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
BOOK REVIEW
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
Sedaris at his darkest—and his best.
In which the veteran humorist enters middle age with fine snark but some trepidation as well.
Mortality is weighing on Sedaris (Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002, 2017, etc.), much of it his own, professional narcissist that he is. Watching an elderly man have a bowel accident on a plane, he dreaded the day when he would be the target of teenagers’ jokes “as they raise their phones to take my picture from behind.” A skin tumor troubled him, but so did the doctor who told him he couldn’t keep it once it was removed. “But it’s my tumor,” he insisted. “I made it.” (Eventually, he found a semitrained doctor to remove and give him the lipoma, which he proceeded to feed to a turtle.) The deaths of others are much on the author’s mind as well: He contemplates the suicide of his sister Tiffany, his alcoholic mother’s death, and his cantankerous father’s erratic behavior. His contemplation of his mother’s drinking—and his family’s denial of it—makes for some of the most poignant writing in the book: The sound of her putting ice in a rocks glass increasingly sounded “like a trigger being cocked.” Despite the gloom, however, frivolity still abides in the Sedaris clan. His summer home on the Carolina coast, which he dubbed the Sea Section, overspills with irreverent bantering between him and his siblings as his long-suffering partner, Hugh, looks on. Sedaris hasn’t lost his capacity for bemused observations of the people he encounters. For example, cashiers who say “have a blessed day” make him feel “like you’ve been sprayed against your will with God cologne.” But bad news has sharpened the author’s humor, and this book is defined by a persistent, engaging bafflement over how seriously or unseriously to take life when it’s increasingly filled with Trump and funerals.
Sedaris at his darkest—and his best.Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-39238-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
PROFILES
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
