Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Bio, About Me, and Stuff

Having just read yet another Bio page on someone’s website, it got me thinking.




Confession #1— that page is, invariably, my favorite page when I look someone up. I’m not referring to the people so famous there’s a Wiki page on them and books written about them. I’m thinking about the self-composed, let-me-tell-you-about-myself part of most folks’ websites. I get a lot from the personality of the narration (=voice) and the details chosen. Much more than a list of facts.


Confession #2— I’m disappointed if the page doesn’t contain a photo. Let me see your face, and you get to choose which picture you share. This is not a beauty contest. It is about revealing and sharing. Even what a website owner chooses for a bio photo tells me something.


Confession #3— I’m disappointed if instead of sharing pertinent and relevant information, you choose a list of “fun-facts.” The likes of “my favorite jelly bean flavor is cherry,” and “I once almost met the Queen of Sweden,” and nothing else, is not really a bio-fact, nor much fun. I conclude that you do not intend to give a real glimpse into what matters to you, and what makes you tick.


Confession #4— I’m never disappointed if while you told the truth and nothing but the truth, you didn’t tell the whole truth. The whole truth includes boring details and really, some things are not my business.




I tried to write a bio on my site that fits what I care to see on others. This, also, doesn’t make it right and the only way to do things. But it helped navigate this awkward task. I wrote it as if I were not the writer, nor the subject. I wrote it as if I were an interested reader.



Come to think of it, it’s how I write my stories and my blog posts.

11 comments:

Janie Junebug said...

I clicked on the link and read your bio. It's great.

Love,
Janie

Vijaya said...

I agree with all your points, esp. about giving a glimpse of who you really are.

Your bio made me laugh, esp. about the two people, one of them being your mother, who does not count. After a certain age, I think we appreciate that we are our mother's daughters.

Evelyn said...

I also agree with your points, and the bio is usually the first thing I check when I visit an author's website. I think you have an interesting and fun bio on your site.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I agree. I love reading bio pages and book jacket flaps to know more about whose words I'm reading. Your bio page is uniquely wonderful and gives a real sense as to who you are.

Kelly Hashway said...

My bio is a mix of the usual facts you'd find and my quirks.

Tina Cho said...

Great points. Now I need to go check my bio. I know mine isn't as fun as yours!

Unknown said...

A picture is a must! I learned from school visits that a lot of kids have an idea in their head that authors are all long-dead, so it's nice to have something to show them that we are, in fact, living, breathing people.

janlcoates said...

Nice pic:) And I feel like I know you from reading your blog entries (and this bio). On a slightly different topic, I always read the acknowledg(e)ment pages in novels before I begin.

Mirka Breen said...

"...I always read the acknowledg(e)ment pages in novels before I begin."

Me too!

Yanting Gueh said...

I like your bio, Mirka, and I know your stories will bring light to the world, just like your parents did in their fashion. And yes, being rich would be nice, indeed!

Ruth Schiffmann said...

I love your bio, Mirka. It is a mini-story in itself. I especially like how it comes around full circle at the end. Nicely done! (And now I think I have to put re-writing mine on my to do list.)