Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past

Outstanding book from a expert on the subject . Must read for those planing a memoir or authobiography .

Excellent definitive life writing manual recommended by tutors.

I was expecting this book to be dry and technical. Perhaps that's because most how-to books are written that way. I bought it and then put it on a shelf for a while with other books on writing I had not read. Then one day I picked it up thinking that when I spend money on a book I should at least open it. I read most of the sections except on writing sports and a couple of other specialized sections that didn't interest me. However, even thought I didn't particularly want to read about travel writing I perused that section and found it extremely interesting and entertaining. This is because Zinsser puts sparkle and humour in his writing. I enjoyed the examples he used of cliché and dry, sterile writing. As well, in some cases I was happy to find out that some things I'm doing are good, so the focus wasn't entirely on what I was doing wrong. In that sense, the book encouraged me a great deal. I especially enjoyed the section on memoir writing as this is a project of mine. He was able to make it seem less daunting of a project, giving licence to leave stuff out and present only the memories that are significant, vivid, and further the main point in writing the piece. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to improve his/her writing.

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 about his 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 Zinsser'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 Zinsser 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.

After 100 pages I put the book aside. One learns a lot about Zinsser's life (which, frankly, hardly interests me), but almost nothing about writing memoirs - the reason why I bought this book. In my eyes, the book doesn't keep its promise: to be a book that teaches you how to write memoirs.