Discuss your project with your relative before researching or writing.
Writing a biography of a family member can help preserve the subject's life story for future generations. It can also help other members of your family learn more about the individual and strengthen their relationships with her. Whether you're writing a biography strictly for family use or plan to shop the book to literary agents and/or publishers, chronicling someone's life story requires patience, dedication, a commitment to accuracy and detail and the willingness to revise and rewrite as necessary.
Instructions
1. Talk to the family member about whom you wish to write. It may not be necessary to get his approval, but your job will be much easier with his participation and assistance. Tell him why you want to write about him and what you hope readers will learn from his life. If the family member is deceased, speak with his closest relatives and secure their support.
2. Interview the subject of your biography, if she is still living. This can take many hours, so set up several interviews over a period of weeks. Tape-record or videotape the interviews, with the subject's permission, to make note-taking easier and to ensure accuracy. Ask the subject about her parents, childhood, youth, significant achievements and current goals or dreams. Try to get her to tell as many detailed, vivid stories as possible, with exact names, dates and locations.
3. Interview the subject's close friends and relatives, as well as business colleagues. Ask them what stands out about the person, what makes him unique and memorable. Don't shy away from asking tough questions or including material that doesn't show the person in the most favorable light. Everyone has faults, and a completely feel-good book can bore readers. Try to elicit as many detailed stories as you can from your interview subjects.
4. Visit your local library or conduct online research to find newspaper clippings, magazine articles and any additional information on your subject and pertinent facts and locations from her life. Birth records, obituaries, reviews of artistic works or performances and feature articles can help you flesh out your story and also provide you with exact dates, names and locations, as well as a feel for your subject's era and environment.
5. Create a chapter-by-chapter outline and write your book. As you work on your biography, contact the subject of your book to fill in any missing information and re-interview friends and acquaintances if necessary.
6. Show your completed biography to the person you've written about and ask for feedback and/or clarification. She might not agree with everything in the book, but that doesn't mean you have to eliminate sections that don't portray her favorably. After all, this is your book, even though you've written about your subject. On the other hand, you don't want to write a tell-all that exposes private information. Only you can determine if the material you've included might be inappropriate or harm your relationship with your relative. Also show the book to the subject's family members and friends for feedback and criticism.
