Talking to Writers: The Craft of Nonfiction
Bloomsbury Academic, 2025
Agent: Elise Capron
Am I a writer? Where should I get ideas? Is my writing any good? How did my favorite authors make it big? The act of writing is a daunting task for many people, and becoming a “writer” means so much more than putting pen to paper.
Dean Nelson embraces the questions that plague writers by turning to some of the best-known authors of our time. With encouragement, advice, and refreshing honesty, writers discuss their own beginnings, struggles, and victories in a manner that will make readers say, “I can do that.”
In Talking to Writers: The Craft of Nonfiction, readers will hear from Anne Lamott about what she means by writing to heal herself, from David Brooks about what it takes to craft an informed opinion, from Tracy Kidder about the need for revision, and from Elizabeth Gilbert about being humble. Among the many other featured writers are Jeannette Walls, Cornel West, Nick Hornby, George Plimpton, Susan Orlean, and more.
Bringing together interviews from 30 years of the annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea, Nelson reveals writers' motives, connects the dots to their past, and acknowledges their struggles. Often beginning with, “I've never said this publicly before…”, these treasured authors' revelations give aspiring writers of every level the courage and support necessary to live the writing life.
Reviews:
“Nelson's smart and lively commentary and the richly illuminating interview selections flow together smoothly, and aspiring writers will find genuinely useful advice and inspiration in these invaluable, enjoyable volumes.”
—Booklist
“Dean Nelson is a national treasure who loves the written word and honors the craft of writing by encouraging those who long to express themselves to get out there and do it. In Talking to Writers, he offers genuinely helpful advice about how to get started-and how to keep going. Weaving together his insightful conversations with writers and his own reflections, Nelson inspires everyone who has stared at a blank screen to marry confidence with constructive self-criticism, and to allow their doubts to dissolve into hope.”
—E. J. Dionne Jr., author of Why Americans Hate Politics and Our Divided Political Heart
“I have done a number of interviews with Dean Nelson over the years, and there is no one I prefer to talk to more. His questions are always probing and meaningful, leading to illuminating conversations about writing and life.”
—Anne Lamott, political activist and writer, author of Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life
“Dean is a warm, well-prepared, magnanimous, funny, and absolutely terrific interviewer.”
—Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light We Cannot See and Cloud Cuckoo Land