How to write a biography: Do you want to write about yourself or someone else?

By Dennis Mellersh

Based on the questions and search queries  I have seen from beginner writers on the subject of how to write a book, it appears there is some confusion in people’s minds about the terminology or correct word for writing a biography and writing a biography about one’s own life.
Here are some of the common search queries:

How to write a personal biography
How to write a biography on someone
How to write a biography on yourself
How to write a short biography
How to write a biography for kids
How to write a professional biography
How to write a biography about myself
How to write a self-biography

What these queries show is that many people do not know the correct term for a self-biography or a biography on yourself, or your own life.

The correct term is autobiography.

The correct term for a book about someone else is biography.

So, if you are looking for information on how to write a biography about your own life, use the term autobiography in your Internet searches and library research. Similarly, use the term biography for information on how to write a book about someone else’s life.

Using the correct terms, biography and autobiography, will give you much better Internet search and library research results and therefore better information to help you in your program of learning to write a biography or autobiography more effectively.