BIOGRAPHY

What is biography?

What is biography?

Let’s kick off this series with a quick definition of biography! How’s it different from a memoir? Let’s find out!

Biography: fact or fiction?

Biography: fact or fiction?

Just how truthful is a biography? And what about authorised biographies — are they more accurate? Time to look at burglars, warts and parasites!

Getting started with biographical research

Getting started with biographical research

First, the essential question: are you ready to spend years of your life with this person? Three, five, ten, twenty years? If the answer is yes, you’re ready to start your quest.

Primary evidence: prowler in the archives

Primary evidence: prowler in the archives

From burning letters to sealed trunks and rescuing papers from the Thames, tracking down primary evidence isn’t for the weak. Let’s look at the challenges of using primary evidence, from finding it to gaining consent, as well as the successes a few biographers have had, including Walter Isaacson, Hermoine Lee, Robert Caro and Stacy Schiff.

Using interviews in biographical research

Using interviews in biographical research

Now that you’ve prowled through the archives and pored over letters, you’re as informed as you ever will be and are ready to carry out additional field research, such as interviews, observation and immersion.

Immersion in life writing

Immersion in life writing

From Frank Sinatra and Gay Talese to Buzz Bissinger and Friday Night Lights. Let’s take a look at Lee Gutkind, immersion in creative nonfiction and how immersion can lead to incomparable results.

Interviewing for biography: before the interview

Interviewing for biography: before the interview

Get this part wrong and your actual interview may be doomed. Find out about what to consider in the the pre-interview, as we go deeper into language, location, timing, power, ethics and more. It’s a long one, but a good one!

Opening and closing a biographical interview

Opening and closing a biographical interview

Getting prepped for a biographical interview involves a fair amount of effort, congratulations on making it this far. Before we jump into the questions you’ll be asking, it’s important to consider what you should do at the start and end of your interview.

Types of questions to ask in a biographical interview

Types of questions to ask in a biographical interview

There’s open and closed-ended questions, then there’s specific types of questions, such as the funnel approach, statements, rhetorical, narrative, explanatory and verification questions. Find out how and when to use each in a biographical interview.

Listening in a biographical interview

Listening in a biographical interview

Most of us have room for improvement when it comes to listening, and in a biographical interview, it’s a crucial skill to sharpen and wield. In this article, we’ll take a look at waiting and acknowledging and how silence is far from being the enemy.

Note-taking in a biographical interview

Note-taking in a biographical interview

Recording an interview probably seems like an easy choice: it’s convenient, accessible and fairly unobtrusive — or is it? Let’s look at when recording an interview might not be the best option and what biographers and oral historians have done in the past.

Books on shelves in library
Dingoes

LATEST POSTS

A ginger Australian dingo stands in a field of dry grass, his face turned towards the camera with his tongue hanging out.

Dingo diet: What to feed your adopted dingo (Part 1)

Reviewed by Canine Ascension, this dingo diet series brings together key information about what to feed your adopted dingo.

A young Australian dingo sits looking up at a bowl of food which includes raw kangaroo, chicken, sardines and dried meat.

Dingo Diet: 10 frequently asked questions about dingo diets (Part 2)

Dingo diet FAQ’s, from which bones to feed your adopted dingo, to training treats and what to consider when it comes to kibble.

A wild Australian dingo stands look behind itself.

Dingo diet: Sourcing and preparing your dingo’s dinner (Part 3)

Dingo dinner: sourcing food for your rescue dingo and how much, how often and when to feed your adopted dingo.

A wild dingo sits in long grass, looking at the camera. Its mouth is partially open and its tongue is visible.

Brinkley Davies and Balu Blue protects dingoes in Ningaloo

Learn more about Brinkley Davies’ Balu Blue Foundation and how they rehabilitate and protect dingoes on WA’s Ningaloo Coast.

Person wearing runners, crouched down over a barbell, brushing chalk off their hands.

5 reasons you should listen to Arnold’s Pump Club

It’s Schwarzenegger, not a cybernetic organism… or is it? Arnold’s Pump Club is worth a listen, even if it’s not the Arnold I was expecting.

A light bulb is suspended in the air.

My five favourite books about having a growth mindset

From Atomic Habits and Mark Manson to a pocket sized gem by Harvard, these are my favourite growth mindset books.

Blue sky with clouds and ocean

I deleted Instagram from my phone and this is what happened

Social media is designed to create and maintain addiction, FOMO and lull us into complacency — I’m glad I deleted Instagram from my phone.

UpDown Desk Review

UpDown Desk review: The ultimate sit and stand desk when you WFH with pets

Looking for a sit and stand desk in Australia? Here’s my detailed review of the UpDown Desk. Let’s consider features, delivery, assembly and everyday use.

Two Australian dingoes wearing collars and leashes. One dingo is looking at the camera with its tongue out, the other dingo is nudging the other dingo with its nose. They are in a field with a blue sky behind them.

Adopting wild Australian dingoes is not as a crazy as it sounds

We adopted two wild dingoes, Rusty and Jalba. Dingoes belong in the wild, but many are orphaned and displaced. Find out what happened to Rusty and Jalba and how we ended up welcoming two dingoes into our home.

A man walking with two dingoes in a field. The sun is low, it is late afternoon.

Dingo behaviour: what to expect when you adopt a dingo

Dingoes don’t bark… or do they? Do they sleep all day, wake at dawn and hunt kangaroos? Find out what to expect when you’re expecting.

TAGS

BIOGRAPHY

What is biography?

What is biography?

Let’s kick off this series with a quick definition of biography! How’s it different from a memoir? Let’s find out!

Biography: fact or fiction?

Biography: fact or fiction?

Just how truthful is a biography? And what about authorised biographies — are they more accurate? Time to look at burglars, warts and parasites!

Getting started with biographical research

Getting started with biographical research

First, the essential question: are you ready to spend years of your life with this person? Three, five, ten, twenty years? If the answer is yes, you’re ready to start your quest.

Primary evidence: prowler in the archives

Primary evidence: prowler in the archives

From burning letters to sealed trunks and rescuing papers from the Thames, tracking down primary evidence isn’t for the weak. Let’s look at the challenges of using primary evidence, from finding it to gaining consent, as well as the successes a few biographers have had, including Walter Isaacson, Hermoine Lee, Robert Caro and Stacy Schiff.

Using interviews in biographical research

Using interviews in biographical research

Now that you’ve prowled through the archives and pored over letters, you’re as informed as you ever will be and are ready to carry out additional field research, such as interviews, observation and immersion.

Immersion in life writing

Immersion in life writing

From Frank Sinatra and Gay Talese to Buzz Bissinger and Friday Night Lights. Let’s take a look at Lee Gutkind, immersion in creative nonfiction and how immersion can lead to incomparable results.

Interviewing for biography: before the interview

Interviewing for biography: before the interview

Get this part wrong and your actual interview may be doomed. Find out about what to consider in the the pre-interview, as we go deeper into language, location, timing, power, ethics and more. It’s a long one, but a good one!

Opening and closing a biographical interview

Opening and closing a biographical interview

Getting prepped for a biographical interview involves a fair amount of effort, congratulations on making it this far. Before we jump into the questions you’ll be asking, it’s important to consider what you should do at the start and end of your interview.

Types of questions to ask in a biographical interview

Types of questions to ask in a biographical interview

There’s open and closed-ended questions, then there’s specific types of questions, such as the funnel approach, statements, rhetorical, narrative, explanatory and verification questions. Find out how and when to use each in a biographical interview.

Listening in a biographical interview

Listening in a biographical interview

Most of us have room for improvement when it comes to listening, and in a biographical interview, it’s a crucial skill to sharpen and wield. In this article, we’ll take a look at waiting and acknowledging and how silence is far from being the enemy.

Note-taking in a biographical interview

Note-taking in a biographical interview

Recording an interview probably seems like an easy choice: it’s convenient, accessible and fairly unobtrusive — or is it? Let’s look at when recording an interview might not be the best option and what biographers and oral historians have done in the past.

Books on shelves in library
Dingoes

LATEST POSTS

A ginger Australian dingo stands in a field of dry grass, his face turned towards the camera with his tongue hanging out.

Dingo diet: What to feed your adopted dingo (Part 1)

Reviewed by Canine Ascension, this dingo diet series brings together key information about what to feed your adopted dingo.

A young Australian dingo sits looking up at a bowl of food which includes raw kangaroo, chicken, sardines and dried meat.

Dingo Diet: 10 frequently asked questions about dingo diets (Part 2)

Dingo diet FAQ’s, from which bones to feed your adopted dingo, to training treats and what to consider when it comes to kibble.

A wild Australian dingo stands look behind itself.

Dingo diet: Sourcing and preparing your dingo’s dinner (Part 3)

Dingo dinner: sourcing food for your rescue dingo and how much, how often and when to feed your adopted dingo.

A wild dingo sits in long grass, looking at the camera. Its mouth is partially open and its tongue is visible.

Brinkley Davies and Balu Blue protects dingoes in Ningaloo

Learn more about Brinkley Davies’ Balu Blue Foundation and how they rehabilitate and protect dingoes on WA’s Ningaloo Coast.

Person wearing runners, crouched down over a barbell, brushing chalk off their hands.

5 reasons you should listen to Arnold’s Pump Club

It’s Schwarzenegger, not a cybernetic organism… or is it? Arnold’s Pump Club is worth a listen, even if it’s not the Arnold I was expecting.

A light bulb is suspended in the air.

My five favourite books about having a growth mindset

From Atomic Habits and Mark Manson to a pocket sized gem by Harvard, these are my favourite growth mindset books.

Blue sky with clouds and ocean

I deleted Instagram from my phone and this is what happened

Social media is designed to create and maintain addiction, FOMO and lull us into complacency — I’m glad I deleted Instagram from my phone.

UpDown Desk Review

UpDown Desk review: The ultimate sit and stand desk when you WFH with pets

Looking for a sit and stand desk in Australia? Here’s my detailed review of the UpDown Desk. Let’s consider features, delivery, assembly and everyday use.

Two Australian dingoes wearing collars and leashes. One dingo is looking at the camera with its tongue out, the other dingo is nudging the other dingo with its nose. They are in a field with a blue sky behind them.

Adopting wild Australian dingoes is not as a crazy as it sounds

We adopted two wild dingoes, Rusty and Jalba. Dingoes belong in the wild, but many are orphaned and displaced. Find out what happened to Rusty and Jalba and how we ended up welcoming two dingoes into our home.

A man walking with two dingoes in a field. The sun is low, it is late afternoon.

Dingo behaviour: what to expect when you adopt a dingo

Dingoes don’t bark… or do they? Do they sleep all day, wake at dawn and hunt kangaroos? Find out what to expect when you’re expecting.

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