How to Write a Memoir

"One of the saddest sentences I know is 'I wish I had asked my mother about that.' Or my father. Or my grandmother. Or my grandfather. As every parent knows, our children are not as fascinated by our fascinating lives as we are. Only when they have children of their own—and feel the first twinges of their own advancing age—do they suddenly want to know more about their family heritage and all its accretions of anecdote and lore. 'What exactly were those stories my dad used to tell about coming to America?' 'Where exactly was that farm in the Midwest where my mother grew up?'"

"How to Write a Memoir" by William Zinsser

According to Zinsser, what is the main reason why a person writes a memoir?

• The writer realizes that he is growing older and wants to pass family histories on to his children.

• The writer wants to remember specific details about his childhood, including information about where he lived and stories his parents told.

• The person is beginning to forget information about his parents and grandparents, and wants to write down the little information he remembers.

• The person knows that children are extremely interested in the stories their parents have to share.

Which quotation from the text best supports the main reason why a person writes a memoir?

• "One of the saddest sentences I know is 'I wish I had asked my mother about that.' Or my father. Or my grandmother. Or my grandfather.”

• “As every parent knows, our children are not as fascinated by our fascinating lives as we are.”

• “Only when they have children of their own—and feel the first twinges of their own advancing age—do they suddenly want to know more about their family heritage and all its accretions of anecdote and lore.”

• “What exactly were those stories my dad used to tell about coming to America?”

“Writers are the custodians of memory, and that’s what you must become if you want to leave some kind of record of your life [. . .]. Whatever it is, it’s an important kind of writing. Too often memories die with their owner, and too often time surprises us by running out.”

How to Write a Memoir by William Zinsser

Which statement below best states Zinsser's claim?

• Writing shows the truth, especially because we write down thoughts we are too afraid to say aloud.

• Writing does not effectively provide future generations with information about their ancestors.

• Writing preserves our memories and allows us to share them after we are no longer here to tell our stories.

• Writing down memories is less effective than verbally sharing our stories with loved ones.

Match the quotation with the advice:

"I've always felt deprived of knowing more of that missing grandfather."

• Be yourself

• Speak freely

• Think small

Match the quotation with the advice:

"Tackle your life in easily manageable chunks..."

• Be yourself

• Speak freely

• Think small

Match the quotation with the advice:

"He wrote just the way he talked..."

• Be yourself

• Speak freely

• Think small

Match the quotation with the advice:

"Maybe so; the truth is somewhere between my mother's version and mine. But she was like that to me. That was my remembered truth, and that's how I wrote it."

• Be yourself

• Speak freely

• Think small

Match the quotation with the advice:

"I just tell one story about one trip I took across North Africa..."

• Be yourself

• Speak freely

• Think small

Match the quotation with the advice:

"Whenever I asked my father about him, he changed the subject and had no stories to tell."

• Be yourself

• Speak freely

• Think small

"As I told him my stories he looked like an excited child waiting to open his birthday present. The sadness in his eyes also disappeared; he looked jubilant and giddy. When he saw his family’s property on my video I expected to see him cry, and he did, but they were tears of joy. He seemed so proud, and I asked him, 'Daddy, what are you looking at with such pride? Is it your house?' He said, 'No, it’s you! You have become my eyes and ears and legs. Thank you for taking this trip. It makes me feel as if I’ve gone there myself.'"

"How to Write a Memoir" by William Zinsser

How does Zinsser use this paragraph to refine his advice?

• Zinsser uses the experience of a student to demonstrate what can go wrong by not thinking small.

• Zinsser uses the experience of a student to explain that the memoir process may take unexpected turns.

• Zinsser uses the experience of a student as an example of regretting not starting a memoir earlier.

• Zinsser uses the experience of a student to further illustrate a memoir's personal point of view.