Thank you, Denise!

Awwwww. Thanks!

Hello Anna,

Thank you for your insightful comments. You mentioned one of the toughest aspects of writing a biography--shaping and arranging all the information you've gathered to best effect.

Thanks also for introducing me to some biographers that are unfamiliar to me. I'm interested in reading the one about the Peabody sisters.

Best wishes,
Louise

Hello Alicia,

Thank you for your interesting comments. I hosted a book club meeting this evening to discuss Dancing Through Life. At the end of our discussion, I asked the question: Would you like someone to write your biography? Most members said, "Absolutely not." I think it takes courage and perhaps a bit of egotism to invite others into one's life. Most people only want others to view them in a favorable light, but that's not what makes a biography or memoir fascinating. Rather, it's the subject's flaws, missteps, and challenges that makes the readers want to keep turning the pages.
Best wishes,
Louise

Hello Jenny!
Thank you for your comments. From what I know of your life, you definitely have a story worth telling.
Best wishes,
Louise

Thank you for your comments, Eldred. You do a great job of creating vivid characters that are relatable to the reader!

Hello Miffie,

Yes, you are correct. There are so many parallels between the construction of a biography and a novel. Even though the story is factual, there is room for a great deal of creativity in the telling of the subject's life.

Some of my heroes in biography are David McCullough, Robert Caro, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Candice Millard, and Megan Marshall (especially her book about the Peabody sisters, which is not only a great story but a lesson in craft that follows three lives without ever losing track). Few things make me happier than sitting down with a nice chunky biography of an interesting person. It has to be well written, though. If not, out it goes.