Choose a subject such as an ancestor, friend, a hero or idol, or someone special to you. According to Midge Gilles of The Guardian, "Traditionally, this has taken the form of a straight narrative arc from birth to death." Recently, biography has started to take on more exciting and imaginative forms than this traditional 'cradle to grave' approach." Be creative in the choice and structure you would like your biography to take on.
Research and collect information, as much as you possibly can, from your subject's birth date to the most relevant facts of her life. Letters, journals, newspaper clippings, photographs, and conversations with friends and family can be great places to find obscure information.
Ask questions. What makes this person so special and interesting? Where was he born? Which events marked or changed his life? What was his major influence to others around them? Not only where, but how did he grow up? Did he have dreams or aspirations that were unfulfilled, therefore another path was followed? Record your questions, answers and general information and ideas in a journal.
Create a checklist. By the time you begin to write your biography you should have a plethora of material. A checklist can help you weed out anything that is not interesting or doesn't belong. Gillies of The Guardian suggests asking these questions, "Does every fact deserve to be there? Are my facts right? Is there anything I don't understand? Have I varied the pace? Is it as crisp as it could be? Have I used too much jargon?" Now read the biography aloud to help you notice if you are repeating information in order to edit any unnecessary information.
Familiarize yourself with grammar. Aspects of grammar include verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs,
pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections. Explore sentence variety within the length and coordination. Research grammar through scholars such in order to gather well rounded knowledge on the subject of grammar.