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Biography writing guides

Step-by-step how-tos for every kind of biography, with examples, templates, and the most common pitfalls to avoid.

Biography vs Autobiography: What's the Difference?

Who writes which, when to use which, and how the point of view changes everything else.

How to Write a Biography

What to include, how to structure it, and how to keep the tone right for the audience.

How to Write a Biography About Yourself

How to write a biography about yourself without sounding awkward — including the third-person-first trick.

How to Write a Biography for a Website

About pages that work — structure, tone, and the SEO basics that matter for a personal or company website.

How to Write a Family Biography

How to capture a parent's, grandparent's, or family elder's life story — interview-first, then drafted carefully.

How to Write a Founder Bio

How to write a founder bio that builds trust without sounding inflated.

How to Write a Memorial Biography

How to write a respectful, accurate memorial biography for a program, celebration of life, or remembrance reading.

How to Write a Professional Bio

Write a clear, credible professional bio for LinkedIn, team pages, resumes, and speaker profiles.

How to Write a Short Bio

How to fit a complete, credible bio into 50 words — for programs, bylines, podcast intros, and short profiles.

How to Write a Speaker Bio

The three speaker-bio lengths every speaker needs — and how to write a host introduction script the moderator will actually want to read.

How to Write an Artist Bio

Quiet, literary artist bios for galleries, portfolios, residencies, and press — without marketing speak.

How to Write an Author Bio

Book-jacket bios, retailer page bios, press kit bios, and bylines — what each requires and why they aren't the same.

Questions to Ask Before Writing a Biography

The questions to ask yourself and the subject before drafting — prevents the most common rewriting.

Short Bio vs Long Bio: Which One Do You Actually Need?

When to use a short bio (50–100 words) vs a long bio (200+ words), and how to write both from the same facts.

What to Include in a Biography

A practical checklist of what to keep and what to cut — including what almost no biography needs.