ShmoopTube

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[Coop and Dino singing]

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It’s usually pretty easy to get to know people. You can look at their Facebook… [Person checking facebook profile]

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or their Twitter… or their Instagram…

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Or, if you’re not super into cyber-stalking, you can ask them questions about themself.

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But what if you want to get to know somebody who isn't easy to access? Well, Shmoopers,

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that’s what biographies are for. Biographies are a type of writing that help [Coop explaining what biographies are]

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blend together facts and descriptive writing. This helps the reader remains interested and

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entertained while they learn!

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Learning and fun – our two favorite things here at Shmoop.

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…That wasn’t a joke, guys, that’s really what we’re all about.

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Well…that and the hokey-pokey. It really is what it's all about. [Girl performing hokey-pokey]

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Anyway, biographies come in two styles.

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There's the plain old biography, where an author chooses an interesting person and writes [Dino discussing biography types]

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about their life...

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…then there's the autobiography, where people write about themselves.

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That's right, you can write your own biography. Pretty cool, right? But you have to stick

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to the facts. No writing that you went to outer space when you were six. [Astronaut bouncing on the moon]

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Unless you did… In which case, we bow down to you.

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But whether you're writing a biography about someone else or an autobiography about yourself,

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you need to be sharp, witty, and have some pretty strong writing skills to boot. [Girl flexing her arms]

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And why is that? Well, because biographies are about facts. And sometimes, writing fact

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after fact can get a little boring for the reader – so it's up to the writer to use [Person writing with a pencil]

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interesting words and engaging language to keep things interesting.

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That's the difference between, "Chuck farted in class one day. His classmates didn't like

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it. Chuck was embarrassed," and "one dismal and grey November day, Chuck let out a silent

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but deadly toxic gas…from his butt. While his classmates desperately fanned the foul

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fumes away, Chuck was busy turning redder than a tomato."

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See? Using strong adjectives, synonyms, and the occasional simile or metaphor will go [Dino explaining biography techniques]

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a long way.

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It’s basically like when you do everything you can to snazzify your school uniform. So

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add scarves and barrettes and cool shoes galore, and get writing!

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…Just…use actual words. Sorry. We should've specified that. [Girl searching for clothing on computer]

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