Writing about Your Life: A Journey Into the Past

It isn't the writing advice that strikes me most about William Zinsser's On Writing Well. No doubt the advice is sound and helpful--the most helpful that I've found. But, concerning the mechanics of good writing, Zinsser doesn't tell the student of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style much that's new. Instead, it's his presentation that sets the book apart. Zinsser teaches writing through narrative full of what he calls "warmth and humanity." That's what brings me back to On Writing Well again and again, and that's why I had to read Writing about Your Life. Just as On Writing Well grew out of a course that Zinsser taught at Yale, so Writing about Your Life is the "distillation" of a course that he teaches at New School in New York. The course, called "People and Places," teaches men and women how to write about their lives, something that Zinsser believes is important: "Writers are the custodians of memory, and memories have a way of dying with their owner. One of the saddest sentences I know is 'I wish I had asked my mother about that'." According to the author, this book has two premises. The first is to "beware of `about'." Instead of starting with an outline or picture of the finished project, writers should focus on one story at a time, being open to where their memory leads them. The end result may be much different than the initial idea. The second premise is to "think small." "Be content to tell your small portion of a larger story. Too short is always better than too long." Writers should avoid listing every detail of their life. "An interesting life doesn't make an interesting memoir. Only small pieces of life make an interesting memoir." This book is not for those who are impatient with example. Zinsser doesn't give an outline, five steps, or a list of do's and don'ts. Instead, he tells stories from his own life, stopping along the way to discuss his writing, the choices he made, and the principles that guided those choices. Readers of On Writing Well with recognize some of the stories, which are expanded in this book. But there are many new ones, too. This method of teaching is an example in itself, as Zinsser asserts early on that "People love to be told stories." It works for me. Zinsser says that a good memoir should teach the reader something about life. "Make your writing useful," he says. Referring to one of his music teachers, he writes: "Much of what Dwike Mitchell taught me about playing the piano has nothing to do with music. It has to do with conduct and character." The same can be said about this book, which I loved reading. Zinsser teaches us about conduct and character, without neglecting to teach what we want to know about writing. He is certainly one who knows how to write a story that is both enjoyable and useful.

Zinsser weaves "how to" tips and discussion into his own memoirs. His section on cutting a broad project (write about baseball) down to manageable size (Pirates in spring training) is excellent for its step-by-step thinking process. He offers equally good thinking on many other things that can cause perplexion.

In Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past, William Zinsser uses the main technique of the master teacher: he demonstrates what he is trying to teach. In the first of a series of mini-memoirs from his own life Zinsser tells the story of a phone message left on his answering machine from a woman who has a question about a paint primer that Zinsser's father had manufactured years before. In referring to an article he wrote about the message and the phone call that followed, the author shows how the work dealt with a number of themes: fathers and sons, family expectations, and filial duty, among others. He tells us that he did not start out to write about these themes, but that they naturally evolved from the message and the phone conversation that followed. He then connects this to the two main premises of the book: 1. "Beware of deciding in advance how your memoir or family history will be organized and what it will say." 2. "Write about small self-contained incidents that are still vivid in your memory." Zinsser uses this technique throughout the book; he shares an incident from his past, and then emphasizes a particular point about memoir writing. Besides the teaching aspects of the book, another strength is the writing maxims sprinkled throughout. Some examples: "Go with what interests and amuses you. Trust the process, and the product will take care of itself." "Too short is always better than too long." "All writers are embarked on a quest of some kind, and you're entitled to go on yours." "Look for the human connection as you make your journey. Connect us to the people who connected with you." "All writing is talking to someone else on paper. Talk like yourself." In addition to helpful maxims, Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past reflects Zinseer's articles of faith (as stated in his signature work, On Writing Well) about what good nonfiction writing exhibits: humanity, clarity, simplicity, and vitality. With so many books available on this topic why choose Writing About Your Life? Because William Zinseer is a master teacher. Reading Writing About Your Life (and On Writing Well) would be an excellent preparation for anyone thinking about writing a memoir.

I've always been a big fan of William Zinsser's books. As a professional biographer/memoirist, however, this one truly hits home. It's not only a perfect example of WHAT to do, but HOW to do it as well. For anyone aspiring to be a professional biographer, or if you're just interested in writing your own biography, all I can say is GET THIS BOOK! -- and get it NOW!