Oh, we know. Your mom and dad led fascinating lives. Your grands were the bee’s knees. Your sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, 14th cousin six times removed deserve beatification. And you’re just itchin’ at the keyboard to tell the world about your wonderful relatives. So, you sit down and write their biography. You may spend weeks, months or even years in the endeavor. After all, who wouldn’t find the story of Aunt Bertha’s cure for root rot exciting? Or Great- Great Grandpa Elmer’s adventures in dryer lint collecting unputdownable?

Here’s the issue with a lot of biographies/memoirs we get for review: They’re like a slow drip from a leaky faucet — predictable, repetitive, and utterly uneventful. As captivating as a plate of overcooked rutabagas.

Yes, we know again. You find your relatives fascinating. Are convinced their life story is going to burst onto the literary scene faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. But here’s the catch: If you’re writing for a general audience – someone other than family or close friends – that compelling life story you’re dying to tell the world? The world may just shrug its shoulders and go back to mindless scrolling. Or watching the next presidential debate. Which is pretty much the same thing.

If you want to craft a compelling biography that connects with someone besides your Aunt Mabel, it means thorough research, a clear narrative, and a story that resonates with a broader audience. Yeah, we know your Mum was a saint. But what’s the take-away for me? This is the question your average reader will ask. It’s pretty much the bottom line for an engaging biog. Connecting with the reader gives them a reason to keep turning pages. A recitation of life events that reads like Encyclopedia Britannica or a life chronology that’s as dry as a Kansas cornfield in August doesn’t cut it.

You wouldn’t believe how many biogs we get for review that don’t get this. They usually come from starry-eyed first-time authors who are so excited to get their magnum opus in print and Tell The World about their wonderful relative or friend, they forget to tell a story that someone who’s not a relative or friend will want to read. That kinda matters. Falling short of same, they seem genuinely surprised when we’re not turning cartwheels over a memoir or biog that’s as dull as a blunt spoon.

We’re just funny that way.

So here, at no extra charge, are some tips for writing a biography that someone besides your Aunt Mabel and Uncle Elmer will want to read:

Determine Your Purpose

First, ask yourself: Why am I writing this biography? How do I want readers to respond to this story? What’s their take-away?

Then choose a central theme to guide your narrative and keep it focused so it doesn’t wind up hopping down endless bunny trails or circling the irrelevancy drain. Do you want this story to convey leadership principles? Strength and courage in the midst of adversity? Keep it tight and keep it focused.

Research

This is probably the most crucial but non-glamorous part of the biog writing process. It could take months or years. But you need to get your facts together and get your facts straight. This is the backbone of your biography. A weak backbone makes for a weak story. The converse is also true.

So, martial your research skills and prepare to sally forth. Check out primary and secondary sources. This may include books, letters, journals, newspaper stories, and personal interviews. Fact check to ensure accuracy.

Organize

We get a lot of biographies that have solid stories but are hampered by structural deficiencies. That breathless first-time author thing. Avoid this common pitfall by selecting an appropriate structure for your story. Biographies are often told in chronological order. But thematic or event-driven structures may also be effective, depending on what key elements or takeaways you want to convey (see above).

A thoughtfully organized story will keep your readers engaged and the story will flow naturally. A throw-it-against-the-wall and see-if-it-sticks approach will have the opposite effect. (Trust me on this one. We’ve seen it way too many times.)

Start With a Hook

Note: “Sarah Smith was born in 1902” isn’t a hook. It’s a yawner. A couple more sentences like that and you’ve likely lost the reader for good. Lead with a powerful anecdote, quote, or dramatic moment that sets the tone for the remainder of the story.  

Example 1: “They met in Tulsa. Dad was a ploughboy from western Oklahoma; Mom was a hometown girl. He was in the Army Air Corps, … and she had been first-prize winner in a jitterbug contest the year before. It was 1942: She was just turning eighteen, a high-school senior; and he was twenty-one. “- John Denver, Take Me Home.

Denver opens with a warm and concise portrait of his parents, evoking time, place, and personality. This sets the emotional tone for the balance of the book. Remember, you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Make it memorable. Make it inviting. Make readers want to know more.

Example 2: I was born into a year of famine. It was 1947, and Austria was occupied by the Allied armies that had defeated Hitler’s Third Reich. In May, two months before I was born, there were hunger riots in Vienna, and in Styria, the southeastern province where we lived, the food shortages were just as bad.” –Arnold Schwarzenegger, Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story

Schwarzenegger immediately places the reader in the moment of his birth, against the backdrop of a nation rebuilding from war. It’s a powerful, dramatic opening for an autobiography about resilience, ambition, and transformation.

Pro tip: Test your opening line or paragraph by reading it out loud. How does it sound? Is the tone conversational or academic? Does it convey your theme right out of the gate? Does it captivate, or does it elicit snores?

Show, Don’t Tell

You want your subject to come across as a real life, three-dimensional person, not a cardboard cutout. You also want readers to be able to relate to your subject. So, include quotes, descriptions, dialogue, quirks, and any other personality traits that help readers connect. Show readers your subject rather than just telling them about same.

Use Storytelling

You’re writing a story, not a Wikipedia entry. Nobody wants to read a list-like account of someone’s life that’s as inspiring as stale kale. To create a compelling narrative, deploy storytelling elements like scene-setting, conflict, and resolution. Use lively prose. Keep the pacing brisk.

Revise and Edit

Don’t forget this step. It’s hard work. It doesn’t exactly qualify as a four-alarm barn burner. But polishing your draft is vital. Engage beta readers to check for clarity and coherence. Hire or find a professional editor if at all possible. They’ll check for readability. Pacing. Redundancies. And a professional and engaging tone.

Publishing

Unless your intended audience is limited to Aunt Mabel & Co., consider professional printing and formatting. Nothing will leave a sour taste in a reviewer’s mouth faster than a sloppy, haphazard manuscript that presents like a troop of drunk monkeys rolled the presses after a banana bonanza.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Info-dumping: Don’t overload readers with dry facts.
• Hero-worshiping: Excessive praise makes relating to the subject difficult, if not impossible.
• Skipping the hard stuff: Tension and conflict make for a compelling story.
• Genealogical data-dumping. Resist the urge to trace the family history back to Noah. Newsflash: Nobody cares and it slows the narrative like molasses in winter. Stick with the basics. Hit some highlights. Then move on, bub.
• Lack of theme: Your biography should have an over-arching theme that unifies and focuses the story—ambition, redemption, legacy, etc.

One Last Thing

If you are too close to the subject – say they’re a close relative or friend – consider engaging a ghost writer or a professional editor to assist with your book. Maybe both. Authors who write about a family member mean well. But they’re sometimes too emotionally invested in the subject to be able to write in a manner that will resonate with other readers and keep them turning pages. A professional editor or a professional biography writer can remain objective without compromising the emotional impact of the story.

Finally, writing a biography for someone besides your Aunt Mabel isn’t easy. But with time, attention, and focus per the above, the end result can be a compelling life story that not only informs but also captivates and leaves a lasting impression. And isn’t that the whole point?

Examples of Compelling Biographies:

42 Is Not Just a Number: The Odyssey of Jackie Robinson – by Doreen Rappaport. 

Leonardo Da Vinci – by Walter Isaacson

The Hidden Life of Otto Frank  – by Carol Ann Lee

Into the Wild – by Jon Krakauer

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption – by Laura Hillenbrand