Maya Van Zinsser Memoir

William Zinsser is the person that wrote “How To Write A Memoir ”. William Zinsser gave us some advice to write a memoir. These specific advices are “Be Yourself”,” Speak Freely”, and “Think Small”. In Bad Boy, Walter Dean Myer memoir uses Zinsser advice but not in a exact way Zinsser wrote his memoir. Zinsser give us suggestions such as “Be Yourself” , ”It Your Story”, and “Think Small”.

In Zinsser’s “How to Write a Memoir” he gives you three pieces of advice, be yourself, speak freely, and think small. I’m going to be comparing these three pieces of advice to my memoir I’ve read ”Guts”. I will be writing at least 5 paragraphs minimum for my essay. Now that I told you what I’m going to be doing, lets get right to it!

In Zinsser’s “How to write a memoir” Zinsser gives advice on “how to write a memoir” well see if my author follows three pieces of advice from Zinsser’s “how to write a memoir”

Zinsser gave great advice to memoir writers. Soul Surfer a memoir about a girl who lost her arm to a shark. She does and doesn’t follow Zinsser’s advice, “Be yourself, speak freely, tell your story,” (Zinsser 2, 4, 6)

In order to earn her degree in creative writing she needed to complete a novel or set of short stories. She intended to write her memoir but ran into some issues. The emotions about what had happened were still too raw and reliving her memories was too much for her to handle at that time. Instead, she wrote an autobiographical novel. The events that happened in the book all happened to her, but the presence of a fictional character to represent her helped create tolerable distance between her and her experiences. This novel prepared her to write her memoir. Writing her memoir allowed her confront her past in a new way. It required her to revisit her memories as a writer rather than as herself with all her entangled emotions. Examining her life through a different lens allowed her to heal.

She was introduced to the world of writing at an early age. Her father was one of the

In “How to Write a Memoir” William Zinsser gives very detailed and important advice to writers interested in writing a memoir. He gives the specific advice of “Be yourself,” “Speak Freely,” and “Think Small” (Zinsser, 2, 4, 6). These tips advise writers to not only think about what they want to say in their story but also how they want to tell their story. Many memoir authors choose to follow this advice and write their story using these points, but many do not. In the memoir “A Summer Life”, Gary Soto follows Zinsser’s writing advice through his use of writing from the point of view of a young child, speaking freely about his early life events, and writing about his life in small structure chapters.

She confided in her brother. She later learned that her uncles had killed her attacker. Feeling that her words were responsible for the man’s death, she stopped speaking. She remained mute until the age of 13, when she and her brother returned to live with their mother. At 16, she became pregnant during high school. She gave birth to a baby boy, Guy, shortly after graduation. She worked several jobs to support herself and her child. She later married a Greek sailor, but the union didn’t last. Instead, she traveled the world, using her many talents to touch the lives of the people she encountered. Maya worked as a successful actress, author, singer, teacher, dancer, poet, and director. She’s best known for her series of autobiographies and works of poetry. Her work brought her fame and a huge international audience. She was a wonderful spokesperson for African Americans and for women. She is beloved by fans across the world, from many different walks of life.

A good story is always structured with details that are easy to follow while intriguing readers with reality and emotions. Edwidge Danticat’s memoir has proven her ability to use descriptions that allows the text and the readers to connect. Through her writing, she is able to get the reader involved in her situation, so that it is as if they are experiencing it too. Adding on, Danticat cleverly writes each type of description in a way that makes them distinct from each other. This connects the two which adds to her message. Descriptions bring life to her story and stresses the real events that happened to her and her family which displays her message effectively. That being said, without objective and subjective descriptions, any piece

What provokes a person to write about his or her life? What motivates us to read it? Moreover, do men and women tell their life story in the same way? The answers may vary depending on the person who answers the questions. However, one may suggest a reader elects to read an autobiography because there is an interest. This interest allows the reader to draw from the narrator's experience and to gain understanding from the experience. When the reader involves him/herself in the experience, the reader encounters what is known and felt by the narrator. The encounter may provide the reader an opportunity to explore a

Eaton argues, in depth, how the memoir is not very effective in inspiring readers since they, according to Eaton, cannot take the memoir seriously. In order to convey his point of view, he uses many methods to do so, such as providing truthful facts, using quotes as evidence, and choosing a particular writing style for his review.

It is shown here that she does not remember much of her earlier life and with her style choice, it helps show that, yet, keeps the story interesting. Later on in Maya’s life, it is noticeable that as she matures as a person and a writer, Maya really impacts audiences with her struggles as she grows up through a segregated and racist nation. Maya’s style changes drastically after Mr. Donleavy speaks at her 8th grade graduation. “The white kids were going to have a chance to become Galileos and Madame Curies and Edisons and Gauguins, and our boys (the girls weren't even in on it) would try to be Jesse Owenses and Joe Louises.” (176). He talked about the great achievements the local white school had achieved and all the great things they could go on to do and the black children could not have the same luxuries and were mostly sports stars. This gave Maya a realistic view

The tone Zinsser used in his novel was informative and encouraging. The informative tone was carried on throughout the whole book while Zinsser addressed many issues that can be resolved to improve one’s writing ability. One example where the informative tone was prominent was when Zinsser stated “people and places are the twin pillars on which most nonfiction is built” (116).” This sentence sounds instructional because the way Zinsser wrote it makes it sound as if that fact is something that the reader did not know beforehand, therefore providing the audience with an instructional thought. The encouraging tone stands out when Zinsser states “give yourself permission to write about yourself, and have a good time doing it (146).” This seems

Stories are powerful. In the past, long before books, people used stories to pass down history and legends to create a deeper understanding of their heritage. It was also a way to pass down morals and values from generation to generation. More than just a way of preserving the past, storytelling is a great way to bridge the gap between a reader’s heart and that of the writer. Everyone has a story to tell no matter what kind it may be. Although there is an art to storytelling, at its very foundation, the practice is merely a means of communicating one’s experiences. Perhaps out of a lack of