---
product_id: 7519293
title: "Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past"
price: "C$1616"
currency: NIO
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 12
url: https://www.desertcart.ni/products/7519293-writing-about-your-life-a-journey-into-the-past
store_origin: NI
region: Nicaragua
---

# Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past

**Price:** C$1616
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- **What is this?** Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past
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## Description

Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past [Zinsser, William] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past

Review: Master Teacher - 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.
Review: Write your own stories in your own words and don't let anyone else hold your pen. - Everyone has a story and once we know our story we can be who we were created to be in a world hungry for connection, understanding, communication and collaboration instead of more war and political and civil chaos. "Writing About Your Life: A Journey Into the Past" by William Zinsser is a book I shall always have in my personal library because its wisdom is timeless. Also, reading it helped me write my book "Distilled Wisdom for Growing Older Without Growing Old" also available on desertcart, with an appendix filled with easy ways to get started!

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #51,479 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #28 in Rhetoric (Books) #51 in Authorship Reference #95 in Fiction Writing Reference (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (320) |
| Dimensions  | 5.75 x 0.9 x 8.25 inches |
| ISBN-10  | 1569243794 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-1569243794 |
| Item Weight  | 2.31 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 240 pages |
| Publication date  | March 10, 2005 |
| Publisher  | Grand Central Publishing |

## Images

![Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61mNpDxZ5TL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Master Teacher
*by E***H on February 16, 2005*

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.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Write your own stories in your own words and don't let anyone else hold your pen.
*by P***N on February 2, 2025*

Everyone has a story and once we know our story we can be who we were created to be in a world hungry for connection, understanding, communication and collaboration instead of more war and political and civil chaos. "Writing About Your Life: A Journey Into the Past" by William Zinsser is a book I shall always have in my personal library because its wisdom is timeless. Also, reading it helped me write my book "Distilled Wisdom for Growing Older Without Growing Old" also available on Amazon, with an appendix filled with easy ways to get started!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Read Zinsser;s other books first
*by T***A on August 13, 2025*

I read a few of Zinsser's other books before this one and I'm glad I did. "On Writing Well" is excellent. This book is more memoir than how to write. It's interesting overall, but not captivating. There is some good advice on writing at the very end, but if I had read this Zinsser book first, I would never have read the others -- and that would have been a real loss.

## Frequently Bought Together

- Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past
- On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
- Writing To Learn

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*Product available on Desertcart Nicaragua*
*Store origin: NI*
*Last updated: 2026-01-28*