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Here are some
tips for you to follow that have always helped us with our research
and writing. Try them out!
- Select
a person you care about. You may either like or dislike your
subject, but it is important that you "feel" strongly
one way or the other. If you're not interested in the person,
you won't enjoy the process of researching and writing about her/him.
- Read an
article about your subject (if available). This will give
you the sequence of the person's life. From this information,
construct a working outline.
- Research
your subject thoroughly. Check the bibliographies of the most
recently published books about your subject. Read newspaper, magazine,
and Internet articles, or an autobiography; listen to tapes and
videos. Set up interviews and write letters to museums, historical
societies, colleges and universities. Keep all the notes you take.
- Research
the historical time period in which your subject lived and
did her/his work.
- Cross-reference
materials. Find a fact in three different sources (if possible)
to make sure it is accurate. When there is a disagreement between
sources, state that there is a conflict and give sources.
- Keep general
reference books available — an atlas, dictionary, almanac,
historical time line, and others. Use these to add colorful details
to the individual's story.
- Be objective
about your subject. Tell the truth based on your findings.
Don't bury the person's failures because you like her/him, and
don't put a negative slant on a fact because you don't like the
person. Good biographies are well-balanced, objective representations
of a person's life and work. Be honest.
- Be as
accurate as possible. After writing the first draft, fact-check
all the data again. Then check it one more time.
- Write
in a clear and convincing way. If you don't believe what you're
writing, neither will your reader.
- Tell a
good story. Keep your readers interested.
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