Talking to Writers

By: Dean Nelson

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 everyone say, "I can do that."

In Talking to Writers, people 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.

©2026 Dean Nelson (P)2026 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

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)