Greetings, Gather writers, and welcome to Thursday's Writing Essential. As writers we frequently need to tell our readers a little something about ourselves. Our biography---or bio, as it is more commonly called, explains the who, what, where and sometimes weirdness we care to share with the world. It typically appears at the end of a
published piece.
Most writer's bios are short...anywhere from 50-100 words. Some authors have rather stuffy bios..."Mary Jones graduated suda cum laude from Stanford University with a degree in Literature, having studied in Greece for her last semester. She was a member of the Kapa Kuka Wuka Sorority, where she now serves as a benefactor and trustee."
I prefer reading bios that speak to me of a writer's real life. I want to know if the writer has a family. What kind of interests does he or she have? What else has he or she written?
A writer's bio should somehow reflect the nature of the publication in which it appears. For example, when I publish a humorous piece I tend to mention my family's crazy antics in my bio. When I'm published in a writing journal I mention the books I've written on the topic of freelance writing. When I publish in an educational magazine, I mention that I homeschool my two teenagers. You get the point!
For today's writing essential, I'd like you to write your own writer's bio. Many of you already have professional bios that have been published numerous times. Please share these with us so that newer writers can read them and learn from them. And if you're new and have never been published, practice writing a bio just the same. One day it will tell the world about a great new writer....you!
(If you'd like to share a piece pertaining to writing or showcasing poetry, nonfiction, fiction, etc. (no games, please...this is a WRITING essential!) feel free to submit that as well.....but PLEASE include your bio at the end of your piece!)
Kimberly Ripley is a freelance writer and published author from New Hampshire. Currently soaking up lots of sun under a palm tree in Fort Myers, Florida, she writes for print and online publications across the country and abroad. A wife and mother of five, her family's foibles are fair fodder for anything she chooses to share with her readers! Kim's freelance writing column "Freelancing for Pleasure and Profit" appears twice monthly here at Gather.
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Comments: 18
Now I remember. I don't have a bio, I just give them my mother's telephone number ... and a lot of quarters.
I graduated summa summa summa and all the laude from Uinversitas University with a Baccaloreate Artis en Engliantasis and then I went to work for "Le Typewriter de Quaiboarde pour Les Ecrivants"......
lol.
Thanks!
Like her heroine, Kate leads a life of adventure. Kate is a certified SCUBA diver, world traveler and adventurer. Other writing experiences include working as a newspaper journalist for the Santo Domingo News where she reported on a variety of topics targeted to the English-speaking residents of the Dominican Republic. For the past seven years she has managed business and marketing communications programs for a global Fortune 50 company.
Kate is 2007 recipient of the National Science Foundation's Artists and Writers grant. She recently returned from Antarctica, where she spent two months living and working with the scientific community.
Frequently invited to speak at schools and universities, Kate enjoys interacting with students. Topics she covers include discussions about the writing (and rewriting) process, character development, setting, and plot. One of her workshops is titled, "Terrible Trouble." However, she likes to customize her visits to complement the skills students are studying.
Kate also leads writing workshops for adults and for young people ages 10-13. She applies the principles of scientific research and integrated learning to story development during her workshops.
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