How to Outline to Write a Biography

Writing a biography requires you to be organized, informed and prepared. The writing process of a biography can take years to complete, based on how in-depth your book is and whether you have direct contact with the individual who is the subject of your biography. One of the easiest ways to keep the biography process smooth involves creating and using an outline that will help to organize information, structure the writing process and keep you on track with the research you need to do.

Instructions

1. Gather all of your information together as a Word document or set of notes before writing your outline so that you can refer to it. The more basic information you have, the easier it will be to see what details need to be filled in; it will also simplify the structure of your outline.

2. Label your information according to basic theses and sections of your writing, including birth, death, significant events such as career events and marriage, children and other events you want to focus on.

3. Divide your information into its relevant sections. A basic outline includes the following: numbered sections that use Roman numerals, which denote major sections of the writing; subsections that use regular numerals and are divided into smaller detailed sections.

4. Include all of the information you have on your subject. Keep your outline concise. Write information in one-sentence sections.

5. Structure your outline so that it is in the order in which your book will be written. This could be a linear or topical outline, but it should refer to the structure your book will take for easy reference during the writing process.

6. Make distinctions between major sections of your book and smaller details. Divide all detailed information into organized sections and subsections according to the structure of the outline.

7. Make notes of what pieces of information need more detail or are missing so that you can do further research on them as you begin writing.

8. Add more information as necessary to your outline. Change the structure of your outline to reflect the structure of your book.

References

• Bellingham Public Schools: How to Write a Biography
• Los Angeles Valley College: How to Write an Outline

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• State University of New York at Albany: How to Write an Outline