Understand your purpose before you sit down to write.
Writing a biography involves studying the life of another human being and synthesizing the important events and stories of that person's life. Depending on the purpose of your biography, you may be writing just a few pages covering events that show your understanding of the life of your subject. Some biographies have a particular slant that guides the information and research you will need to conduct.
Pick a Subject
Depending on the purpose of your biography, you may have the option of picking your subject. There is no more important step in writing a biography. Choose someone you admire, are interested in or want to learn more about. Randomly choosing a subject you don't care about dooms your biography from the beginning. The more excitement you feel for the person you are writing about, the more likely you are to write an interesting biography. If you are assigned a subject to write about, find interesting angles to make the person come alive as you write.
Invest Time in Your Research
Some people merely do a cursory overview of the person's life they are writing about before they begin to write, especially if they are already somewhat familiar with the subject. This is a dangerous choice. The more you know, the more confidently you can write. Research also gives you background to choose an angle from which to write. No one can cover every aspect of a person's life, so research is vital in making important editing decisions before you ever begin to write your paper.
Avoid the Obvious
If you are writing about a well-known figure, take pains to uncover facts and truths that are not well-known. Don't merely rehash what everyone in your audience already knows about the person which you are writing about. Unusual facts will stand out in the minds of your readers and make your piece more memorable. For instance, if you are writing about Martin Luther King, Jr., stating that he wrote and performed the "I Have a Dream Speech" will not stand out. Letting the audience know that he improvised the speech based on a comment shouted out from the audience is not well known, and will likely be remembered.
Check Your Facts
Writing biographies is unique in that nearly everything you write is factual and has the ability to be disproven. Making little mistakes within your text means that you are misrepresenting the life of another individual. Beyond normal editing and proofreading, it is important to double check all facts and quotations that you attribute to real people. Whether for a magazine article or a homework assignment, accuracy counts and inaccurate information can quickly discredit your whole paper.
