User talk:LifeMandolinist

Help me!
Please help me with... I would like to publish an accurate page reflecting my work as a Mandolinist, Guitarist and composer. There are a couple journalists I could ask to write it, but frankly, they over dramatize basic information. I realize that writing about self is far from the ideal contribution method, but as I look thru the pages of many contemporary peers listed here, with which I am quite well acquainted personally, I see that I am well in the medium range of notable activities and accomplishments.

Bruce Graybill Two time National Mandolin Champion Former President of the Classical Mandolin Society of America Inc.

LifeMandolinist (talk) 16:09, 9 April 2019 (UTC)
 * Please read Wikipedia policy on autobiographies; in short, while not forbidden, writing an autobiographical article is highly discouraged. This is mostly because people naturally write favorably about themselves, and Wikipedia tries to have a neutral point of view.  It is possible- but very rare- for someone to successfully write an autobiographical article.  I've been here almost 7 years and I haven't seen someone succeed at it, but it is technically possible.  In order for you to succeed, you would essentially need to forget everything you know about yourself and your career and only write based on the content of independent reliable sources.  Wikipedia articles are only supposed to summarize what independent sources state about article subjects that meet Wikipedia's special definition of notability.  It sounds like you could meet the notability guidelines for either people or musicians more specifically, so all you would need is the independent sources to back it up.  If you truly feel you can write a valid article about yourself, I would strongly advise you to use Articles for Creation to do so.  If you want, you may also make a request at Requested Articles to have someone write about you, but that process is backlogged.
 * If you ask someone to write an article for you, or pay someone to do so, that would trigger the disclosure requirements of the conflict of interest policy and the paid editing policy; the latter is a Wikipedia Terms of Use requirement if the editor is paid by you.
 * Lastly, I would inform you that an article about yourself is not necessarily desirable; please read this essay. Almost any content about you- be it good or bad- that appears in an independent reliable source can be included in the article about you; you cannot prevent others from editing it and cannot lock it to the text you might prefer to be there.  Please keep this in mind. 331dot (talk) 16:41, 9 April 2019 (UTC)