— , a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The linear structure is the standard for most biographies; it starts at a specific point in the protagonist's life and moves forward in chronological order. Nonlinear structure is more complex as this style moves between time periods with time skips and flashbacks. Thematic structure strategically conveys given and new information to frame and insert specific themes.
For your biography essay, your subject will be the person whose life story you will be writing. In order for your biography essay to be effective, you will have to pick a subject who is interesting, important, or otherwise qualified to be the subject of a biography essay. You should ask yourself the question: why choose your subject, and what has your subject done that deserves to be recorded and remembered?
Of course, there's a sense in which every single human life is interesting and important. But for the purposes of your biography essay, you will want to dig deeper and consider why your subject is worthy of being remembered in the collective cultural memory.
An effective biography usually focuses on someone who has affected history, or someone who has achieved a high level of excellence within his/her discipline or field.
Søren Kierkegaard: A very important philosopher
Kierkegaard would be an example a good subject for a biography essay, because his works are generally considered a turning point in modern philosophy.
The subject of your biography essay does not necessarily need to be well-known. In fact, it can be a lot of fun to dig into the life of someone is not well known but should be. The important thing is that your subject must be compelling, and there must be a solid reason why his/her story should be told.
Also, when picking a subject, you may want to make sure that you actually like your subject. That can make writing a biography essay more fun, and your respect for the subject (or lack thereof) will also probably come across in your writing. If you want to convince others that your subject is compelling, then it would help if you find him/her compelling.
A lot can happen in a life, and it would probably be impossible for you to include everything there is to know about your subject within a single biography essay. So, you should choose the high point, or the most important points, and then focus on those.
Events in the life of Kierkegaard
These are key events that could be the focus of a biography essay on Kierkegaard.
Event | Rationale | |
Kierkegaard is born on the 5th of May, 1813. | Logical starting point for the biography essay. | |
Kierkegaard breaks his engagement with a girl named Regine Olsen on the 11th of August, 1841. | This is considered to be a turning point in his life and a major catalyst behind several of his works. | |
affair | Kierkegaard gets into a bitter public dispute with a tabloid called the . | This renewed his creativity in the later part of his life. |
Kierkegaard dies on the 11th of November, 1855. | Logical ending point for the biography essay. |
Garff, Joakim. Søren Kierkegaard: A Biography. Princeton: Princeton U P, 2007.
Now that you know about the elements of a biography essay, you can follow these steps in order to ensure that your biography essay turns out to be a success.
Next, integrate the specific biography related aspects listed below.
Again, your biography essay won't be able to include everything there is to know about your subject. So, you will want to map out the scope of your biography essay before you get started. The birth and death of your subject are the logical starting and ending points for your essay. Then, you will want to select a few events or accomplishments in the life of your subject that are worthy of remembrance.
You can develop a full-fledged outline, or you can use a table like the one developed above. Either way, though, you will have to have a clear idea of where you will begin, where you will end, and the path that you will take from the beginning to the end.
Your biography essay has to be rooted in verifiable facts about the life of your subject. This means that it is important that you identify and document the sources of your information. The essay sources should generally be scholarly in nature, and you should avoid using websites to the greatest extent possible. This is because it is often difficult to tell whether the content on websites have been drawn from credible sources.
Questions to ask when compiling sources
If there are references listed on a website about your subject, then you should trace those references back to the original academic sources. Those are the sources you should use for your biography essay.
Remember: with your biography essay, you are at least partly trying to show your reader why your subject is interesting and why he/she deserves to have an essay written about him/her.
Your interest in your subject should come across in your writing style. After all, if you feel bored with your subject, then why should anyone else pay attention?
The language you use should be scholarly (but still filled with imagery ), but you should also focus on varying sentence structure, using excellent word choice, and other writing techniques that tell the life story of your subject in a compelling way that does justice to the importance of your subject.
See the example biographical essay below for a clear example of how it needs to be written.
As the sample shows, it’s very important to be focused on true details. Please see the list of blog posts below for more examples of biography essays:
If you need more help or would like something written for your own needs, consider buying custom essays from Ultius . Our talented writes can help you get something done in as fast as three hours.
That brings us to the close of this guide on the biography essay. Here is a recapitulation of some of the best practices that have been covered here.
Develop a focused arc
You should use a linear narrative structure, starting with the birth of your subject, ending with their death, and focusing on selected key events and accomplishments in the subject's life.
Write in the scholarly mode
Although a biography essay is a kind of "story," it should still be written in a rational, scholarly way, and referencing in MLA or Chicago style is usually required for this kind of essay.
Love your subject
If you get to choose your subject, then you should pick a subject that you personally admire. This will make the writing process more fun, and your interest will also show in your writing and make the biography essay more enjoyable for the reader.
Find help if you need it
Finally, Ultius has plenty of resources that can help you write a successful biography essay and hone your skills as a writer. Please feel free to lean on us.
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December 27, 2023
A biography essay delves into the life of a person. Thanks to it, the writer can tell their story through engaging writing style. This essay type is more than just a collection of dates and events. It’s a detailed exploration of the personal and professional achievements, challenges, and impact on the world. A biography writing requires a clear thesis, a well-structured narrative, and a fascinating portrayal of the person’s life. Your subject can be a historical figure, a public personality, or someone from your own life. Still, the goal is to provide a comprehensive and concise narrative that captures the essence of their story.
In crafting a biography essay, you immerse yourself in the personal world. It is where you gain a deeper understanding of their motivations, decisions, and the context in which they lived. This involves extensive research, from primary sources like letters and diaries to secondary sources like biographies and scholarly articles. Through this process, you uncover the nuances that make your subject unique and significant. A well-written biography essay informs and inspires, offering readers new perspectives and insights. Whether you highlight a well-known figure’s contributions or bring the reader’s attention to a lesser-known individual’s compelling life story, your essay becomes a testament to their legacy.
After understanding what a good biography essay is, a lot of people are eager to write it. However, it is when the first question arises: who to write about?
The first thing to consider is to choose the right person for you! It would be best if you wrote a biography essay about someone who you are interested in. You should be the one who is fascinated by the story of your character. Some tips to find this person:
You found your character – perfect! However, this is only the beginning. Now it is time to conduct the research. It is the foundation of compelling biographical essays. Writing a thorough piece will be possible if you collect accurate and thorough material. Luckily, we will help you to structure this process. The steps you may follow are easy but crucial to remember:
After finishing research, we do not recommend jumping into writing. The first thing to do is to craft a thesis. The thesis statement is the backbone of your biographical essay. It is a guide for the reader. With it, you will set the tone of your essay. There is a lot of advice on how to craft a compelling thesis. But we will stick to these:
This approach captivates your audience and provides a clear direction for your biographical essays.
Writing a good biography essay requires a clear and organized structure. Structure helps convey the life and significance of the subject effectively.
A well-structured essay not only helps the writer stay focused. It also ensures that the reader can easily follow the narrative. The structure serves as the framework that supports the detailed storytelling within each section of the piece.
From creating a strong biography essay outline to developing the body and providing context: each component plays a crucial role in crafting an insightful biography. Now we will walk you through the essential steps of structuring your paper. After reading it, you can create a cohesive and engaging narrative.
A biography essay outline serves as your roadmap. It ensures a coherent and logical progression of ideas. Start by organizing your research into key sections such as:
This structure will help you maintain focus and provide a clear pathway for your narrative. Each section should build upon the previous one. The story itself should weave together to highlight the subject’s significance. A well-crafted biography essay outline not only aids in writing but also in revising. It can help you identify gaps or areas needing further detail.
The body of your biographical essay is where you delve into the detailed narrative of your subject’s life. Each body paragraph should focus on a specific event, period, or theme. They provide evidence and examples to support your thesis statement.
Use vivid descriptions, thought-provoking quotes, and anecdotes! | |
Ensure that each section flows smoothly into the next! | |
Reveal the complexities of the subject! |
Contextualizing involves placing your subject within their time’s broader historical, cultural, or social framework. This enriches your narrative and helps readers understand the significance of the subject’s actions and achievements.
Explain how their life events were influenced by and, in turn, influenced the world around them. Providing context allows readers to appreciate the challenges your subject faced and the innovations they brought about. Whether it’s highlighting societal norms, historical events, or cultural trends, contextualization adds depth to your biography essay.
A biographical essay conclusion writing involves more than just summarizing the character’s life. It’s about reinforcing the thesis and leaving a lasting impression on your reader.
Reflect on the subject’s legacy, contributions, and lessons learned from their experiences. Highlight any unresolved questions or continuing impacts they have on today’s world.
A strong conclusion ties together the narrative, emphasizes the significance of the subject’s life, and provides closure. It should inspire readers to further reflect on the subject’s journey and its relevance to contemporary issues.
You put the last dot, amazing. It still isn’t it. Time for editing your masterpiece!
Editing is a critical step in writing, transforming your initial draft into a polished, professional biography essay. This phase involves more than just correcting grammar and spelling errors. It’s about refining your content, enhancing clarity, and ensuring coherence throughout your narrative.
So, there are essential things you have to review in your biographical essay for logical flow. They are:
Edit it to ensure the flawlessness of your biographical essay! This important step ensures that it effectively communicates the significance and impact of the person’s life.
Remembering the part when you’ve been doing research? It is time to give some credit! Citing your sources is a fundamental aspect of writing a biography essay. It gives credit to the original authors and helps establish the credibility of your work.
Proper citation allows readers to trace the origins of the information, ensuring transparency and academic integrity. It also protects you from plagiarism. Citing demonstrates that you have conducted thorough research and respect the intellectual property. When you cite sources, you provide a framework for readers to verify facts and explore further reading. Choose what type of citing suits your essay more: direct quotes, paraphrasing, or referencing specific ideas.
Always ensure you follow the appropriate citation style required by your academic or publication guidelines. Proper citation enhances your essay’s authority. It also honors the contributions of those who have previously explored your subject.
Congratulations, you are at the finishing line! The final touch in writing your biography essay is about bringing all elements together to create a seamless and captivating narrative.
This stage involves:
Once these final adjustments are made, your essay transforms from a draft into a polished essay. The magic begins when your carefully crafted, compelling narrative informs and resonates with readers.
After this long journey, you leave a lasting impact and a deeper understanding of your character’s life and legacy in your essay. It was worth it, we assure you! In case you haven’t started yet, perhaps it is time you craft a biographical essay about someone or even your own life story.
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Guide to crafting an engaging biographical essay.
Writing a biographical essay can be a fascinating and rewarding experience as it allows you to delve into the life of an individual and uncover their accomplishments, struggles, and impact on society. Whether you are exploring the life of a historical figure, a famous artist, or even a family member, a biographical essay provides a platform to share their story with others.
Before you begin writing, it is essential to conduct thorough research on the person you are focusing on and gather relevant information about their background, achievements, and significant events in their life. This will help you build a comprehensive narrative that captures the essence of the individual and highlights their contributions to the world.
As you craft your biographical essay, remember to organize your thoughts carefully and present the information in a clear and engaging manner. Start by introducing the individual and providing context about their life, then delve into key events, experiences, and accomplishments that shaped their journey. Finally, conclude with reflections on their legacy and the impact they have had on society.
When writing a biography, it is important to include key elements that will make the narrative engaging and informative. These elements help to create a well-rounded portrait of the subject and provide readers with a deeper understanding of their life and achievements.
1. Early Life: Begin with an overview of the subject’s childhood and early experiences, highlighting key events that shaped their future path.
2. Education and Career: Detail the subject’s educational background and career trajectory, including any significant milestones, achievements, or setbacks.
3. Personal Life: Explore the subject’s personal relationships, family dynamics, and interests outside of their professional pursuits.
4. Major Accomplishments: Highlight the subject’s most significant accomplishments, whether in their professional field, community involvement, or personal pursuits.
5. Challenges and Obstacles: Discuss the challenges and obstacles the subject faced throughout their life, and how they overcame them or were shaped by them.
6. Legacy and Impact: Reflect on the subject’s enduring legacy and the impact they have had on their field, community, or society at large.
7. Personal Insights: Include quotes, anecdotes, or reflections from the subject themselves or those who knew them well, providing insights into their personality, values, and motivations.
8. Conclusion: Summarize the key themes and insights presented in the biography, leaving readers with a deeper appreciation of the subject’s life and contributions.
Before you start writing your biographical essay, it’s essential to conduct thorough research and gather all the necessary information about the person you are writing about. Start by collecting basic details such as the individual’s full name, date of birth, place of birth, and significant life events. Search for reliable sources such as books, articles, interviews, and documentaries to gather accurate information.
Make sure to verify the information you find and cross-reference it with multiple sources to ensure its accuracy. Take notes of important dates, events, accomplishments, and personal details that will help you create a comprehensive and engaging biography. Organize your research materials and create an outline to structure your essay effectively.
Before you start writing your biographical essay, it’s essential to create an outline to organize your thoughts and information. An outline serves as a roadmap that guides you through the writing process, ensuring that you cover all the important aspects of the individual’s life.
When creating your outline, begin by identifying key milestones in the subject’s life, such as their early years, education, career, achievements, and legacy. Divide these milestones into sections and outline the key points you want to discuss under each section.
Make sure your outline flows logically and chronologically, allowing the reader to follow the subject’s life story in a coherent manner. Include transitions between sections to ensure a smooth narrative flow in your essay.
Remember, the outline is a flexible tool that can be adjusted as you conduct research and gather more information about the individual. Regularly revisit and refine your outline to ensure that it accurately reflects the structure and content of your biographical essay.
Once you have gathered all the necessary information about the subject of your biographical essay, it is time to start developing the body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should focus on a specific aspect or event in the person’s life.
Organize your paragraphs: Arrange your paragraphs in a logical order to create a smooth and coherent narrative. You can choose to organize them chronologically, thematically, or based on significance.
Provide supporting details: Use specific examples, anecdotes, and quotes to support your arguments and bring the subject to life. These details will make your essay more engaging and informative.
Use transitions: Transition words and phrases like “furthermore,” “moreover,” and “on the other hand” help connect your ideas and guide the reader through your essay smoothly.
Stay focused: Make sure each paragraph maintains a clear focus on the main idea or theme you are discussing. Avoid straying off topic to keep your essay coherent.
Conclude each paragraph: End each paragraph with a clear concluding sentence that summarizes the main point and prepares the reader for the next section.
By following these key steps, you can effectively develop the body paragraphs of your biographical essay and create a compelling portrait of your subject.
Wrapping up a biographical essay requires a thoughtful and reflective conclusion. In this final section, you should reiterate the key points about the person you have covered in your essay. Emphasize the significance of their life, achievements, and contributions. Consider how their story has impacted you or how it relates to broader historical or cultural themes.
Remember to leave your readers with a lasting impression. You might consider discussing the person’s legacy or highlighting the enduring lessons that can be learned from their experiences. Your conclusion should offer closure while still leaving room for reflection and further exploration of the individual’s life and influence.
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If you are interested in this genre and you would like to write a biographical essay, then first, I suggest you take a closer look at it and find out:
The process of writing a biographical essay is quite time-consuming. To write an essay, it is not enough just to choose a topic, to collect and analyze information. The author’s task is to rethink the information received and transform it into a special essay form.
There are two methods used in writing essays:
The theoretical method is used when the main subject of the essay is a problematic situation .
But if a journalist needs to write an essay about an interesting person, then an artistic method is used that allows the writer to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of a person, delve into his or her psychology and understand the character of the hero.
The degree of the artistry of the biographical essay may vary depending on its purpose: one text may be more specific and documentary, while the other may be as creative as possible. Thus, in each essay, there should be both artistic creativity and facts in various proportions (depending on the purpose and subject matter).
Since this article is primarily about a short biographical essay, its average length is about 500 words (standard A4 page).
As we have already found out, the subject of a portrait or biographical essay is a person – not a fictional hero, but a person from real life. And the author’s task is to create a “portrait” of this person based on the available facts from the biography.
Reading the essay, the audience should understand:
First, the biographical essay should indicate basic information about the hero: first name, last name, date and place of birth, origin, activities, and main achievements. But it shouldn’t look like listing personal data.
In the essay, in the first place is the hero’s character and inner world. Therefore, the writer needs, through facts taken from the hero’s biography, to reveal, for example, the reasons for his actions, to try to understand how the hero thought when he was in various life situations, how he interacted with other people, etc.
As you can see, essay writing is more of a creative process.
The essay is a mirror of our society and its values.
First, you will need to study all the information about the person you are interested in, and only then choose the most striking and remarkable facts, and events from the hero’s life. In your biographical essay, write how these events affected the character.
After all the information has been collected, you should decide how to structure your essay:
Modern biographical essays use a mixed narrative structure.
Of course, the most valuable source of information for a biographical essay will be its primary source – an interview with the hero of the story. If this is not possible, then use only reliable, confirmed, and accurate information. It can be:
The best biographies are obtained when the journalist is personally acquainted with the person whose life he describes when he can observe the behavior of this person, and be a witness to any of his actions. This enriches the material with the author’s impressions, allowing the writer to point out some subtle details in the appearance or character of the hero that other people might not have noticed. Observation is a very effective way of obtaining information, but, unfortunately, it can not always be used. Therefore, the main source of information for modern biographical essays is most often an interview with the hero of a future publication.
The author of the essay, at his discretion, selects facts from the life of the hero, and based on this information creates a holistic image of the hero and then gives the reader the right to draw conclusions, to form a personal opinion about the person.
HENRY MORE: A BIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY
By ROBERT CROCKER
Henry More was born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, in October 1614, the seventh son of Alexander More, a scion of a large and honourable northern landed family. Brought up in a large Calvinist gentry household, More was sent as a child to the local grammar school in Grantham. After revealing something of his intellectual abilities there, at fourteen his education was taken in hand by a learned uncle, Gabriel More, sometime Fellow of Christ’s College in Cambridge, and sent to Eton ‘to perfect his Latin’. In a little autobiography included in the General Preface to his Opera omnia (1679), More describes how his rather thoughtful and studious nature early led him into conflict with his uncle and brother over the doctrine of predestination – he was the chastised for ‘a forwardness in philosophizing’. Entered under Robert Gell at Christ’s in Cambridge in late 1631, More shows himself to have been a gifted poet and an acute and sensitive student, early taking up the difficult subject of metaphysics as the main focus of his energies. However, by the time he graduated, like a number of other intellectual Puritans of his generation, he had become disillusioned with the scholastic masters of his metaphysical studies, and particularly with the apparent incompatibility between their teaching on the nature and origin of the soul and the doctrines of the Church. Perhaps influenced by Gell, who was clearly interested in the Greek Fathers and their humanist and spiritualist successors, More began to study the ‘Platonists and mystical divines’, and read in them an approach to the problem of the soul much more attuned, he considered, to the doctrines of the Church. On learning what they had to say about the ‘purgative course that is previous to the illuminative’, More was particularly inspired, he tells us, by the Theologia Germanica, with its practical emphasis on ‘extinguishing the human will’ in order to live only by and through the divine. In his General Preface More then recounts how over the next four years (1636-40) he embarked on a period of ‘Holy Discipline and Conflict’, during which time he felt the ‘divine principle’ within him gradually triumph over the ‘animal nature’. This freed him, he declares, from the ‘insatiable Desire and Thirst… after the knowledge of things’ which had possessed him during his first inquisitive but unhappy years of study.
The biographical essay example (expert):
Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking was a scientist known for his work with black holes and relativity, and the author of popular science books like ‘A Brief History of Time.’ Hawking was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England. His birthday was also the 300th anniversary of the death of Galileo — long a source of pride for the noted physicist. The eldest of Frank and Isobel Hawking’s four children, Hawking was born into a family of thinkers. His Scottish mother earned her way into Oxford University in the 1930s — a time when few women were able to go to college. His father, another Oxford graduate, was a respected medical researcher with a specialty in tropical diseases. Hawking’s birth came at an inopportune time for his parents, who didn’t have much money. The political climate was also tense, as England was dealing with World War II and the onslaught of German bombs in London, where the couple was living as Frank Hawking undertook research in medicine. In an effort to seek a safer place, Isobel returned to Oxford to have the couple’s first child. The Hawkings would go on to have two other children, Mary and Philippa. And their second son, Edward, was adopted in 1956. The Hawkings, as one close family friend described them, were an “eccentric” bunch. Dinner was often eaten in silence, each of the Hawkings intently reading a book. The family car was an old London taxi, and their home in St. Albans was a three-story fixer-upper that never quite got fixed. The Hawkings also housed bees in the basement and produced fireworks in the greenhouse. Source biography.com
Adele Singer Adele is a Grammy Award-winning artist whose throwback, soulful sound has made her an international success with hits like “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You” and “Hello.” Adele is a British singer-songwriter who has sold millions of albums worldwide and won a total of 15 Grammys as well as an Oscar. Adele’s first two albums, 19 and 21 , earned her critical praise and a level of commercial success unsurpassed among her peers. After becoming a mom in 2012, Adele returned to the charts with the ballad “Hello” in 2015, the lead single from what was dubbed her comeback album 25 . In 2017, she won five Grammys for her work on 25 , including album, record and song of the year. Early Life, Education and Influences Adele Laurie Blue Adkins was born on May 5, 1988, in North London, England. Adele was the only child of Penny Adkins, an “arty mom” who was just 18 at the time of her birth, and a Welsh father, Mark Evans, who left the family when Adele was only four years old. Evans remained in contact with his daughter up until her teen years, when his problems with alcohol and increasing estrangement from his daughter caused their relationship to deteriorate. By contrast, Adele grew close to her mom, who encouraged her young daughter “to explore, and not to stick with one thing.” Early on, Adele developed a passion for music. She gravitated toward the songs of Lauryn Hill, Mary J. Blige and Destiny’s Child. But her true, eye-opening moment came when she was 15 and she happened upon a collection of Etta James and Ella Fitzgerald records at a local shop. “There was no musical heritage in our family,” Adele told The Telegraph in a 2008 interview. “Chart music was all I ever knew. So when I listened to the Ettas and the Ellas, it sounds so cheesy, but it was like an awakening. I was like, oh, right, some people have proper longevity and are legends. I was so inspired that as a 15-year-old I was listening to music that had been made in the ’40s.” While clearly bright, Adele wasn’t oriented towards traditional classroom settings. Instead, her mother enrolled her in the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology, which counts Amy Winehouse as an alum. While at school, Adele cut a three-track demo for a class project that was eventually posted on her MySpace page. When executives at XL Recordings heard the tracks, they contacted the singer and, in November 2006, just four months after Adele had graduated school, signed her to a record deal. Source https://www.biography.com/musicians/adele
Naziyah Mahmood, Rocket Scientist, Multi Black Belt, Renaissance Woman Where to start with this amazing woman? Scientist for the European Space Agency? Check. Artist and poet? Check. Martial artist fluent in several forms? Check. Woman of peace and faith? Check. Champion of geeks everywhere: triple check. “If you let them bully you once, they will do it again and again.” Her father told her that, and her path of self-determination, unyielding curiosity, and fierce protectiveness of everybody’s right to fit outside someone else’s box has grown ever since. Nayizah grew up the daughter of an Englishwoman and a Pakistani father in none-too-hospitable Glasgow, Scotland. One of her earliest memories is of her mother coming home bloodied and crying after a vicious hate attack. Her father put Nayizah and her siblings into martial arts classes, the implicit promise being that no one in the Mahmood family would be bloodied again. Did we neglect to mention she is also trained in Ninjitsu? When kids talk about role models and superheroines, they need look If I don’t train, I get really restless. I train in the open ground in any weather. I would come home after training in the rain and get told off by my mum! I’ve trained through storms before. When something like this becomes a part of you, you just can’t let it go.”no further than Naziyah Mahmood. She was born with a visual impairment that makes it difficult for her to distinguish a person’s facial features unless at close range… yet has trained so diligently that she can stop a sword blade an inch from someone’s skin. This devout Muslim counts as her influences Miyamoto Musashi (“He was an eccentric and his methods were odd, but it just made him more likable!”), Hattori Hanzo, Tomore Gozenshe (a female Samurai warrior), and the one and only Bruce Lee. All the things I do link together very beautifully and balance out. So, martial arts master. That’d be enough for tons of people. But Ms. Mahmood decided, Why not get a Masters in Space Mission Analysis and Design, with honors in Physics/Astrophysics? And enter poetry contests, and contend with the prejudices of those who looked down on a woman of Muslim faith embracing the world of science, and educate people (often without even trying to) around the world about the great buffet that is life, creativity, possibility, and joy. I like that feeling of being on the edge of learning.
A biographical essay, in addition to entertaining and informative tasks, performs another important function: it helps readers to form their own moral compass and values.
In an essay about the lives of other people, the writer shows examples of how we can find a way out of a difficult life situation, what is the secret of happiness and success, what is the meaning of life, what is good and evil, and where is the line that cannot be crossed, and more.
P. S.: Did you like this post? Please, share it with your friends, thank you! Have a nice day!
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Blog • Perfecting your Craft
Posted on Jun 30, 2023
About the author.
Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.
Editor-in-Chief of the Reedsy blog, Dario is a graduate of Mälardalen University. As a freelance writer, he has written for many esteemed outlets aimed at writers. A traveler at heart, he can be found roaming the world and working from his laptop.
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:
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.
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.
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 development to figure out, which you can only get by interviewing primary sources.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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…
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 the middle of the action 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…
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…
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.”
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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 publish your own 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 edit your own 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.
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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 applications , 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.
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03 July, 2020
7 minutes read
Author: Elizabeth Brown
Got a chance to write about your idol but need help with realization? Read our article to know the secrets of effective biography essay writing. Whoever you decide to write a biography essay about, don’t try to include random information at once. The person you describe would not like it. Instead, read our article about how to write a biography essay correctly and, more importantly, take pleasure in composing it. We’ll share some smart tips and tricks that you’ll find particularly useful for your writing.
Some tend to mistakenly attribute biographical essay to the process of writing about themselves. But actually, biography definition has nothing to do with you. It’s more about telling the engaging story about a person’s life. This individual can be anyone: a famous historical figure, a well-known actor, politician, dancer, musician, artist, writer, inventor – you get the point. Such task sounds intriguing and interesting, and indeed it is. A biographical essay is a great chance to dilute simple academic tasks with a pinch of new article full of interesting facts and opinions.
Before writing a biography essay, it’s important to pay attention to essay structure and build up a biography outline. An outline is generally a schematic plan that helps to organize biography essays in accordance with the writer’s preference. In this, the primary task is to create a list of the most significant facts you’ll want to develop in the essay. The easiest way of arranging an outline is to add a numbered list indicating the main points, and a list of sub-points marked with bullets. Also, don’t forget to include a biography thesis statement that’ll sum up the main idea of your essay in one sentence.
Before writing, you first need to understand what to include in a biography essay. An eloquent biography essay always starts with the introduction of a chosen person. The initial step of writing it involves the inclusion of such information as the person’s name, date of their birth, and the place they were born in. Of course, it’s not a uniform set of data necessary for this part. You can take the situation in your hands and write about some cultural or historical background surrounding one’s birthplace or the day they were born. Adding such information to the introductory part will help to create some context by connecting you and readers closer to the described character and broadening the common knowledge with more absorbing facts.
When people ask how to write a biography paper, the only thing they think of is a random flow of ideas about someone’s life. In fact, writing a biography paper is more complicated. The section following the introduction is devoted to life description. Here, you’ll need to feature early life and childhood of a chosen person. This part should cover general information about their parents, and divert readers’ attention to some facts related to their origin, education, and relationship status. Next, focus more on education and place where the person grew up. In this section, include more detailed information about the critical moments of their childhood life, like the name of the school they studied in or the point of moving to another city or town. Perhaps there are more facts worthy of note, such as family problems or health issues that revolved around one’s childhood. If there are such, include them as well.
The second section of your biographical essay will tell readers about someone’s adulthood. Depending on the person, this piece of story can be outlined differently. For example, you can write about their university or college life, or indicate their first job. The point here is to chronologically depict a period of moving from childhood to adult life. Then, talk about the formation of a person’s career path, starting with the first working experience and ending with the remarkable moment of revealing talents and skills that shaped their life. In the next paragraph, mention the person’s relationship during their adulthood. If applicable, describe how someone special helped them to become successful or motivated them throughout their career. Another significant aspect in this section has to do with the person’s success, in which readers could know about their notable accomplishments and achievements.
The final section of a biography essay will touch the person’s current or later life. If they are alive, include the overlook of their place of living and write about their activities. You can also add such information as to their current projects or career plans, along with other meaningful facts about their life.
If the person you’re writing about is no longer living, emphasize on the brightest moments at the sunset of their life. Mention the definitive moments and aspects, and write about the cause of their deaths.
If you want your biography essay to leave a great impact on readers, don’t conclude it with a simple explanation of why this or that person died and what their latest works were. This is only factual information which brings no specific value to your essay and, more importantly, doesn’t breathe life into it. To wrap up your essay content with a memorable grabber, include a couple of sentences in which write about the person’s legacy. That is, add the opinion of why this individual’s activity became an exceptional contribution to the world’s history, and why they have changed some aspects of their field.
Biography essay writing is a responsible task that aims at showing a well-acclaimed person from the best light. Therefore, you need to write about one’s life as you would about your mother – with maximum details and showing respect for that person. So follow our advice to compose an A+ biography essay that you and your audience will enjoy reading.
Note that our company provides academic writing help. You can buy a Biography essay written from scratch by our essay writer .
Due to human nature, we draw conclusions only when life gives us a lesson since the experience of others is not so effective and powerful. Therefore, when analyzing and sorting out common problems we face, we may trace a parallel with well-known book characters or real historical figures. Moreover, we often compare our situations with […]
Writing a research paper on ethics is not an easy task, especially if you do not possess excellent writing skills and do not like to contemplate controversial questions. But an ethics course is obligatory in all higher education institutions, and students have to look for a way out and be creative. When you find an […]
Students obtaining degrees in fine art and art & design programs most commonly need to write a paper on art topics. However, this subject is becoming more popular in educational institutions for expanding students’ horizons. Thus, both groups of receivers of education: those who are into arts and those who only get acquainted with art […]
To write a biographical essay, focus on a specific aspect of the subject's life. Your essay should provide depth and insight, which makes it crucial to have a strong purpose to feed your direction and, most importantly, a frame. Choosing the right subject, conducting thorough research, and crafting a compelling thesis are all important points to note.
Fredrick Eghosa
Aug 20, 2024
Table of Contents
What is a biographical essay, choosing the right subject and scope, conducting thorough research, the role of interviews in a biographical essay, craft a strong thesis statement, more on framing, see how to use framing in a biographical essay, avoid these mistakes in framing your biographical essay, write an engaging introduction, step 5: develop the body with purpose, organize your information, write a compelling conclusion, ethical considerations when writing a biographical essay, common mistakes to avoid in a biographical essay, final notes on writing a biographical essay, biographical essay samples, downloadable pdf, how co.writer ai can help you enhance a biographical essay, start with a clear outline, write engaging paragraphs, refine your draft.
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Biographies are big business. Whether in book form or Hollywood biopics, the lives of the famous and sometimes not-so-famous fascinate us.
While it’s true that most biographies are about people who are in the public eye, sometimes the subject is less well-known. Primarily, though, famous or not, the person who is written about has led an incredible life.
In this article, we will explain biography writing in detail for teachers and students so they can create their own.
While your students will most likely have a basic understanding of a biography, it’s worth taking a little time before they put pen to paper to tease out a crystal-clear definition of one.
A biography is an account of someone’s life written by someone else . While there is a genre known as a fictional biography, for the most part, biographies are, by definition, nonfiction.
Generally speaking, biographies provide an account of the subject’s life from the earliest days of childhood to the present day or, if the subject is deceased, their death.
The job of a biography is more than just to outline the bare facts of a person’s life.
Rather than just listing the basic details of their upbringing, hobbies, education, work, relationships, and death, a well-written biography should also paint a picture of the subject’s personality and experience of life.
Teaching unit.
Teach your students everything they need to know about writing an AUTOBIOGRAPHY and a BIOGRAPHY.
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Before students begin writing a biography, they’ll need to have a firm grasp of the main features of a Biography. An excellent way to determine how well they understand these essential elements is to ask them to compile a checklist like the one-blow
Their checklists should contain the items below at a minimum. Be sure to help them fill in any gaps before moving on to the writing process.
Biography structure.
ORIENTATION (BEGINNING) Open your biography with a strong hook to grab the reader’s attention
SEQUENCING: In most cases, biographies are written in chronological order unless you are a very competent writer consciously trying to break from this trend.
COVER: childhood, upbringing, education, influences, accomplishments, relationships, etc. – everything that helps the reader to understand the person.
CONCLUSION: Wrap your biography up with some details about what the subject is doing now if they are still alive. If they have passed away, make mention of what impact they have made and what their legacy is or will be.
LANGUAGE Use descriptive and figurative language that will paint images inside your audience’s minds as they read. Use time connectives to link events.
PERSPECTIVE Biographies are written from the third person’s perspective.
DETAILS: Give specific details about people, places, events, times, dates, etc. Reflect on how events shaped the subject. You might want to include some relevant photographs with captions. A timeline may also be of use depending upon your subject and what you are trying to convey to your audience.
TENSE Written in the past tense (though ending may shift to the present/future tense)
Like any form of writing, you will find it simple if you have a plan and follow it through. These steps will ensure you cover the essential bases of writing a biography essay.
Firstly, select a subject that inspires you. Someone whose life story resonates with you and whose contribution to society intrigues you. The next step is to conduct thorough research. Engage in extensive reading, explore various sources, watch documentaries, and glean all available information to provide a comprehensive account of the person’s life.
Creating an outline is essential to organize your thoughts and information. The outline should include the person’s early life, education, career, achievements, and any other significant events or contributions. It serves as a map for the writing process, ensuring that all vital information is included.
Your biography should have an engaging introduction that captivates the reader’s attention and provides background information on the person you’re writing about. It should include a thesis statement summarising the biography’s main points.
Writing a biography in chronological order is crucial . You should begin with the person’s early life and move through their career and achievements. This approach clarifies how the person’s life unfolded and how they accomplished their goals.
A biography should be written in a narrative style , capturing the essence of the person’s life through vivid descriptions, anecdotes, and quotes. Avoid dry, factual writing and focus on creating a compelling narrative that engages the reader.
Adding personal insights and opinions can enhance the biography’s overall impact, providing a unique perspective on the person’s achievements, legacy, and impact on society.
Editing and proofreading are vital elements of the writing process. Thoroughly reviewing your biography ensures that the writing is clear, concise, and error-free. You can even request feedback from someone else to ensure that it is engaging and well-written.
Finally, including a bibliography at the end of your biography is essential. It gives credit to the sources that were used during research, such as books, articles, interviews, and websites.
Biography writing tip #1: choose your subject wisely.
There are several points for students to reflect on when deciding on a subject for their biography. Let’s take a look at the most essential points to consider when deciding on the subject for a biography:
Interest: To produce a biography will require sustained writing from the student. That’s why students must choose their subject well. After all, a biography is an account of someone’s entire life to date. Students must ensure they choose a subject that will sustain their interest throughout the research, writing, and editing processes.
Merit: Closely related to the previous point, students must consider whether the subject merits the reader’s interest. Aside from pure labors of love, writing should be undertaken with the reader in mind. While producing a biography demands sustained writing from the author, it also demands sustained reading from the reader.
Therefore, students should ask themselves if their chosen subject has had a life worthy of the reader’s interest and the time they’d need to invest in reading their biography.
Information: Is there enough information available on the subject to fuel the writing of an entire biography? While it might be a tempting idea to write about a great-great-grandfather’s experience in the war. There would be enough interest there to sustain the author’s and the reader’s interest, but do you have enough access to information about their early childhood to do the subject justice in the form of a biography?
While the chances are good that the student already knows quite a bit about the subject they’ve chosen. Chances are 100% that they’ll still need to undertake considerable research to write their biography.
As with many types of writing , research is an essential part of the planning process that shouldn’t be overlooked. If students wish to give as complete an account of their subject’s life as possible, they’ll need to put in the time at the research stage.
An effective way to approach the research process is to:
1. Compile a chronological timeline of the central facts, dates, and events of the subject’s life
2. Compile detailed descriptions of the following personal traits:
3. Compile some research questions based on different topics to provide a focus for the research:
As the student gets deeper into their research, new questions will arise that can further fuel the research process and help to shape the direction the biography will ultimately go in.
Likewise, during the research, themes will often begin to suggest themselves. Exploring these themes is essential to bring depth to biography, but we’ll discuss this later in this article.
Researching for biography writing is an excellent way for students to hone their research skills in general. Developing good research skills is essential for future academic success. Students will have opportunities to learn how to:
Students will have access to print and online information sources, and, in some cases, they may also have access to people who knew or know the subject (e.g. biography of a family member).
These days, much of the research will likely take place online. It’s crucial, therefore, to provide your students with guidance on how to use the internet safely and evaluate online sources for reliability. This is the era of ‘ fake news ’ and misinformation after all!
Teach your students ESSENTIAL SKILLS OF THE INFORMATION ERA to become expert DIGITAL RESEARCHERS.
⭐How to correctly ask questions to search engines on all devices.
⭐ How to filter and refine your results to find exactly what you want every time.
⭐ Essential Research and critical thinking skills for students.
⭐ Plagiarism, Citing and acknowledging other people’s work.
⭐ How to query, synthesize and record your findings logically.
Though predominantly a nonfiction genre, the story still plays a significant role in good biography writing. The skills of characterization and plot structuring are transferable here. And, just like in fiction, exploring themes in a biographical work helps connect the personal to the universal. Of course, these shouldn’t be forced; this will make the work seem contrived, and the reader may lose faith in the truthfulness of the account. A biographer needs to gain and maintain the trust of the reader.
Fortunately, themes shouldn’t need to be forced. A life well-lived is full of meaning, and the themes the student writer is looking for will emerge effortlessly from the actions and events of the subject’s life. It’s just a case of learning how to spot them.
One way to identify the themes in a life is to look for recurring events or situations in a person’s life. These should be apparent from the research completed previously. The students should seek to identify these patterns that emerge in the subject’s life. For example, perhaps they’ve had to overcome various obstacles throughout different periods of their life. In that case, the theme of overcoming adversity is present and has been identified.
Usually, a biography has several themes running throughout, so be sure your students work to identify more than one theme in their subject’s life.
While the defining feature of a biography is that it gives an account of a person’s life, students must understand that this is not all a biography does. Relating the facts and details of a subject’s life is not enough. The student biographer should not be afraid to share their thoughts and feelings with the reader throughout their account of their subject’s life.
The student can weave some of their personality into the fabric of the text by providing commentary and opinion as they relate the events of the person’s life and the wider social context at the time. Unlike the detached and objective approach we’d expect to find in a history textbook, in a biography, student-writers should communicate their enthusiasm for their subject in their writing.
This makes for a more intimate experience for the reader, as they get a sense of getting to know the author and the subject they are writing about.
“The Rock ‘n’ Roll King: Elvis Presley”
Elvis Aaron Presley, born on January 8, 1935, was an amazing singer and actor known as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Even though he’s been dead for nearly 50 years, I can’t help but be fascinated by his incredible life!
Elvis grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, in a tiny house with his parents and twin brother. His family didn’t have much money, but they shared a love for music. Little did they know Elvis would become a music legend!
When he was only 11 years old, Elvis got his first guitar. He taught himself to play and loved singing gospel songs. As he got older, he started combining different music styles like country, blues, and gospel to create a whole new sound – that’s Rock ‘n’ Roll!
In 1954, at the age of 19, Elvis recorded his first song, “That’s All Right.” People couldn’t believe how unique and exciting his music was. His famous hip-swinging dance moves also made him a sensation!
Elvis didn’t just rock the music scene; he also starred in movies like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.” But fame came with challenges. Despite facing ups and downs, Elvis kept spreading happiness through his music.
Tragically, Elvis passed away in 1977, but his music and charisma live on. Even today, people worldwide still enjoy his songs like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Elvis Presley’s legacy as the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll will live forever.
Long Live the King: I wish I’d seen him.
Elvis Presley, the Rock ‘n’ Roll legend born on January 8, 1935, is a captivating figure that even a modern-day teen like me can’t help but admire. As I delve into his life, I wish I could have experienced the magic of his live performances.
Growing up in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis faced challenges but found solace in music. At 11, he got his first guitar, a symbol of his journey into the world of sound. His fusion of gospel, country, and blues into Rock ‘n’ Roll became a cultural phenomenon.
The thought of being in the audience during his early performances, especially when he recorded “That’s All Right” at 19, sends shivers down my spine. Imagining the crowd’s uproar and feeling the revolutionary energy of that moment is a dream I wish I could have lived.
Elvis wasn’t just a musical prodigy; he was a dynamic performer. His dance moves, the embodiment of rebellion, and his roles in films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock” made him a true icon.
After watching him on YouTube, I can’t help but feel a little sad that I’ll never witness the King’s live performances. The idea of swaying to “Hound Dog” or being enchanted by “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in person is a missed opportunity. Elvis may have left us in 1977, but he was the king of rock n’ roll. Long live the King!
Elvis Presley: A Teen’s Take on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Icon”
Elvis Presley, born January 8, 1935, was a revolutionary force in the music world, earning his title as the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” Exploring his life, even as a 16-year-old today, I’m captivated by the impact he made.
Hailing from Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis grew up in humble beginnings, surrounded by the love of his parents and twin brother. It’s inspiring to think that, despite financial challenges, this young man would redefine the music scene.
At 11, Elvis got his first guitar, sparking a self-taught journey into music. His early gospel influences evolved into a unique fusion of country, blues, and gospel, creating the electrifying genre of Rock ‘n’ Roll. In 1954, at only 19, he recorded “That’s All Right,” marking the birth of a musical legend.
Elvis wasn’t just a musical innovator; he was a cultural phenomenon. His rebellious dance moves and magnetic stage presence challenged the norms. He transitioned seamlessly into acting, starring in iconic films like “Love Me Tender” and “Jailhouse Rock.”
However, fame came at a cost, and Elvis faced personal struggles. Despite the challenges, his music continued to resonate. Even now, classics like “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love” transcend generations.
Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is undeniable. He was known for his unique voice, charismatic persona, and electrifying performances. He sold over one billion records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling solo artists in history. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including three Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Elvis’s influence can still be seen in today’s music. Many contemporary artists, such as Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, and Justin Timberlake, have cited Elvis as an inspiration. His music continues to be featured in movies, TV shows, and commercials.
Elvis left us in 1977, but his legacy lives on. I appreciate his breaking barriers and fearlessly embracing his artistic vision. Elvis Presley’s impact on music and culture is timeless, a testament to the enduring power of his artistry. His music has inspired generations and will continue to do so for many years to come.
Use our resources and tools to improve your student’s writing skills through proven teaching strategies.
We have compiled a sequence of biography-related lessons or teaching ideas that you can follow as you please. They are straightforward enough for most students to follow without further instruction.
This session aims to give students a broader understanding of what makes a good biography.
Once your students have compiled a comprehensive checklist of the main features of a biography, allow them to use it to assess some biographies from your school library or on the internet using the feature checklist.
When students have assessed a selection of biographies, take some time as a class to discuss them. You can base the discussion around the following prompts:
Looking at how other writers have interpreted the form will help students internalize the necessary criteria before attempting to produce a biography. Once students have a clear understanding of the main features of the biography, they’re ready to begin work on writing a biography.
When the time does come to put pen to paper, be sure they’re armed with the following top tips to help ensure they’re as well prepared as possible.
This session aims to guide students through the process of selecting the perfect biography subject.
Instruct students to draw up a shortlist of three potential subjects for the biography they’ll write.
Using the three criteria mentioned in the writing guide (Interest, Merit, and Information), students award each potential subject a mark out of 5 for each of the criteria. In this manner, students can select the most suitable subject for their biography.
This session aims to get students into the researching phase, then prioritise and organise events chronologically.
Students begin by making a timeline of their subject’s life, starting with their birth and ending with their death or the present day. If the student has yet to make a final decision on the subject of their biography, a family member will often serve well for this exercise as a practice exercise.
Students should research and gather the key events of the person’s life, covering each period of their life from when they were a baby, through childhood and adolescence, right up to adulthood and old age. They should then organize these onto a timeline. Students can include photographs with captions if they have them.
They can present these to the class when they have finished their timelines.
Instruct students to look over their timeline, notes, and other research. Challenge them to identify three patterns that repeat throughout the subject’s life and sort all the related events and incidents into specific categories.
Students should then label each category with a single word. This is the thematic concept or the broad general underlying idea. After that, students should write a sentence or two expressing what the subject’s life ‘says’ about that concept.
This is known as the thematic statement . With the thematic concepts and thematic statements identified, the student now has some substantial ideas to explore that will help bring more profound meaning and wider resonance to their biography.
Instruct students to write a short objective account of an event in their own life. They can write about anyone from their past. It needn’t be more than a couple of paragraphs, but the writing should be strictly factual, focusing only on the objective details of what happened.
Once they have completed this, it’s time to rewrite the paragraph, but they should include some opinion and personal commentary this time.
The student here aims to inject some color and personality into their writing, to transform a detached, factual account into a warm, engaging story.
Teach your students to write AMAZING BIOGRAPHIES & AUTOBIOGRAPHIES using proven RESEARCH SKILLS and WRITING STRATEGIES .
Use this valuable tool in the research and writing phases to keep your students on track and engaged.
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To Conclude
By this stage, your students should have an excellent technical overview of a biography’s essential elements.
They should be able to choose their subject in light of how interesting and worthy they are, as well as give consideration to the availability of information out there. They should be able to research effectively and identify emerging themes in their research notes. And finally, they should be able to bring some of their personality and uniqueness into their retelling of the life of another.
Remember that writing a biography is not only a great way to develop a student’s writing skills; it can be used in almost all curriculum areas. For example, to find out more about a historical figure in History, to investigate scientific contributions to Science, or to celebrate a hero from everyday life.
Biography is an excellent genre for students to develop their writing skills and to find inspiration in the lives of others in the world around them.
Writing an essay is a usual task students are assigned on a daily basis. Since there are multiple types of essays, they differ in their structure, purpose, and requirements. A biographical essay is not a very common type of academic writing. Hence, not every student is aware of how to write it. Should I write about facts from a person’s life? How do I write an autobiography essay? If these and more questions bother you when you think about composing a bio essay, then you should definitely read our guide below on how to write a biography essay.
Before you start writing an introduction to the biographical essay, you have to learn what it is. A biography essay is a type of academic writing in which a writer should tell the audience about a certain person’s life.
The main difference between a bio essay and other types of essays is that the author should provide an in-depth overview of someone’s history of life including much more facts than just the date of birth, childhood, and occupation.
When writing this type of essay, it is essential to analyze a person’s life, not just state the events in chronological order. Otherwise, it will be an informative type of academic writing that just states the information.
The goal of writing a biographical essay is to tell a story about a person’s life and highlight the significant achievements she or he did during the lifespan. Special attention should be given to the things that the subject is popular for. However, the writer should also focus on analyzing the facts, providing personal thoughts on what the person did right or wrong, and how the main character reached the results he is famous for.
It is also very common to be assigned to compose an essay about yourself. This type of academic piece of paper is called an autobiography. And while writing information about someone else sounds pretty easy, analyzing your own life might be more complicated.
An autobiography essay is always required when applying for college, different courses, or competitions. And the procedure of writing it is the same as writing a biographical essay but in this case, you become the main character of the story.
The peculiarities of writing about someone else in the first place are hidden in making a choice on whom to tell about. Depending on the topic of your essay, this can be a famous person or someone you know as a friend. So whether you write about a celebrity or your relative, the approach to writing will be different.
In the first case, you will have to gather a lot of information from trusted sources. The more fascinating facts you gain, the better as it will help you to compose a perfect essay. In the second case, your knowledge about a person will be your main source of information.
Before you get an answer to a question: “How to write biographical essay?”, you should definitely seek information on how to start a biography essay. Since you will have to write about a person’s life in a logical and coherent way, it is crucial to prepare for this creative process. Below you will find the description of the main steps that will help you to get yourself ready for the writing.
The first and most important step to take is to choose the right topic. Unless you are given a specific person to write about by your teacher, you should make this choice wisely. Always consider picking up a character you are interested in. Then narrow down your selection by the availability of information about the person. Before you consider choosing one topic, look for credible sources that provide truthful information about the subject of your work.
Also, here you can find some examples of topics for a biographical essay:
When you have chosen a perfect topic for your essay, it is quite a time to go to the next step and create a biography essay outline. In your structure, you have to cover the following paragraphs:
As you see, a biographical essay outline is the same as any other type of essay. Depending on the amount of information and your arguments, you can add more paragraphs to the body of your essay.
An essential step in creating an A+ biographical essay is gathering information. However, you should not trust every link on the Internet since especially about famous people there is numerous fake news.
So in order to gather only real facts, you should look for authoritative publications, magazines, and books about the person you are analyzing in your work. All sources should have a reference list from where the information was taken. You can also get useful pieces of info from interview videos of celebrities if there are ones.
When the preparation procedure is done, you are ready to start writing your biographical essay. Whether you wonder how to write a biography essay about yourself or another person, the instructions will be the same. The introduction of a paper is where a reader forms the first impression. So it should be very captivating and engaging. Learn what your opening paragraph should include.
Inserting a hook at the beginning of the essay is the perfect tactic to keep the audience motivated to read your work. This can be a quote from the person you are describing, an anecdote from his life, or a shocking fact.
A hook should be moderately exciting. Don’t try to create something unbelievably fantastic. This opening sentence should be real and catchy.
The main purpose of writing a biography essay is in the thesis statement. Whether you write biography essay topics about famous people or yourself, you have to make your personal thoughts of what you think the character is recognizable for. A statement should be placed at the end of the introductory paragraph.
The statement is the main idea of the essay. Whether it is a positive or a negative trait of a person, your next paragraphs should fit it. It is not acceptable just to write general information. The whole text should correspond with the thesis statement written in the introduction.
The main scope of information is described in the body paragraphs of the essay. When following a standard instruction on how to write an essay on a person, the main part of the work should consist of three body paragraphs. All the info you will be sharing should go in a chronological way. Include interesting facts, intriguing stories, and clear examples from the person’s life. Here is how you can build your essay body.
Write some info about a person’s early years of living. Guide the audience through the place of birth of the person, his parents, and the moments that shaped him as the person he is or was in maturity.
Education is the most essential factor that influences a person’s life. So in your second body paragraph, you should focus on providing the facts about the character’s school and college life. Most likely, the talent of a person was revealed exactly at school times, so you might explain to the audience what the first steps to success were.
The main discoveries happen in life when you become an adult. So that is where you should focus on providing interesting facts about the person’s achievements, turning points, and growth. If there were major accomplishments made by the character, it is important to analyze their connection and impact on the current state of things.
The wrapping-up paragraph is what gives readers an aftertaste after reading your biography essay. And you definitely want to leave a perfect note at the end of the story. That is why just restating the thesis statement will not be enough. In this part of the work, your main task will be to cover the following.
Imagine reading several paragraphs about a famous character who made some incredible discoveries in his life. Surely, at the end of the story, you will want to find out how these accomplishments can be applied in today’s society. And that is what every reader would like to see in the concluding part.
If the person was so significant, what did he leave for our generations? If this is a scientist, then we can rely on their discoveries; if this is a singer, we can listen to their music; if this is a fashion model, we can get inspiration from his character. Demonstrate in such a way what can be useful for us to get from the person you described.
In conclusion, you can focus again on the major accomplishments of the person. Draw a parallel to how these achievements affect and will affect humanity. Write how it is influenced the most by the character of your story.
You already know the main steps on how to write an essay about a person. But there is always room for improvement especially if you don’t write everyday biography essays. Besides following the instructions on how to start biography essay and write body paragraphs, there are more tips that will help you in this process. Here they are.
If you don’t want to waste time learning how to start a biography essay about yourself or how to start an essay about a person, you can turn to our essay service. We can write you an academic paper of any type and complexity within the shortest deadline.
As a professional argumentative essay writer , we offer the following services:
If you need more information on how we help students achieve excellent results, check the reviews on our website.
If following a standard biography essay format, you will have to write five paragraphs: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
A biography essay structure relates to the parts your work should consist of. This is the number of paragraphs you should build your bio essay on.
If you wonder how to start a biographical essay, make these steps of preparation: begin with the topic selection, then create the outline for your essay, and conduct research on the person you are to describe.
If you want to know how to write a biography paper, make sure to follow these instructions: get ready for writing by doing research on the topic you have chosen; start your essay with a hook and thesis statement; provide information in chronological order; and then conclude what you have written.
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Writing a conclusion for an argumentative essay can be a breaking point for most students. This section is critical to your academic project because it guides your paper to a safe landing. Failing to pay special attention to this part… Read More
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Last Updated: July 4, 2023 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 54,140 times.
Writing a biography can seem daunting, as you are trying to explore the entirety of someone's life on the page. The key to writing a good biography is outlining it before you dive in. A strong, detailed outline will work through key events chronologically. To outline a biography, start by discussing early life and childhood. Then, go into adulthood and current life, or later life and death if the person is no longer alive.
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May 16, 2023
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There’s this idea that biographies only exist for celebrities, but that’s the furthest thing from the truth. If you’ve ever wondered whether or not your life story is worth telling, then think about this: in your own unique way, you’ve made a meaningful impact on the world around you and touched the lives of those in your orbit. It's worth to write your biography.
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When other schools played us, it was a shock, especially because there were black kids in the chess team. He told us that it was a middle-class game, but that we need to take our working-class values, and work hard, strive hard, and not be intimidated. We did it.The hostility wasn't obvious, but I would be stared at by the students and the teachers.You could tell that it was the first time that some of them had even shaken a Black boy's hand.
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If you’ve ever wondered whether your life story is worth telling, then think about this: in your own unique way, you’ve made a meaningful impact on the world around you and touched the lives of those in your orbit.
No matter how small we perceive our actions, their impact on others—and the future—is often much bigger than we can see or understand. Yes, your story is one worth telling. Writing your biography is a powerful experience with benefits that go beyond preserving memories for the next generation (although that’s definitely a compelling reason to put some ink to paper!).
But what exactly are those benefits? We talked to several people who chose to write their life story and found four compelling reasons to start writing yours today.
Chuck often wished he had a recorded history of his family. After some thought, he decided to do something about it and opted to have his biography written. “I wish my mother and father had done it. I wish my grandfather had done it. We have lots of things we talk about doing. And we never do. And this was one of them.”
Putting your memoirs and life story into words leaves a legacy for generations to come. It becomes a sacred family heirloom that can be passed down for years, helping to strengthen the bond between family members through shared stories, meaningful anecdotes, and a narrative rich in details that might have otherwise been forgotten.
It’s also a way of preserving a moment in time, giving future family members a glimpse of what life was like during a particular era.
Chuck, who opted to have his biography ghostwritten, had this to say: “Obviously, one can write [a biography] themselves. But it’s a pretty big task. And you need help—well, at least I did. Seeing this little [Story Terrace] ad prompted me to get going on something that I had thought about. Whether it was a book or recording, I wanted to start as young as I could and remember the things from when I was a young boy right through the end of my life. Their writer Eric did a wonderful job of putting it all together. I think they did a really wonderful job. The quality, the cover, the pages—I’m very impressed with what it is.”
Much like Chuck, many of our customers note how much they enjoy the interview process with a professional writer and that the opportunity to reflect on their life path is a beautiful experience.
The Pepper family wanted to commemorate their patriarch’s 80th birthday in a way that would help them feel closer to him while preserving a piece of family history. “Our oldest son Rick, his wife Patty and their son Rich were talking about my husband’s birthday coming up. And they wanted something special. Our grandson Rich said ‘maybe we can have a book written about Chichi and Pa’s life.’ They researched and found Story Terrace.”
Working on a biography as a family unit can reinforce memories and strengthen bonds—especially when multiple generations are involved. It can be a beautiful shared experience and a powerful way to pass down the family’s legacy from grandparent to grandchild. As the Pepper family recounts: “Things [came] up [during the process] that were very important but kind of got lost in the background. Putting, in many cases, smiles on our faces and laughter in the room.”
One important benefit of biography writing is the ability to put a traditional story structure on the events of your life by giving them a beginning, middle, and end. These events may appear random and unconnected, but thinking about it from that perspective isn’t always beneficial. Psychology Today notes that “it helps to think about how the various events—even the bad ones—have been part of a journey toward the person you want to become. Writing it down or telling it to someone else can help you impose that organization on it, help you identify key events, and even help you just rehearse and remember the details in a way that helps you become the author of your own life.”
Writing a biography about yourself gives you a moment to reflect on your life, soaking in the nostalgia and reminiscing on the good times you’ve shared with family and friends.
Turns out, writing about yourself is a wonderful form of self-care! Various scientific studies have documented the psychological benefits of journaling. Putting pen to paper serves as an effective form of therapy that can reduce stress, boost cognition, and increase creativity. In fact, a study conducted by social psychologist James W. Pennebaker at the University of Texas at Austin found that labeling emotions through writing helps make sense of them and produces a positive outcome.
As Psychology Today notes, “emotional, autobiographical storytelling can be a path to truly owning your story.” And by sharing that story, you can use your experience as a way to help others in a similar situation.
“But wait a second, —I’m no Hemingway.
I don’t even know where to start.”
Most people are intimidated by the prospect of writing a report, much less a lengthy biography. Reaching out to a ghostwriting service can help you kick start the process with a qualified writer who will help you manage the entire process for you.
Ready to enjoy the benefits of writing your biography? Contact us for a free consultation , or you can sign up for the Story Terrace newsletter for more information.
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StoryTerrace is your personal storytelling partner, offering high-quality professional ghostwriting and book publishing services.
AI resume builder
Published on September 2nd, 2024
While building your resume, the "About Me" section in a resume is that golden opportunity to showcase who you uniquely and professionally are. It is in this section that you get to tell them who you are beyond titles and skills. But how do you know this section hits the mark? Let's dive into some tips and examples to help you write an "About Me" section worth reading.
Your "About Me" section is the elevator pitch of your resume. This is the summary of your professional journey, your skills, and the value you can bring to the table. If it's done correctly, it will grasp the recruiter's attention and set the tone for the remainder of your resume.
Knowing what to put in the “About Me” section of a resume can be challenging, but it's important to strike the right balance between professionalism and personality. Here are some key elements you should consider including:
Professional Summary: In the resume summary, write a small introduction about yourself regarding your designation, experience, and key skills. This gives the reader a snapshot of your professional background quickly.
Core Skills: List some of the most important skills that you master for the job you are applying for. These would range from technical expertise to soft skills such as leadership or effective communication.
Career Achievements: Highlight some of the greatest accomplishments or milestones of your career. This will go a long way to show the impacts you have brought to previous roles and can further enhance your profile.
Personal Traits: While it’s important to focus on professional attributes, including a few personal traits can help humanize your resume. For example, you might mention your enthusiasm for problem-solving, creativity, or passion for continuous learning.
Career Goals: If space permits, briefly mention your career goals or what you’re looking for in your next role. This can show potential employers that you’re thoughtful about your career trajectory and how their role fits into your plans.
For a Marketing Professional:
Passionate marketing strategist with over 5 years of experience in developing data-driven campaigns that drive brand awareness and sales growth. Skilled in social media management, content creation, and analytics.
For a Software Engineer:
Innovative software engineer with 7+ years of experience in full-stack development. Adept at solving complex problems and building scalable applications that improve user experience.
For a Graphic Designer:
Creative graphic designer with a knack for visual storytelling. Expert in Adobe Creative Suite with a proven track record of delivering compelling designs that captivate audiences.
For a Human Resources Specialist:
Experienced HR professional with a passion for fostering a positive work environment. Specializes in talent acquisition, employee relations, and implementing effective HR policies.
For a Sales Manager:
Results-driven sales manager with a decade of experience in leading high-performing teams. Adept at crafting strategies that boost sales and enhance customer satisfaction.
For an Accountant:
Detail-oriented accountant with a strong background in financial reporting and analysis. Committed to delivering accurate and timely financial information to support business decisions.
For a Content Writer:
Versatile content writer with a flair for crafting engaging copy across various platforms. Specializes in SEO content that drives traffic and enhances brand visibility.
For a Project Manager:
Seasoned project manager with a proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and deliver projects on time and within budget. Skilled in Agile methodologies and risk management.
For a Data Analyst:
A data-driven analyst with a passion for uncovering insights from complex datasets. Proficient in SQL, Python, and data visualization tools to support strategic decision-making.
For a Customer Service Representative:
Dedicated customer service professional with a strong focus on customer satisfaction. Experienced in resolving issues efficiently and building long-term customer relationships.
For a Teacher:
A passionate educator with over 8 years of experience in creating engaging learning environments. Committed to fostering student growth through innovative teaching methods.
The HireQuotient AI Resume Builder simplifies creating the "About Me" section by generating personalized, keyword-optimized summaries. It analyzes your skills, experience, and achievements to craft a compelling and concise profile, ensuring you make a strong first impression on potential employers. The tool tailors the content to match the job description, enhancing your chances of standing out in the hiring process.
Ready to create a standout 'About Me' section effortlessly? Give AI Resume Builder a try – visit now and craft your perfect resume in minutes!
Instead, the "About Me" section is not just a resume filler, but it's your ticket to making a lasting impression. Whether you're a seasoned pro or fresh off the career boat, a well-crafted "About Me" section can make all the difference. Keep in mind to keep it short, real, and relevant for the job one applying for. With these few tips and examples, you're off to a great start in writing that "About Me" section, representing yourself with the real deal of what you bring to the table.
By following these guidelines, you’ll ensure your “About Me” section is not only engaging but also optimized with the keyword "About me" naturally integrated throughout the content. Good luck!
How do you introduce yourself in a resume?
The first words of your professional introduction should include your name, job title, and employer.
A strong line should summarize your professional identity and key skills. Example: “Results-driven project manager with 7+ years of experience leading successful teams and projects.”
Summarize your career highlights, skills, and unique qualities in a concise, engaging way relevant to the job.
Briefly cover your professional background, key skills, and personality traits that align with the role you’re applying for.
Write a short, focused summary of your career goals, skills, and accomplishments that align with the job and capture attention.
Soujanya Varada
As a technical content writer and social media strategist, Soujanya develops and manages strategies at HireQuotient. With strong technical background and years of experience in content management, she looks for opportunities to flourish in the digital space. Soujanya is also a dance fanatic and believes in spreading light!
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In conversation with mitzi rapkin on the first draft podcast.
First Draft: A Dialogue of Writing is a weekly show featuring in-depth interviews with fiction, nonfiction, essay writers, and poets, highlighting the voices of writers as they discuss their work, their craft, and the literary arts. Hosted by Mitzi Rapkin, First Draft celebrates creative writing and the individuals who are dedicated to bringing their carefully chosen words to print as well as the impact writers have on the world we live in.
In this episode, Mitzi talks to Kaliane Bradley about her new novel, The Ministry of Time .
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From the episode:
Mitzi Rapkin: I’m curious if writing this expanded or changed anything for you about identity and how we see identity, because I think for your narrator, you know, she’s very thoughtful about her identity, and how being mixed race impacts how she’s seen by other people she works with and how the world sees her. But there’s a point where one of the characters, Margaret, who time travelled from the time of The Great Plague. She’s gay, and she’s really living it up in modern times with Tinder, and she’s assimilating, I guess with a big A and it hasn’t been traumatic for her. She likes it but another character, Graham, a polar explorer who is now in modern day, says to the main character, Why is identity our habits? Why is identity reducing us to our habits? And he was talking about sexuality, but I think so much of this novel is about identity. Did that change anything for you about how you looked at it from the beginning to the end of writing this?
Kaliane Bradley: Well, reading about Victorian conceptions of sexuality was incredibly interesting, because also, how would these people have described themselves? And so yes, the idea that Graham’s horror that what you do with someone else becomes what you are, is very alarming to him, because I think he thinks of himself in a very fixed way that maybe is not borne out by his behavior. I think I am in a constant state of slow-moving crisis about the term, for example, British-Cambodian writer. What does that mean for me? Does that mean, does the British-Cambodian come first? Does the writer come first? Do I always have to modify them? Will I always have to modify them? Will it always mean something essential to the book? I feel like in this case, maybe it is essential, because one of the characters is British-Cambodian, and that’s a crucial part of how she experiences her story. But if I write something completely different, Will is it still relevant that I am a British-Cambodian writer, or will it continue to be relevant because I simply cannot escape my history, my past, my current identity. I feel that maybe before I started writing the book, my crisis was more subdued. And it’s an interesting crisis. It’s an enjoyable crisis. I’m glad I’m having it. I hope it will yield some interesting questions, but writing this book, and thinking about the categorizing urge, the urge to fit people into a pigeonhole in order to better comprehend them, has been interesting, is the word I’m going to use. But I think it’s also been fun and complicated and crunchy and weird.
Kaliane Bradley is a British-Cambodian writer and editor based in London. Her short fiction has appeared in Somesuch Stories, The Willowherb Review, Electric Literature, Catapult , and Extra Teeth , among others. She was the winner of the 2022 Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Prize and the 2022 V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize. Her novel is called The Ministry of Time.
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About dr sarvepalli radhakrishnan: this article comprises lines on dr sarvepalli radhakrishnan and his biography to explain his life. download dr sarvepalli radhakrishnan's biography in english pdf..
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a name that we all have heard but unclear with his life and achievements, made him a legend to remember every year on Teacher’s Day. Let us know his life story and get inspiration from him.
Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was born on September 5, 1888, in a small town in Andhra Pradesh. He completed his studies at the Christian College, Madras. Dr Krishnan also served as a professor at many universities, such as the University of Mysore and the University of Calcutta. He was awarded the Spalding Professorship of Eastern Religions and Ethics at the University of Oxford for his philosophical and intellectual endeavours.
Dr Radhakrishnan’s efforts and work on comparative religion and philosophy gave a place to Indian philosophy in the Western world. He believed education is the key to transforming society and bringing good into it. Educated people are ones who can shape the future of society and the country.
Later in his life, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan also had a career in politics. He served as the Indian Ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1949 to 1952. He became the Indian vice president of India in 1952 and continued till 1962. From May 13, 1962, to May 13, 1967, he served as the President of India.
Radhakrishnan was highly regarded for his knowledge, insight, and understanding of Indian philosophy and culture throughout his presidency. His dedication to maintaining the democratic principles outlined in the Indian Constitution defined his presidency.
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Learn how to craft a compelling biography essay that highlights the life and achievements of a fascinating individual by following these essential writing tips and guidelines.
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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 main purpose of writing a biography essay is in the thesis statement. Whether you write biography essay topics about famous people or yourself, you have to make your personal thoughts of what you think the character is recognizable for. A statement should be placed at the end of the introductory paragraph.
As a student, writing a biography essay is one of the requirements you have to fulfill to complete your academic program. However, some students,
Writing a biography can seem daunting, as you are trying to explore the entirety of someone's life on the page. The key to writing a good biography is outlining it before you dive in. A strong, detailed outline will work through key events chronologically. To outline a biography, start by discussing early life and childhood. Then, go into adulthood and current life, or later life and death if ...
Writing a biography about yourself gives you a moment to reflect on your life, soaking in the nostalgia and reminiscing on the good times you've shared with family and friends. 4. It can be therapeutic. Turns out, writing about yourself is a wonderful form of self-care! Various scientific studies have documented the psychological benefits of ...
Tips for Writing an Engaging "About Me" Section . Keep it short: Your "About Me" section is supposed to summarize, not be a biography. Try to keep it within 3-4 sentences that highlight your career and what sets you apart. Be real: This is your opportunity to shine as you. Stay away from jargon and clichés and get to the root of what makes ...
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You can use the 10 lines on Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan or his biography to frame a speech or essay. Through your speech or essay on Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, you can educate people about his ...