How to Write a Biography on Your Parents

Ways to Write a Biography on Your Parents

Selecting a Style

Before you start gathering the facts, you need to decide what type of style your biography is going to take on.

Do you want it to be a serious tale that depicts all of the marriage events of your parents life?
Maybe you want the biography to focus a little bit on their lives before they met each other, but to be comprised mainly of information about their life together and their marriage.

You may decide to have the biography chronicle only their lives together. If so, you might want the biography to take on a comedic tone, and write about the humorous experiences they have had along the way.

Interviewing

Even if you are extremely close to your parents, you are still going to need to take down some additional details if you really want to write an accurate biography on your parents.

After you have determined the style and tone of your work, write down a series of questions that you will be asking them. Although you could just engage in a casual conversation, it would be better to have questions prepared, that way you know that you are not forgetting major points.

Plan a time to sit down and ask them the questions. You can write or type the answers, or better yet, tape record them so that way you do not miss anything and you can listen to it whenever you want or need to.

If one or both of your parents are deceased, ask the surviving parent or a close relative or friend the questions about the deceased parent. The biography can then become a beautiful tribute to that person's life.

Organization and Writing

Once all of your information has been compiled, you should organize it so that your writing does not become overwhelming. Decide approximately how many chapters you are going to have, and what types of information you want to go in each chapter.

This does not need to be an exact outline. Many writers start with one direction in mind, and then change course while they are going through the writing process. That is entirely fine, but having a little bit of organization will help you to stay focused in telling the story.

When the organization is complete, you can begin writing your work. Remember that this type of project is going to take patience, time, and effort. Do not expect to complete your entire biography in a day, a week, or even a month. Try to keep a notebook with you at all times, so if you have a great idea for the story while you are out, you can write it down and then tighten it up for your book later.

Publishing the Biography on Your Parents

Now that you have completed the biography on your parents, you need to decide what to do with it. There are two main options here.

Have it published. Publish the book yourself or send the book off to a publisher and see if it can be published. Do not feel frustrated if you are rejected! Many people are rejected. Take the company's suggestions and try again.
Create a Gift. Copy and bind the manuscript as a gift to your parents. This beautiful, personally-created item will be a welcome gift to your parents for their anniversary or any other celebration.

Writing a biography on your parents is an excellent way to learn about and document the lives of your parents. It is also a special way to document the legacy of your family.