what person should a biography be written in

How to Write a Biography

Learn how to write a biography with our comprehensive guide.

Last updated on Dec 8th, 2023

When you click on affiliate links on QuillMuse.com and make a purchase, you won’t pay a penny more, but we’ll get a small commission—this helps us keep up with publishing valuable content on QuillMuse.  Read More .

Table of Contents

How to write a biography can be a fun challenge as you share someone’s life story with readers. You may need to write a biography for a class or decide to write a biography as a personal project. Once you’ve identified the subject of your biography, do your research to learn as much as you can about them. Then, immerse yourself in writing the biography and revising it until it’s best. What I am going to share with you in today’s post is how to write a biography. If you want to know the rules of how to write a biography correctly then this post of ours is essential for you. 

Introduction

While it’s true that most biographies involve people in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. But most of the time, famous or not, the person we’re talking about has an incredible life. Although your students may have a basic understanding of How to write a biography, you should take some time before putting pen to paper to come up with a very clear definition of biography.

Before knowing how to write a biography, let’s first understand what a biography is. A biography is an account of a person’s life written by someone else. Although there is a genre called fictional biography, by definition biographies are mostly non-fiction. In general, biographies trace the subject’s life from early childhood to the present day or until death if the subject is deceased. 

Biography writing is not limited to describing the bare facts of a person’s life. Instead of just listing basic details about their upbringing, interests, education, work, relationships, and deaths, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of a person’s personality as well as that person’s life experiences.

Tips and Tricks For How To Write a Biography

1. ask the subject’s permission to write a biography.

Here are the first tips on how to write a biography. Before starting your research, make sure you get your subject’s consent to write their biography. Ask them if they’re ready to be the subject. Getting their permission will make writing a biography much easier and ensure that they are open to information about their lives.

If the theme does not allow you to write a bio, you can choose another theme. If you decide to publish a profile without the subject’s permission, you may be subject to legal action from the subject. 

If the topic no longer exists, you don’t need to ask permission to write about them. 

2. Research primary sources on the topic

Primary sources may include books, letters, photographs, diaries, newspaper clippings, magazines, Internet articles, magazines, videos, interviews, existing biographies, or autobiographies on the subject. Find these resources in your local library or online. Read as much as you can about the topic and highlight any important information you come across in your sources. 

You can create research questions to help you focus your research on this topic, such as: 

What do I find interesting about this topic? Why is this topic important to readers? 

3. Conduct interviews with subjects and their relatives

Interviewing people will turn your research into reality: the people you interview will be able to tell you stories you can’t find in history books. Interview the subject as well as people close to them, such as spouses, friends, business associates, family members, co-workers, and friends. Interview in person, over the phone, or via email.

For in-person interviews, record them with a voice recorder or voice recorder on your computer or phone. You may need to interview the subject and others multiple times to get the documents you need.

4. Visit places important to the topic

Whenever you want to know how to write a biography, to understand the history of the subject, spend time in places and areas that are significant to the subject. This may be the subject’s childhood home or neighborhood. You can also visit the subject’s workplace and regular meeting places. 

You may also want to visit areas where the subject made important decisions or breakthroughs in their life. Being physically present in the area can give you an idea of what your subjects may have felt and help you write about their experiences more effectively.

5. Research the time and place of the subject’s life

Contextualize your subject’s life by observing what’s going on around them. Consider the period in which they grew up as well as the history of the places they lived. Study the economics, politics, and culture of their time. See current events happening where they live or work.

When you studying how to write a biography, ask yourself about time and place: 

What were the social norms of this period? 

What happened economically and politically? 

How has the political and social environment influenced this topic?

6. Make a timeline of a person’s life

To help you organize your research, create a timeline of a person’s entire life, from birth. Draw a long line on a piece of paper and sketch out as many details about a person’s life as possible. Highlight important events or moments on the timeline. Include important dates, locations, and names. 

If you think about how to write a biography You can also include historical events or moments that affect the topic in the timeline. For example, a conflict or civil war may occur during a person’s lifetime and affect their life.

7. Focus on important events and milestones

Major events can include marriage, birth, or death during a person’s lifetime. They may also achieve milestones like their first successful business venture or their first civil rights march. Highlights key moments in a person’s life so readers clearly understand what’s important to that person and how they influence the world around them.

For example, you might focus on one person’s achievements in the civil rights movement. You could write an entire section about their contributions and participation in major civil rights marches in their hometowns.

8. Cite all sources used in  biography

Most biographies will include information from sources such as books, journal articles, magazines, and interviews. Remember to cite any sources that you directly quote or paraphrase. You can use citations, footnotes, or endnotes. If the biography is for a course, use MLA, APA, or Chicago Style citations according to your instructor’s preference.

9. Reread the biography

Check the biography for spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Circle all punctuation marks in the text to confirm they are correct. Read the text backward to check for spelling and grammar errors. 

Having a biography full of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can frustrate readers and lead to poor grades if you submit your work to the class.

10. Show your biography to others to get their feedback

It is a momentous step of how to write a biography. Once you have completed your draft biography, show it to your colleagues, friends, teachers, and mentors to get their feedback. Ask them if they have a good understanding of someone’s life and if the biography is easy to read. Be open to feedback so you can improve the biography and make it error-free. Revise profile based on feedback from others. Don’t be afraid to trim or edit your biography to suit your readers’ needs.

11. Use flashbacks

Flashbacks happen when you move from the present to the past. You can start with the present moment, and then bring in a scene from the person’s past. Or you could have one chapter focusing on the present and one focusing on the past, alternating as you go.

The flashback scene must be as detailed and realistic as the present-day scene. Use your research notes and interviews with subjects to better understand their past to reminisce. 

For example, you can move from a person’s death in the present to reminiscing about their favorite childhood memory.

12. Outline Your Story Chronologically 

This is another important step in how to write a biography is to write an outline that describes your story in chronological order. An outline is a tool that helps you visualize the structure and key elements of your story. This can help you organize your story into chapters and sections. 

You can write your plan in a digital document or draw it with pen and paper. Remember to store your outline in an easily accessible place so you can refer to it throughout the writing process.

What citation style should I use for my biography?

Use MLA, APA, or Chicago Style citations based on your instructor’s preference when citing sources in your biography.

Should I include personal opinions in a biography?

No, a biography should be objective and based on facts. Avoid injecting personal opinions or bias into the narrative.

What’s the difference between a biography and an autobiography?

A biography is written by someone else about a person’s life, while an autobiography is written by the subject themselves about their own life.

Can I write a biography about a living person?

Yes, you can write a biography about a living person with their consent. Ensure you respect their privacy and follow ethical guidelines when writing about them.

Conclusion 

Other than creating a sense of closure, there are no set rules about how a biography ends. An author may want to summarize their main points about the subject of their biography. If the person is still alive, the author can inform the reader about their condition or circumstances. If the person has died, inheritance can be discussed. Authors can also remind readers how they can learn from the biographical subject. Sharing a closing quote or about a person can leave the audience with a point to consider or discuss in more detail.

For further insights into writing and to avoid common mistakes, check out our article on Most Common Mistakes in Writing . Additionally, explore the Best Writing Tools for Writers to enhance your writing skills and discover the tools that can assist you. If you’re looking to improve your typing speed and accuracy, our article on How to Type Faster with Accuracy offers valuable tips.

How we've reviewed this article

Our content is thoroughly researched and fact-checked using reputable sources. While we aim for precision, we encourage independent verification for complete confidence.

We keep our articles up-to-date regularly to ensure accuracy and relevance as new information becomes available.

• Current Version
• Dec 8th, 2023
• Oct 22nd, 2023

Share this article

Leave a Comment Login Please login to comment 0 Comments Inline Feedbacks View all comments

Prev Previous Next Next

How to Write a Research Paper Introduction

We write different types of papers for academic and professional reasons. Research paper is one of the most important papers and it is different from other papers. There are different types of rules for writing a research paper, the first part is the introduction. Through this article, we will try

Figurative Language: Definition, Types, and Examples

Figurative language is a lively and expressive form that enriches writing by going beyond literal meanings to create emotional responses. An author can express more intricate ideas vividly and artistically using various techniques, including metaphors, similes, personification, and hyperbole. This blog post delves into the definition and types of figurative

How to Write a Book Like a Pro in 2024

Deciding to start writing a book can be intimidating, especially if you’re a beginner. It can paralyze you When you’re unsure where to begin writing a book. Starting and finishing a book requires grit, but we believe that with the right tips and tools, anyone can do it. You have

Report this article

Let us know if you notice any incorrect information about this article or if it was copied from others. We will take action against this article ASAP.

• Profile Page
• Edit Profile
• Add New Post

Read our Content Writing Guide .

TRY OUR FREE APP

Write your book in Reedsy Studio. Try the beloved writing app for free today.

Craft your masterpiece in Reedsy Studio

Plan, write, edit, and format your book in our free app made for authors.

Blog • Perfecting your Craft

Posted on Jun 30, 2023

How to Write a Biography: A 7-Step Guide [+Template]

From time to time, nonfiction authors become so captivated by a particular figure from either the present or the past, that they feel compelled to write an entire book about their life. Whether casting them as heroes or villains, there is an interesting quality in their humanity that compels these authors to revisit their life paths and write their story.

However, portraying someone’s life on paper in a comprehensive and engaging way requires solid preparation. If you’re looking to write a biography yourself, in this post we’ll share a step-by-step blueprint that you can follow. 

How to write a biography: 

1. Seek permission when possible 

2. research your subject thoroughly, 3. do interviews and visit locations, 4. organize your findings, 5. identify a central thesis, 6. write it using narrative elements, 7. get feedback and polish the text.

FREE RESOURCE

Biography Outline Template

Craft a satisfying story arc for your biography with our free template.

While you technically don’t need permission to write about public figures (or deceased ones), that doesn't guarantee their legal team won't pursue legal action against you. Author Kitty Kelley was sued by Frank Sinatra before she even started to write His Way , a biography that paints Ol Blue Eyes in a controversial light. (Kelley ended up winning the lawsuit, however).  

Whenever feasible, advise the subject’s representatives of your intentions. If all goes according to plan, you’ll get a green light to proceed, or potentially an offer to collaborate. It's a matter of common sense; if someone were to write a book about you, you would likely want to know about it well prior to publication. So, make a sincere effort to reach out to their PR staff to negotiate an agreement or at least a mutual understanding of the scope of your project. 

At the same time, make sure that you still retain editorial control over the project, and not end up writing a puff piece that treats its protagonist like a saint or hero. No biography can ever be entirely objective, but you should always strive for a portrayal that closely aligns with facts and reality.

If you can’t get an answer from your subject, or you’re asked not to proceed forward, you can still accept the potential repercussions and write an unauthorized biography . The “rebellious act” of publishing without consent indeed makes for great marketing, though it’ll likely bring more headaches with it too. 

✋ Please note that, like other nonfiction books, if you intend to release your biography with a publishing house , you can put together a book proposal to send to them before you even write the book. If they like it enough, they might pay you an advance to write it.  

Book Proposal Template

Craft a professional pitch for your nonfiction book with our handy template.

Once you’ve settled (or not) the permission part, it’s time to dive deep into your character’s story.  

Deep and thorough research skills are the cornerstone of every biographer worth their salt. To paint a vivid and accurate portrait of someone's life, you’ll have to gather qualitative information from a wide range of reliable sources. 

Start with the information already available, from books on your subject to archival documents, then collect new ones firsthand by interviewing people or traveling to locations. 

Browse the web and library archives

Put your researcher hat on and start consuming any piece on your subject you can find, from their Wikipedia page to news articles, interviews, TV and radio appearances, YouTube videos, podcasts, books, magazines, and any other media outlets they may have been featured in. 

Establish a system to orderly collect the information you find 一 even seemingly insignificant details can prove valuable during the writing process, so be sure to save them. 

Depending on their era, you may find most of the information readily available online, or you may need to search through university libraries for older references. 

For his landmark biography of Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow spent untold hours at Columbia University’s library , reading through the Hamilton family papers, visiting the New York Historical Society, as well as interviewing the archivist of the New York Stock Exchange, and so on. The research process took years, but it certainly paid off. Chernow discovered that Hamilton created the first five securities originally traded on Wall Street. This finding, among others, revealed his significant contributions to shaping the current American financial and political systems, a legacy previously often overshadowed by other founding fathers. Today Alexander Hamilton is one of the best-selling biographies of all time, and it has become a cultural phenomenon with its own dedicated musical. 

Besides reading documents about your subject, research can help you understand the world that your subject lived in. 

Try to understand their time and social environment

Many biographies show how their protagonists have had a profound impact on society through their philosophical, artistic, or scientific contributions. But at the same time, it’s worth it as a biographer to make an effort to understand how their societal and historical context influenced their life’s path and work.

An interesting example is Stephen Greenblatt’s Will in the World . Finding himself limited by a lack of verified detail surrounding William Shakespeare's personal life, Greenblatt, instead, employs literary interpretation and imaginative reenactments to transport readers back to the Elizabethan era. The result is a vivid (though speculative) depiction of the playwright's life, enriching our understanding of his world.

Many readers enjoy biographies that transport them to a time and place, so exploring a historical period through the lens of a character can be entertaining in its own right. The Diary of Samuel Pepys became a classic not because people were enthralled by his life as an administrator, but rather from his meticulous and vivid documentation of everyday existence during the Restoration period.

Once you’ve gotten your hands on as many secondary sources as you can find, you’ll want to go hunting for stories first-hand from people who are (or were) close to your subject.

With all the material you’ve been through, by now you should already have a pretty good picture of your protagonist. But you’ll surely have some curiosities and missing dots in their character arc to figure out, which you can only get by interviewing primary sources.

Interview friends and associates

This part is more relevant if your subject is contemporary, and you can actually meet up or call with relatives, friends, colleagues, business partners, neighbors, or any other person related to them. 

In writing the popular biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson interviewed more than one hundred people, including Jobs’s family, colleagues, former college mates, business rivals, and the man himself.

🔍 Read other biographies to get a sense of what makes a great one. Check out our list of the 30 best biographies of all time , or take our 30-second quiz below for tips on which one you should read next. 

Which biography should you read next?

Discover the perfect biography for you. Takes 30 seconds!

When you conduct your interviews, make sure to record them with high quality audio you can revisit later. Then use tools like Otter.ai or Descript to transcribe them 一 it’ll save you countless hours. 

You can approach the interview with a specific set of questions, or follow your curiosity blindly, trying to uncover revealing stories and anecdotes about your subject. Whatever your method, author and biography editor Tom Bromley suggests that every interviewer arrives prepared, "Show that you’ve done your work. This will help to put the interviewee at ease, and get their best answers.” 

Bromley also places emphasis on the order in which you conduct interviews. “You may want to interview different members of the family or friends first, to get their perspective on something, and then go directly to the main interviewee. You'll be able to use that knowledge to ask sharper, more specific questions.” 

Finally, consider how much time you have with each interviewee. If you only have a 30-minute phone call with an important person, make it count by asking directly the most pressing questions you have. And, if you find a reliable source who is also particularly willing to help, conduct several interviews and ask them, if appropriate, to write a foreword as part of the book’s front matter .

Sometimes an important part of the process is packing your bags, getting on a plane, and personally visiting significant places in your character’s journey.

Visit significant places in their life

A place, whether that’s a city, a rural house, or a bodhi tree, can carry a particular energy that you can only truly experience by being there. In putting the pieces together about someone’s life, it may be useful to go visit where they grew up, or where other significant events of their lives happened. It will be easier to imagine what they experienced, and better tell their story. 

In researching The Lost City of Z , author David Grann embarked on a trek through the Amazon, retracing the steps of British explorer Percy Fawcett. This led Grann to develop new theories about the circumstances surrounding the explorer's disappearance.

Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with jaguars and anacondas to better understand your subject’s environment, but try to walk into their shoes as much as possible. 

Once you’ve researched your character enough, it’s time to put together all the puzzle pieces you collected so far. 

Take the bulk of notes, media, and other documents you’ve collected, and start to give them some order and structure. A simple way to do this is by creating a timeline. 

Create a chronological timeline

It helps to organize your notes chronologically 一 from childhood to the senior years, line up the most significant events of your subject’s life, including dates, places, names and other relevant bits. 

You should be able to divide their life into distinct periods, each with their unique events and significance. Based on that, you can start drafting an outline of the narrative you want to create.  

Draft a story outline 

Since a biography entails writing about a person’s entire life, it will have a beginning, a middle, and an end. You can pick where you want to end the story, depending on how consequential the last years of your subject were. But the nature of the work will give you a starting character arc to work with. 

To outline the story then, you could turn to the popular Three-Act Structure , which divides the narrative in three main parts. In a nutshell, you’ll want to make sure to have the following:

• Act 1. Setup : Introduce the protagonist's background and the turning points that set them on a path to achieve a goal. 
• Act 2. Confrontation : Describe the challenges they encounter, both internal and external, and how they rise to them. Then..
• Act 3. Resolution : Reach a climactic point in their story in which they succeed (or fail), showing how they (and the world around them) have changed as a result. 

Only one question remains before you begin writing: what will be the main focus of your biography?

Think about why you’re so drawn to your subject to dedicate years of your life to recounting their own. What aspect of their life do you want to highlight? Is it their evil nature, artistic genius, or visionary mindset? And what evidence have you got to back that up? Find a central thesis or focus to weave as the main thread throughout your narrative. 

Or find a unique angle

If you don’t have a particular theme to explore, finding a distinct angle on your subject’s story can also help you distinguish your work from other biographies or existing works on the same subject.

Plenty of biographies have been published about The Beatles 一 many of which have different focuses and approaches: 

• Philip Norman's Shout is sometimes regarded as leaning more towards a pro-Lennon and anti-McCartney stance, offering insights into the band's inner dynamics. 
• Ian McDonald's Revolution in the Head closely examines their music track by track, shifting the focus back to McCartney as a primary creative force. 
• Craig Brown's One Two Three Four aims to capture their story through anecdotes, fan letters, diary entries, and interviews. 
• Mark Lewisohn's monumental three-volume biography, Tune In , stands as a testament to over a decade of meticulous research, chronicling every intricate detail of the Beatles' journey.

Finally, consider that biographies are often more than recounting the life of a person. Similar to how Dickens’ Great Expectations is not solely about a boy named Pip (but an examination and critique of Britain’s fickle, unforgiving class system), a biography should strive to illuminate a broader truth — be it social, political, or human — beyond the immediate subject of the book. 

Once you’ve identified your main focus or angle, it’s time to write a great story. 

While biographies are often highly informative, they do not have to be dry and purely expository in nature . You can play with storytelling elements to make it an engaging read. 

You could do that by thoroughly detailing the setting of the story , depicting the people involved in the story as fully-fledged characters , or using rising action and building to a climax when describing a particularly significant milestone of the subject’s life. 

One common way to make a biography interesting to read is starting on a strong foot…

Hook the reader from the start

Just because you're honoring your character's whole life doesn't mean you have to begin when they said their first word. Starting from the middle or end of their life can be more captivating as it introduces conflicts and stakes that shaped their journey.

When he wrote about Christopher McCandless in Into the Wild , author Jon Krakauer didn’t open his subject’s childhood and abusive family environment. Instead, the book begins with McCandless hitchhiking his way into the wilderness, and subsequently being discovered dead in an abandoned bus. By starting in medias res , Krakauer hooks the reader’s interest, before tracing back the causes and motivations that led McCandless to die alone in that bus in the first place.

You can bend the timeline to improve the reader’s reading experience throughout the rest of the story too…

Play with flashback 

While biographies tend to follow a chronological narrative, you can use flashbacks to tell brief stories or anecdotes when appropriate. For example, if you were telling the story of footballer Lionel Messi, before the climax of winning the World Cup with Argentina, you could recall when he was just 13 years old, giving an interview to a local newspaper, expressing his lifelong dream of playing for the national team. 

Used sparsely and intentionally, flashbacks can add more context to the story and keep the narrative interesting. Just like including dialogue does…

Reimagine conversations

Recreating conversations that your subject had with people around them is another effective way to color the story. Dialogue helps the reader imagine the story like a movie, providing a deeper sensory experience. 

One thing is trying to articulate the root of Steve Jobs’ obsession with product design, another would be to quote his father , teaching him how to build a fence when he was young: “You've got to make the back of the fence just as good looking as the front of the fence. Even though nobody will see it, you will know. And that will show that you're dedicated to making something perfect.”

Unlike memoirs and autobiographies, in which the author tells the story from their personal viewpoint and enjoys greater freedom to recall conversations, biographies require a commitment to facts. So, when recreating dialogue, try to quote directly from reliable sources like personal diaries, emails, and text messages. You could also use your interview scripts as an alternative to dialogue. As Tom Bromley suggests, “If you talk with a good amount of people, you can try to tell the story from their perspective, interweaving different segments and quoting the interviewees directly.”

FREE COURSE

How to Write Believable Dialogue

Master the art of dialogue in 10 five-minute lessons.

These are just some of the story elements you can use to make your biography more compelling. Once you’ve finished your manuscript, it’s a good idea to ask for feedback. 

If you’re going to self-publish your biography, you’ll have to polish it to professional standards. After leaving your work to rest for a while, look at it with fresh eyes and self-edit your manuscript eliminating passive voice, filler words, and redundant adverbs. 

Then, have a professional editor give you a general assessment. They’ll look at the structure and shape of your manuscript and tell you which parts need to be expanded on or cut. As someone who edited and commissioned several biographies, Tom Bromley points out that a professional “will look at the sources used and assess whether they back up the points made, or if more are needed. They would also look for context, and whether or not more background information is needed for the reader to understand the story fully. And they might check your facts, too.”  

In addition to structural editing, you may want to have someone copy-edit and proofread your work.

MEET EDITORS

Polish your book with expert help

Sign up, meet 1500+ experienced editors, and find your perfect match.

Importantly, make sure to include a bibliography with a list of all the interviews, documents, and sources used in the writing process. You’ll have to compile it according to a manual of style, but you can easily create one by using tools like EasyBib . Once the text is nicely polished and typeset in your writing software , you can prepare for the publication process.  

In conclusion, by mixing storytelling elements with diligent research, you’ll be able to breathe life into a powerful biography that immerses readers in another individual’s life experience. Whether that’ll spark inspiration or controversy, remember you could have an important role in shaping their legacy 一 and that’s something not to take lightly. 

Continue reading

Recommended posts from the Reedsy Blog

What is the Climax of a Story? Examples & Tips

The climax is perhaps a story's most crucial moment, but many writers struggle to stick the landing. Let's see what makes for a great story climax.

What is Tone in Literature? Definition & Examples

We show you, with supporting examples, how tone in literature influences readers' emotions and perceptions of a text.

Writing Cozy Mysteries: 7 Essential Tips & Tropes

We show you how to write a compelling cozy mystery with advice from published authors and supporting examples from literature.

Man vs Nature: The Most Compelling Conflict in Writing

What is man vs nature? Learn all about this timeless conflict with examples of man vs nature in books, television, and film.

The Redemption Arc: Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

Learn what it takes to redeem a character with these examples and writing tips.

How Many Sentences Are in a Paragraph?

From fiction to nonfiction works, the length of a paragraph varies depending on its purpose. Here's everything you need to know.

Join a community of over 1 million authors

Reedsy is more than just a blog. Become a member today to discover how we can help you publish a beautiful book.

We made a writing app for you

Yes, you! Write. Format. Export for ebook and print. 100% free, always.

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

Enter your email or get started with a social account:

Become a Bestseller

Follow our 5-step publishing path.

Fundamentals of Fiction & Story

Bring your story to life with a proven plan.

Market Your Book

Learn how to sell more copies.

Edit Your Book

Get professional editing support.

Author Advantage Accelerator Nonfiction

Grow your business, authority, and income.

Author Advantage Accelerator Fiction

Become a full-time fiction author.

Author Accelerator Elite

Take the fast-track to publishing success.

Take the Quiz

Let us pair you with the right fit.

Free Copy of Published.

Book title generator, nonfiction outline template, writing software quiz, book royalties calculator.

Learn how to write your book

Learn how to edit your book

Learn how to self-publish your book

Learn how to sell more books

Learn how to grow your business

Learn about self-help books

Learn about nonfiction writing

Learn about fiction writing

How to Get An ISBN Number

A Beginner’s Guide to Self-Publishing

How Much Do Self-Published Authors Make on Amazon?

Book Template: 9 Free Layouts

How to Write a Book in 12 Steps

The 15 Best Book Writing Software Tools

How to Write a Biography: 11 Step Guide + Book Template

Get a Free Copy of Published.

The proven path from blank page to 10,000 copies sold.

So you’d like to know how to write a biography. We can help with that! Learning how to write a biography doesn't have to be intimidating. In fact, it can be a lot of fun!

In this guide, we show you how to write a biography from the initial book idea all the way through to publishing your book , and we throw in a free template to help you on your way. 

Ready to learn how to start a biography? Let’s jump right in. 

Get Our 6″ x 9″ Pre-Formatted Book Template for Word or Mac

We will send you a Book Template for US Trade (standard paperback size).

How to Write a Biography in 11 Simple Steps

Here are the steps you need to take to learn how to write a biography:

1. Read other biographies 

Austin Kleon, Author of Steal Like an Artist , says “the writer tries to master words. All of these pursuits involve the study of those who have come before and the effort to build upon their work in some way.”

In other words, if you want to learn how to write a biography, you need to read the best biographies written by other excellent authors!

In this case, it would behoove you to read several biographies – whether historical or celebrity biographies is up to you and your sub-genre. 

A good author to start with? Walter Isaacson . He’s written highly acclaimed biographies on everyone from Abraham Lincoln and Steve Jobs to Leonardo Da Vinci and Elon Musk. 

Once you've read some well-crafted biographies, you'll have a better idea of how to start a biography of your own.

2. Identify your subject

In order to learn how to start a biography, you need to choose who you’d like to write about – if you don’t already have someone in mind.  

The most important factor will be, of course, your interest in the person you’re planning to write about. You’ll spend months (or even years) deep-diving into this person’s history, so you want to choose someone who you’re unlikely to tire of. 

When learning how to write a biography, here are few factors to consider: 

• How impactful has your potential subject’s life been? In other words, will people care to learn more about this person? 
• How readily available is information about your potential subject? Biographies require extensive research, so it’s critical to choose someone who has enough information out there to dig into! Consider whether your subject has done interviews, written journals, has family or a partner willing to speak with you, and more. 
• Are there already books written about your potential subject? Just because there’s an existing biography about the person you’re interested in doesn’t (necessarily) mean you can’t write another one. But if there are two or three biographies, you may want to reconsider. If you do choose to write about someone who has already been well-documented, be mindful about approaching the topic with a new angle or perspective. For instance, there are several biographies about George Washington, but author Alexis Coe wrote one about how Washington isn’t “quite the man we remember.” This brilliant iteration has over 12,000 ratings on Goodreads .
• Is there a market demand for a book about your potential subject? If you’re learning how to write a biography, you need to be mindful of whether folks will want to read it. Do some research to determine if readers will be receptive to a book about the person you’re interested in. 

Related: Is a Biography a Primary Source?

3. Get permission to write about your subject

We’ll start by stating the obvious. It’s a good idea to get permission to write about your subject, even if you’re not legally required to. For one thing, it’s just good manners. Plus, you’re much more likely to get unfettered access to the information and sources you need to write your book. 

But do you have to get permission? It depends.

In some cases, if your subject is considered a “public figure,” permission may not be required. The definition of a public figure varies depending on your jurisdiction, so you should always consult a lawyer before writing a biography. 

If you do decide to proceed without permission, be mindful of how your book will be received and any legal issues that may arise. That's why we always recommend asking permission from your subject when learning how to write a biography.

Related : Difference Between A Memoir and Biography

4. Create an outline

The next step of learning how to write a biography is to outline your story. It’s critical to outline your biography before you begin writing it. Among other things, it helps ensure you cover every topic you’d like to and get the book in the correct chronological order. It also helps you identify themes that emerge as you organize your ideas. 

Need help creating your outline? Learn how to do it (and take advantage of free templates!) in our guide to outlining a book . 

5. Select a working title (using a title generator) 

Now is the fun part of learning how to write a biography! It’s time to create a working title for your book. A working title is just what it sounds like: it’s a title that works – for now. 

Of course, it’s helpful to have something to call the book as you’re working on it. And it encourages you to think about the message you’d like your book to convey. When your biography is complete, you can always do a little more research on how to write book titles for your specific sub-genre and update your working title accordingly.

Or, you can decide you still love your initial title and publish your book with that one! 

We’ve made it easy for you to develop a working title – or multiple – using our book title generator . 

Don't like it?

6. Write a rough draft 

Okay, now it’s time to start writing your rough draft. Don’t be intimidated; just focus on getting something down on the page. As experts on all things writing and self-publishing, we’ve got a rough draft writing guide to help you get through this phase of writing a biography.

Remember to be as balanced and objective as possible when learning how to write a biography.

Make good use of your primary and secondary sources, and double-check all of your facts. You’ve got this!  

7. Self-edit

There are several different types of editing that we recommend each manuscript undergo. But before you give your rough draft to anyone else to review, you should edit it yourself. 

The first step to self-editing?

Take a break! It’s essential to give your mind some time to recuperate before you go over your work. And never self-edit as you go!

After you’ve completed your break, here are a few things to consider as you edit: 

• Grammar. This one is self-explanatory and usually the easiest. You can use an AI editor to make a first pass and quickly catch obvious spelling errors. Depending on prompts and your experience with the tool, you can also use AI to catch some grammar and syntax issues as well.
• Content and structure . This is the time to make sure the bones of your piece are good. Make sure your content flows logically (and in chronological order), no important pieces of information are missing, and there isn’t redundant or unhelpful information. 
• Clarity and consistency. Keep an eye out for any confusing copy and ensure your tone is uniform throughout the book.
• Try reading your draft aloud. You’d be surprised at how many errors, shifts in tone, or other things you’d like to change that you don’t notice while reading in your head. Go ahead and do a read-through of your draft out loud. 

8. Work with an editor

Once you’ve created the best draft you can, it’s time to hire an editor. As we mentioned, there are multiple types of book editing, so you’ll need to choose the one(s) that are best for you and your project when learning how to write a biography. 

For instance, you can work with a developmental editor who helps with big-picture stuff. Think book structure, organization, and overall storytelling. Or you might work with a line editor who focuses on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and the like. 

There are also specialized copy editors, content editors, fact-checkers, and more.

It’s in your best interest to do a substantial amount of research before choosing an editor since they’ll have a large impact on your book. Many editors are open to doing a paid trial so you can see their work before you sign them on for the entire book. 

9. Hire a book cover designer

Once you’ve worked with your editor(s) to finalize your book, it’s time to get your book ready to go out into the world. So the nest step in learning how to write a biography is to hire a book cover designer to create a cover that grabs readers’ attention (pssst: did you know that all SelfPublishing authors get done-for-you professional book design? Ask us about it !).

10. Get an ISBN 

The next step in learning how to write a biography is getting an ISBN number for your book – or an International Standard Book Number. It’s a unique way to identify your book and is critical for ordering, inventory tracking, and more. 

Bear in mind that each rendition of your book – regardless of when you publish them – will need their own ISBN numbers. So if you initially publish as a softcover and hardcover book and then decide to publish an ebook with the same exact content, you'll need 3 total ISBN numbers.

To get an ISBN, head to ISBN.org and follow the steps they provide.  Or reference our guide right here for step-by-step instructions (complete with photos) on how to get an ISBN number for self-published books.

11. Create a launch plan 

Now is the most exciting part of learning how to write a biography. It’s time to get your book out into the world! You’ll need to map out your plan, schedule events , finalize your pricing strategy, and more. 

And you can't just launch your book in a single day. When you go through all the work of learning how to write a biography, you want your book to succeed – and that requires a strategic marketing plan. Luckily, we have an entire guide to launching a book to help you figure it out. 

Get your free book template!

Learning how to write a biography can be challenging, but when you have a clear plan and guidance, the process is much easier. We've helped thousands of aspiring authors just like you write and self-publish their own books. We know what works – and how to become a successfully published author faster.

Take the first step today and down the book template below!

And, if you need additional help with learning how to write a biography, remember that we’re standing by to assist you. Just schedule a book consultation and one of our team members will help answer any of your questions about the writing or self-publishing process.

Elite Author T. Lynette Yankson Teaches Perseverance in Her Children’s Book About a True Story

Children's Book, Non-Fiction

Elite Author Peder Tellefsdal Is On a Mission to Rebrand the Church with His New Book

Non-Fiction

Elite Author Lisa Bray Reawakens the American Dream in Her Debut Business Book

Join the community.

Join 100,000 other aspiring authors who receive weekly emails from us to help them reach their author dreams. Get the latest product updates, company news, and special offers delivered right to your inbox.

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications

How to Write a Biography

Last Updated: May 28, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Stephanie Wong Ken, MFA . Stephanie Wong Ken is a writer based in Canada. Stephanie's writing has appeared in Joyland, Catapult, Pithead Chapel, Cosmonaut's Avenue, and other publications. She holds an MFA in Fiction and Creative Writing from Portland State University. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 1,863,573 times.

Writing a biography can be a fun challenge, where you are sharing the story of someone’s life with readers. You may need to write a biography for a class or decide to write one as a personal project. Once you have identified the subject of the biography, do your research so you know as much about them as possible. Then, dive into the writing of the biography and revising it until it is at its finest.

Researching Your Subject

• If the subject does not give you permission to write the biography, you may want to choose a different subject. If you decide to publish the biography without the subject’s permission, you may be susceptible to legal action by the subject.
• If the subject is no longer alive, you obviously do not need to ask permission to write about them.

• You may create research questions to help focus your research of the subject, such as, What do I find interesting about the subject? Why is this subject important to readers? What can I say that is new about the subject? What would I like to learn more about?

• For in person interviews, record them with a tape recorder or a voice recorder on your computer or phone.
• You may need to interview the subject and others several times to get the material you need.

• You may also want to visit areas where the subject made a major decision or breakthrough in their life. Being physically in the area can give you a sense of how the subject might have felt and help you write their experiences more effectively.

• When researching the time period ask yourself: What were the social norms of that time? What was going on economically and politically? How did the social and political climate affect the subject?

• You may also include historical events or moments that affected the subject on the timeline. For example, maybe there was a conflict or civil war that happened during the person’s life that affected their life.

Writing the Biography

• You may end up focusing on particular areas of the person’s life. If you do this, work through a particular period in the person’s life chronologically.

• For example, you may have a thesis statement about focusing on how the person impacted the civil rights movement in America in the 1970s. You can then make sure all your content relates back to this thesis.

• Flashbacks should feel as detailed and real as present day scenes. Use your research notes and interviews with the subject to get a good sense of their past for the flashbacks.
• For example, you may jump from the person’s death in the present to a flashback to their favorite childhood memory.

• For example, you may focus on the person’s accomplishments in the civil rights movement. You may write a whole section about their contributions and participation in major civil rights marches in their hometown.

• For example, you may notice that the person’s life is patterned with moments of adversity, where the person worked hard and fought against larger forces. You can then use the theme of overcoming adversity in the biography.

• For example, you may note how you see parallels in the person’s life during the civil rights movement with your own interests in social justice. You may also commend the person for their hard work and positive impact on society.

Polishing the Biography

• Revise the biography based on feedback from others. Do not be afraid to cut or edit down the biography to suit the needs of your readers.

• Having a biography riddled with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors can turn off your readers and result in a poor grade if you are handing in the text for a class.

• If the biography is for a class, use MLA , APA , or Chicago Style citations based on the preferences of your instructor.

Biography Help

Community Q&A

• Be careful when publishing private or embarrassing information, especially if the person is not a celebrity. You may violate their "Right of Privacy" or equivalent. Thanks Helpful 31 Not Helpful 5
• Have the sources to back up your statements about the subject's life. Untruthful written statements can lead to litigation. If it is your opinion, be clear that it is such and not fact (although you can support your opinion with facts). Thanks Helpful 16 Not Helpful 15

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/writing/how-to-write-a-biography.html
• ↑ https://au.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/how-to-write-a-bio
• ↑ https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/3-tips-for-writing-successful-flashbacks
• ↑ https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-bio/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/editing-and-proofreading/
• ↑ https://www.plagiarism.org/article/how-do-i-cite-sources

About This Article

Before you write a biography, gather as much information about the subject that you can from sources like newspaper articles, interviews, photos, existing biographies, and anything else you can find. Write the story of that person’s life, including as much supporting detail as you can, including information about the place and time where the person lived. Focus on major events and milestones in their life, including historical events, marriage, children, and events which would shape their path later in life. For tips from our reviewer on proofreading the biography and citing your sources, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Jan 24, 2021

Did this article help you?

Janis Hendrick

Oct 10, 2018

Teresa Bradley

Sep 15, 2020

Apr 18, 2016

Latanya Foster

Apr 26, 2016

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Don’t miss out! Sign up for

wikiHow’s newsletter

The Elements of a Biography: How to Write an Interesting Bio

• March 30, 2022

While these books are generally non-fiction, they may include elements of a biography in order to more accurately reflect the nature of the subject’s life and personality, Writing about someone who actually existed, whether it’s a family member, close friend, famous person, or historical figure, involves certain elements. A person’s life story is being told, and the subject’s life needs to be organized in such a way that the reader is interested and engaged. 

Biographies can easily read as boring announcements of only a human’s accomplishments in life, and if you want the bio you write to stand out, you should try to avoid that.

When you’re writing a biography or even a short professional bio, ask yourself what sorts of things you’d like included if someone was writing your biography. 

You would most likely want people to get a feel of who you were as a person, and to be able to understand the way that you felt, what moved and motivated you, and what changes you wanted to see and make in the world.

Do the same thing when you write about someone else. Do the subject the favor of treating them like a real person instead of a stiff and boring character that students will dread having to learn about at school each year. Getting students excited about history, historical figures, and people of interest can inspire them to work hard to make a difference as well.

What Does Biographical Mean?

The term “biographical” is an adjective that means having the characteristics of a biography or constituting a set of personal information or details. For instance,  biographical notes  contain information about a specific person’s life or narrate stories and experiences of that person. Another example is  biographical details . Biographical details include who the person is, what they have become, what they have struggled with, and any other information unique to them.

Keep It Real

Don’t fictionalize the life of the person you are writing about, but remember your sense of humanity when you write, and do what you can to make sure that your subject can be viewed as a real person who existed, rather than just a name on a monument.

It’s a thin line between rumor, speculation, and fact when telling the stories of people, especially people who are long dead and can’t verify or refute it for themselves. Be sure that if you do research and something is speculated, you state that in your writing.

Never claim something is fact when it’s isn’t a known and proven fact. This will cause you to lose credibility as a nonfiction writer.

What to Include in a Biography

When you read or write a biography, most of them have the same basic details of a person’s life. The person’s date of birth, date of death, and the major accomplishments and key events in between those two dates are all important to include in the writing process. These are elements that need to exist within the story of the person to be considered a full biography.

Keep in mind that these are the minimum elements that need to be included. Expanding on these elements and adding meat to the bones of your story will engage readers. 

If you only include important dates and accomplishments, you might as well direct the reader to visit the headstone of the person you are writing about, and they’ll get almost as much information.

Personal details offer a more intimate look into the subject’s life and can help the reader to relate or at least understand some of the decisions made by the person, as well as the influences that played a part in steering the person’s life. 

If the subject had any passions that he or she voiced throughout his or her life, mentioning those in your story of their life will elevate your biography.

Relevant Information

Family members are often mentioned in biography and major details of the person’s career. If the person was known for their accomplishments in their field of work, there is often more content there than a brief career summary.

The result is usually more of a professional bio than a personal one. Basic facts of the person’s education are often mentioned as well. If you are writing a biography about someone, try to remember to write about more than just their job.

Remember that you aren’t writing a resume, and the subject isn’t asking you to help them get a job. You are tasked with writing about the entire life of someone. You are more than your job, so the subject of the biography you are writing should get to be more, as well.

Personal Information

Biographies don’t have to be boring. Personal stories, interesting stories, and funny quips are sometimes used to make the readers identify with the subject. 

When included in a biography, these details give the reader a chance to feel as though the subject was a real person with opinions, feelings, flaws, and a personality, rather than a stuffy person who is significant to history and not much else.

Providing the audience with these lighthearted but not necessarily crucial elements of a biography will make the biography more interesting and appealing.

Narrator and Order

Point of view.

An important element in most biographies is establishing the point of view. You don’t want to write it like a novel and have it written in a first-person point of view. This will result in something that is somewhat fictionalized and something that more closely resembles an autobiography, which is the personal story of a person’s own life.

Biographies should be written in the third person point of view. In third person, someone outside of the story, who has all of the information, is the narrator. 

Try not to be biased. Stick to the basic facts, major events that you have researched, and keep the story interesting but accurate. A biography is not meant to be a fictional adventure, but the subject’s life was significant in some manner, and the details of that can still be interesting.

Chronological Order

Biographies usually begin, well, in the beginning, at the birth of the subject. The first sentence usually includes the basic information that a reader needs to know: who the person is, where the person is from, and when the person was born. A biography that doesn’t include these details but starts at the most important life events can exist, but they aren’t common. You may see this tactic used in a short biography or a brief bio.

Usually, chronological order is the best course of action for a biography. A person’s life begins in childhood, so details of that childhood, even briefly, are necessary before getting to the subject’s adult life.

Describing the subject’s early life to the audience usually means you should research and write about the family they came from, their early education, what kind of student the person was, where they came from, any close bonds they had as children with people. 

As well as their interests and whether or not they pursued the life they ended up with as an adult, or if greatness and accomplishments were thrust upon them by events outside of their control.

As you progress into a subject’s adult life, you should add achievements to the biography. Focus not only on the major achievements as acts but also try to fill the audience in on what the motivation for the achievements was.

For example,  Abraham Lincoln  was the sixteenth President of the United States. That’s a well-known fact. Students learn about him in American grade schools and then over and over until their educational careers are over. In a bio about Lincoln, you may discuss the fact that Lincoln freed the slaves.

While this is true, you need to research deeper into that. Just stating that a person did something doesn’t make it an interesting read. Ask yourself why he freed the slaves.

Do your research, speak to an expert, and search for journals and letters that a subject might have written to describe how they felt to the audience and how they drove the person to do what they did.

Focus on the Impact the Person’s Life Had

After you have gone over the person’s life in the biography, you should share with readers what impact the subject’s life had on the rest of the world, even (sometimes especially) after their death. Many of the important people in history who have biographies written about them are deceased.

When you write a biography, ask yourself why anyone cares what that person accomplished. What did they do for one or two people to make them important enough to have a biography?

For example, many students learn about George Washington. He gave America the sense of hope and patriotism that they needed to declare and then achieve freedom from English rule. 

When we search for information about Washington, we find not only his bio and his painted picture, but we also see and learn about the things he influenced, inspired, and the feelings he invoked among the people around him.

When we give a well-rounded look at not only what the person did in their lives, but how they changed the world, even just for those around them, we start to see the bigger picture and appreciate the person more.

Students can go from being bored and obligated to reading sentence after sentence about a boring guy who lived hundreds of years ago to being excited to learn more about the founding fathers. As a writer, it is your job to inspire these feelings for the reader.

When you write a biography, it’s important that you thoroughly research and fact-check everything you are writing about. Everyone knows that Lincoln freed the slaves, but you should still research it to ensure that everything is accurate as far as dates, places, speeches, and motivations go.

Make sure that you are getting your information from reputable resources. If you are interviewing live people, be sure to verify their credentials and use a tape recorder when doing so.

A biography is not an opinion piece or a novel, and there is no room for error, miscalculation, or falsification when you write a biography.

Actor Bio Example

An actor’s bio tells about the details of a specific person with regard to a person’s acting career. Below is an example. ( This example is created to serve as a guide for you and does not describe an actual person .)

Edgar Anderson and his family reside in Washington. He is currently taking up a Business Management course and striving to achieve a balance between schooling and his career. Edgar first experienced acting when he was still a junior high school student in 2015, where he played  Horton  in a Seussical-inspired school theater play. His manager discovered him in 2018 when the former watched him portray the lead role in a play about the history of their school during the school’s Foundation Day.

In 2022, he got his first nomination for best actor at the Oscars. Recently, Edgar has found a new set of hobbies. He enjoys learning karate and foreign languages. Edgar often thanks his family and friends because they have fully supported him in his acting career. He also extends his gratitude to the directors he has worked with and the talent agency that has helped him ascend the ladder of his career.

He dedicates his early success to all who have believed in him over the years. According to Edger, he loves his career even more because of the overflowing love and support he continually receives from his fans and loved ones.

The Importance of a Biography

It is important to include all of the elements of a biography because a biography is the story of a person’s life, and that’s a big undertaking. The subject is often no longer alive and can’t dispute what we write about them, so we have to get the information right and do the best we can when writing.

Students work on writing biographies and research papers about people in school so that they can learn more about the people who helped us get to where we are today in terms of society.

We teach students the skills and elements of a biography so that the practice of telling the story of a person’s life never gets lost. We need to focus on the future, but we cannot do that without understanding the past.

Other people may one day come along and write your bio, and when that happens, you have to hope that the first step they take is to do the research thoroughly so that they can do your story justice. That is what we owe the person we are writing about when we start to search for information about them.

Be respectful of the biography because it is the telling of those who came before us and can serve as a guidebook for the future or even a warning.

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Sign up to our newsletter!

Related articles

120 Motivational Quotes About Writing To Inspire A New Writer Like You

How To Register A Kindle On Amazon To Enjoy Your Ebooks In 4 Easy Ways

How To Market A Self-Published Book And Be Profitable In 9 Easy Ways

Assignment Biography: Student Criteria and Rubric for Writing

Researching an Individual Aligned to Common Core Writing Standards

• Tips & Strategies
• An Introduction to Teaching
• Policies & Discipline
• Community Involvement
• School Administration
• Technology in the Classroom
• Teaching Adult Learners
• Issues In Education
• Teaching Resources
• Becoming A Teacher
• Assessments & Tests
• Elementary Education
• Secondary Education
• Special Education
• Homeschooling
• M.A., English, Western Connecticut State University
• B.S., Education, Southern Connecticut State University

The genre of  biography can also be categorized in the sub-genre of  narrative nonfiction/historical nonfiction. When a teacher assigns a biography as a writing assignment, the purpose is to have a student utilize multiple research tools to gather and to synthesize information that may be used as evidence in a written report about an individual. The evidence gained from research can include a person’s words, actions, journals, reactions, related books, interviews with friends, relatives, associates, and enemies. The historical context is equally important. Since there are people who have influenced every academic discipline, assigning a biography can be a cross-disciplinary or inter-disciplinary writing assignment. 

Middle and high school teachers should allow students to have a choice in selecting the subject for a biography. Providing student choice, particularly for students in grades 7-12, increases their engagement and their motivation especially if students select individuals they care about. Students would find it difficult to write about a person they do not like. Such an attitude compromises the process of researching and writing the biography.

According to by Judith L. Irvin, Julie Meltzer and Melinda S. Dukes in their book  Taking Action on Adolescent Literacy:

"As humans, we are motivated to engage when we are interested or have real purpose for doing so. So motivation to engage [students] is the first step on the road to improving literacy habits and skills" (Chapter 1).

Students should find at least three different sources (if possible) to make sure the biography is accurate. A good biography is well-balanced and objective. That means if there is disagreement between sources, the student can use the evidence to state that there is a conflict.  Students should know that a good biography is more than a timeline of events in a person's life.

The context of a person's life is important. Students should include information about the historical time period in which a subject lived and did her/his work. 

In addition, the student should have a purpose for researching another person's life. For example, the purpose for a student to research and write a biography can be in a response to the prompt:

"How does this writing this biography help me to understand the influence of this person on history, and quite possibly, this person's impact on me?"

The following standards-based criteria and scoring rubrics can be used to grade a student-selected biography. Both criteria and rubrics should be given to students before they begin their work. 

Criteria for a Student Biography aligned to Common Core State Standards

A General Outline for Biography Details

• Birthdate /Birthplace
• Death (if applicable).
• Family Members.
• Miscellaneous (religion, titles, etc).

Education/Influences

• Schooling.Training.
• Work Experiences.
• Contemporaries/Relationships.

Accomplishments/  Significance

• Evidence of major accomplishments.
• Evidence of minor accomplishments (if relevant).
• The analysis that supports why the individual was worthy of note in their field of expertise during his or her life.
• Analysis why this individual is worthy of note in their field of expertise today.

Quotes/Publications

• Statements made.
• Works published.

Biography Organization using the CCSS Anchor Writing Standards 

• Transitions are effective in assisting the reader to understand shifts.
• Ideas within each paragraph are fully developed.
• Each point is supported by evidence.
• All evidence is relevant.  
• Important terms are explained to the reader.
• Purpose of each paragraph (introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion) is clear.  
• Clear relationship between topic sentence(s) and paragraph(s) that came before is evident.

Grading Rubric: Holistic Standards with Letter Grade Conversions

(based on extended response Smarter Balanced Assessment writing rubric)

Score: 4 or Letter Grade: A

Student response is a thorough elaboration of the support/evidence on the topic (individual) including the effective use of source material. The response clearly and effectively develops ideas, using precise language:

• Comprehensive evidence (facts and details) from source materials are integrated.
• Relevant, and specific clear citations or attribution to source materials.
• Effective use of a variety of elaborative techniques.
• Vocabulary is clearly appropriate for the audience and purpose. 
• Effective, appropriate style enhances content.

Score: 3  Letter Grade: B

Student response is an adequate elaboration of the support/evidence in the biography that includes the use of source materials. The student response adequately develops ideas, employing a mix of precise and more general language:  

• Adequate evidence (facts and details) from the source materials is integrated and relevant, yet the evidence and explanation may be general.
• Adequate use of citations or attribution to the source material.  
• Adequate use of some elaborative techniques.
• Vocabulary is generally appropriate for the audience and purpose.
• The style is generally appropriate for the audience and purpose.

Score: 2 Letter Grade: C

Student response is uneven with a cursory elaboration of the support/evidence in the biography that includes the uneven or limited use of source material. The student response develops ideas unevenly, using simplistic language:

• Some evidence (facts and details) from the source materials may be weakly integrated, imprecise, repetitive, vague, and/or copied.
• Weak use of citations or attribution to source materials.
• Weak or uneven use of elaborative techniques.
• Development may consist primarily of source summaries.
• Vocabulary use is uneven or somewhat ineffective for the audience and purpose.
• Inconsistent or weak attempt to create the appropriate style.

Score: 1 Letter Grade: D

Student response provides a minimal elaboration of the support/evidence in the biography that includes little or no use of source material. The student response is vague, lacks clarity, or is confusing:

• Evidence (facts and details) from the source material is minimal, irrelevant, absent, incorrectly used. 
• Insufficient use of citations or attribution to the source material.
• Minimal, if any, use of elaborative techniques.
• Vocabulary is limited or ineffective for the audience and purpose.
• Little or no evidence of appropriate style.
• Insufficient or plagiarized (copied without credit) text.
• Off-topic. 
• Off-purpose.
• Pros and Cons to Flexible Grouping in Middle and High School
• Grading for Proficiency in the World of 4.0 GPAs
• T.E.S.T. Season for Grades 7-12
• What Is an Annotated Bibliography?
• Topics for a Lesson Plan Template
• The Whys and How-tos for Group Writing in All Content Areas
• How to Write an Interesting Biography
• How to Create a Rubric in 6 Steps
• 10 Test Question Terms and What They Ask Students to Do
• Beef Up Critical Thinking and Writing Skills: Comparison Essays
• Definition and Examples of Analysis in Composition
• 10 Strategies to Increase Student Reading Comprehension
• What Is Plagiarism?
• What Is a Rubric?
• Higher Level Thinking: Synthesis in Bloom's Taxonomy
• Elie Wiesel's Speech for Holocaust Units

Lok Sabha Elections: 'Have some patience. Wait & watch', says RJD's Tejashwi Yadav

When asked if INDIA alliance will try to have their govt at the Centre, RJD's Tejashwi Yadav says, "Have some patience. Wait & watch." As photos of Bihar CM Nitish Kumar & him travelling on the same flight to Delhi go viral, he says, "We greeted each other. Baaki kya hota hai, aage dekhte dekhte rahiye."

2024 Lok Sabha Election Results: 'Sarkar toh ab banegi hi', says JDU leader Nitish Kumar on reaching Delhi

"Sarkar toh ab banegi hi," Bihar CM and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar said as he arrived in Delhi for the NDA meeting. Party MP Sanjay Kumar Jha is also accompanying him.

2024 Election Results: RJD leader Manoj Jha on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav taking same flight

"Why are these visuals surprising to anyone? We (RJD and JD(U)) have worked together as well as separately. The visuals just represent the respect Tejashwi Yadav has for Nitish Kumar," says RJD leader Manoj Jha on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav travelling to Delhi in the same flight.

2024 Election Results: Sharad Pawar says haven't spoken to Naidu or Nitish amid speculations

Amid buzz, Sharad Pawar said that he hasn't spoken to TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu or JDU leader Nitish Kumar amid speculations. This comes after reports suggested that Pawar has reached out to the two leaders with an aim of taking INDIA alliance past the 272-mark.

2024 Election Results: 'I know my height', says Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin on INDIA bloc projecting him as PM pick

"I know my height": Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin repeated this famous statement of his father M Karunanidhi, when asked if INDIA bloc would project him as its PM candidate. "I have said this several times," he told reporters on Tuesday. Stalin said he would leave for New Delhi to take part in INDIA alliance meeting, and thanked the efforts made by INDIA bloc leaders and cadres to defeat fascism and to safeguard democracy and the Constitution.

2024 Election Results: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulates PM Modi

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy congratulates Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the third consecutive victory of BJP-led NDA alliance in Lok Sabha Elections. "I wish the people of India peace and prosperity, and I hope for continued cooperation between our countries. May our partnership continue to thrive, bringing progress and mutual understanding for our nations...we also look forward to seeing India attend the Peace Summit," he tweets.

2024 Election Results: What Congress leader Kamal Nath said about Nakul Nath losing election from Chhindwara

Here's what Congress leader Kamal Nath said about his son Nakul Nath losing election from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, which continued to be his bastion for long. Kamal Nath had won nine times from Chhindwara since 1980. "I accept the result and the decision of people. My role to serve people of Chhindwara will be the same."

2024 Lok Sabha Election Results: Key Union Cabinet meeting after poll results begins

The Union Cabinet meeting to take stock of the Lok Sabha election results and recommend the dissolution of the current Lok Sabha has begun. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the meeting, a day after the general election results were declared. Sources said Modi has convened the meeting at his Lok Kalyan Marg residence and is likely to recommend the dissolution of the 17th Lok Sabha, whose term ends on June 16.

2024 Election Results: INDIA bloc meet at 6pm today

INDIA Alliance meeting to be held at 6 PM today at the residence of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge to discuss the election results and strategy thereafter.

Lok Sabha Election Results 2024: 'Search for your replacement is on...': RJD's Manoj Jha to PM Modi after LS poll results

Manoj Jha, a prominent figure in the Rashtriya Janata Dal, strongly criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party following their failure to secure a majority in the Lok Sabha elections. He asserted that the public had delivered a "shock" to the party due to their "attitude." Furthermore, Jha directed his criticism towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that in the aftermath of the election results, the BJP-RSS is actively seeking Modi's "replacement." Manoj Jha said, "You talked about 400 paar. You had a majority in 2014 and 2019, but this time you are 34 seats short of a majority. Accept this, the people have given you a shock and told you that the government won't be run with this attitude. People did not let you reach 272 seats." "Has coalition ever mattered to you (BJP)? What did you do with Shiv Sena, Akali Dal and even Nitish ji and Chandrababu ji. Today, it is your need, but I know the Prime Minister's party and the organisation in Nagpur (RSS)...your (PM Modi) replacement is being searched, so think over that," he added.

Election Results 2024 News: Tejashwi Yadav, Nitish Kumar on same flight to attend meetings of INDIA and NDA in Delhi

As the race to form the next government intensifies, both the NDA and INDIA alliances are convening strategic meetings in Delhi to secure the necessary numbers for a majority. To establish a government, a party or coalition must attain a two-third majority, which translates to 272 seats. With this goal in mind, the BJP and the INDIA bloc are holding separate meetings in the capital city to explore potential coalition partners. Among the NDA leaders arriving in Delhi are Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal United (JDU) chief Nitish Kumar, as well as Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief N Chandrababu Naidu. Interestingly, Nitish Kumar and his former INDIA ally, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, will be sharing the same flight to Delhi. The Union Cabinet meeting is slated for around 3:30 pm, while the INDIA bloc will convene at 6 pm in the national capital. As the political landscape continues to shift, all eyes are on these crucial meetings that could determine the future of India's governance.

Lok Sabha Election Results: Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule leave for Delhi for INDIA bloc meeting

Sharad Pawar, the NCP-SCP chief, and Supriya Sule, the party's MP from Baramati, departed from Mumbai on Wednesday morning, heading to Delhi to attend the INDIA bloc meeting scheduled for later in the day. The NCP-SCP managed to secure 8 seats in Maharashtra during the recent Lok Sabha elections. Supriya Sule emerged victorious in the Baramati Lok Sabha Seat for the fourth consecutive time, defeating Sunetra Pawar, her sister-in-law. Expressing her gratitude to the people of Baramati, Sule in a message to the people of Baramati, thanked the voters for reposing their faith in her again. As political strategies are being formulated, both the BJP-led NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc have planned meetings on Wednesday to discuss their future courses of action and solidify their respective positions.

Election Results 2024 News: Union minister G Kishan Reddy arrives in Delhi for NDA meeting

G Kishan Reddy, the Union minister and BJP MP representing Secunderabad, reached Delhi on Wednesday prior to the scheduled NDA meeting for the day. In an interaction with ANI, Reddy conveyed his assurance regarding the cohesion within the NDA alliance."There is no difficulty, all the parties are with us. We have spoken with everyone. This is not a new alliance, we were in the alliance even before the elections. We have worked together. There is no problem. NDA got the mandate," he said.In the state of Telangana, both the BJP and Congress secured eight seats each. The AIMIM party, led by Asaduddin Owaisi, emerged victorious in one seat. Owaisi himself triumphed in the Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, defeating BJP candidate Madhavi Latha by a substantial margin of 338,087 votes.

Election Result News: 'Modi is no longer a brand', says Congress leader Pramod Tiwari

"The question is not that BJP could not get the majority, it is that BJP could not get the majority under PM Modi's leadership for the first time. They had majority in 2014 and 2019. If they wouldn't had NDA alliance, then they would have failed to get even this much seats. Modi is no longer a brand," says Congress leader Pramod Tiwari.

Election Result News: Here's what LJP chief Chirag Paswan said after meeting Nitish Kumar

After meeting Bihar CM and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and MP Chirag Paswan says, "It was not a day to hold discussions but only to congratulate the CM. The manner in which the CM strengthened our alliance. The credit for the NDA's performance in Bihar goes to the leadership of PM Modi as well as Nitish Kumar. All MPs of my party met him to congratulate him, thank him and seek his blessings. We are now going to Delhi for the NDA meeting."

Election Result News: 'Will discuss future course of action', says AAP MP Sanjay Singh

On the INDIA alliance meeting, AAP MP Sanjay Singh says, "We will all sit and and discuss the future course of action. Before 2019, Chandrababu Naidu tried to bring everyone in the country together and raised his voice against dictatorship and also for the federal structure of the country. Nitish Kumar brought the whole INDIA alliance together. It's not that these two leaders have some devotion or respect for Narendra Modi or Amit Shah."

India Election 2024 Results: LJP chief Chirag Paswan to arrive in Delhi

LJP (Ram Vilas) party office in Delhi being decorated ahead of the arrival of party chief and MP Chirag Paswan. The party won 5 seats in Bihar; Chirag Paswan won Hajipur seat by a margin of 1,70,105 votes.

India General Election Results: Italian PM Meloni congratulates PM Modi on electoral victory

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of Italy extended her heartfelt congratulations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his remarkable achievement of securing a third consecutive term in the Lok Sabha elections. In her message, she emphasized her unwavering belief that the two leaders will join forces to fortify the bond of friendship that unites their respective nations.Moreover, the Italian Prime Minister expressed her conviction that India and Italy will collaborate closely on a wide array of matters that not only connect the two countries but also contribute to the welfare and prosperity of their citizens. She highlighted the shared commitment of both nations to work hand in hand for the betterment of their people.

2024 Election Results: In Telangana battle, saffron hue wipes out pink party; Congress’s honeymoon continues

For the first time since the formation of Telangana in 2014, Congress and BJP have become dominant political forces in the state, both sharing the spoils of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections with eight seats each of the 17 up for grabs. This was largely a result of a formidable force like the BRS being decimated.

Election Results: Union Cabinet to meet today; Both NDA, INDIA bloc to strategise after LS poll results

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, announced on Tuesday evening that the NDA would be forming the upcoming government, following the outcome of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Union Cabinet, under Modi's leadership, is scheduled to convene on Wednesday, just a day after the election results were declared. In preparation for their upcoming political strategies and actions, both the BJP-led NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc have planned meetings for Wednesday. These gatherings will focus on determining the most effective course of action for each alliance moving forward. Early Wednesday morning, the Election Commission finalized the declaration of results for all 543 Lok Sabha constituencies by posting the outcome of votes polled in Maharashtra's Beed constituency on their official website. The BJP emerged victorious in 240 seats, while the Congress secured 99 seats in the Lok Sabha.

Election Results: Nitish Kumar to attend NDA meeting in Delhi today

Bihar chief minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar will take part in the NDA meeting scheduled in the national capital today. Kumar, whose party is set to grab 12 out of the state's 40 seats, will reach Delhi today. Kumar had visited Delhi during the weekend when he met top BJP leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With the BJP falling short of majority, Kumar is being seen as a key player whom the opposition INDIA bloc is also sending fillers.

Election Results: ‘Bhatakti Aatma’ stages a comeback, shows his nephew who’s the real NCP

Sharad Pawar’s challengers will have to wait. The 83-year-old, who was ridiculed as a ‘bhatakti aatma’ by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the campaign, has just licked them again in the toughest match of his career. Going into the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Pawar was fighting with one hand tied

Election Results: Uddhav Thackeray proves he’s more than just his father’s son

With his Shiv Sena (UBT) winning 9 of the 21 Maharashtra Lok Sabha seats it contested as part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, the results are a mixed bag for Uddhav Thackeray, who has lost the official party name and symbol to the rival Eknath Shinde-led formation.

Election Results: Didi’s gambit to ditch INDIA in West Bengal, ‘go ekla’ splits votes in her favour

Leading the party with 108 public rallies and multiple road shows, one of which saw her walk 12km at a stretch on her south Kolkata home turf, Banerjee, 69, criss-crossed from Coochbehar in the northernmost extreme to South 24 Parganas, where Bengal meets the Bay of Bengal. She went to Nandigram, where she lost in 2021 (a legal battle is still on over BJP’s alleged electoral malpractices).

Election Results: ‘Bold decisions’ to define third term, says Modi, vows war against graft

Shrugging off celebrations in the opposition camp over BJP’s loss of majority, PM Narendra Modi Tuesday declared his third term would be defined by bold decisions, signalled the likelihood of fresh initiatives specifically aimed at women, the poor and SCs/STs and declared his intent to press on with his drive against corruption.

Election Results: EC declares results of all Lok Sabha constituencies; BJP wins 240 seats, Congress 99

The Election Commission of India has declared results for all Lok Sabha constituencies, with the BJP winning 240 of the 543 seats and the Congress 99. The last result to be announced was that of Beed constituency in Maharashtra, where NCP (Sharad Pawar) candidate Bajrang Manohar Sonwane defeated the BJP's Pankaja Munde by 6,553 votes.

Election Results: Minority community plays major role in SP & Trinamool seat surge

A significant portion of the INDIA bloc’s success rests on Muslims, who voted decisively against BJP and formed a coalition with backward castes and Dalits. This restricted BJP from getting a clear majority while giving Samajwadi Party in UP and TMC in West Bengal a clear advantage.

Election Results: Mandal momentum shakes up Hindutva juggernaut

Lok Sabha elections saw a decisive win for a caste-focused coalition in UP, reshaping the political landscape. This shift from religious to caste-based campaigning highlighted a significant change in voter priorities. The opposition alliance, led by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, ran on a platform of caste census and constitutional protections, appealing primarily to Dalits and OBCs. In contrast, PM Modi’s campaign centred around religious themes.

Election Results: Why high GDP growth did not fetch BJP electoral gains

An economy that grew 8.2% in 2023-24, following two years of high growth, would normally have been seen as an electoral asset for an incumbent govt. Not only should a majority of people have seen a rise in living standards, but the ruling party would have made it a central campaign plank. Neither of those things happened. Reason: India is facing a jobs crisis, which sharpened the bite of rising prices.

Election Results: Samvidhan bachao narrative strikes chord with voters

The C-word was a ‘wild card’ entry, but at several stages of the election campaign, the Samvidhan overshadowed the regular cast of issues. Opposition was first on the draw, cleverly painting BJP’s 400-paar target as a dark plot to scrap reservations by changing the Constitution. The charge blended well with Rahul Gandhi’s declared intent of posing a phalanx of Muslims/OBCs/Dalits against a handful of the privileged (read upper castes/middle classes).

Election Results: Where contests were direct, victory margins were the narrowest

The average margin of victory in 2024 Lok Sabha polls was about 1.6 lakh votes, but that varied significantly across states. Not surprisingly, those that were dominated by a single party or alliance saw the highest average margins while states that saw two alliances or parties going toe to toe had significantly narrower margins of victory on average.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: How small drop in BJP vote share led to big dent in tally

BJP saw its national vote share fall marginally from 37.3% in 2019 to 36.6% in 2024, but its seat tally dropped by 63 from 303 to 240, putting it well below the halfway mark. In contrast, Congress raised its vote share a bit from 19.5% last time to 21.2%, but that was enough to nearly double its seat tally from 52 to 99.

Election Results: INDIA bloc to meet today, decide on approaching TDP, JD(U), says Rahul Gandhi

INDIA bloc members will meet on Wednesday and decide whether to approach former partners including JD(U) and TDP to attempt govt formation at Centre. Congress’ Rahul Gandhi made it clear that there will be no unilateral decision on this. Indicating that “it is a very fine line” Gandhi said “whatever INDIA bloc will decide they will act on it.”

Election Results: Behind the numbers, beyond the headlines

What were voters saying, as they denied Modi’s BJP majority, but still made it, by some distance, the single largest party? What was the message behind Rahul-powered Congress regaining its mojo? How can a govt running an economy that’s growing at 8.2% suffer electoral reverses? TOI looks at the key takeaways from an election that had exit pollsters running for cover

Election Results: In one-man Indore fight, Nota polls 2.2 lakh votes

No-choice turned out to be Indore’s second choice in a one-sided fight. Nota polled a record 2.18 lakh votes in MP’s commercial capital in an election where a last-minute switch to BJP by Congress candidate left the saffron camp without a challenger.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Naidu, Nitish champions of special tag demand for split states

What’s common between Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar apart from being kingmakers once again? For years, both the satraps have sought special category status for their states that saw bifurcation.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Hema Malini’s dream run -- A hat-trick in Mathura

Actor-turned-politician Hema Malini (BJP) has proven herself once again as she managed to win Mathura LS seat a third time after defeating Mukesh Dhangar (Congress) by a margin of over 2.5 lakh votes. She won by a margin of 4,30,747 votes in 2014. In 2019, she won by a mar-gin of 2,93,471 votes, defeating RLD’s Kunwar Narendra Singh. With hope of a hat-trick, BJP chose Hema as its candi-date in 2024, as well. “I thank people of Mathura. My priority is district development. I’ll do a lot for residents of Mathura and Brijwasis,” she said.

Queen’s gambit: Kangana beats royal scion

Women voters in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi seem to have played as significant a role in BJP rookie Kangana Ranaut’s triumph over Vikramaditya Singh as her movie-star allure and a bit of Modi magic as he publicly rooted for her, saying she reflected “the aspirations of our nation’s daughters”.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress wrests both Manipur seats, JNU prof among winners

Congress wrested Manipur from BJP and its ally, NPF, with both Meitei-dominated valley and tribal-majority hills voting in grand old party after a year of ethnic strife that has cost over 200 lives. While JNU professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam defeated state minister and BJP candidate Thounaojam Basantakumar in Inner Manipur, in the hills Alfred Kanngam S Arthur beat NPF’s Kachui Timothy Zimik in Outer Manipur seat. For voters , Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the state during the height of the ethnic clashes provided them the attention they had sought from New Delhi. Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee president Keisham Meghachandra Singh, expressed gratitude to the state’s people for electing Congress candidates in both seats and dedicated the electoral success to people who have suffered in the strife and those driven from their homes by violence to relief camps.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: It’s not the 1st time exit polls have gone awry. Here’s why it happens

Psephologist Pradeep Gupta wept on live television on Tuesday. The reputed pollster was way off target in his prediction of Lok Sabha 2024 election results. Axis-IndiaToday had given 361-401 seats to NDA.

He wasn’t the only one psephologist who got the outcome wrong. Today’s Chanakya-News24, ETG-Times Now, Marize-Republic Bharat, ABP-CVoter — all were spectacularly inaccurate. And many were left wondering what could have led to the mismatch between exit polls and actual results.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Modi margin dips from 4.8 lakh to 1.5 lakh, vote share 63.6% to 54.2%

Narendra Modi won Varanasi Lok Sabha seat by defeating INDIA bloc candidate and UP Congress chief Ajay Rai, but the 1.5-lakh-vote victory margin on Tuesday marked the closest contest he has faced since 2014, and a steep fall from 2019 when he won by 4.8 lakh votes.

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: TDP candidate from Guntur Pemmasani become richest MP in Lok Sabha

Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani, the Telugu Desam Party candidate from Andhra Pradesh's Guntur, has become the richest candidate to win the Lok Sabha poll this time. Pemmasani's assets are valued at Rs 5,700 crore. He defeated his nearest rival the YSRCP's Kilari Venkata Rosaiah by over 3.4 lakh votes. (PTI)

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: Congress's Vaithilingam retains Puducherry's lone Lok Sabha seat

The Congress retained the lone Lok Sabha seat in Puducherry with its incumbent MP Vaithilingam declared the winner at the end of the counting of votes on Tuesday. Vaithilingam defeated BJP candidate and Puducherry Home Minister A Namassivayam by a margin of 1,36,516 (1.36 lakh) votes. While the Congress candidate polled 4,26,005 (4.26 lakh) votes, Namassivayam secured 2,89,489 (2.89 lakh). (PTI)

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: All transgender candidates lose security deposits in Lok Sabha polls

Three transgender individuals who ran as independent candidates in the Lok Sabha elections were unsuccessful in their bids, losing their security deposits in the fray. The outcome underscores the significant hurdles faced by the transgender community in securing political representation in India. To date, no transgender person has been elected to the Lok Sabha. Sunaina Kinnar, a candidate from Dhanbad, received 3,462 votes, while Rajan Singh, who contested from South Delhi, secured 325 votes. Durga Mausi, who stood for election in Damoh (Madhya Pradesh), obtained 1,124 votes. None of the candidates came close to winning their respective seats, and all of them failed to retain their security deposits. According to the Election Commission's regulations, "candidates failing to secure a minimum of one-sixth of the total valid votes polled would have their security deposits redirected to the treasury."

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: BJP records third consecutive win in Kurukshetra, loses vote share

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recorded its third consecutive win from the Kurukshetra constituency in the 18th Lok Sabha elections, as saffron party candidate Naveen Jindal, an industrialist, defeated Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate Sushil Gupta contesting under the banner of INDIA bloc in a close contest on Tuesday.

Election Results: 'I bow down to people of Vidisha', says Shivraj Singh Chouhan; collects his winning certificate

"I bow down to the people of Vidisha. I got this historic win as a part of their blessing. I could never imagine that I will receive this much love and support from people. I will continue to serve the people as long as I am alive," said Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who won from Vidisha with over 8 lakh votes.

Election Results: RJD's Misa Bharti wins Bihar's Patliputra Lok Sabha constituency

Lok Sabha Elections 2024: AAP bags three Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, improves on its 2019 poll performance

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the ruling party in Punjab, secured victories in only three out of the 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state, falling short of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's ambitious goal of winning all the parliamentary constituencies. The Congress emerged as the leading party, clinching seven seats, while the Shiromani Akali Dal and Independents won one and two seats, respectively. In response to the election results, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, through a post on 'X', stated, "Accept people's 'fatwa'... Public service and development works will continue." The AAP and its INDIA bloc ally, the Congress, contested the elections independently, providing ammunition for rival parties to criticize their separate campaigns as a mere "drama." Despite the setback, the AAP managed to improve its performance compared to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, where it had secured only one seat. The party's candidates emerged victorious in Sangrur (Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer), Anandpur Sahib (Malwinder Singh Kang), and Hoshiarpur (Raj Kumar Chabbewal) constituencies, while finishing second in six other seats. Throughout the campaign, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spearheaded the AAP's efforts, leading rallies and roadshows across Punjab, especially when party supremo Arvind Kejriwal was arrested in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case. The AAP fielded eight sitting Punjab MLAs, including five ministers, three candidates who had switched allegiances from other parties, and a Punjabi actor, in a bid to showcase its strongest candidates. Mann's campaign focused on highlighting the achievements of his two-year government, such as providing 300 units of free electricity, creating 43,000 government jobs, offering free medical treatment and medicines at 'Aam Aadmi Clinics,' and establishing 'Schools of Eminence.' He also announced that his government would provide Rs 1,100 per month to women, addressing the criticism from opposition parties regarding the AAP's unfulfilled poll promise of Rs 1,000 per month. The chief minister had urged the people to ensure the victory of AAP candidates in all 13 seats, emphasizing the need for a stronger representation in Parliament to fight for Punjab's rights and counter the BJP-led central government's alleged withholding of Rs 8,000 crore in funds meant for the state. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the AAP had won four seats with a vote share of 24.40 percent. However, its performance declined in the 2019 polls, securing only one seat and a 7.38 percent vote share. The party's resounding victory in the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, where it won 92 out of 117 seats, had raised expectations for a strong showing in the Lok Sabha polls.

If Trump did falsify documents, he didn't do it with the required criminal intent, Blanche argued.

He showed jurors three prosecution exhibits where Trump acknowledged the hush-money reimbursement.

It's the classic defense closing argument: My client didn't do it, ladies and gentlemen — but if he did do it, it wasn't intentional.

This is the argument that former President Donald Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche tried out Tuesday on the hush-money jury in Manhattan.

Yes, Blanche spent the bulk of his arguments denying that Trump committed the crimes he's accused of.

Prosecutors say Trump falsified 34 business records to hide a year's worth of reimbursement payments to his then-attorney Michael Cohen , who had fronted a $130,000 hush-money payment to the porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump was not involved in any such conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, Blanche told jurors Tuesday — during a three-hour summation where he walked them through a more than 180-part slideshow presentation ahead of the start of their deliberations on Wednesday.

But if he was involved, there was no intent to commit fraud, Blanche argued. How could there be, he asked, when Trump freely and repeatedly acknowledged reimbursing Cohen?

Blanche then showed the jury three exhibits from the prosecution's case.

The exhibits — showing a tax form, a tweet, and a government ethics form — were shown on the courtroom's display screens.

Each bolsters the prosecution's case: Trump knew full well that the $130,000 he paid Cohen in installments throughout 2017 was for reimbursement, not legal fees, as his business-record entries falsely claimed.

"The government has to prove to you that President Trump caused these entries — even if they were false — with an intent to defraud," Blanche told jurors.

"Where is the intent to defraud on the part of President Trump?" the lawyer asked the jury.

Prosecutors must demonstrate Trump had an intent to defraud in order for them to prove first-degree falsifying of business records, which Trump is accused of doing 34 times throughout 2017, including when he personally signed nine of Cohen's reimbursement checks.

In his own closing argument, Joshua Steinglass, an assistant district attorney, said Trump had to have approved the reimbursement scheme.

Cohen would never have fronted the $130,000 without his micromanaging boss' preapproval and guarantee of repayment, Steinglass argued.

"Michael Cohen had 130,000 reasons to get Mr. Trump's sign-off," the prosecutor told jurors.

During his closing argument, Blanche angered the judge by telling jurors that "you cannot send somebody to prison based on what Michael Cohen is saying."

Jurors are supposed to weigh only the facts in their deliberations — not the potential punishment.

"That was outrageous, Mr. Blanche," Justice Juan Merchan of the New York Supreme Court told Blanche after jurors were dismissed for lunch.

"Someone who's been a prosecutor as long as you have, and a defense lawyer as long as you have, knows it's highly inappropriate," the judge said.

"It's simply not allowed, period," the judge added. He gave a curative instruction to the jury, saying that Blanche's comment was "improper" and that if Trump was convicted, "a prison sentence is not required." Falsifying business records carries a sentence of anywhere from zero jail to four years in prison.

Here are the three exhibits that Blanche displayed for jurors as "proof" that Trump had nothing to hide and therefore could not have intended to defraud anyone.

But each is highly incriminating of Trump, prosecutors have argued.

1. A 1099 tax form from 2017

The Trump Organization — and Trump as an individual — reported that it paid Cohen a total of $420,000 in income in 2017.

Related stories

Prosecutors say this is the sum Trump's then-CFO, Allen Weisselberg, calculated would be reimbursed for Cohen's hush-money outlay, plus taxes and other money Trump owed him.

Why would Trump announce to the IRS "if there was some deep-rooted intent to defraud on the part of President Trump?" Blanche asked jurors.

But the 1099s are "false," Steinglass, the prosecutor, told jurors in his closing arguments, which went on for five hours, ending at 8 p.m.

The 1099s demonstrate that Trump "filled out phony forms" to report income for Cohen that did not exist, Steinglass said — "because it wasn't income; it was reimbursement."

2. A 2018 tweet

On May 3, 2018, Trump posted a somewhat garbled tweet that said the payments he'd made to Cohen throughout 2017 were, in his word, "reimbursement."

This tweet was posted just five months after Trump signed the last of nine $35,000 checks to Cohen. Each check was labeled "RETAINER."

3. A government ethics form

Finally, during closing arguments, Blanche showed jurors what's called an Executive Branch Personnel Public Financial Disclosure Report for the year 2017. This was the then-president's mandatory disclosure of his assets and liabilities.

Under "Liabilities" — which is the section where Trump must list the money he's borrowed — Trump certified that in 2017, he "fully reimbursed" Cohen an interest-free sum of between $100,000 and $250,000.

"President Trump tweeted what happened when it came out" and then signed a government ethics form that also acknowledged the reimbursement, Blanche told jurors Tuesday.

"That's not evidence of any intent to defraud," Blanche said.

But prosecutors have argued this form shows Trump knew the money he paid Cohen was reimbursement for money lent — the Daniels hush money.

Cohen the 'GLOAT'

Blanche spent most of his summation impugning the credibility of Cohen, whose testimony is key to the prosecution case .

Cohen is "literally like an MVP of liars," the defense lawyer told jurors. Two jurors — a woman in the front row and a man in the back row — smiled when Blanche went on to call Cohen "the GLOAT," for "greatest liar of all time."

The district attorney's reliance on Cohen's testimony demonstrates the weakness of the prosecution's case, Blanche said. He said that Cohen committed "per-ju-ry" — stressing every syllable — on the witness stand and was "the human embodiment of reasonable doubt."

"You should want and expect more than the testimony of Michael Cohen," he said.

Blanche sidestepped the most pivotal documents in the case, handwritten notes from Weisselberg and the Trump Organization's then-comptroller, Jeffrey McConney , that appeared to explain how Cohen would be repaid for hush money in $35,000 payments, including a "gross up" to cover taxes.

Blanche claimed that if the document was truly proof of an illegal conspiracy, the Trump Organization would have destroyed it instead of keeping it in a filing cabinet — from which they were ultimately turned over to prosecutors.

Steinglass countered that it must have been hard for Blanche to make that argument "with a straight face," saying the illegal conspiracy was laid out "in the document itself."

"These documents are so damning that you almost have to laugh," he said.

At the beginning of the prosecution's closing argument on Tuesday afternoon, Steinglass said that while Cohen may have a track record of dishonesty , he had come clean and "been consistently explaining the facts of this case for six years."

"We didn't choose Michael Cohen. We didn't pick him up at the witness store," Steinglass said. "The defendant chose Michael Cohen because of his willingness to lie."

Blanche had also criticized prosecutors for spending time teasing out testimony from Daniels, which he said wasn't critical to the criminal charges, related to falsified documents. Prosecutors, the defense lawyer said, just wanted to "embarrass" Trump.

Daniels' vivid and "cringeworthy" details "ring true" and were "uncomfortable," which is why they were so important, Steinglass said. Trump wanted to cover up her story to influence the election, he added.

"That's kind of the point," Steinglass said. "That's the display the defendant didn't want the American people to see."

Trump didn't pay $130,000 to cover up a photo of him and Daniels on a golf course — but to cover up a scandal, Steinglass said.

"Stormy Daniels is the motive," he said.

Watch: The biggest bombshells from Trump's hush money trial

• Main content

Getting Write Down to It: Passion and Purpose in Writing

A personal perspective: writing as an art form..

Posted June 2, 2024 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma

• What Is a Career
• Find a career counsellor near me
• The act of writing is an art form that involves willingness to be part of a larger conversation.
• The mandate to publish or perish in academia bears down on faculty, but there are things that can help.
• There are benefits to considering the process of writing and how it is life-affirming and life-building.

If we think about writing as having the privilege of entering a conversation and pushing it in the direction we think it needs to go, then writing—yes, even academic writing—becomes creative. It becomes our own art form, if you will. It gives meaning to our lives and is one of the ways that we contribute to the world.

Once we recognize that our writing is an art form, we need new ways to judge ourselves and our productivity . Should a painter’s worthiness as an artist be determined by how many pieces they landed in a juried show in the last year? When we think of an artist’s career , we see the arc of their art over time. Similarly, as academics, we write over the arc of our careers. It’s the way that we—as people involved in the front lines of knowledge production, construction, and consumption—make art.

Publishing monographs and articles in top-tier journals is a fine goal—in fact, even necessary sometimes to get or keep a job. But publishing isn’t the only reason for writing any more than juried exhibitions and winning awards are the sole reasons an artist goes to paint. The painter finds at least as much, if not much more, nourishment and fulfillment in the process of making art as in the external recognition, however validating and joyful those accolades. Indeed, dreaming of accolades is rarely why an artist sits down to paint. The painter makes art to thrive, to share the meaning they find in the world with others. So, too, if a writer recognizes their work as their art, they sit down to do it to share their gifts with other people and society in general. And the process of writing itself becomes a way to thrive, to contribute to the world.

To take our writing seriously, we must think about it as a core part of our life’s work. We often write for our peers, sometimes for our students, and sometimes for audiences outside of academia. Once we have confidence in our writing, that paves the way for more outward-facing scholarship, bolstering the possibility of becoming a public scholar.

Once we take seriously our art form—or craft, if the word sounds more apt or comfortable—we must make time for it. When we finish a research project, we must realize that good writing takes care, thought, and loving attention to words, phrasing, and paragraph construction. Knowing that it takes time, and is worth the time, can boost our confidence. Good writing brings our ideas, and our findings, to life.

With all of the competing demands that students, colleagues, and our increasingly bureaucratic administrations in higher education impose on us, writing can be something we can claim as our own. While our course material is housed in learning management systems with accompanying questions of control over our intellectual property, and committee work is in service to the institution, the writing we do is ours. And the time we claim for it—for cultivating and honing it—is time we’ve declared, if only to ourselves, as precious and sacred, reserved to nurture ourselves and our ability to contribute to those around us. There’s something very liberating about that.

In sum, while many faculty members see the “publish or perish” message as exemplifying the competitive pressure of an academic career, making the time to enjoy the process of writing is an antidote to some of what has become the drudgery of university life. It reminds us what turns us on in our fields of study and motivates our inquiry in the first place.

A version of this post also appeared in Inside Higher Ed with Barbara Risman.

Deborah J. Cohan, Ph.D., is a professor of sociology at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort where she teaches and writes about the intersections of the self and society.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• International
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Switzerland
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Self Tests NEW
• Therapy Center
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face our triggers with less reactivity so that we can get on with our lives.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Gaslighting
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience