I. Words & Expressions

When he turned 65 I began to pester him.

pester v. annoy persistently

To pester someone is to annoyingly nag them about something. Pestering is repetitive and bothersome.

eg. He pestered his mother to buy him a new trainers. 

... what they often mean is that they don't have anything to say--- so meager is their after-school existence...

meager  adj. deficient in amount or quality or extent (食物、钱)不足的、微薄的 

meager income/earnings/wages

Meager means small and often applies to portions. Your mother may only allow you a meager serving of chocolate cake, and you may need to eat a meager serving of veggies in order to deserve that dessert.

eg.   They came from a school meager resources.

 and this chapter is not intended as a licence to prattle just for therapy.

prattle  v. speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly 喋喋不休、闲扯、唠叨

If your little sister won't stop talking about her latest crush and you don't want to hear it, you might say, "Stop prattling on about that loser!" To prattle is go on and on about something unimportant.

eg. What's Sarah prattling on about?

II. Summary & Thought

Of all the subjects available to you as a writer, the one you know best is yourself: your past and your present, your thoughts and your emotions. 

作者开篇就指出：在所有主题中最好写的是你自己，你自己的所见所感，你的过去和现在的经历。以此引出本章的探讨的主要内容：memoir--- Memoir is the art of inventing the truth.

那么，接下来的问题：How?

If you're a writer, give yourself permission to tell us who you are.

Make sure every component in your memoir is doing useful work. Write about yourself, by all means, with confidence and with pleasure.

The two fundamental elements: detail & people

The best gift you have to offer when you write personal history is the gift of yourself. Give yourself permission to write about yourself, and have a good time doing it.

写回忆录最最重要的莫过于从自身经历出发，着重细节部分，而非全盘托出，敢于大胆去写并能够乐享其中。

最近读的这几章节内容，作者都引用了很多大家的文章，可惜，自身还不太能够好好地去欣赏体会。还需更多的阅读与体验。Wu`La`La`