Writer's Digest

Beyond “Born, Lived and Died”

Maybe there is a person who you have always been interested in. You’ve read as much as you could about them, but their story hasn’t been fully told.

You begin to wonder … isn’t there a better interpretation of this individual’s life? Does the biographer seem to have a bias, or do you feel as if there’s more to be said? Could a new version of their biography be written for a different audience—for instance, as a children’s book?

Or perhaps you’ve discovered a relatively unknown person whose life deserves telling—demands it, in fact. Why shouldn’t you be the one to tell their story?

DEFINING THE SCOPE

Like any considerable undertaking, it’s essential to determine from the start if the biography you want to write is a realistic project. Work through the following

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