Summary Of Guts By William Zinsser

There is an article called “How to Write a Memoir” by William Zinsser that contains three main pieces of advice, think small, be yourself, and speak freely. I read a book called “Guts” by Gary Paulsen that follows two of these pieces of advice. In chapter two of “Guts” Gary follows Zinsser’s advice on writing as you speak. He talks about the time when the carburetor in the Cessna he was in froze over. The pilot landed the plane on a frozen river covered with snow, as the plane was equipped with wheels and skis. When the pilot got out the plane he told Gary that he shouldn’t worry as the carburetor froze all the time. Gary then said “Oh I shouldn’t worry the carburetor freezes all the time like that was supposed to make me feel better.”(Page 16) Gary also uses Zinsser’s advice on thinking small, as he had at least three memories for every one chapter. In chapter four Gary talked about when he tried to hunt grouse with arrows for the first time, and missed with every arrow for the first try. After using all of his arrows he went to go pick one up to stab the grouse when it took off. Gary then said that “If someone ever heard a grouse take off they will never forget it. A grouse has an evolved take off that is at the least, startling.”(Page 87)

This follows Zinsser’s advice for thinking small. However it does not show the story from a child’s point of view. That is the only piece of advice Gary doesn’t follow. He writes his story like it was part of an autobiography. What is an autobiography? An autobiography is a biography that was written by who it’s about. Here’s an example. If I wrote a biography but it was about me, then I created an autobiography. Gary wrote “Guts” like