Creative Writing: Biographies and Autobiographies

A biography is an account of a person's life written, composed, or produced by another.

An autobiography is the biography of a person written by that person.

The following elements may be included in a biography or autobiography (depending on the extension of the biography and the person).

n Birthdate and place (when and where that person was born? Why in that place?)

n Family Members (birth order; spouse, children; any other notable members)

n Childhood and School Life (interesting stories; early achievements; stories that caused impact)

n Hobbies, Interests, and Activities (Do the person’s hobbies or activities make them more interesting?)

n Anecdotes (Interesting stories that were significant in his/her life)

n Career (Is their career why they have a book written about them?)

n Reason for Fame (What did they do that caused someone to want to write a book about them?)

n Later Life/Old Age (Did they contribute to society, enjoy life, continue working?)

n Death When and where did they die?

n Photos and Likenesses Photographs or artists’ renderings of the person may be included

Read the following texts and answer the questions

Are they autobiographies or biographies? Why?
Which of the previously mentioned elements are present in these texts? Quote from them to indicate which ones and where they appear.
What adjectives are present in the texts? How do they contribute to the tone of the stories? Give examples from each text

Creative Writing