Some thoughts about this genre and things to consider when choosing your
subject.
Why might you decide to become a biographer?
Biography, according to one dictionary definition, is the story of one
person's life written by another person: History is full of life stories many of which have lain untouched or
neglected. Perhaps the material was previously inaccessible, or there might be a fresh
slant on the subject as the archives of other countries become available.
Writing biography is a human transaction, a
relationship, and like all good relationships it needs to be undertaken with
care, respect and good faith. So, before you embark on a subject many
biographers suggest you ask yourself a hard question: Are you choosing a subject to provide a deeper connection between someone's
life and your own?
Searching out the right subject
Should you write the biography of a living subject? Many of the most
fascinating and charismatic characters are themselves gifted storytellers. With so much of modern life already exposed to the media's gaze, it is getting
harder to find a living subject where there is much new material left for a biographer.
If your subject's celebrity is going to sell your biography, they probably are
probably 'owned' by a management company. Is an unauthorised biography going to
land you on sunny shores or in court? You can become their economast or a ghost-writer
for a celebrity.
But you are not writing a biography if you do not leave your reader with a
package that provides 'the truth': The biographer has to define that difficult
line between fact and fiction.
Are you going to interview them plus their family, co-workers and friends?
Recycling previously published information does not make you a biographer.
Popularity
Collaboration can be a pleasure, provided your subject is going to co-operate.
But beware, as there are family secrets. You are not going to get them to come
to your book launch if you tell things that they have edited from the
official version of their life. Are you prepared to make enemies and upset a few
people? A biographer will not always be popular. (I am a cowards and am waiting
for a couple of characters to die before I tackle their lives).
Gaining access to the papers of the dead famous is getting easier as
these are frequently housed in universities and even come with a catalogue. But
the college that has shelled out the money will probably favour an alumni to
produce a biography. Examining documents especially, letters and diaries of the subject,
can bring
you very close but there are a limited number of such characters.
Can you find somebody who has been unjustly treated or simply relegated to
the margins of history? Book readers, we like to think, have a great sense of justice so
they might be attracted to helping to right some wronged reputation. Bringing an established
character out of the shadows has the advantage that they are already known.
Conversely, if you don't mind making some enemies, you could review the
reputation of some icon. If you see yourself as a part of the entertainment
business you could find your way onto the media more easily. This is a good
choice for those who think that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
Fact or Fiction?
As a writer you will recognise that the line between fact and fiction is
easily crossed. Facts are not fixed. The barrier between fact and fiction is
porous and that is why writing biography is such a special skill. Real life has
lots of boring bits, so do you just do the highlights?
Are you going to tell a story or write a biography? You might plan a book
about warfare, based around what one person did. You start off
with a plan to tell that story, but in the world of biography the material can takes you
to places you had not planned. This makes this genre such a challenge because
there is a constant tension. Your story
might become their biography (and a biography can turn into a story).
If your subject is not well known then you might decide that fiction is the way to
go. You are probably not going to get a publishing deal for somebody who has no pulling power.
So
pick up the real story and fictionalise it, but don't call it a biography.
Fiction works for Hollywood. Fiction sets you free
to add or remove some rough edges from your story. Fiction is probably much easier than fitting the hard facts
into a sympathetic, yet critical, narrative.
If you are writing a war-story it might well have a single individual as the
focus, but that does not make it a biography. It is the format, perhaps already
a cliché, for all TV docu-dramas. They shirk the challenge of telling the big
story and give you a restricted, personal view.
History or biography
You need to decide if you are writing a footnote of history or a piece of
literature. This is like the distinction between a guide book and travel
writing. One calls for accurate research and the other for the skill of creative
writing.
Biography is a lot harder than it looks - Finding a structure to tell your
story about the subject that does not read like an official report is what a
biographer does. It can be a long, lonely and obsessive business...
