My Thoughs on "Writing Family History and Memoir" from William Zinsser's "On Writing Well"

         After reading a certain chapter of William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well,” I began to think about how bringing together ideas that seem to have little to no significance can create something great. The chapter that I read was “Writing Family History and Memoir,” which had some interesting advice written in it such as “If you still remember them it’s because they contain a universal truth that your readers will recognize from their own life.” That quote seemed pretty reasonable to me since if the writer and reader can recognize the meaning behind a certain action or event then it has to be worth writing about. Then there is this quote, “The small stories that still stuck in your memory have a resonance of their own. Trust Them.” This quote would be supporting the previously stated quote as there has to be a reason for anyone to remember certain details about their life, whether it’s obvious to see the meaning behind it or not.
         The next quote I want to talk about from this chapter is this, “my final advice is - again - think small.” What I interpret from this quote is that to “think small” is to not focus on large or extravagant pieces of writing that would capture the reader’s attention at a glance but to bring together small details to greater something with a larger meaning behind it. To trust in your own ability to put significance into the collective whole of smaller event is pretty amazing to me.