Ch.14 Writing About Yourself: The Memoir

Zinsser encourages writers to write the memoir with confidence and pleasure, but make sure the details flow smoothly. The writer should narrow the scope to select the most intense emotion. The memoir is different from the autobiography, which spans an entire life. Further, Zinsser suggests adding more details, even like songs, smells and sounds, to form a vivid memoir. The writer may recall the memorable people crossed their life, and tell the readers why they are crucial. Additionally, staying real could evoke resonance among readers.

Vocabulary

embark on

Now he can hardly believe what a liberating journey he is embarked on: how much he is discovering about his father that he never understood, and about his own life.
embark on/upon sth: to make a start
[造句] We're embarking a new project next year.
embark v. 上船
[造句] We embarked at Hong Kong for Sydney.

dip

I’m often amazed, dipping into my past, to find some forgotten incident clicking into place just when I need it.
dip into: to read or watch only parts of sth
[造句] I dozed off while dipping into the book.

plunk down

Nobody but a Chinese-American woman could have made me feel what it’s like to be a Chinese girl plunked down in an American kindergarten and expected to be an American girl.
[UK] plonk [US]plunk
plunk down: to settle (oneself) into position; put down firmly and abruptly.
e.g. He plunked himself on the bench (长凳，替补队员席).
[造句] He plunked a mug of coffee on the counter.

murmured

I needed all this murmured chorus, this continuum of true-life stories, to pull me through.
v. 低声说；私下抱怨，咕哝；
n. 低语声；私下抱怨，咕哝；低沉连续的声音
e.g. the murmur of the waves along the shore.
[造句] His action brought murmurs of disapproval.
without a murmur 一声不吭地，毫无抱怨地
[造句] He accepted the decision without a murmur.