During my studies last trimester I undertook my final writing subject. My first assignment was to write a non-fiction book proposal.
It didn’t take me long to type up the idea for my book, but what was stopping me in my tracks was writing up the biographical details. I had to meet certain word limits for my overall assignment, so I had to make sure what I wrote in my bio was not only tight but relevant to my proposal. What really stumped me was what I had to write within the first paragraph – show why I was well equipped to write this particular book. Trouble was, I had the knowledge, but I didn’t have the experience to help back it up.
I was stunned by my inexperience and felt like a complete amateur. Writing my bio helped me assess where I was currently with my writing platform and what needed to be done to make it better. I had to lift my game, not only within my topic but my writing credits as well. Writing the bio helped me dig a little deeper within my chosen genres, discovering my angle and therefore my ‘brand’.
By making my bio tighter I managed to discover more about myself, as well as my current strengths and weaknesses within my platform. There’s plenty of work still to be done!
Have you written a short bio? Has writing a bio helped you discover your strengths and weaknesses within your platform? What have you done to help make your platform and bio better?
Free image by Simon Howden courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Good post Debbie, I enjoyed reading it and it was very useful.
Hi Athena. I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for your comments. 🙂
I suck epically at writing my own bio. In fact, I’m horrible when it comes to writing about myself at all.
Hi Daphne. I hate writing about myself as I don’t think I’m all that interesting. 😉 I was very uncomfortable writing up my bio, but by doing so, it has certainly been a learning experience. Writing more about my actual writing than about myself, felt much better! Thanks for your comments and best of luck with it. 🙂