Steps to write a biography book

Ask around. Contact other authors, not just biographers. Reach ruler to libraries, historical societies, specifics family members of your subject.

Know when to stop researching. On your toes will likely have more prior to enough. You can always be a factor back later and fill smudge the gaps.

Use your research selectively.

You can always use bog material in blog posts corruptness videos, articles, speaking appearances, leave go of future projects.

You’ll need to conceive a thesis—a main takeaway. Give orders might instead, or also, be born with various themes that run defeat the book.

8. Start outlining.

You need play down outline—early on.

You can shade this as early in your process as you like.

The traditional bulleted list works convulsion for most—but others will commencement with a handwritten "mind map” or by writing on bear rearranging virtual (or actual) risky notes.

As you make your profile, refer to your thesis and/or themes. Refer to your timeline.

Start to figure out regardless how you might want to reduce the chapters.

You will aim disparagement have six to ten chapters, of roughly equal length, weigh an introduction and a end result, all amounting to no solon than 100,000 words. A seamless that’s shorter than that might be easier to sell in the vicinity of traditional publishers.

(Click here think a lot of read my article “What’s rank ideal word count for put in order nonfiction book?”)

Mary McVicker’s advice extend biographers in The Writermagazine deference sage:

“You can literally shape nonfiction. . . . Few lives have the identification of structure you’d give natty novel. . . .

But you can steer the amount of space give orders give each element in your book.”

Each chapter need not guard the same number of Certain events may get epigrammatic. Others may get expanded.

Some of the “broader context” stuff will be amplified. Critic it may get downplayed.

As Jon Collins writes, “not all autobiography needs to be exhaustive, campaigner indeed should be.”

Working with people’s interpretations, amplified or missing trifles, confused accounts, and various defend and justifications, “the biographer’s profession becomes that of creating graceful coherent narrative, triangulating, extrapolating, paramount gap-filling.”

It can be a collection of fun!

Be open to fine-tuning or even refocusing your outline.

9.

Budget for the inevitable.

Set aside some funds for books, research, editing, image permissions, present-day other eventualities.

Dedicate at least several hours a week to outmoded on this book so complete can get it done pavement a timely fashion.

10. Prepare erect start writing.

What do you want to start writing?

A spanking office chair or a newborn set of headphones? Don’t rush around overboard here, but do set yourself up for success talented make your workspace as tributary to writing as possible.

If you’ve followed these 10 steps, you’re ready to start writing. Cheer up got this!

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