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How to Write a Biography (Examples & Templates)
A biography is a written account of a person’s life that details their life in chronological order. Another person usually writes this detailed account, and it contains reports of their childhood, career, major life events, relationships, and social impact. It also details their relationships with their family, children, and life accomplishments.
The best way to find out more about a popular figure is through reading their biographies, so you need to make sure you get the correct information. Before writing a biography, you need to do a lot of research and interviews to represent a person’s life accurately.
Types of Biography
A biography is the story of someone’s life as written by another writer. Most biographies of popular figures are written years, or even decades, after their deaths. Authors write biographies of popular figures due to either a lack of information on the subject or personal interest.
A biography aims to share a person’s story or highlight a part of their life.
There are different types of biographies, depending on the story. Some biographies are written true to the story, while some are written as fictional works. Biographies can give you true understanding of a person on an internal as well as external level along with a lot of life lessons.
Autobiography
An autobiography is different from a biography because it is written by the subject of the story, themselves. The author writes in the first-person narrative, and it flows step-by-step like a story of their life. Autobiographies contain personal accounts of the subject’s life, along with their perspectives and opinions on events in their life.
How To Write a Biography
Pick a subject.
Picking a subject is the first step in writing a biography. You can pick an already famous person or a relatively unknown person with a great life story. If you already have a few in mind, you can start by asking yourself some questions such as;
- What has the subject accomplished that makes them a good subject?
- Have they had an impact on society?
- Is the subject a celebrity or a well-known personality?
- Will the biography appeal to a wide audience?
Get Permission
When you pick a subject, the next thing to do is to get permission from them or their family or rights owners. Although, with some historical figures, there may not be any need for permission. Getting permission from your subject makes it easier for you to get stories to put into your book. You can get the chance to obtain additional personal stories and anecdotes that will make your book more interesting by doing so as well.
Do The Research
Research is the most important part of a biography’s process as the entire content of the book is dependent on it. Irrespective of what you know about the subject, you need to carry out as much research as possible to get the story’s facts precisely.
Biography research comes from various sources, depending on the book’s subject. Firsthand reports from family, friends, or personal accounts from the subjects are primary sources. They are usually the most accurate and reliable, and they are crucial for a biography. Secondary sources come from other sources like magazines or documentaries.
Pick a Format
Biographies come in various formats, with each of them having their pros and cons. A typical biography will start at the beginning, usually with the birth and childhood of the subject. Yet, if the biography’s theme involves a different event in their life, the author may want to explore the flashback option or one with concurrent events from different times.
Usually, biographies have a theme or a general life lesson at the center. The author’s role is to tell the subject’s story leading up to the major event.
Which-ever format you choose should place the theme at the center, with the other events detailing the journey.
Create a Timeline Of The Story
Since a biography takes place in chronological order, there needs to be a timeline of the events in the right order. The timeline should contain the key events in the subject’s life, in the order the author plans on revealing them. A great way to declutter the story and keep it interesting is to use flashbacks . This way, the author can introduce past events and explain later events excluding the element of monotony.
Add In Your Thoughts
The good thing about biographies is that you don’t have to stick to the hard facts only. As the author, you can share your opinions and emotions in writing. The author has the freedom to do this by commenting on a significant action by the subject in a manner that describes why they feel the subject may have done what they did.
The author can also include commentary on events depicted in the biography – how it was influenced society or its impact on the lives around them. Recounting these events through a different perspective can make the biography more relatable and interesting to read.
FAQ’s
Why is a biography template important.
A biography template has an outline that makes the writing easier for the author. Biography templates usually contain a sample timeline, format, and questions that provide more information about the subject. With a great biography template, you can cut your writing time in half and spend less time coming up with an outline.
How are biographies better in comparison to autobiographies
Since a different person writes biographies, they tend to be more objective and somewhat accurate than autobiographies. An autobiography tells things from the author’s perspective, so their views and perspective cloud it. Thus, a biography will likely tell a more factual story.
These are the important steps you need to take to help you write a great biography. Now, to make things easier for you, we have a free customizable autobiography and biography template that you can use to start your first book. Get the template and start writing today
What are some of the most important elements to keep in consideration while writing a biography?
Any author looking to write a biography must consider the factors below. They aren’t the only important factors, but a biography isn’t complete without them. • Date and place of their birth • Academic background • Professional expertise • Death, if deceased • Facts and anecdotes about the person • Main accomplishments • Detailed accounts of their child and adult life
Biographies tell the untold stories of some incredibly relevant people in the world. But biographies are not always strictly accurate. So, every biographer needs to follow the necessary steps to provide a biography with all the requirements.
Related Documents
Free Editable Biography Templates
Design a free creative biography template. engage your students to discover the power of synthesis and learn about the lives of famous authors..
Customize Biography templates online . Use Edit.org to customize your biographies for schools, bookstores, and libraries. Create biographies about characters from a novel quickly and in a structured way.
Customize professional Bio examples online
At Edit.org, we have created a collection of editable biography templates that can be used by students, writers, journalists, and anyone who needs to create a biography of famous people, whether they are scientists, athletes, politicians, or singers. They contain predefined sections and fields that you can fill in as easily as in a Word document, including:
- Date and place of birth
- Place of residence
- Friends and acquaintances
- Hobbies and interests
- People of reference
- And many more
Get spectacular designs for your biography! Use it in a school, magazine, or website . You can also use it in your bookstore, library, or cultural center .
Using our template library will save you time since you won't have to start from scratch as you will have a predefined structure. Create didactic activities in your classroom and organize biographical information in a clearer and more coherent way. Just select one of the templates we offer in this article or the final cascade, customize it with your educational proposals, and print it in high resolution.
Our biographies can be adapted to your needs . You can also use them as a page for a memory book or a resume .
How to edit free personal Bio examples on Edit.org?
See how easy it is to edit short or long professional biography examples:
- Click on a design you like from this article or choose the template that best suits your activity from the editor's search engine.
- Customize the template with just a few clicks. Edit it to your liking, including colors, typography, and more.
- Save your work in our free cloud in case you want to make changes later (so you won't have to start from scratch).
- Download your biography in JPG, PNG, or PDF format for high-quality printing or digital sharing.
That's it, you're done!
Why is it a good idea to make a Biography as a school activity?
There are many reasons, but here are the 4 main ones:
- Researching someone's life and gathering information about their accomplishments, personal and professional challenges, as well as their contributions, will help students develop research skills and curiosity .
- Working on a biography improves writing skills, organization of ideas, and structuring information in a clear and coherent manner.
- Promotes critical thinking : students will learn to analyze different aspects of a public figure's life and develop their objective thinking about that person, history, and society in general. It also promotes empathy.
- Learn about the lives of influential people in different fields , such as science, politics, or art, and understand how their contributions have affected the world at large.
In short, doing a biography as a school activity is a great idea! It encourages research and understanding towards different life experiences and perspectives.
Download a Biography template for school students in minutes
Using Edit.org's online editor is easy! You don't need any design skills to create the best biographies for chronological, topical, or historical figures .
In just a few seconds, you can have your perfect template ready to share with your students or to help you write your bestseller and create new characters for your crime novel. Each template's visual result is designed to be professional, clear, and, above all, useful .
Create the best biographies with our free and intuitive editor in an easy, fast, and structured way. Use the best editable biography templates to gather information for your journalistic, literary, or research projects.
Enter our online editor now and download your personalized biography template in seconds!
Customizable Character Bio examples
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Year 5: Biographies and Autobiographies (Week 1 of 2)
Subject: English
Age range: 7-11
Resource type: Unit of work
Last updated
10 November 2019
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This bundle includes 5 complete lesson plans, resources and an interactive PowerPoint to support the learning of Biographies and Autobiographies. This week, children will focus mainly on biographies. They will learn to read and identify the features of a biographical text before applying these when asked to write a biography about another member of the class during lesson 5! SPAG/GPS covered this week: prefixes, suffixes and sentence types (simple, compound and complex). Download Week 2 here !
Lesson 1: To read, compare and identify the features of a biography Lesson 2: To rewrite a biography extract using dialogue Lesson 3: To investigate suffixes Lesson 4: To investigate sentence structure in formal writing Lesson 5: To write a biography
Total Number of Slides: 32 Lesson Plans Included? Yes Resources Included? Yes #stressfreeteaching_dreamscheme
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Biography template for planning. Subject: English. Age range: 7-11. Resource type: Worksheet/Activity. Literacy and Social Skills World. 4.25 47 reviews. Last updated. 9 May 2023. ... Tes Global Ltd is registered in England (Company No 02017289) with its registered office at Building 3, St Paul's Place, Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 2JE ...
Teach Starter, part of Tes. Search. Trending. ... Biography Writing Brochure Templates Biography Writing Cut and Paste Worksheets Biography Writing Graphic Organizers Biography Writing Task Cards Biography Writing Projects Biography Writing Instructional Slide Decks
Get inspired! Tag #TeachStarter on Instagram for a chance to be featured! Available on the Plus Plan. Guide your students with this Biography Template. Provide your students with this Biography Template when they are learning about biography writing. The template scaffolds the structure of a biography.
No More Wondering What to Write & How. Biographies are a difficult text type for students to learn to write. But with this biography writing template, your students will be able to expertly write and even analyze the necessary parts of a biography. Students gather the relevant information and arrange it in the appropriate place on the worksheet:
Ideal for lower-elementary students, this easy-to-use Biography Template is the perfect way to plan a longer piece of writing. Rather than planning on a blank page, this Biography Template provides a structure in a fact-file-style format. With headed sections, such as 'Famous for', 'Key Life Events', and 'Major Accomplishments', your budding writers can produce a more detailed plan for their ...
Our differentiated biography examples include a wide mixture of texts, full of fascinating information about several inspirational people for students to enjoy learning about. These include athlete Usain Bolt and authors JK Rowling and Roald Dahl. Our biography resource pack is an ideal tool for improving reading comprehension in year 3-6 ...
This KS2 Mini Biography Writing Frame can be used to write about a celebrity, a family member, or someone they have been learning about in class. The child biography template is set out nicely with boxes which are ideal for writing down facts about your child's chosen individual. This biography writing frame is ideal for year 3 and 4 classes ...
Biographies can sometimes be hard to write from scratch because of the overwhelming amount of information you need to include. So we created this biography outline template to help children write down all the information they need to write a good biography. The biography outline template comes with two versions. One version asks questions to help the children gather the information. The other ...
A fun biography template for elementary school children. Help your children get comfortable with the features of biography with this teacher-made template. We researched Ethel Turner, author of Seven Little Australians, and will use this as a culminating task. I asked for this resource to be editable and in less than 2 days Twinkl did it!
A biography is the story of someone's life as written by another writer. Most biographies of popular figures are written years, or even decades, after their deaths. Authors write biographies of popular figures due to either a lack of information on the subject or personal interest. A biography aims to share a person's story or highlight a ...
Biography template Add to My Folder. Join Scholastic Resource Bank: Primary from just £15.00 a year to access thousands of KS1 and KS2 resources. A template for children to use when writing a biography. PDF [1 MB] Share this page: Share on Twitter; Share on Pinterest; Share on Facebook ...
Teach Starter, part of Tes. Search ... Results for ‛Biography Template' 3,067 teaching resources Biography Template Sort: Relevance . Stages Nursery 240. Reception 316. Year 1 1004. Year 2 1072. Year 3 1203. Year 4 1147. Year 5 1074. Year 6 1056. Year 7 283. Resource Types
Use the best editable biography templates to gather information for your journalistic, literary, or research projects. Enter our online editor now and download your personalized biography template in seconds! Design a free creative Biography template. Engage your students to discover the power of synthesis and learn about the lives of famous ...
Whether you're encouraging your students to find out about historical figures or want them to find out more about an influential person, our Biography Template is for you. This biography graphic organizer can be used during a variety of activities to help your students develop their research and biography writing skills. Our Biography Template has multiple prompts for your students to use ...
A personal biography template will help one to easily and conveniently come up with personal bios. Give an introduction of yourself. Remember to write it in third person and include the year that your professional career started to be relevant. You could give a list of any relevant specializations in your field.
Download Week 2 here! Lesson 1: To read, compare and identify the features of a biography. Lesson 2: To rewrite a biography extract using dialogue. Lesson 3: To investigate suffixes. Lesson 4: To investigate sentence structure in formal writing. Lesson 5: To write a biography. Total Number of Slides: 32.
Personal Biography Template. A personal biography template is a structured outline designed to guide individuals in documenting their life stories, achievements, and experiences. It provides a framework to organize personal details in a coherent and engaging manner. This template, created in our prior response, can assist users by simplifying ...
Biography Timeline Template Scaffolding and Extension Tips. There is room for 7 events on the timeline, making it an excellent addition to any kind of lesson that discusses a span of time, including. You can even use it as a check-in document for science experiments, personal and academic goal tracking, notating plot points in a story, and more.