Literary Hive: Help! Biographical Questions

[eaglei]

If someone wanted your assistance in writing their autobiography, what are some questions/types of stories you would want to include. I'm not talking about just the usual facts, but rather the unusual, out-of-the-ordinary, unique, *attention* getters. I would appreciate responses from anyone, and would also like some *different* religiously-oriented questions as well, as the person in question (no pun intended!) is a Christian. I'm not phrasing this very well, but PLEASE put on your creative hats and help me out! Thanks!

 

ETA (2-16-10): Thought I'd try one more time! I have done the research for making sure I hit the obvious questions, etc., but I am really interested in what the Hive considers more creative type questions to ask, more intriguing lines of stories about one's life, etc. Surely, someone on the Hive has read a biography and wondered why some topic wasn't covered, or thought, "gee I wish the biographer had delved more into this or that topic" . . . Maybe you have had some highlight in your life that has made you wonder if others have experienced a similar thing and how they thought, felt about it, etc. ANY suggestions would be MOST appreciated! Thanks!

Edited February 16, 2010 by eaglei

[eaglei]

Anybody? Any questions you would suggest asking? Thanks!

[eaglei]

Bumping one more time...

[Perry]

I'd look at some genealogy books at your library. Many have chapters on oral histories, with long lists of questions to ask. My genealogy books are packed away, so I can't get to the actual lists right now.

[Perry]

I found some online lists:

 

Fifty Questions for Family History Interviews

 

 

 

1. What is your full name? Why did your parents select this name for you? Did you have a nickname?
   
2. When and where were you born?
   
3. How did your family come to live there?
   
4. Were there other family members in the area? Who?
   
5. What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
   
6. Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
   
7. What is your earliest childhood memory?
   
8. Describe the personalities of your family members.
   
9. What kind of games did you play growing up?
   
10. What was your favorite toy and why?
    
11. What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
    
12. Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite?
    
13. Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it?
    
14. What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College?
    
15. What school activities and sports did you participate in?
    
16. Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
    
17. Who were your childhood heroes?
    
18. What were your favorite songs and music?
    
19. Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
    
20. What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
    
21. Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
    
22. Who were your friends when you were growing up?
    
23. What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family?
    
24. Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods?
    
25. How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions?
    
26. How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
    
27. Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them?
    
28. What do you know about your family surname?
    
29. Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather?
    
30. What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors?
    
31. Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family?
    
32. Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members?
    
33. Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family?
    
34. Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in your family?
    
35. What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents?
    
36. When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates?
    
37. What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen? How did you feel?
    
38. Where and when did you get married?
    
39. What memory stands out the most from your wedding day?
    
40. How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them?
    
41. What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage?
    
42. How did you find out your were going to be a parent for the first time?
    
43. Why did you choose your children's names?
    
44. What was your proudest moment as a parent?
    
45. What did your family enjoy doing together?
    
46. What was your profession and how did you choose it?
    
47. If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
    
48. Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable?
    
49. What accomplishments were you the most proud of?
    
50. What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?
    

 

 

[Aubrey]

I don't have anything *specific*--there was a computer program yrs ago that helped to generate really great questions, but it took forever, lol. Fil & I sat in the computer rm together for hrs working thr it, but we never finished, & I never got around to anyone else.

 

One thing I would suggest from a writing standpoint--when you listen to the person telling his/her stories, try to listen for a theme to the person's life. Finding that theme can make telling the story more meaningful & captivating than a simple list of facts.

 

Also...facial expressions & body language sometimes tell more of the story than the words alone. Jot down as much as you can. Sometimes you don't find the meaning in a particular look until much later.

 

GL!

[eaglei]

Perry and Aubrey - THANK YOU! Good list of questions and good advice - just what I need!

 

I am a little concerned whether I am *up* to the task - but I do like to write. This lady had asked me some years ago to help her when she was ready (I thought she had changed her mind) - she told me on Sunday that she is now reaching that *ready* point . . . Writing for someone else seems very daunting. I can come up with a number of ways to pursue my own story (were it intriguing enough!) but someone else's . . . that's a whole 'nother ball game!

 

Any advice is most welcome!

[Aubrey]

You might also want to think about your audience--are you writing this for the lady herself, or (more likely) her gkids? Obviously, there will likely be a need for some filtering in the case of the latter, but choosing to do something like videotaping your interviews or at least recording them gives those loved ones something to treasure besides what you write. Or if some emergency leaves the task unfinished, there's still something to show for it w/out you having the burden of a treasure buried in your head.

 

Another thing--looking through photo albums together can help to get someone talking. I love good questions, but the point of them is to get *stories* not just answers. Good questions will do that, of course, but pics can, too.

 

Ooh, pics from magazines from the time periods you're covering could be interesting. Getting someone's firsthand account of living thr a historical event/period is always fascinating. I was in college before I realized that my mother (& gparents & g-gparents) had lived thr integration. How stupid of me! But the history book & family stories were separate compartments in my brain for some reason.