Today, if you've done your research and you've chosen your "angle", begin writing your biography draft. If you are not yet done researching, take a little more time today, but by 8th period, please begin writing and planning. You CAN use an outline or any other method to plan your "chapter" for this project! The power lies with YOU.
Remember: just like fiction, your biography needs a catchy hook, a lead-in, a thesis (the purpose of your chapter) that establishes your situation, and should rise with complications and conflicts to reach a climax for the chapter. These conflicts/complications are generally the anecdotes and interesting information that you dug up through research. Resolution and falling action should tie things up that are brought up or questioned in the chapter, but resolution of a person's life is likely to occur at the end of the book.
Biographies are NOT reports. As such, as the author you don't need to cover every detail about the subject's life. Just focus on what needs to be told to tell an effective story in the chapter you are writing. Again, what we're looking for is a good read. Your purpose can be reflective, or philosophical, or entertaining, or any other writing purpose (persuasion, informational, etc.) The bottom line is you should, as the writer, know what you're attempting to do as you write your sentences, paragraphs, and sections of the biography chapter.
For video assistance (or if you need a break) check out these short videos:
Remember: just like fiction, your biography needs a catchy hook, a lead-in, a thesis (the purpose of your chapter) that establishes your situation, and should rise with complications and conflicts to reach a climax for the chapter. These conflicts/complications are generally the anecdotes and interesting information that you dug up through research. Resolution and falling action should tie things up that are brought up or questioned in the chapter, but resolution of a person's life is likely to occur at the end of the book.
Biographies are NOT reports. As such, as the author you don't need to cover every detail about the subject's life. Just focus on what needs to be told to tell an effective story in the chapter you are writing. Again, what we're looking for is a good read. Your purpose can be reflective, or philosophical, or entertaining, or any other writing purpose (persuasion, informational, etc.) The bottom line is you should, as the writer, know what you're attempting to do as you write your sentences, paragraphs, and sections of the biography chapter.
For video assistance (or if you need a break) check out these short videos:
- Guidelines to Writing a Biography
- How to write a biography
- Interview with Mary Roach (author of Gulp!, Packing for Space, Bonk, Stiff, etc.)
- Mary Roach: (complete audiobook, non-fiction: Gulp!)
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