Writing biographies that compel your reader

If you’ve ever written a professional biography, autobiography, or anything for your “about” page and felt uneasy about what to share, have no fear.

We’ve all got something in our lives that people can resonate and connect with, despite feeling selfish for wanting to share, uninteresting, or unaccomplished.?

I don’t believe many of us are these things, so I invite anyone to explore writing an autobiography or biography if it’s your heart’s desire.

Let’s address some of the resistance, though.

Whatever type of biography you’re writing, the challenge may be coming from:

1. How do I keep things compelling?
2. How do I keep from sounding like I’m running off a list of accomplishments and accolades??
3. How do I write without alienating the audience with my life’s story or the subject’s life??

If you missed my latest video, inspired by the cinematic memoir “Cameraperson” by Kirsten Johnson, I talk all about how to write compelling biographies to inspire your audience.?

THE BEST BIOGRAPHY I EVER READ

Almost a decade ago I lived in Los Angeles with my now husband.?

One night we decided to take an early evening stroll and ended up a mile away at this bookstore called the Iliad Bookshop on Chandler Boulevard.?

My husband took off looking through the thousands of books, but I wasn’t much of a book reader so I wandered around aimlessly.?

Occasionally I’d grab something off the shelf, scan the pages, and put it back.?

Then, in a dense crowd of piled books, I came across this bright tye-dye red spine with a black-and-white image of a Black woman.?

Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t tye-dye but a bunch of cells under a microscope.?

The book was “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot.

I’m not sure how I even spotted it but with a little more consideration, and I mean a little, we bought it and took it home.

In the past, I’ve bought books promising to read them and never got past the first chapter.?

Part of me thought it would be the same with this one, but the ancestors must have been pushing me to read it because I did and it was a life-changing biography of Black and medical history.?

Reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was probably the fastest I’ve ever read a book I didn’t have to read for school.??

This book had me in an emotional chokehold, because of how it breathed life into the long-deceased subject of the book, Henrietta Lacks.?

Skloot, the author, responsibly approaches the story by accounting for Lacks’ tragic life and what followed.?

Lacks’ family also led tragic and challenging lives, growing up without their mother, living through abuse and extreme poverty, and facing legal battles against malpractice and medical mishandling regarding their mom.?

Meanwhile, Skloot as the researcher and a witness, writes some of her recollection of the story and emotions that brought the story together.?

It has a very journalistic approach in that it unveils all of these secrets or lesser-known truths to people who are not in the medical industry while confirming suspicions about medical mishandling, negligence, and abuse in the Black community.?

From the criteria inspired by “Cameraperson,” The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks answers the 5 things to consider when writing a biography:

1. Who is the biography for? Who is going to read it?

• People who love to learn the truth or be the insider of a juicy secret
• People who are fascinated with history
• People who are fascinated with medicine
• People who want to have their suspicions confirmed

2. Establish your body of work - not as a list, though.

• Skloot didn’t have a body of work but she had a strong interest, patience, and persistence. She recounts her obsession with needing to know more about the HeLa cell's history, the patronage she endured from other journalists, the challenges with earning the Lacks family’s trust, roadblocks and doubts, and finally getting started.

3. Mention the involvement and influence of special clients and customers, employers, and collaborators.

• Skloot does a beautiful job of putting the spotlight on Lacks and her family.
• In the forward, she even says that she uses everyone’s real names and words.

4. What parts of your work or path felt daring or brave?

• Skloot talks about this extensively and addresses the conflicting feelings and challenges around her being White and writing a Black family’s story.

5. What personal things happened that influenced your life?

• Skloot recalls failing freshman year of high school and having to make up classes at her local community college and that’s where she first heard about Henrietta Lacks and her immortal cells. It was the beginning of her obsession.

Biographies should be a reflection of what you want others to accomplish or what you want them to feel inspired by.?

It’s about giving value and not simply telling. Value can be information, education, engagement, entertainment, and more.?

Before you begin your biography, think about the value you want to offer from your experience.?

Thank you so much for reading this article.?

If you like the storytelling in film and want digestible information on how you can translate it into your copy, sign up for weekly emails here.?

What else do you believe should be included in the criteria for writing biographies??

Hi! I’m Brittany Drake, a communications-minded copywriter who has been fascinated with story and storytelling my entire life.

I knew then that something in a story connected people, whether it made us nostalgic or propelled our thoughts to what was possible. That’s ultimately how I married my undergrad degree in screenwriting and master's degree in communications management to becoming a copywriter today.

There are so many things to learn from storytelling in films that can be translated into how you connect with your customer, and I hope you find value that you can welcome into your own copy.

You’ve gone through the hard work of creating offers that genuinely help humans first. Now, it's time to ensure your copy communicates an experience they’ll forever think of fondly.