Tidbit: Bios

Sometimes when you’re in the middle of working on a story, you have to set it aside to meet a marketing request such as answering interview questions. Or maybe you need to submit a biography to an editor. You guessed it. That’s what I had to do the other day.

What’s the big deal? Well, writing a bio is harder than you think. Go ahead. Try it. I’ll wait.

Were you dazed for a moment trying to decide what information to include? How to make it more interesting than a legal disclaimer? Where in the world to begin?

Don’t worry. I’m here to help. Let’s do this thing here and now so you can avoid that deer-in-the-headlights expression in the future.

There are different types of bios that you’ll need because there will be different venues where your writing will appear. You can tweak your copy to fit any situation as long as you have the copy to begin with.

Uber Short

Can you write a bio in 20 words or less? You might be asked to. Work on it now and you’ll have it on hand. Paint with a broad brush on this one. Having it too specific, such as related to a particular genre or book, will not only limit you but will likely become outdated in the future.

Example:

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. Follow her adventures at www.michellegriep.com

Back Page

This one is your longest piece of copy. Think last page of a book with a smiley picture of your face. Give a sense of your personality without every last detail. No one wants to sit through a literary slide show of your past.

Example:

Michelle Griep’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. She seeks to glorify God in all that she writes—except for that graffiti phase she went through as a teenager.

She resides in the frozen tundra of Minnesota, where she teaches history and writing classes for a local high school co-op. An Anglophile at heart, she runs away to England every chance she gets, under the guise of research. Really, though, she’s eating excessive amounts of scones while rambling around a castle.

Michelle is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and MCWG (Minnesota Christian Writers Guild).

Keep up with her adventures at her blog WRITER OFF THE LEASH or visit michellegriep.com

Respectable

There’s no getting around the fact that sometimes you do have to shave your legs and put on a pair of panty hose. Yeah, it’s rare, especially for me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t keep a spare pair in my dresser drawer. That’s what this bio is all about. Dressed up and ready to go out to a black tie event with several credentials that show you’re a legit writer.

Example:

Michelle’s been writing since she first discovered blank wall space and Crayolas...professionally, however, for the past 15 years. She teaches history and writing classes for a local high school co-op. She is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and MCWG (Minnesota Christian Writers Guild).

Quirky

Generally a bio is written in third person. For your fun one, go ahead and break all the rules. Be silly. Be creative. But most of all, let your voice shine through.

Example:

I hear voices. Loud. Incessant. And very real. Which basically gives me two options: choke back massive amounts of Prozac or write fiction. I chose the latter. Way cheaper. I've been writing since I discovered blank wall space and Crayolas. I seek to glorify God in all that I write...except for that graffiti phase I went through as a teenager. Oops. Did I say that out loud?

Did you notice a common thread throughout? The ol’ Crayolas line? That's because I'm a freak at heart. What is it about you that makes you you? That’s the key theme to use in each bio, no matter the tone.

Again, I can’t stress enough the importance of parking your butt in a chair and getting this chore out of the way. You will have to doodle around with them now and again to keep them fresh and updated, but at least it won’t be like the teeth pulling experience of getting the first draft down.