Before I was fortunate enough to become successful as a writer, I worked at home, writing as much as I could between construction jobs.
-- Gary Pauslen (Chapter 1)

Importance: Here, Gary Paulsen explains how he got his start in writing. He reveals that he worked construction, wrote as much as he could, and responded to ambulance calls. The experiences gained from this helped inspire Paulsen in his writings.

I remembered him and his eyes and I put him in the plane next to Brian because he was, above all things, real, and I wanted the book to be real.
-- Gary Paulsen (Chapter 1)

Importance: Paulsen recounts a particular heart attack case he responded to where the victim recovered just enough, just long enough, to look into his eyes. Paulsen was struck by the experience. When writing Hatchet, he drew on the experience to write about the pilot who had a heart attack.

I just saw brown. I saw big. I...
-- Gary Paulsen (Chapter 2)