Broad in scope and rich in wisdom, this guide makes starting a nonfiction project feel possible—and fun.
A writer offers practical, uplifting advice to those aspiring to dive into the craft of nonfiction.
In this guide to nonfiction writing, Welch—an author, columnist, sports editor, and professor of writing in Oregon—structures his advice in seven sections: “Mindset,” “Obstacles,” “Tools,” “Gather,” “Writing,” “Genres,” and “The Process.” Interspersed between chapters are analyses of his own work and that of former students demonstrating that great writing doesn’t only come from the most well-known authors. Welch doesn’t shy away from the realities of being a writer: “Writers struggle. Period,” he states. But he always comes back to encourage budding writers to appreciate “whatever unique bent [they] bring to the table.” In “Mindset,” he reassures readers: “Don’t panic if you’re not crystal clear on your motives at the start.” “Obstacles” explores common challenges, from procrastination to fears about hurting others when telling true stories, a very practical ethical concern that the author addresses by drawing on his journalism background. In “Tools” and “Gather,” he covers research and interviewing skills, explaining that writers can draw from multiple sources and acknowledging that they also need support. In “Writing,” he lays out “Ground Rules” for style, point of view, tense, and editing: “Reading an extra 5,000 extra words is like eating tons of empty calories,” he writes with a wink. “Genres” addresses nonfiction’s wide range of subjects, while “The Process” compares traditional and self-publishing. Welch’s strength lies in combining broad guidance with highly practical advice. His examples, checklists, and accounts of his personal experience give writers clear entry points for developing ideas, structuring their work, and navigating the publishing landscape. Much of the book’s appeal comes from the author’s lighthearted, conversational style, full of cultural references and wry metaphors. However, as Welch himself notes, the advice is intentionally wide-ranging to serve all nonfiction genres, meaning some tips will feel general rather than specialized. Still, his counsel makes the daunting task of beginning a writing project feel approachable.
Broad in scope and rich in wisdom, this guide makes starting a nonfiction project feel possible—and fun.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
The veteran actor, comedian, and banjo player teams up with the acclaimed illustrator to create a unique book of cartoons that communicates their personalities.
Martin, also a prolific author, has always been intrigued by the cartoons strewn throughout the pages of the New Yorker. So when he was presented with the opportunity to work with Bliss, who has been a staff cartoonist at the magazine since 1997, he seized the moment. “The idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me,” he writes. “I felt like, yeah, sometimes I’m funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny.” Once the duo agreed to work together, they established their creative process, which consisted of working forward and backward: “Forwards was me conceiving of several cartoon images and captions, and Harry would select his favorites; backwards was Harry sending me sketched or fully drawn cartoons for dialogue or banners.” Sometimes, he writes, “the perfect joke occurs two seconds before deadline.” There are several cartoons depicting this method, including a humorous multipanel piece highlighting their first meeting called “They Meet,” in which Martin thinks to himself, “He’ll never be able to translate my delicate and finely honed droll notions.” In the next panel, Bliss thinks, “I’m sure he won’t understand that the comic art form is way more subtle than his blunt-force humor.” The team collaborated for a year and created 150 cartoons featuring an array of topics, “from dogs and cats to outer space and art museums.” A witty creation of a bovine family sitting down to a gourmet meal and one of Dumbo getting his comeuppance highlight the duo’s comedic talent. What also makes this project successful is the team’s keen understanding of human behavior as viewed through their unconventional comedic minds.
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-26289-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
PERSPECTIVES
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.
All right, all right, all right: The affable, laconic actor delivers a combination of memoir and self-help book.
“This is an approach book,” writes McConaughey, adding that it contains “philosophies that can be objectively understood, and if you choose, subjectively adopted, by either changing your reality, or changing how you see it. This is a playbook, based on adventures in my life.” Some of those philosophies come in the form of apothegms: “When you can design your own weather, blow in the breeze”; “Simplify, focus, conserve to liberate.” Others come in the form of sometimes rambling stories that never take the shortest route from point A to point B, as when he recounts a dream-spurred, challenging visit to the Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, who offered a significant lesson in how disagreement can be expressed politely and without rancor. Fans of McConaughey will enjoy his memories—which line up squarely with other accounts in Melissa Maerz’s recent oral history, Alright, Alright, Alright—of his debut in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, to which he contributed not just that signature phrase, but also a kind of too-cool-for-school hipness that dissolves a bit upon realizing that he’s an older guy on the prowl for teenage girls. McConaughey’s prep to settle into the role of Wooderson involved inhabiting the mind of a dude who digs cars, rock ’n’ roll, and “chicks,” and he ran with it, reminding readers that the film originally had only three scripted scenes for his character. The lesson: “Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more.” It’s clear that the author is a thoughtful man, even an intellectual of sorts, though without the earnestness of Ethan Hawke or James Franco. Though some of the sentiments are greeting card–ish, this book is entertaining and full of good lessons.
A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-13913-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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