find biographies in printed form (remember books?), but also increasingly in the form of e-books, TV dramatizations, and cinematic "bio-docs."
noun an account of the series of events making up a person's life synonyms: life , life history , life story see more see less examples: Parallel Lives a collection of biographies of famous pairs of Greeks and Romans written by Plutarch; used by Shakespeare in writing some of his plays types: show 4 types... hide 4 types... autobiography a biography of yourself hagiography a biography that idealizes or idolizes the person (especially a person who is a saint) profile biographical sketch memoir an account of the author's personal experiences type of: account , chronicle , history , story a record or narrative description of past events
Vocabulary lists containing biography
Are you ready to learn the facts of life? Then review these words from the Greek root bio , meaning "life" or "way of living."
Practice this vocabulary list and explore words that contain the Greek roots graph ("write/writing") and gram ("written thing").
To improve your fluency in English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR), learn this academic vocabulary list that includes words selected from the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) state standards.
Sign up now (it’s free!)
Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement..
Top1000 word
Top5000 word
Conjunction
Sentence into pic
Biography in a sentence
某某 2016-01-13 联网相关的政策
replay (139+4)
paisley (58)
exemption (166+6)
pencil case (22)
outside (267+88)
gone (251+50)
eggplant (93+2)
glowworm (20)
dynamo (65+3)
ounce (154+4)
inversion (169)
porcupine (36)
riddle (84+6)
theism (26+1)
suffix (96+2)
inflexion (17)
postposition (17)
stagnancy (25)
life cycle (242+1)
prayer (188+7)
How to Write a Short Bio: 5 Examples and Templates
By Status.net Editorial Team on June 16, 2023 — 12 minutes to read
How to Write a Short Bio Part 1
What to Include in a Short Professional Bio Part 2
Example of a Formal Short Bio Part 3
Example of a Casual Short Bio Part 4
Examples of Well-Written Short Bios Part 5
Short Bio: Best Templates Part 6
Tips for Writing a Short Bio Part 7
Optimizing Your Bio for Different Platforms Part 8
A short bio is a concise and informative summary of your professional background, accomplishments, and personal interests. It’s an opportunity for you to introduce yourself to others, whether it’s for networking, job applications, or social media profiles. By writing a short bio, you allow others to quickly understand your expertise, strengths, and personality.
As you write your short bio, consider your audience and tailor the content accordingly. You might want to have different versions of your bio for varying contexts, such as a professional conference, a job application, or a social media platform. Regardless of the situation, strive to be authentic and maintain a tone that reflects your personality while also adhering to professional standards.
Part 1 How to Write a Short Bio
When writing a short bio, first focus on being concise and relevant. A short bio should be approximately 4-6 sentences or about 150 words. Be sure to highlight your achievements, experience, and expertise with confidence and clarity.
To start, introduce yourself briefly, including your name, title, and current role or profession. Next, mention your most significant accomplishments in your field thus far. This can include awards, certifications, publications, or any other relevant milestones. Discuss your current work and projects, providing the reader with a snapshot of your professional life. Make sure to emphasize your unique strengths and specialties. Then, touch upon your education or any other credentials that showcase your expertise.
“Jeremiah Smith, an award-winning graphic designer, specializes in creating visually stunning websites and marketing materials for a diverse clientele. With over 10 years of experience, Jeremiah has led branding projects for major corporations and small businesses alike, receiving accolades for his innovative design solutions. Currently, he serves as the Creative Director at X Design Studio, where he is dedicated to helping clients grow their digital presence. Jeremiah holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago.”
For a stronger impact, customize your short bio by tailoring it to the specific platform, audience, or purpose. By prioritizing information and emphasizing the most relevant points, you can create a brief, engaging bio that showcases your unique skills and accomplishments.
Part 2 What to Include in a Short Professional Bio
Your job title and current role : Start by mentioning your current role and the industry you’re working in. This helps to establish your expertise and gives readers an immediate understanding of your professional focus.
Career accomplishments and milestones : Highlight a few significant achievements in your career thus far. These can be successful projects, promotions, or awards you’ve received. Be specific about what you’ve accomplished and how it demonstrates your expertise.
Skills and qualifications : Briefly mention the key skills and qualifications you possess that make you an expert in your field. This can include technical abilities, soft skills, certifications, or degrees.
Interests and personal touch : Add a few personal details that showcase your interests and passions outside of work. This can humanize your professional persona and help you connect with readers on a more personal level. However, be careful not to share too much personal information.
LinkedIn and networking opportunities : Include a link to your LinkedIn profile or other professional social media accounts. This provides readers with an opportunity to connect with you and discover more about your background.
To present this information effectively, write your short professional bio in the third person and maintain a confident, knowledgeable, and clear tone of voice. Keep the content concise and easy to understand by breaking it into paragraphs and using formatting elements such as bullet points and bold text when necessary.
Here is one more example of a well-crafted short professional bio:
“John Smith is a seasoned marketing manager with over 10 years of experience in the tech industry. He currently leads product marketing efforts at X Company, where he has successfully launched new products and significantly increased market share.
John holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and is certified in digital marketing. His expertise includes strategic planning, content creation, and driving brand awareness through innovative campaigns.
In his free time, John enjoys hiking, photography, and volunteering at the local animal shelter. Connect with him on LinkedIn to learn more about his professional experience and accomplishments.”
Taking Into Account Personal and Professional Aspects
Try to strike a balance between your personal and professional aspects:
Make sure to mention any relevant professional accomplishments and skills that showcase your expertise in your field. If you are a student or a working professional, add details about your university, current position, or professional experiences that give readers an insight into your capabilities.
Don’t forget to add a touch of personality to your bio. Including personal details, interests, and hobbies will make you more relatable and create a connection with your audience. However, try to keep these personal elements brief and relevant to your overall bio. For example, if you are writing a bio for a personal website or Twitter, you could mention that you are an avid painter or a dedicated volunteer at a local animal shelter.
When writing in the second person, use short paragraphs to make your bio easy to read and understand. For instance:
Full name: Briefly mention your full name at the beginning of your bio.
Professional skills: List your core skills and accomplishments in bullet points or a table format.
Personal interests: Share some hobbies or interests related to your profession or that showcase your values.
Personal goals or mission statement: Include a sentence or two about your professional philosophy and core values to give readers a sense of your personal brand.
Related: How to Write a Personal Mission Statement (20 Examples)
Be cautious with the contact information you provide, especially if your bio will be accessible to the public on your personal website or social media profiles. Make sure only the necessary details are included to avoid any privacy concerns.
In summary, your short bio should be a reflection of both your personal and professional self. Showcase your skills and accomplishments while adding personal touches to make it engaging and relatable. Keep the text concise, use appropriate formatting, and remember to maintain a confident, knowledgeable, neutral, and clear tone throughout your bio.
Related: What Are Your Values? How to Discover Your Values
Selecting the Tone for Your Short Bio
Selecting the right tone for your short bio is crucial to portraying yourself in the way you want to be perceived. Consider the context in which the bio will be read and choose a tone accordingly. There are two main tones you can adopt: formal and casual.
Part 3 Example of a Formal Short Bio
Formal Tone : If you’re writing a bio for a professional context, such as a job, conference, or publication, opt for a formal tone. This means using more sophisticated language, avoiding slang, and maintaining a professional vibe throughout the bio. To achieve this, write in complete sentences, utilize proper grammar and punctuation, and highlight your achievements and expertise. Be sure to remain confident and clear in your writing. Example: “Dr. Jane Doe is a renowned expert in the field of molecular biology, with over 15 years of research experience to her credit. As the recipient of several prestigious awards, Dr. Doe’s groundbreaking work has had a significant impact on the scientific community.”
Part 4 Example of a Casual Short Bio
Casual Tone : A casual tone works well for less formal situations, such as bios on personal websites, blogs, or social media profiles. Here, you can use more relaxed language and showcase your personality. However, it’s still important to sound knowledgeable and approachable. Feel free to use contractions, incorporate humor, and speak directly to your audience to create an engaging tone.
“Hey there! I’m John, a travel enthusiast who loves exploring new cultures and tasting exotic dishes. When I’m not backpacking across the globe, you can find me geeking out about the latest tech gadgets or sipping on a well-crafted cocktail.”
In both cases, whether formal or casual, always ensure that your voice is confident, neutral, and clear. Remember to keep it concise, avoid exaggeration or false claims, and maintain a second-person point of view.
Part 5 Examples of Well-Written Short Bios
Short bio example 1.
Jane Smith is a marketing expert with over 10 years of experience in helping brands elevate their online presence. With a passion for storytelling, Jane excels in creating content that engages and inspires. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, photography, and exploring her city’s local coffee shops. Connect with Jane on LinkedIn or follow her on Twitter @JaneSmith.
Short Bio Example 2
John Doe is an experienced software engineer with a knack for developing cutting-edge applications. Specializing in full-stack web development, John’s expertise lies in JavaScript, Python, and Node.js. When he’s not coding, John can be found playing the guitar, tutoring local students in programming, or cheering on his favorite esports team.
Part 6 Short Bio: Best Templates
Short bio template 1.
[Your Name] is a [industry or profession] expert with [number of years] of experience in [specific skills or areas of expertise]. [He/She/They] specializes in [technical skills or industry knowledge] and has a passion for [relevant interests]. In [his/her/their] free time, [your name] enjoys [hobbies or activities]. Connect with [your name] on [social media platforms] or through [his/her/their] website.
Short Bio Template 2
As a [occupation or field], [Your Name] incorporates [unique qualities or skills] to produce [specific type of work]. With a background in [relevant experience], [He/She/They] has been able to [achievement or accomplishment] through [personal path or passion]. When not [working or creating], [Your Name] spends [his/her/their] time [hobbies or activities], always seeking new inspiration.
[Your name] is a [profession or role] with a background in [relevant expertise or industry]. [He/She/They] earned a [degree] in [field] from [institution]. [Your name] has [number of years] experience in [profession/industry], providing [valuable service or skill]. Outside of work, [your name] enjoys [hobbies or personal interests]. Connect with [your name] on [social media platform] or visit [your website or portfolio].
Customize these examples and templates to fit your own unique skills, experiences, and personality. Using a second person point of view, focus on the key aspects you want your audience to know about. Be confident and transparent about your achievements and interests, and let your short bio speak for itself. Happy writing!
Part 7 Tips for Writing a Short Bio
Know your target audience : Consider the people who will be reading your bio and focus on the information that will be most relevant to them. Tailor your bio to best serve their needs and expectations.
Highlight your accomplishments : Share information on your achievements, awards, and notable experiences. This will give your audience an understanding of your expertise and success in your field.
Include your goals and mission statement : Tell your audience what drives you and what you hope to achieve. This can help create a connection with the reader and showcase your dedication to your work.
Maintain a professional tone : Write in a clear and concise manner, avoiding casual language and slang. A confident and knowledgeable tone will convey your competence in your field.
Keep personal information to a minimum : While you may choose to mention some personal tidbits, be mindful of what you share. Focus on information that enhances your professional image, rather than oversharing personal details.
Promote your brand and company : If you represent a business or have a personal brand, mention your company name and mission statement. This can help reinforce your brand identity and make a stronger impression on your audience.
Prioritize transparency and authenticity : Be honest about your experience and qualifications. Avoid exaggerating or making false claims in order to maintain trust with your audience.
Limit self-promotion : While it’s important to show off your accomplishments, be sure to keep the focus on meaningful information rather than excessive self-promotion. This will help engage readers and build credibility.
Use formatting to enhance readability : Break up your bio into paragraphs, use bullet points for lists, and bold text for important details. This will make it easier for your audience to read and understand your bio.
Include contact information : Provide a way for your audience to get in touch with you, whether it’s an email address, phone number, or a link to your website.
Part 8 Optimizing Your Bio for Different Platforms
On LinkedIn , focus on your professional achievements and skills. Use bullet points or a table to highlight your most significant accomplishments. Feel free to include any relevant certifications, courses, or awards. Remember that LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, so maintaining a professional tone is crucial.
For a resume , your bio should be concise and focus on summarizing your career history and specific expertise. Make it easy for potential employers to grasp your main strengths quickly. Use bold text to emphasize crucial information, such as your job title, years of experience, or industry-specific skills.
On a personal website , you have more freedom to express your personality and showcase unique aspects of your life. Consider adding anecdotes, hobbies, or personal achievements to give visitors a glimpse of who you are outside of your professional life. You can also touch on your professional capabilities but keep it concise.
For Twitter , keep in mind the character limit for bios and make every word count. Capture your profession or industry, and maybe add a touch of your personality or interests through emojis or hashtags. It’s common to see authors and celebrities mention their latest projects, books, or achievements here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the essential elements of a short bio.
A short bio should include:
Your name and current role or profession.
Brief background information including education and relevant work experience.
Notable accomplishments or skills relevant to your profession.
Personal interests or ambitions that showcase your personality.
A call-to-action, such as directing readers to your portfolio or LinkedIn profile.
How can I create a compelling short professional bio?
To create a compelling short professional bio, follow these steps:
Start strong with a clear and concise introduction.
Focus on your most relevant qualifications and experience.
Highlight key achievements and successes.
Provide a personal touch that showcases your unique attributes.
Keep it brief and easy to read, aiming for around 100-150 words.
What are some tips to make my short bio stand out?
Use vivid language and strong, active verbs.
Tailor your bio to your audience, emphasizing information that is most relevant to them.
Share a unique or unexpected personal interest to pique interest.
Edit and proofread your bio carefully, ensuring it is free of errors and reads smoothly.
How can I tailor my short bio to different contexts?
Adjust your short bio for different contexts by:
Focusing on relevant skills, experience, or accomplishments for each specific audience.
Adjusting the tone or language to suit the platform (e.g., more casual for a social media profile or more formal for a conference bio).
Emphasizing specific personal interests or accomplishments that align with the context or audience.
Updating your call-to-action as needed to direct readers to relevant content or profiles.
Related: 150+ Awesome Examples of Personal Values
20 Inspiring Examples: How to Write a Personal Mission Statement
How to Live By Your Values
Daily Crossword
Word Puzzle
Word Finder
Word of the Day
Synonym of the Day
Word of the Year
Language stories
All featured
Gender and sexuality
All pop culture
Writing hub
Grammar essentials
Commonly confused
All writing tips
Pop culture
Writing tips
Advertisement
[ bahy- og -r uh -fee , bee- ]
the biography of Byron by Marchand.
an account in biographical form of an organization, society, theater, animal, etc.
such writings collectively.
the writing of biography as an occupation or field of endeavor.
/ baɪˈɒɡrəfɪ; ˌbaɪəˈɡræfɪkəl /
an account of a person's life by another
such accounts collectively
The story of someone's life. The Life of Samuel Johnson , by James Boswell , and Abraham Lincoln , by Carl Sandburg , are two noted biographies. The story of the writer's own life is an autobiography .
Derived Forms
biˈographer , noun
biographical , adjective
ˌbioˈgraphically , adverb
Word History and Origins
Origin of biography 1
Example Sentences
Barrett didn’t say anything on Tuesday to contradict our understanding of her ideological leanings based on her past rulings, past statements and biography.
Republicans, meanwhile, focused mostly on her biography — including her role as a working mother of seven and her Catholic faith — and her credentials, while offering few specifics about her record as a law professor and judge.
She delivered an inspiring biography at one point, reflecting on the sacrifice her mother made to emigrate to the United States.
As Walter Isaacson pointed out in his biography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin proposed the postal system as a vital network to bond together the 13 disparate colonies.
Serving that end, the book is not an in-depth biography as much as a summary of Galileo’s life and science, plus a thorough recounting of the events leading up to his famous trial.
The Amazon biography for an author named Papa Faal mentions both Gambia and lists a military record that matches the FBI report.
For those unfamiliar with Michals, an annotated biography and useful essays are included.
Did you envision your Pryor biography as extending your previous investigation—aesthetically and historically?
But Stephen Kotkin's new biography reveals a learned despot who acted cunningly to take advantage of the times.
Watching novelists insult one another is one of the primary pleasures of his biography.
He also published two volumes of American Biography, a work which his death abridged.
Mme. de Chaulieu gave her husband the three children designated in the duc's biography.
The biography of great men always has been, and always will be read with interest and profit.
I like biography far better than fiction myself: fiction is too free.
The Bookman: "A more entertaining narrative whether in biography or fiction has not appeared in recent years."
Related Words
autobiography
How to Write a Biography
Biographies are big business. Whether in book form or Hollywood biopics, the lives of the famous and sometimes not-so-famous fascinate us.
While it’s true that most biographies are about people who are in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. Primarily, though, famous or not, the person who is written about has led an incredible life.
In this article, we will explain biography writing in detail for teachers and students so they can create their own.
While your students will most likely have a basic understanding of a biography, it’s worth taking a little time before they put pen to paper to tease out a crystal-clear definition of one.
What Is a Biography?
A biography is an account of someone’s life written by someone else . While there is a genre known as a fictional biography, for the most part, biographies are, by definition, nonfiction.
Generally speaking, biographies provide an account of the subject’s life from the earliest days of childhood to the present day or, if the subject is deceased, their death.
The job of a biography is more than just to outline the bare facts of a person’s life.
Rather than just listing the basic details of their upbringing, hobbies, education, work, relationships, and death, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of the subject’s personality and experience of life.
Full Biographies
Teaching unit.
Teach your students everything they need to know about writing an AUTOBIOGRAPHY and a BIOGRAPHY.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ( 26 reviews )
Features of a Biography
Before students begin writing a biography, they’ll need to have a firm grasp of the main features of a Biography. An excellent way to determine how well they understand these essential elements is to ask them to compile a checklist like the one-blow
Their checklists should contain the items below at a minimum. Be sure to help them fill in any gaps before moving on to the writing process.
The purpose of a biography is to provide an account of someone’s life.
Biography structure.
ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Open your biography with a strong hook to grab the reader’s attention
SEQUENCING: In most cases, biographies are written in chronological order unless you are a very competent writer consciously trying to break from this trend.
COVER: childhood, upbringing, education, influences, accomplishments, relationships, etc. – everything that helps the reader to understand the person.
CONCLUSION: Wrap your biography up with some details about what the subject is doing now if they are still alive. If they have passed away, make mention of what impact they have made and what their legacy is or will be.
BIOGRAPHY FEATURES
LANGUAGE Use descriptive and figurative language that will paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read. Use time connectives to link events.
PERSPECTIVE Biographies are written from the third person’s perspective.
DETAILS: Give specific details about people, places, events, times, dates, etc. Reflect on how events shaped the subject. You might want to include some relevant photographs with captions. A timeline may also be of use depending upon your subject and what you are trying to convey to your audience.
TENSE Written in the past tense (though ending may shift to the present/future tense)
THE PROCESS OF WRITING A BIOGRAPHY
Like any form of writing, you will find it simple if you have a plan and follow it through. These steps will ensure you cover the essential bases of writing a biography essay.
Firstly, select a subject that inspires you. Someone whose life story resonates with you and whose contribution to society intrigues you. The next step is to conduct thorough research. Engage in extensive reading, explore various sources, watch documentaries, and glean all available information to provide a comprehensive account of the person’s life.
Creating an outline is essential to organize your thoughts and information. The outline should include the person’s early life, education, career, achievements, and any other significant events or contributions. It serves as a map for the writing process, ensuring that all vital information is included.
Your biography should have an engaging introduction that captivates the reader’s attention and provides background information on the person you’re writing about. It should include a thesis statement summarising the biography’s main points.
Writing a biography in chronological order is crucial . You should begin with the person’s early life and move through their career and achievements. This approach clarifies how the person’s life unfolded and how they accomplished their goals.
A biography should be written in a narrative style , capturing the essence of the person’s life through vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and quotes. Avoid dry, factual writing and focus on creating a compelling narrative that engages the reader.
Adding personal insights and opinions can enhance the biography’s overall impact, providing a unique perspective on the person’s achievements, legacy, and impact on society.
Editing and proofreading are vital elements of the writing process. Thoroughly reviewing your biography ensures that the writing is clear, concise, and error-free. You can even request feedback from someone else to ensure that it is engaging and well-written.
Finally, including a bibliography at the end of your biography is essential. It gives credit to the sources that were used during research, such as books, articles, interviews, and websites.
Tips for Writing a Brilliant Biography
Biography writing tip #1: choose your subject wisely.
There are several points for students to reflect on when deciding on a subject for their biography. Let’s take a look at the most essential points to consider when deciding on the subject for a biography:
Interest: To produce a biography will require sustained writing from the student. That’s why students must choose their subject well. After all, a biography is an account of someone’s entire life to date. Students must ensure they choose a subject that will sustain their interest throughout the research, writing, and editing processes.
Merit: Closely related to the previous point, students must consider whether the subject merits the reader’s interest. Aside from pure labors of love, writing should be undertaken with the reader in mind. While producing a biography demands sustained writing from the author, it also demands sustained reading from the reader.
Therefore, students should ask themselves if their chosen subject has had a life worthy of the reader’s interest and the time they’d need to invest in reading their biography.
Information: Is there enough information available on the subject to fuel the writing of an entire biography? While it might be a tempting idea to write about a great-great-grandfather’s experience in the war. There would be enough interest there to sustain the author’s and the reader’s interest, but do you have enough access to information about their early childhood to do the subject justice in the form of a biography?
Biography Writing Tip #2: R esearch ! Research! Research!
While the chances are good that the student already knows quite a bit about the subject they’ve chosen. Chances are 100% that they’ll still need to undertake considerable research to write their biography.
As with many types of writing , research is an essential part of the planning process that shouldn’t be overlooked. If students wish to give as complete an account of their subject’s life as possible, they’ll need to put in the time at the research stage.
An effective way to approach the research process is to:
1. Compile a chronological timeline of the central facts, dates, and events of the subject’s life
2. Compile detailed descriptions of the following personal traits:
Physical looks
Character traits
Values and beliefs
3. Compile some research questions based on different topics to provide a focus for the research:
Childhood : Where and when were they born? Who were their parents? Who were the other family members? What education did they receive?
Obstacles: What challenges did they have to overcome? How did these challenges shape them as individuals?
Legacy: What impact did this person have on the world and/or the people around them?
Dialogue & Quotes: Dialogue and quotations by and about the subject are a great way to bring color and life to a biography. Students should keep an eagle eye out for the gems that hide amid their sources.
As the student gets deeper into their research, new questions will arise that can further fuel the research process and help to shape the direction the biography will ultimately go in.
Likewise, during the research, themes will often begin to suggest themselves. Exploring these themes is essential to bring depth to biography, but we’ll discuss this later in this article.
Research Skills:
Researching for biography writing is an excellent way for students to hone their research skills in general. Developing good research skills is essential for future academic success. Students will have opportunities to learn how to:
Gather relevant information
Evaluate different information sources
Select suitable information
Organize information into a text.
Students will have access to print and online information sources, and, in some cases, they may also have access to people who knew or know the subject (e.g. biography of a family member).
These days, much of the research will likely take place online. It’s crucial, therefore, to provide your students with guidance on how to use the internet safely and evaluate online sources for reliability. This is the era of ‘ fake news ’ and misinformation after all!
COMPLETE TEACHING UNIT ON INTERNET RESEARCH SKILLS USING GOOGLE SEARCH
Teach your students ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF THE INFORMATION ERA to become expert DIGITAL RESEARCHERS.
⭐How to correctly ask questions to search engines on all devices.
⭐ How to filter and refine your results to find exactly what you want every time.
⭐ Essential Research and critical thinking skills for students.
⭐ Plagiarism, Citing and acknowledging other people’s work.
⭐ How to query, synthesize and record your findings logically.
BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip #3: Find Your Themes In Biography Writing
Though predominantly a nonfiction genre, the story still plays a significant role in good biography writing. The skills of characterization and plot structuring are transferable here. And, just like in fiction, exploring themes in a biographical work helps connect the personal to the universal. Of course, these shouldn’t be forced; this will make the work seem contrived, and the reader may lose faith in the truthfulness of the account. A biographer needs to gain and maintain the trust of the reader.
Fortunately, themes shouldn’t need to be forced. A life well-lived is full of meaning, and the themes the student writer is looking for will emerge effortlessly from the actions and events of the subject’s life. It’s just a case of learning how to spot them.
One way to identify the themes in a life is to look for recurring events or situations in a person’s life. These should be apparent from the research completed previously. The students should seek to identify these patterns that emerge in the subject’s life. For example, perhaps they’ve had to overcome various obstacles throughout different periods of their life. In that case, the theme of overcoming adversity is present and has been identified.
Usually, a biography has several themes running throughout, so be sure your students work to identify more than one theme in their subject’s life.
BIOGRAPHY WRITING Tip: #4 Put Something of Yourself into the Writing
While the defining feature of a biography is that it gives an account of a person’s life, students must understand that this is not all a biography does. Relating the facts and details of a subject’s life is not enough. The student biographer should not be afraid to share their thoughts and feelings with the reader throughout their account of their subject’s life.
The student can weave some of their personality into the fabric of the text by providing commentary and opinion as they relate the events of the person’s life and the wider social context at the time. Unlike the detached and objective approach we’d expect to find in a history textbook, in a biography, student-writers should communicate their enthusiasm for their subject in their writing.
This makes for a more intimate experience for the reader, as they get a sense of getting to know the author and the subject they are writing about.
Biography Examples For Students
Year 5 Example
Year 7 Example
Year 9 Example
“The Rock ‘n’ Roll King: Elvis Presley”
Elvis Aaron Presley, born on January 8, 1935, was an amazing singer and actor known as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Even though he’s been dead for nearly 50 years, I can’t help but be fascinated by his incredible life!
Elvis grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, in a tiny house with his parents and twin brother. His family didn’t have much money, but they shared a love for music. Little did they know Elvis would become a music legend!
When he was only 11 years old, Elvis got his first guitar. He taught himself to play and loved singing gospel songs. As he got older, he started combining different music styles like country, blues, and gospel to create a whole new sound – that’s Rock ‘n’ Roll!
In 1954, at the age of 19, Elvis recorded his first song, “That’s All Right.” People couldn’t believe how unique and exciting his music was. His famous hip-swinging dance moves also made him a sensation!
Elvis didn’t just rock the music scene; he also starred in movies like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.” But fame came with challenges. Despite facing ups and downs, Elvis kept spreading happiness through his music.
Tragically, Elvis passed away in 1977, but his music and charisma live on. Even today, people worldwide still enjoy his songs like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Elvis Presley’s legacy as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll will live forever.
Long Live the King: I wish I’d seen him.
Elvis Presley, the Rock ‘n’ Roll legend born on January 8, 1935, is a captivating figure that even a modern-day teen like me can’t help but admire. As I delve into his life, I wish I could have experienced the magic of his live performances.
Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis faced challenges but found solace in music. At 11, he got his first guitar, a symbol of his journey into the world of sound. His fusion of gospel, country, and blues into Rock ‘n’ Roll became a cultural phenomenon.
The thought of being in the audience during his early performances, especially when he recorded “That’s All Right” at 19, sends shivers down my spine. Imagining the crowd’s uproar and feeling the revolutionary energy of that moment is a dream I wish I could have lived.
Elvis wasn’t just a musical prodigy; he was a dynamic performer. His dance moves, the embodiment of rebellion, and his roles in films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock” made him a true icon.
After watching him on YouTube, I can’t help but feel a little sad that I’ll never witness the King’s live performances. The idea of swaying to “Hound Dog” or being enchanted by “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in person is a missed opportunity. Elvis may have left us in 1977, but he was the king of rock n’ roll. Long live the King!
Elvis Presley: A Teen’s Take on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Icon”
Elvis Presley, born January 8, 1935, was a revolutionary force in the music world, earning his title as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Exploring his life, even as a 16-year-old today, I’m captivated by the impact he made.
Hailing from Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis grew up in humble beginnings, surrounded by the love of his parents and twin brother. It’s inspiring to think that, despite financial challenges, this young man would redefine the music scene.
At 11, Elvis got his first guitar, sparking a self-taught journey into music. His early gospel influences evolved into a unique fusion of country, blues, and gospel, creating the electrifying genre of Rock ‘n’ Roll. In 1954, at only 19, he recorded “That’s All Right,” marking the birth of a musical legend.
Elvis wasn’t just a musical innovator; he was a cultural phenomenon. His rebellious dance moves and magnetic stage presence challenged the norms. He transitioned seamlessly into acting, starring in iconic films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.”
However, fame came at a cost, and Elvis faced personal struggles. Despite the challenges, his music continued to resonate. Even now, classics like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” transcend generations.
Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is undeniable. He was known for his unique voice, charismatic persona, and electrifying performances. He sold over one billion records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling solo artists in history. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including three Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Elvis’s influence can still be seen in today’s music. Many contemporary artists, such as Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, and Justin Timberlake, have cited Elvis as an inspiration. His music continues to be featured in movies, TV shows, and commercials.
Elvis left us in 1977, but his legacy lives on. I appreciate his breaking barriers and fearlessly embracing his artistic vision. Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is timeless, a testament to the enduring power of his artistry. His music has inspired generations and will continue to do so for many years to come.
Teaching Resources
Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.
BIOGRAPHY WRITING TEACHING IDEAS AND LESSONS
We have compiled a sequence of biography-related lessons or teaching ideas that you can follow as you please. They are straightforward enough for most students to follow without further instruction.
BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 1:
This session aims to give students a broader understanding of what makes a good biography.
Once your students have compiled a comprehensive checklist of the main features of a biography, allow them to use it to assess some biographies from your school library or on the internet using the feature checklist.
When students have assessed a selection of biographies, take some time as a class to discuss them. You can base the discussion around the following prompts:
Which biographies covered all the criteria from their checklist?
Which biographies didn’t?
Which biography was the most readable in terms of structure?
Which biography do you think was the least well-structured? How would you improve this?
Looking at how other writers have interpreted the form will help students internalize the necessary criteria before attempting to produce a biography. Once students have a clear understanding of the main features of the biography, they’re ready to begin work on writing a biography.
When the time does come to put pen to paper, be sure they’re armed with the following top tips to help ensure they’re as well prepared as possible.
BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 2:
This session aims to guide students through the process of selecting the perfect biography subject.
Instruct students to draw up a shortlist of three potential subjects for the biography they’ll write.
Using the three criteria mentioned in the writing guide (Interest, Merit, and Information), students award each potential subject a mark out of 5 for each of the criteria. In this manner, students can select the most suitable subject for their biography.
BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 3:
This session aims to get students into the researching phase, then prioritise and organise events chronologically.
Students begin by making a timeline of their subject’s life, starting with their birth and ending with their death or the present day. If the student has yet to make a final decision on the subject of their biography, a family member will often serve well for this exercise as a practice exercise.
Students should research and gather the key events of the person’s life, covering each period of their life from when they were a baby, through childhood and adolescence, right up to adulthood and old age. They should then organize these onto a timeline. Students can include photographs with captions if they have them.
They can present these to the class when they have finished their timelines.
BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 4:
Instruct students to look over their timeline, notes, and other research. Challenge them to identify three patterns that repeat throughout the subject’s life and sort all the related events and incidents into specific categories.
Students should then label each category with a single word. This is the thematic concept or the broad general underlying idea. After that, students should write a sentence or two expressing what the subject’s life ‘says’ about that concept.
This is known as the thematic statement . With the thematic concepts and thematic statements identified, the student now has some substantial ideas to explore that will help bring more profound meaning and wider resonance to their biography.
BIOGRAPHY LESSON IDEA # 5:
Instruct students to write a short objective account of an event in their own life. They can write about anyone from their past. It needn’t be more than a couple of paragraphs, but the writing should be strictly factual, focusing only on the objective details of what happened.
Once they have completed this, it’s time to rewrite the paragraph, but they should include some opinion and personal commentary this time.
The student here aims to inject some color and personality into their writing, to transform a detached, factual account into a warm, engaging story.
A COMPLETE UNIT ON TEACHING BIOGRAPHIES
Teach your students to write AMAZING BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES using proven RESEARCH SKILLS and WRITING STRATEGIES .
Understand the purpose of both forms of biography.
Explore the language and perspective of both.
Prompts and Challenges to engage students in writing a biography.
Dedicated lessons for both forms of biography.
Biographical Projects can expand students’ understanding of reading and writing a biography.
A COMPLETE 82-PAGE UNIT – NO PREPARATION REQUIRED.
FREE Biography Writing Graphic Organizer
Use this valuable tool in the research and writing phases to keep your students on track and engaged.
WRITING CHECKLIST & RUBRIC BUNDLE
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (92 Reviews)
To Conclude
By this stage, your students should have an excellent technical overview of a biography’s essential elements.
They should be able to choose their subject in light of how interesting and worthy they are, as well as give consideration to the availability of information out there. They should be able to research effectively and identify emerging themes in their research notes. And finally, they should be able to bring some of their personality and uniqueness into their retelling of the life of another.
Remember that writing a biography is not only a great way to develop a student’s writing skills; it can be used in almost all curriculum areas. For example, to find out more about a historical figure in History, to investigate scientific contributions to Science, or to celebrate a hero from everyday life.
Biography is an excellent genre for students to develop their writing skills and to find inspiration in the lives of others in the world around them.
HOW TO WRITE A BIOGRAPHY TUTORIAL VIDEO
OTHER GREAT ARTICLES RELATED TO BIOGRAPHY WRITING
How to write an Autobiography
How to Write a Historical Recount Text
15 Awesome Recount & Personal Narrative Topics
Personal Narrative Writing Guide
Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
Meaning of biography in English
Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio
This biography offers a few glimpses of his life before he became famous .
Her biography revealed that she was not as rich as everyone thought .
The biography was a bit of a rush job .
The biography is an attempt to uncover the inner man.
The biography is woven from the many accounts which exist of things she did.
multi-volume
young adult
biography | Intermediate English
biographical
Examples of biography
Translations of biography.
Get a quick, free translation!
Word of the Day
four-letter word
a short word that is considered to be extremely rude and offensive
A finger in every pie: phrases with the word ‘finger’
Learn more with +Plus
Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
English–Dutch Dutch–English
English–French French–English
English–German German–English
English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
English–Italian Italian–English
English–Japanese Japanese–English
English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
English–Polish Polish–English
English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
English–Spanish Spanish–English
English–Swedish Swedish–English
Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
English Noun
Translations
All translations
To add biography to a word list please sign up or log in.
Add biography to one of your lists below, or create a new one.
{{message}}
Something went wrong.
There was a problem sending your report.
How to Write a Short Professional Bio (With Examples and Templates)
3 key takeaways
What a short professional bio is and why you need one
What to include in a short bio to make it stand out and relevant to your audience
Short professional bio examples, templates, and a faster way to write your biography with Teal's Professional Bio Generator
In a world where just about everyone is represented online, your short professional bio often serves as a first introduction.
Often, it's what employers or other professionals will use to form their initial impression. And how you present yourself can help influence whether someone invites you to connect, interview you, or simply move on.
Below, you'll learn what you need to write your bio and how to actually write one. You'll also find templates and some short professional bio examples to use as a guide.
Looking for a quicker way to a polished bio? Sign up for Teal for free and try the Professional Bio Generator.
What is a short professional bio?
A short professional bio is exactly what it sounds like—a short professional biography that introduces yourself and gives a brief overview of your career and accomplishments. It gives future employees, colleagues, and anyone else you're networking with a more well-rounded picture of who you are.
While "short" can be subjective, length often depends on the platform and the audience you're sharing your bio with. There's no one-size-fits-all, and you'll tailor the length based on where it's being shared—whether that’s on your personal website, LinkedIn profile, Twitter bio, or your resume.
What’s the difference between a professional bio and short professional bio?
A professional bio and a short professional bio both summarize your career, qualifications, and achievements, but each caters to different contexts and needs.
A professional bio is a detailed account—that can span several paragraphs—and covers your:
Career background
Most noteworthy achievements and impact or results
Skills you've developed or are developing
Some personal insights
This version is appropriate for professional websites, long-form pitch documents, or networking platforms (like in your LinkedIn About Me section) where a more thorough introduction is valuable.
On the other hand, a short professional bio is a concise version that filters the most important information from your professional bio into key takeaways. A short bio:
Communicates your core qualifications
Briefly touches on your professional persona
Is ideal for your resume, author bio, or speaking engagements
Can be used across social media profiles like Twitter and Instagram
What to include in a short bio
Your short bio should summarize the key takeaways from a longer, more rounded-out professional bio. Think of it as kind of an elevator pitch that highlights what you'd want your target audience (who doesn't know much—if anything—about you) to understand about your career so far.
Here are some things you'll want to address.
Level of education, if relevant to the audience
Years of experience in your field, if relevant to the audience
Your current or former career title
Major professional accomplishments with impact or goals
Professional experience, skills, and area(s) of expertise
Now, if you're a student or making a pivot, like transitioning into a new field where you might not have relevant work experience, you'll focus more on your educational achievements (think relevant awards, projects, or volunteer experience) and the skills and knowledge you're developing.
What to include in a short bio if you’re a student
Even if you're still in school, there's plenty of information you can include in your bio, like:
Where you're from
What university, trade school, or boot camp you're attending
Your area of study or intended major
Any clubs, teams, volunteering, or other extracurriculars you're a part of
Any internships you've completed
Your career goals
Your availability
Generate your professional bio with AI
Want to save time? You can also use the Teal to generate multiple versions of your short professional bio.
How to write a short bio
There's no right or wrong way to write your own bio. Think of this next section as a guide, and remember: short professional bios are unique to each person.
Here are the things you might want to consider if you're ready to write your professional bio:
1. Choose your voice
You have the option to write your short bio from either a first or third-person POV.
In the first person, you'll use "I, me, and my." In the third person, you'll refer to yourself using your name and preferred pronouns.
As a general rule, using the third person is typically considered more formal, while using the first person is more casual and personal.
First-person example : "I'm a bestselling author. My work has been published in The New York Times."
Third-person example: "Zane Smith is a bestselling author. His work has been published in The New York Times."
If you want to write and store multiple versions of your short professional bio in different tones or even with different information, use Teal to write and save as many versions as you need for free.
2. Choose your tone
Language can convey different moods. Depending on the context and your personal brand , your bio can sound more buttoned-up or more relaxed and conversational.
These two sentences describe the same person but showcase very different tones and writing styles:
Example 1: “A recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Sally is currently a consultant at XYZ Consulting based out of their New York office.”
Example 2: “A recent UPenn grad, Sally swore off econ after years of hard classes only to end up as a consultant at a major firm — but don't worry, she loves it.”
3. Start with your name and a current or recent role
This isn't a hard and fast rule, but to get your bio started, it's usually easiest to start with your name and current professional title or role.
Example: “Zane Smith is currently the Demand Generation Manager at ABC Tech Company.”
If you're pivoting careers , you can list your most recent role and use your first sentence to say what you're looking to do next.
Example 1: “Previously the Demand Generation Manager at ABC Tech Company, Zane Smith is actively pursuing new opportunities in marketing management.”
Example 2 : “Previously the Demand Generation Manager at ABC Tech Company, Zane Smith is now an aspiring 2nd grade teacher.”
4. Share your accomplishments and achievements
Once you've introduced yourself and your current title, you can flow into your professional background, former job titles, and what you've done or aspire to do. Together, the first two sentences of your bio could read something like this:
Example: “Zane Smith is currently the Demand Generation Manager at ABC Tech Company. Previously, he was a Marketing Specialist at FGH Tech Company, where he grew paid traffic to their website by 500% year over year.”
Pro Tip: Not sure where to start? Try generating your content in the AI Resume Builder . With Teal's AI, you can write individual achievement-based bullet points using a job description, keywords, or a custom prompt to articulate your accomplishments effectively and confidently.
5. Share your philosophy or “why”
Self-promotion can feel incredibly uncomfortable, but it's important to make sure you don't undermine your value. Your “why,” the reason you do what you do every day, can be powerful and meaningful. Adding what gives you the spark to start each workday can set your own professional bio apart from others.
Example: “Claire was inspired to pursue a career in elder law after volunteering in a nursing home throughout high school and college.”
6. Add your personal touch
Even though your bio will be used in a professional capacity, it's okay to list a few personal details. We're more than just our jobs, and adding a few personal facts can help illustrate who you are outside of the office.
Example: “When he's not working, Martin can be found tending to his spice garden and going on nature walks with his golden retriever.”
Short professional bio examples
Examples of professional bios are invaluable because they provide a clear framework and inspiration for writing your own. They can also help you see how to condense years of experience into a few compelling sentences so you communicate the right details clearly, briefly, and full of impact.
Short bio example for a personal website
"AUDREE KATE LOPEZ IS A FASHION STYLIST, EDITOR, INDUSTRY EXPERT AND INFLUENCER BASED IN NEW YORK. Audree began her professional career in the fashion departments at Glamour, O, the Oprah Magazine, Editorialist and Redbook magazines. She launched Audree Kate Studios in 2017 and worked on freelance projects at Marc Jacobs, Alice + Olivia, J.Crew and Club Monaco, joined the styling team at Alice + Olivia and became a contributing fashion editor for StyleCaster.com. Over the past few years Audree has styled for various publications, celebrities and retail brands. In 2016, Audree founded a digital course and community for fashion students called Fashion Fundamentals and has hosted workshops and classes around the country, and wrote an ebook titled Fashion Fundamentals."
Why it works: Audrey's bio immediately establishes her as a multifaceted professional within the fashion industry. It outlines her career trajectory and showcases broad experience and evolution, demonstrating growth and adaptability. The mention of initiatives and workshops adds a layer of approachability and commitment to education in her field, improving her appeal as an influencer and mentor.
Professional short bio example on LinkedIn
"Latina creator. Speaker. Tech Mentor. Christen is the Founder of the newly launched app Clara, a community that empowers creators through transparency, brand reviews, and discoverability. An industry vet, Christen has almost a decade of experience working with top content creators at social networking companies such as Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. She is a motivational speaker and mentor in the tech space who is passionate about helping people break into the industry through career advice and actionable content."
Why it works: This professional bio online is punchy and concise. It opens by noting Christen's titles and includes years of experience, giving her credibility while underscoring her heritage (which can resonate strongly with a diverse audience on LinkedIn). By focusing on her app, she not only showcases initiative but also aligns herself with trends in tech innovation. Rounding out her short bio are details of working with top content creators, establishing her as a seasoned industry pro.
Short professional bio example on social media
"Founder of Makelane, a private community for female DTC founders. 70K followers on TikTok where I analyze consumer brands"
Why it works: With only 160 characters to work with, Dulma’s Twitter bio is an example of brevity. It clearly outlines her two main pursuits: managing an online community and producing content for TikTok, making it easy for readers to gauge her interests and activities at a glance.
Company website short bio examples
"Meet our wonderful team We're a tight-knit group of curious creatures, always learning, and constantly seeking out new perspectives and ideas. Get to know our team—they're what makes Teachable, well, Teachable."
Why it works: "Meet our wonderful team" feels like a personal invitation to get to know the group, which can make visitors more inclined to engage. Describing them as "tight-knit" and "curious creatures" adds character and illustrates a vibrant and collaborative work environment. Highlighting that the team is "always learning" and "constantly seeking out new perspectives" positions Teachable as a dynamic and innovative company—committed to growth and evolution.
Tips for writing a short bio
Even though there aren't official rules for writing a bio, there are still some things you should strive for as well as steer clear of if you want to make the best possible impression.
1. Tailor your professional bio to your audience
Whether it's potential employers, LinkedIn connections, Twitter followers, or visitors to your website, each platform and audience has its own expectations. Keep your information relevant and concise, focusing on what matters most to that intended audience.
2. Be authentic
Your bio is not the place to fudge the truth about who you are. Be honest about what you've done and where you're heading. Not telling the truth could bar you from achieving your goals and land you in hot water.
3. Prioritize relevant information
We really hate to be the one to tell you this, but unfortunately, most people do not have the time or patience to read a five-paragraph essay about your life story. Sorry to break it to you!
4. Be relatable
No matter how lofty your accomplishments are, staying grounded may help you establish stronger connections with others. This is where adding personal details and highlighting your personal brand can serve you well. Whether that's with a hobby, interest , or other role outside of work, being relatable can let others understand and get to know you better and determine if you would be a good fit for a company.
5. Be professional
It's appropriate and expected for you to talk about your professional skills and accomplishments in your short bio. That said, there's a fine line between talking about your achievements and sounding arrogant. These two examples talk about the same accomplishment but come across differently:
Example 1: “An accomplished pianist, Ryan was selected out of nearly 7,000 applicants to perform at the annual New York State School Music Association festival last spring.”
Example 2: “An accomplished pianist, Ryan was the obvious choice to perform at the annual New York State School Music Association festival last spring (because he's the best).”
Also, if you're revising your bio after a lay-off or termination, avoid sounding spiteful. As tempting as it might be, don't make negative statements or accusations in your short bio. Positivity and a good attitude will get you much further.
Short professional bio templates
If you prefer to plug and play or need a short bio in a pinch, don't worry; here are three short bio templates to get you started:
Short professional bio template for working professionals
[First name last name] is [currently/formerly] a [insert most recent job title] at [most recent company name] . A proud graduate of [school or university] , they were inspired to pursue a career in [field] after [explain what led to your decision to work in your industry] . Prior to working at [most recent job title], they were the [previous title] at [previous company], where they were responsible for [insert professional accomplishments here] . In their free time, they can be found [insert your favorite hobbies] .
Short professional biography template for students
[First name last name] is a current [year] at [institution] majoring in [area(s) of study] . On campus, [First name] is actively involved in [activity name] , for which they [insert details about what you do for the activity you're involved in] . They most recently [interned/worked] at [organization name] , where they had the opportunity to [insert details about what you did on the job] . They intend to work in the [insert field name or industry] after graduation to follow their passion of [insert what you are passionate about] . In their spare time, they can be found [insert your favorite hobbies] .
Short professional bio template for a gap in employment
[First name last name] is a [position/job title] with [number] years of experience in [specific skills or industry] . Following [briefly mention the reason for the employment gap] , [he/she/they] took some time off to focus on [briefly mention what they did during the gap, e.g., personal development, family obligations, health reasons] . During this time, [he/she/they] also [briefly mention any relevant skills or achievements acquired during the gap] . [Name] is now eager to return to the workforce and is excited to bring [specific skills/accomplishments] to [his/her/their] next role. With a proven track record of [list specific achievements or skills] , [Name] is confident in [his/her/their] ability to contribute to [specific industry/profession] and make an impact in [his/her/their] next position.
If you decide to use any of these biography templates, tweak it ever-so-slightly. Once you've finished entering your details, try adding a bit of personal flair.
Swap adjectives, remove anything that doesn't quite fit with your vibe or experiences, or append some more personal details as you see fit. Feel free to work off of any one of the bios from these resume examples to get a feel for how different styles can be used across roles.
Create your short professional bio with Teal
In a digital world where your online presence often speaks before you do, writing a good, short professional bio is more important than ever. It's the first glimpse potential employers, clients, or colleagues get of your professional life and persona, and the right presentation can open doors to new opportunities and connections.
Teal's Professional Bio Generator saves time by speeding up the writing process with AI. Whether you're trying to impress potential employers, clients, or peers, Teal's generator adapts to your needs and experience, allowing you to create a unique short bio for any audience with one click.
Ready to write a professional bio with maximum impact in less time?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an example of a short professional bio.
An example of a short professional bio is: "Katie is a seasoned marketing professional with over 10 years of experience in digital advertising strategies. She has helped numerous brands achieve their online marketing goals, leading to increased visibility and 3x revenue YoY."
How do you write an impressive short bio?
To write an impressive short bio, focus on your most significant achievements, relevant skills, and experiences that set you apart. Keep it concise and tailored to your audience to engage and leave a memorable impression. You can also use the Teal AI Resume Builder Generative AI to craft a bio that highlights your unique professional journey and skills in an engaging way.
What is a short biography about yourself?
A short biography about yourself should concisely summarize your professional background, major accomplishments, and skills. For example, "I'm an innovative software developer with 5 years of experience in creating scalable applications, known for my ability to troubleshoot complex issues and my commitment to delivering high-quality software solutions."
Emily Polner
Related articles.
Resume Worksheet: Downloadable PDF & How-To Guide
How Teal Helped Travis Realize He Was Looking for the Wrong Job (and Find the Right One)
FlowCV Reviews: Ratings & User Feedback [+ Alternative]
PhD Resume: How to Make a CV for a PhD Application
We help you find the career dream.
Skip to primary navigation
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Enchanting Marketing
Writing advice for small business
How to Make a Rip-Roaring First Impression, With Only a Few Words
by Henneke | 95 enchanting opinions, add yours? :)
Even if you don’t need a short bio right now, writing one is a great exercise. You learn how to say more with fewer words. You learn how to position yourself and how to make a big impression from the get go.
But last week, when I started preparing this post, I made a big mistake.
I looked for inspiration on Twitter.
I scrolled through hundreds of Twitter bios, and I almost gave up on this post because most Twitter bios are utterly dull. And they say almost nothing, like this:
If you try to explain a lot about yourself in a few words, you end up saying nothing. No personality. No big impression. No sense of connection. You sound the same as everyone else.
So, I decided to look for inspiration elsewhere. How do fiction writers introduce their characters in a few words?
4 examples of saying a lot with a few words
I skimmed through the books I’ve read recently to look for powerful descriptions of people.
For instance, here’s how William Kent Krueger typifies an FBI agent in “Boundary Waters:”
How powerful is that comparison to a pit bull! In only 11 words, Krueger gives us a picture of an aggressive guy who’s persistent, too.
It made me wonder, if I were a dog, what dog would I be?
Here’s a longer example by the same author, from “Iron Lake:”
Why is this description powerful? Because the author focuses on one aspect of the person and he gives specific examples. The description is visual, so we can picture this guy sparking fires, tying knots and shooting arrows.
The description may be a little long, but you can cut it easily by 50% and still make a strong first impression.
Here’s a shorter character description from “Force of Nature” by Jane Harper:
Three specific details (jogging, yoga, deep-conditioning her hair) help us visualize Breanne, and we can imagine how she glows even in the unflattering office light.
And here’s one last example, from “The Keeper of Lost Things” by Ruth Hogan:
Again, three specific details express a lot: Prozac, Pinot Grigio, and pretending things weren’t happening. The words even alliterate for extra flair.
When you focus on one character trait or skill, you make a strong first impression and you invite readers to learn more. In contrast, if you try to say too much too quickly, a description of a person falls flat and nobody gets a feel of who they really are.
Choose what to tell in your professional bio
Of course, the fiction examples above are different—you wouldn’t write about Prozac in a professional bio.
But the principles of what makes a good bio remain the same. Choose what to tell and, even more importantly, what to leave out. You can’t cram your whole resume into one sentence. You have to be ruthless.
Twitter bios, for instance, are so short, you can only communicate one or two things. That’s it.
The Twitter bio of Unbounce’s Twitter bio explains what their software can do for you plus invites you to try it for free:
Casa Collective’ s bio is similar:
If you Tweet as a person rather than a company, I like bios that show personality, like this one from Haemin Sunim :
Or this bio from John Espirian :
Or this bio from Kitty Kilian is one of my favorites (the original is in Dutch, I’ve translated it):
A Twitter bio is super short, and you can only make a strong impression if you choose carefully what to write.
The 3-step professional bio
If you have three sentences, for instance for an author bio, then you can say a little more. But be careful, the same rule applies as with the one-sentence Twitter bio. Keep it short to make a strong first impression.
For a three-sentence bio, consider these three objectives:
Tell readers who you are and what you do
Reveal a glimpse of your personality
Encourage readers to find out more
For instance, my author bio is:
In three sentences, I explain what I do (writing), what I’m passionate about (stamping out gobbledygook), and I invite you to join my course so you can learn how to write more persuasively.
Jessica Blanchard’s bio follows a similar pattern:
And Ry Schwartz’ bio:
Ry’s call to action isn’t very strong, but “More reclusive than J D Salinger on a rainy day” is a superb way to sketch a personality in a few words.
How to write a short professional bio
Want to make a big impression with only a few words?
Communicate less instead of more:
Start with answering the question “What do you do for your clients?” or even better, finish this sentence suggestion from Mark Schaefer : “Only I …”
Think about an adjective describing you well; Ry Schwartz uses “reclusive,” John Espirian uses “relentlessly helpful” and I use “irreverent” to present a quick glimpse of who we are
Consider a metaphor to communicate more with fewer words, such as the “pit bull” or “delicate as a hand grenade”
If you have space, have a clear call to action
In short, communicate what makes you different, and tell clients what you can do for them.
Because a professional bio is not only about you.
It’s about your clients, too.
Books mentioned in this post:
Recommended reading on writing about yourself:
Enjoyed this get my fortnightly newsletter in your inbox > > >, get my best writing tips in your inbox ....
Success! Now check your email to confirm your subscription.
There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.
Reader Interactions
Leave a comment and join the conversation cancel reply.
October 31, 2022 at 6:47 am
I love the way you gave perspective from books you read. Very relative and helpful. You keep giving me hope. Thanks.
October 31, 2022 at 11:56 am
Thank you, Andrea. Happy writing!
April 12, 2022 at 4:47 pm
Thank you! You helped me make mince-meat out of a project I always dread – writing about myself. I did a quick search for “how-to write a short bio” and found my favorite writing coach.
April 12, 2022 at 4:52 pm
Wow. So, great when Google delivers exactly what you need 🙂
And thank you also for your lovely compliment, Amy.
April 28, 2021 at 6:50 am
Yet another comment, after reading close to a couple of your blogs. l was asked for a CV today.
Definitely l had to make a search. These days whether its something about writing or not, l first input the search topic with Enchanting marketing.
Sometimes , l don’t really get anything but when l do like today, l get so thrilled like a 5 yr old with a favourite toy.
Let me stop gaping at your writing talent and get on with this CV. Thank you & Cheers Henneke.
April 28, 2021 at 3:14 pm
Thank you so much for your lovely comment, Emily. I’m happy to read that Enchanting Marketing has become your #1 source for writing advice. Good luck with your CV!
April 18, 2021 at 2:34 am
I just landed a new job and it asked or a bio. Google search presented me this page. What an inspiration… I am awestruck with all the wisdom in such a simple article, yet as mentioned in several of the conversations below, writing something in a couple of sentences is far from easy. I admire your patience in responding to every individual comments. I have to get to work in crafting something, which is creative and succinct.
April 18, 2021 at 2:40 pm
I’d say clarity is more important for a bio than being creative. Being creative is a bonus but not a requirement. Have fun!
September 17, 2020 at 4:17 pm
Thanks so kindly, Henneke. This is quite helpful. How does this sound? …a necessity entrepreneur, an avid supporter of women entrepreneurs, helping small business owners fall in love with their business.
September 17, 2020 at 6:38 pm
I don’t know what a necessity entrepreneur is. But maybe your potential clients know what it means? That’s more important than that I understand it.
Also, it’s unclear whether you help women entrepreneurs or all small business owners. Better to focus on one option instead of risking confusion.
May 23, 2020 at 2:17 pm
If you are guest posting, and the host allows for a much larger word count, do you include more information about yourself? Or do you include more about your results? Or maybe 50/50? Or do you keep with the short version and resist the temptation to change it any? I’ve revisited all mine and realize how many I’ve written, each one different. I did not even notice until now, so thanks for that! Also, I totally missed this post when it first came out and I love the tulips! 🙂
May 25, 2020 at 5:54 pm
I’m glad you enjoyed the tulips!
The bio I used for guest posts is the one I’ve quoted above—it’s relatively short: Henneke Duistermaat is an irreverent writer on a mission to stamp out gobbledygook. Get your free 16-Part Snackable Writing Course for Busy People and learn how to enchant your readers and win more business.
Even if the host allowed a longer word count, I haven’t made the bio longer because I was always afraid people might lose interest. Also, they’ve already read a whole blog post so I’ve already built up some credibility with the advice shared in the blog post. But this is not something I’ve tested. It’s mainly based on gut feeling.
May 26, 2020 at 2:20 pm
Thanks! I think you’re right!
January 24, 2020 at 7:46 am
Am still kind of confused but am sure I will get the hang of it. And thanks a lot.
January 24, 2020 at 10:54 am
What are you confused about?
January 9, 2020 at 1:28 am
Wow! I stumbled upon this article and you have successfully provided the unique kind of ideas I was looking for : ) Thank you Henneke
January 9, 2020 at 7:17 pm
Great 🙂 That makes me happy. Have fun writing your bio!
November 29, 2019 at 5:40 am
Oh my goodness! marvellous bio! Thanks.
Thank you so much, Henneke.
November 29, 2019 at 10:02 am
Thank you, Abhinav. Happy writing!
November 12, 2019 at 3:01 pm
You play a dangerous game when you automatically assume the author who used the pit bull reference intended to self describe as aggressive. Pit bulls are smart, loyal, and most of all affectionate. People like you spread bullshit and add fuel to the stereotype of pit bulls being aggressive. I highly suggest you educate yourself before making a blanket statement about an entire breed of animal. Do better.
November 13, 2019 at 12:24 pm
The example you refer to is from the book Boundary Waters, a thriller, in which the author describes one of the characters as a pit bull. He’s an FBI agent who comes as aggressive in the remainder of the book—a fighter.
April 2, 2019 at 8:06 pm
Hey, Henneke
Really amazing content. You’re right a bio define a person and about their profession. So, it’s really important to write an awesome bio.
I will surely use your tips to write a bio of my social media accounts.
March 11, 2019 at 4:15 am
Marketer ExtraOrdinaire, like a stick of dynamite, I blow up old ways of doing things, bringing fresh ideas. The pink bunny can’t keep up with me.
September 13, 2018 at 2:21 pm
Indeed, First impression last. Making an impressive bio needs to convey both professional status and personality in just one or two sentences which creates a great impact to the clients. I sometimes say or write too much and with no idea where I was going or how to make the points I wanted to make. It felt like I was writing in circles, as a result, I was saying nothing. Now I know what to do. Great tips, Henneke.
September 16, 2018 at 1:10 pm
I sometimes write in circles, too, as I don’t always know exactly what I want to say. The writing (even when it seems to lack purpose at first) somehow brings clarity.
Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment, Rebecca 🙂
September 4, 2018 at 11:12 am
September 4, 2018 at 11:33 am
My pleasure 🙂
September 1, 2018 at 10:08 am
I like this. Always playing around with my Short bio for social platforms. What do you think of my twitter bio? @davidgcant Could be improved? Give it your best shot..
A risk savvy health and safety consultant extraordinaire. Cuts through the red tape (with a safety blade of course).
September 2, 2018 at 10:09 am
I like it! I’d be tempted to shorten it a little: A health and safety consultant who cuts through the red tape (with a safety blade of course).
(To me the phrase “risk savvy” doesn’t add a lot as it feels kind of obvious that a health and safety consultant would be risk savvy; that’s what the job is about.)
September 2, 2018 at 4:04 pm
That reads much better. I was thinking of replacing risk savvy with refreshingly practical. What do you think? Or is that too much?
September 2, 2018 at 7:06 pm
The idea of cutting through the red tape already indicates that you’re a practical person rather than a rigid you-must-follow-the-health-and-safety-bible type of person. So, I’d say adding “refreshingly practical” doesn’t really add anything new as you’re already telling me you’re practical—you understand client’s objections to health and safety, plus you have a sense of humor.
August 30, 2018 at 11:44 pm
Succinct and thereby excellent, Henneke. Have to say that I’ve read words of many copywriters down through the years – some good, some not so, even if near-legendary. In my view your writing surpasses most. Please keep it up because I’ve learned more from your posts than I have from anyone else’s. Thanks.
August 31, 2018 at 6:27 pm
Thank you for your lovely compliment, Paul. I appreciate it! 🙂
August 25, 2018 at 5:37 am
Helpful post, as always, but I really just wanted to say I love that drawing of Henrietta with the tulips, on a grey cold day like this it warms the brain. Not that I can complain about the greyness, NSW where I live is 100% in drought. I hope the clouds are not just teasing. Best wishes.
August 26, 2018 at 6:09 pm
Thank you for your lovely compliment on my drawing, Susan. That means a lot to me! I hope the rain will soon ease the drought.
August 22, 2018 at 11:16 pm
Hi Henneke, Thank you for a great article. I remember when I first came across your website (last year, I think), I was impressed with your bio and made a note to myself to use that as inspiration for mine. Of course that mental note was long forgotten! This time I’ve already made a first attempt for my social media profiles. I’ve been a longtime lurker, this is my first comment and is well overdue. Thank you, I can hands down say I learn and apply something useful from each of your articles.
August 23, 2018 at 9:27 pm
That is a lovely compliment. Thank you so much, Sonna.
My own default position is also as a lurker. I appreciate you stepped out of the shadows to leave a comment. Have fun with writing your bio! 🙂
August 22, 2018 at 5:19 pm
Insightful and incisive Love the bonus recommended reading 😉
August 22, 2018 at 5:59 pm
Thank you, Hendel. I started adding the bonus reading recommendations recently as I was asked so often 😉
August 22, 2018 at 9:54 pm
Henneke: Few weeks back, I came across your blog and book.. I not only like the content and but also the presentation style… I really enjoyed reading this article and response to the many comments. I drafted by first short Bio.. could you please review.
Chandra is a Meditation teacher who conducts group meditation sessions in-person and on-line. Her Smile and her energy is contagious. Her mission is to encourage many human beings e discover their SacredSpace with in them through powerful meditations. To know more about her journey visiti https://cvelpula.wixsite.com/mysite/blog/journey-of-discover-sacredspace-within-you
August 23, 2018 at 9:05 pm
I’m glad you enjoyed this blog post, Chandra.
Great start on your bio! You may want to consider tightening it a little as you use the phrase “meditation” three times which is usually a sign that you can make it more concise. Also, what is the ultimate aim of your clients? Do they want to discover their SacredSpace or is their a deeper purpose? This depends on who you’re targeting.
August 22, 2018 at 4:07 pm
Henneke, this was very helpful. I always have trouble writing shorter than longer. Thanks.
August 22, 2018 at 4:19 pm
I find it hard, too. And it takes more time than writing longer!
Thank you for stopping by, Anita. It’s always good to see you 🙂
August 22, 2018 at 11:38 am
Now this is powerful stuff Henneke and thanks to Lisa for sharing.
My bio is not more than 2 sentences but this post just gives me a lot of meat.
I hope you are having a great week
August 22, 2018 at 1:46 pm
I’m glad you found it useful, Enstine! Thank you for stopping by.
August 22, 2018 at 11:12 am
Hi Henneke – I hadn’t thought about writing my bio until I read your article. I’ll certainly follow your excellent advice when the time comes. All the best from sunny Sydney
I hope you’ll have fun writing your bio, Paul!
Still cloudy here 🙂
August 22, 2018 at 1:43 am
Ooh! Henneke, I love this post. And who is Henrietta’s new friend? (or did I miss a post?) I love these smart, smooth, silky, bio’s and would love to add my own. I dream♡ This is my first attempt. Your comments would be sooooo valued. Thanks for all your gorgeous posts Henneke.
Like Columbo shelling his morning egg Joan reveals you to yourself; then helps you delete what no longer serves you and install what does. Joan is an NLP Master Practitioner and Professional Coach working with coaches and service professionals. …… this would be followed with a short CTA
August 22, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Henrietta’s puppy is called Arthur. He’s been around for ages, but often I’m too lazy to draw him! 🙂
You can probably take one step further with your bio, by defining the real benefit of what you do. You can find the real benefit by finishing the sentence: she helps you delete what no longer serves you and install what does, so ….. What is it your clients really want to achieve?
August 23, 2018 at 2:20 am
Thanks, Henneke, that helps. I did add that initially but thought it made it too long – I wrote – “so that you can make a difference and make money as you grow your Lifestyle-Biz.”
I’ll keep playing with it. Now I’m thinking the Columbo piece sounds a bit ‘cheesy’.
August 23, 2018 at 9:33 pm
I’m not sure the Columbo reference adds a lot. I do like the phrase “reveal you to yourself.” I also like “make money as you grow your Lifestyle-Biz” as it’s a true benefit and it’s also specific to your audience. “Making a difference” is a little abstract. So, I’d be tempted to leave that out, or to make it more specific (but that might make it even longer).
August 23, 2018 at 11:26 pm
Terrific, just leave that Columbo piece out. I’ll play with the rest of it. Thanks for the extra input Henneke. ♡
August 21, 2018 at 11:28 pm
The short takes are never easy. How to sum up Hetty in 3 sentenceso ha! So…. Easy going until taken for granted. Lover of stationery, determined to be a success in business. Express your thoughts in our Ankara Fabric Covered Notebooks
August 22, 2018 at 1:41 pm
Great start on your bio, Hetty. It makes me wonder what’s special about your notebooks and why are you passionate about them?
August 21, 2018 at 6:14 pm
Brilliant and enchanting as usual! Thanks for confirming how difficult it can be to engagingly summarize one’s life in two sentences. I get to put a short bio on most of the articles I write for magazines and I am so disappointed in the various versions I have come up with over the years. Now I see why, I conveniently left out my real personality. Shoot.
August 21, 2018 at 8:58 pm
Don’t beat yourself up over it, Thea. Most people leave their personality out of their bios. It IS a tough challenge.
Thank you for your lovely comment. I appreciate it! 🙂
August 21, 2018 at 5:33 pm
To be honest, I skimmed your initial email the first time and, because my day is the usual crazy, didn’t click through initially. But I’m so glad I made the time to do it now. This was an absolutely genius post—and the examples were outstanding! I’ve added a note to do some brainstorming on my bio next week. As always, thank you for the inspiration and the easily digestible and actionable advice!
August 21, 2018 at 8:56 pm
You know, it really humbles me when you make time on a crazy busy day to not only read my post but also leave a comment. You’re a star. Thank you 🙂
August 21, 2018 at 4:41 pm
Thank you for the valuable insights.
August 21, 2018 at 4:47 pm
Thank you, Mohsin. Was there anything in particular you found valuable?
August 21, 2018 at 3:43 pm
Hi Henneke:
For me the fight to find the perfect bio is unending…seems like I’m forever tweaking. Also, in my constant state of evolving (or is it experimenting?) I’ve taken to changing my bio for different places I publish! Oh Henneke, why can’t I just do one perfect one like you and it’s everywhere!!! Geez. P.S. But, don’t forget you need to add “illustrator” to yours!!! Bi Oh My!! Take care, Sue-Ann
August 21, 2018 at 4:43 pm
I don’t have one perfect bio either. I don’t think the perfect bio exist. Unless you’re Andy Murray whose Twitter bio simply says: “I play tennis.” How brilliant is that? Unfortunately, that doesn’t work for mere mortals like you and me.
And you see … you already mention “illustrator,” but somehow it didn’t feel right. Also, I have a different bio on Instagram because I mainly share my drawings there. My Insta bio is: I play with words and colored pencils.
Perfection doesn’t exist. Experimentation is what life is about, isn’t it?
August 22, 2018 at 8:34 am
Ha ha! I always laugh at Murray’s twitter bio as it’s so deceptively simple yet at the same time understated. I like how he doesn’t feel the need to list out all his achievements. By the way, I missed my flight home from NYC in 2012 to see him win the US Open, which was amazing.
Anyway, back on topic, trying to do a short About section for my new “personal branding photography” landing page. Trying to work in something like my “hobbit-like stature and tenacity”, along with being eco-friendly and helping businesses save time by creating images for their online content. It’s still a work in progress.
August 22, 2018 at 1:45 pm
Murray’s bio is brilliant. I love how understated it is. And lucky you for seeing him play (and win!) live!
I like “hobbit-like tenacity” 🙂
August 21, 2018 at 3:02 pm
Thanks, Henneke. I’m honoured to get a mention here – much appreciated!
I hate it when all those letters, spaces and punctuation marks don’t amount to anything meaningful.
August 21, 2018 at 4:51 pm
It was rather demotivating to read through all those Twitter bios!
Thank you for stopping by, John.
August 21, 2018 at 2:33 pm
Great post and I loved the examples you gave.
I find writing bios very hard. I have this instinct to look at what others in my field are writing and try to find something that would work for me. It’s insane! I know it’s wrong, I know it’s useless and yet, I’m attracted to it.
What’s with the copycatting? I have a strong identity, I know what I want and who I am. Why does it all go to smoke when writing things like bios on social media?
I’m going to get to work in a dark room with no phones or internet and write away. Well, scratch the dark room part. You know what I mean. 😀
August 21, 2018 at 4:38 pm
I think most of us look at what others in our niche are doing, and there’s nothing wrong with trying to learn from others. I’ve found it’s often easier to look outside our own niche for inspiration.
And out of all the different writing tasks, writing a bio is probably one of the most difficult. Play for a while, then let it simmer for a while, and then play a little more. Have fun!
Thank you for stopping by, Elfin!
August 21, 2018 at 2:16 pm
You’re inspired me! Awesome post – and glad you said it took weeks to come up with your bio. These examples make it look easy.
August 21, 2018 at 4:36 pm
Writing so often looks easy, but we don’t see how much effort has gone into it. For me, the biggest challenge was to decide what I wanted to say. I was just starting out and I hadn’t figured out my positioning yet.
Thank you for stopping by, Cathy. I appreciate it 🙂
August 21, 2018 at 2:08 pm
Great advice Henneke! I took notes and will check out some of your examples!
August 21, 2018 at 4:34 pm
Yay! Happy bio writing, Kim 🙂
August 21, 2018 at 1:59 pm
Hi Henneke,
Thank you for this post. It came just in time as I am currently trying to re-do my website about page and social profiles.
Here’s what I came up with after reading your post. What do you think? Storytelling is my superpower, so I thought to highlight that. So how’s this for a try:
Enamored with writing. I spin engaging stories about your brand so your clients don’t have to shop elsewhere. Just call me your Fairy Wordmother.
August 21, 2018 at 4:45 pm
I’m glad this post came at the right time, Zika 🙂
Using a positive is often stronger rather than a negative. So, for instance, instead of “so your clients don’t have to shop elsewhere,” you could have: “so your clients fall in love with your brand.”
August 21, 2018 at 4:57 pm
Thank you so so much, Henneke.
August 21, 2018 at 1:38 pm
I read your post not for my own bio actually but because I need help writing one and two sentence introductions for 40 – 50 historical puzzle pages. And it works for that! Where yesterday I was plodding through it like an elephant in quick sand this morning I’m inspired to have more fun with my project. Especially love the suggestion to use metaphors. That would make a whole blog on its own. Maybe you already have?
August 21, 2018 at 4:33 pm
Yay! I’m so glad you feel inspired, Patty 🙂
I wrote about metaphors here and here . But I could probably write another one 🙂
August 21, 2018 at 1:37 pm
Brilliant and not boring bios. That draw you in.
Excellent article Henneke.
August 21, 2018 at 4:31 pm
Thank you, Ray. I appreciate your comment 🙂
August 21, 2018 at 1:26 pm
I’ve rewritten my Twitter bio using this post as inspiration! It originally said;
#Blogger & #copywriter for #software & #tech (esp #IoT). Loves #design, productivity & mindfulness. Newcastle upon Tyne. Ravenclaw. INTP. Chocoholic.
I was clearly so very guilty of trying to say as much as possible in a short space of time. Now it says this;
Chocoholic copywriter LJ enjoys making tech sound fun, not scary. She’s also as subtle as a sledgehammer and wants to help startups build brilliant blogs. Start here; http://eepurl.com/cS8g99
My dad is the one who describes me as being as subtle as a sledgehammer 😉
I love the changes you’ve made! 🙂
I wonder whether you can connect “subtle as a sledgehammer” somehow to building blogs. Something like: Subtle as a sledgehammer, she helps startups build blogs that rip through online noise. Maybe not quite, but it’d be great if you could show the advantage of being like a sledgehammer 🙂
What do you think?
August 21, 2018 at 1:23 pm
One of your best Henneke!
I’ve long felt the same about “elevator speeches” — the reason they don’t work is we try to jam too much information into what should be a single thought-provoking nugget.
August 21, 2018 at 4:27 pm
Yep, I agree with you. The idea of elevator speeches makes me roll my eyes. But that’s silly because a good elevator speech is fab. As you say, you need just one thought-provoking nugget, something to connect with your audience.
August 21, 2018 at 1:16 pm
Great tips and examples Henneke!! It’s awesome to see examples that are different from the norm. Love the visuals.
You’ve inspired me to improve my byline. What do you reckon?
Cynthia is a copywriter powered by chai lattes, rockclimbing, and remedial massages. She’s on a mission to draw out personable, reputable, small health and fitness businesses from the shadows. Grab her free guide on how to sound intelligent by writing in plain English.
August 21, 2018 at 4:25 pm
I like it. You can probably still improve the second sentence a little more. Try to find a stronger phrase than “draw out from the shadows”—something that sounds more positive, and reduce the number of adjectives as “personable, reputable, small health and fitness businesses” is quite a mouthful.
I love the idea of a free guide on sounding more intelligent 🙂
September 11, 2018 at 5:38 am
Thanks for the feedback. I find it tough to keep it simple sometimes! 🙂
How about this version? Cynthia is a copywriter powered by chai lattes, rockclimbing, and remedial massages. She’s on a mission to help small health and fitness businesses connect with clients through writing that sticks in their reader’s minds. Grab her free guide on how to sound intelligent by writing in plain English.
September 12, 2018 at 2:09 pm
Yes, I like it. If you like, you can consider making your mission more specific to your audience. For instance: help small health and fitness businesses inspire their clients to lead a more healthy lifestyle.
August 22, 2018 at 1:53 am
I like it! And Henneke’s suggestions.
August 21, 2018 at 12:27 pm
Hi Henneke, Another great of your posts here. The goal of every writer is to have their target audience read through to the last word. That said, it is genius to be artistic if a writer has to stand out of the crowd. This is where you have touched best ~ Use of a BIO ~ and a captivating bio for that matter. Most of the time readers will look at the bio of an author before they could dedicate their time to read the author’s article. You nailed it as always. I always read your articles to enrich my knowledge Keep doing what you do BEST 🙂
August 21, 2018 at 12:43 pm
Thank you for your lovely comment, Tony. A dash of creativity can definitely make a bio more captivating.
August 21, 2018 at 12:23 pm
‘More reclusive than J D Salinger on a rainy day,’ >> yes! Jealous of that.
And thanks for including me 😉 Interesting that the second sentence translates from 6 words in Dutch to 11 in English – usually it’s the other way round.
August 21, 2018 at 12:42 pm
Yes, I found it also weird that I ended up with more words. I somehow couldn’t make it shorter and it doesn’t feel as good as the Dutch version (probably because that one is shorter).
I love “delicate as a hand grenade,” too! 🙂
August 21, 2018 at 12:18 pm
Henneke, I love this one: “Because a professional bio is not only about you. It’s about your clients, too.” We have to think more like our own client to help us create a catchy bio that will work and answer “what’s in it for me?” Thanks for the info and the great examples here Henneke. I’ll be playing around with mine in the coming days.
August 21, 2018 at 12:40 pm
“Playing around” is a good phrase for writing a bio!
I can’t remember how long I played around with mine, but it was weeks rather than days (and writing this post makes me wonder whether I have to revisit my Twitter bio again!).
Happy playing, Lisa, and thank you for stopping by.
August 22, 2018 at 10:48 am
Oh yes, I try to update my Twitter bio every month or so. Things change, you know? You are most welcome. Love your mugs by the way as I’ve seen them via Sue-Ann.
Books and courses
Follow proven templates for specific writing tasks, practice your skills, and get professional feedback so you become a confident business writer. Take on any writing project with gusto. Learn more about books and courses
About Henneke
I never saw myself as a writer, but in my early forties, I learned how to write and discovered the joy of writing. Now, I’d like to empower you to find your voice, share your ideas and inspire your audience. Learn how I can help you
Popular topics
Sales copywriting
Blog writing for business
Your writing voice
Tips for beginning writers
The writing process
Improve your writing skills
Writing examples
Popular blog posts
Recent blog posts
Free Snackable Writing Course
Get 16 concise emails and learn how to write more persuasive content.
I would interpret this as saying that, as you suggest, "properly" is used to mean in the strict s
Bibliography / Bibliography for project file / How to write Bibliography / school project
COMMENTS
Examples of 'Biography' in a Sentence
With classic filmmakers, a biography is a peek behind the scenes, whether a debunking or an astonishment—a view of the human element that made grand achievements possible. Much of the book reads like the Yoko chapter in a biography of John. John Adams, like a door-stopping biography, is one of the best of the form.
Examples of "Biography" in a Sentence
The biography of Calhoun by Dr Hermann von Holst in the "American Statesmen Series" (Boston, 1882) is a condensed study of the political questions of Calhoun's time. 2. 1. He made copies of the Polk manuscripts and was working upon a detailed biography at the time of his death in 1891.
How to use biography in a sentence
Sentence Examples. This is in essence a short and rather conventional biography which breaks no new ground but is a good summary of current knowledge. But the picture drawn by Volkmar Braunbehrens's 1989 biography is of a serious, steady, occasionally irascible man. The library also has a wide range of titles on gardening, cookery, history ...
Biography in a Sentence
Biography in a Sentence. Definition of Biography. a person's life story as told by another person. Examples of Biography in a sentence. It took me years to shape the president's life story into an engaging biography. Since the actress never asked you to write about her rise to stardom, your book isn't an authorized biography.
Biography
A biography is the non- fiction, written history or account of a person's life. Biographies are intended to give an objective portrayal of a person, written in the third person. Biographers collect information from the subject (if he/she is available), acquaintances of the subject, or in researching other sources such as reference material ...
How to Write a Biography: A Step-by-Step Guide
Tip 3: Add Your Own Perspective. Biographies need to be objective, but that doesn't mean the author has to be entirely invisible. Including your own perspective can make the biography relatable and engaging. Letting your voice shine can help illustrate the subject's character and bring their story to life.
Biography in a Sentence
Sentences bring the true meaning of the word to life by placing it in real examples written by native speakers. The context of the example sentence can reveal unusual instances when 'biography' can be used that the reader is unlikely to be aware of. Complete sentences offer context to display how the word can be properly used.
Examples of 'biography' in a sentence
Times, Sunday Times. (2006) These biographies are inevitably peopled by classy actors, but too often they are achingly dull, conventional cinema. Times, Sunday Times. (2015) But I managed to correct and amplify an account of his biography and works sufficiently to provide a decent introduction to that edition.
Biography Definition & Meaning
The meaning of BIOGRAPHY is a usually written history of a person's life. How to use biography in a sentence. So You've Been Asked to Submit a Biography
How to Write a Biography: 6 Tips for Writing Biographical Texts
Secured with SSL. Biographies are how we learn information about another human being's life. Whether you want to start writing a biography about a famous person, historical figure, or an influential family member, it's important to know all the elements that make a biography worth both writing and reading.
How to Write a Biography in 8 Steps (The Non-Boring Way!)
Conduct relevant interviews. Whenever possible, seek firsthand accounts from those who knew or interacted with the subject. Conduct interviews with family members, friends, colleagues, or experts in the field. Their insights and anecdotes can provide a deeper understanding of the person's character and experiences.
5 Example of Biography, Biography Samples and Formats
5 Example of Biography, Biography Samples and Formats Biography Biography appears as a genre of literature. There are different types. Biography in general means telling about a person's life. In our article, you will find answers to the questions of what is a biography and how to write it. What Should Be Considered When Writing A Biography? How To Write A Biography? Biography means writing ...
How to write a strong one-line biography (with examples!)
Keep it short, but readable. If you're required to keep your biography to just one sentence, you have just 15 to 20 words on average to get your point across. You need to be succinct and make every word count. As such, remove superlatives and flowery language that could make it harder to read. This is not the place to be cute or show off ...
Biography
A biography is an account of somebody's life written by somebody else, complete with details of the most important parts. ... These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word 'biography'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us ...
Biography in a sentence (esp. good sentence like quote, proverb...)
150+8 sentence examples: 1. He dramatized the biography of the basketball star. 2. He wrote a biography of Winston Churchill. 3. The biography shows him in a favourable light. 4. Hodges wrote an unofficial biography of the artist. 5. Nelson Mandela i
How to Write a Short Bio: 5 Examples and Templates
How to Write a Short Bio Part 1. What to Include in a Short Professional Bio Part 2. Example of a Formal Short Bio Part 3. Example of a Casual Short Bio Part 4. Examples of Well-Written Short Bios Part 5. Short Bio: Best Templates Part 6. Tips for Writing a Short Bio Part 7. Optimizing Your Bio for Different Platforms Part 8.
BIOGRAPHY Definition & Meaning
Biography definition: a written account of another person's life. See examples of BIOGRAPHY used in a sentence.
How to Write a Biography
A biography is an account of someone's life written by someone else.While there is a genre known as a fictional biography, for the most part, biographies are, by definition, nonfiction. Generally speaking, biographies provide an account of the subject's life from the earliest days of childhood to the present day or, if the subject is deceased, their death.
What Is Included in a Biography? Key Elements
Unsure of what to include in a biography? Whether about yourself or someone else, write one easily with these key parts of a biography.
BIOGRAPHY
BIOGRAPHY meaning: 1. the life story of a person written by someone else: 2. the life story of a person written by…. Learn more.
How To Write a Professional Short Bio (With Examples)
Here are some steps you can follow to help you write a successful short bio: 1. Choose a voice. The first step in writing a short bio is deciding on a voice. For our purposes, choosing a voice involves deciding whether you are writing in the first or third person. Writing in the first person means using the words "I" and "me", and writing in ...
How to Write a Short Professional Bio (With Examples and Templates)
Example 1: "A recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Sally is currently a consultant at XYZ Consulting based out of their New York office.". Example 2: "A recent UPenn grad, Sally swore off econ after years of hard classes only to end up as a consultant at a major firm — but don't worry, she loves it.". .
How to Write a Short Professional Bio (with 8 Bio Examples)
If you have three sentences, for instance for an author bio, then you can say a little more. But be careful, the same rule applies as with the one-sentence Twitter bio. Keep it short to make a strong first impression. For a three-sentence bio, consider these three objectives: Tell readers who you are and what you do.
.png "what is an example of biography in a sentence")
.jpeg)
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
With classic filmmakers, a biography is a peek behind the scenes, whether a debunking or an astonishment—a view of the human element that made grand achievements possible. Much of the book reads like the Yoko chapter in a biography of John. John Adams, like a door-stopping biography, is one of the best of the form.
The biography of Calhoun by Dr Hermann von Holst in the "American Statesmen Series" (Boston, 1882) is a condensed study of the political questions of Calhoun's time. 2. 1. He made copies of the Polk manuscripts and was working upon a detailed biography at the time of his death in 1891.
Sentence Examples. This is in essence a short and rather conventional biography which breaks no new ground but is a good summary of current knowledge. But the picture drawn by Volkmar Braunbehrens's 1989 biography is of a serious, steady, occasionally irascible man. The library also has a wide range of titles on gardening, cookery, history ...
Biography in a Sentence. Definition of Biography. a person's life story as told by another person. Examples of Biography in a sentence. It took me years to shape the president's life story into an engaging biography. Since the actress never asked you to write about her rise to stardom, your book isn't an authorized biography.
A biography is the non- fiction, written history or account of a person's life. Biographies are intended to give an objective portrayal of a person, written in the third person. Biographers collect information from the subject (if he/she is available), acquaintances of the subject, or in researching other sources such as reference material ...
Tip 3: Add Your Own Perspective. Biographies need to be objective, but that doesn't mean the author has to be entirely invisible. Including your own perspective can make the biography relatable and engaging. Letting your voice shine can help illustrate the subject's character and bring their story to life.
Sentences bring the true meaning of the word to life by placing it in real examples written by native speakers. The context of the example sentence can reveal unusual instances when 'biography' can be used that the reader is unlikely to be aware of. Complete sentences offer context to display how the word can be properly used.
Times, Sunday Times. (2006) These biographies are inevitably peopled by classy actors, but too often they are achingly dull, conventional cinema. Times, Sunday Times. (2015) But I managed to correct and amplify an account of his biography and works sufficiently to provide a decent introduction to that edition.
The meaning of BIOGRAPHY is a usually written history of a person's life. How to use biography in a sentence. So You've Been Asked to Submit a Biography
Secured with SSL. Biographies are how we learn information about another human being's life. Whether you want to start writing a biography about a famous person, historical figure, or an influential family member, it's important to know all the elements that make a biography worth both writing and reading.
Conduct relevant interviews. Whenever possible, seek firsthand accounts from those who knew or interacted with the subject. Conduct interviews with family members, friends, colleagues, or experts in the field. Their insights and anecdotes can provide a deeper understanding of the person's character and experiences.
5 Example of Biography, Biography Samples and Formats Biography Biography appears as a genre of literature. There are different types. Biography in general means telling about a person's life. In our article, you will find answers to the questions of what is a biography and how to write it. What Should Be Considered When Writing A Biography? How To Write A Biography? Biography means writing ...
Keep it short, but readable. If you're required to keep your biography to just one sentence, you have just 15 to 20 words on average to get your point across. You need to be succinct and make every word count. As such, remove superlatives and flowery language that could make it harder to read. This is not the place to be cute or show off ...
A biography is an account of somebody's life written by somebody else, complete with details of the most important parts. ... These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word 'biography'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us ...
150+8 sentence examples: 1. He dramatized the biography of the basketball star. 2. He wrote a biography of Winston Churchill. 3. The biography shows him in a favourable light. 4. Hodges wrote an unofficial biography of the artist. 5. Nelson Mandela i
How to Write a Short Bio Part 1. What to Include in a Short Professional Bio Part 2. Example of a Formal Short Bio Part 3. Example of a Casual Short Bio Part 4. Examples of Well-Written Short Bios Part 5. Short Bio: Best Templates Part 6. Tips for Writing a Short Bio Part 7. Optimizing Your Bio for Different Platforms Part 8.
Biography definition: a written account of another person's life. See examples of BIOGRAPHY used in a sentence.
A biography is an account of someone's life written by someone else.While there is a genre known as a fictional biography, for the most part, biographies are, by definition, nonfiction. Generally speaking, biographies provide an account of the subject's life from the earliest days of childhood to the present day or, if the subject is deceased, their death.
Unsure of what to include in a biography? Whether about yourself or someone else, write one easily with these key parts of a biography.
BIOGRAPHY meaning: 1. the life story of a person written by someone else: 2. the life story of a person written by…. Learn more.
Here are some steps you can follow to help you write a successful short bio: 1. Choose a voice. The first step in writing a short bio is deciding on a voice. For our purposes, choosing a voice involves deciding whether you are writing in the first or third person. Writing in the first person means using the words "I" and "me", and writing in ...
Example 1: "A recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Sally is currently a consultant at XYZ Consulting based out of their New York office.". Example 2: "A recent UPenn grad, Sally swore off econ after years of hard classes only to end up as a consultant at a major firm — but don't worry, she loves it.". .
If you have three sentences, for instance for an author bio, then you can say a little more. But be careful, the same rule applies as with the one-sentence Twitter bio. Keep it short to make a strong first impression. For a three-sentence bio, consider these three objectives: Tell readers who you are and what you do.