Biography written in first person

First Person vs Third Person in a Memoir

I&#;ve spent seven days hip-to-hip with my client here in Memphis along the slow-moving Mississippi and throughout this great city. This morning, as I prepare to accompany her to her beloved Nazarene church in North Memphis, I realize that I now have my client&#;s voice &#;in&#; me. Walking by the river as a pair of canoeists flushed out a great blue heron with its impossibly wide wingspan, I heard Dr. Ballard&#;s voice talking in my head.

Many people ask me how I go about writing a memoir and if I write a memoir in first person or third person and how I know which to use. Without doubt, third person allows greater flexibility and more expansiveness in the writing. As the narrator, I can describe the goings-on with omniscient eyes: I see everything, including how others see the scene. For that reason, I write biographies in third person.

However, I always include at least one entire chapter that is in that person&#;s own voice and in first person. But the way I arrive at the first-person chapter is to clean up the person&#;s speech while remaining true to his or her voice, just as a good speechwriter aims to use a person&#;s authentic style of speech while punching it up and stringing together his most powerful and most eloquent expressions and phraseology.

The great advantage of using first person in a memoir or any type of writing is the sense of immediacy, the access to a person&#;s inner passions. In first person we see the fire; we feel the inner motivations and sometimes can reveal more of the person&#;s sense of humor.

In my work, I frequently have an opportunity to read biographies on company websites, in LinkedIn  and other social profiles, and on professional services firm 'About' pages. Most are written in the detached third person. However, the ones that come alive are almost always written in the first person.

Imagine you’re shopping for dentist. Perhaps you’re new to town or need emergency work on the road. You find a half dozen dentists via search and one of them has a narrative using the pronouns “I” and “my”. This particular dentists shares the story of why they went into dentistry and what excites them about their work. Maybe there’s some fun stuff about what she is passionate about, a sport perhaps. Or the kind of live music she enjoys. There might be  photos of the dentist enjoying her hobby included as part of the bio.

Contrast that with a dull repetition of where “Dr. X” earned her professional degrees. There’s a single posed photo with some important looking certificates on the wall behind her.

Which dentist would you be drawn to?

Tell your story!

We want to know your story. And we want to know who you are in your own words. Let us know about some of the things that make you a unique and interesting person.

For example, here is the opening to my LinkedIn profile:

I was fired. Sacked. My ideas were a little too radical for my new bosses. So I started writing books, speaking at events and advising emerging companies. That was in and since then my books have sold over a million copies in 29 languages.

Self-written biography

For information of autobiographies on Wikipedia, see Wikipedia: other uses, see Autobiography (disambiguation).

An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share their unique perspectives and stories, offering readers a glimpse into the author's personal journey and the historical or cultural context in which they lived.

The term "autobiography" was first used in , but the practice of writing about one's life dates back to antiquity. Early examples include Saint Augustine's Confessions (c.&#;), which is considered one of the first Western autobiographies. Unlike biographies, which are written by someone else, autobiographies are based on the author's memory and personal interpretation of events, making them inherently subjective. This subjectivity can sometimes lead to inaccuracies or embellishments, as the author may recall events differently or choose to present them in a certain light.

Autobiographies can take various forms, including memoirs, spiritual autobiographies, and fictional autobiographies. Memoirs typically focus on specific memories or themes from the author's life, rather than providing a comprehensive account. Spiritual autobiographies, such as Augustine's Confessions, detail the author's religious journey and spiritual growth. Fictional autobiographies, on the other hand, are novels written in the first person, presenting a fictional character's life as if it were an autobiography.

Throughout history, autobiographies have served different purposes, from self-reflection and justification to historical documentation and personal expression. They have evolved with literary trends and societal changes, reflecting the cultural and historical contexts of their times. Autobiographies remain a pop

If it feels comfortable to you it’s probably underwhelming for them.

The first person is unconventional

Why do people write their biographies in the third person? Why describe yourself as if you’re describing someone else? Why detach the person from the profile? Nearly everyone does it. Third person is the grammatical convention for website bios and proposal bios. It’s a convention that mostly goes unchallenged. People assume that the done thing is the right thing. People assume that third person detachment is professional detachment. And yet, for b2b and service businesses, detachment is unprofessional. You live or die on the strength of relationships. Your clients do business with your people, not with your company. Detachment is commercial suicide.

The unconventional approach is the uncomfortable approach, which is also why it’s the impressive approach. Writing about yourself in the first person is the equivalent of meeting in real life rather than on Zoom. It’s the equivalent of making eye contact. Writing in the first person makes for more visceral prose. It comes from a more vulnerable place. That’s why you shy away from it. But it’s also why your readers (your potential clients) will thank you for it.

The first person is charismatic

It’s cosy and safe to make a presentation sitting in amongst your colleagues and clients at the boardroom table. You can take cover behind your laptop. The stakes feel lower and so does your pulse rate. But you’re performing with a safety net, which makes your feats of communication less compelling.

When you move away from the table your content is lifted by your personality. This is true regardless of who you are &#; introvert or extrovert, beginner or TED veteran, able-bodied or wheelchair user. Charisma comes in many varieties, a lot of them quiet and understated. No matter how your charisma manifests, it manifests more when you make yourself conspicuous to hold the room.

Writing about yours