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Talking to Writers
- Author
- Dean Nelson
- Narrator
- Bob Souer
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Publish Date
- 4 June 2026
- Run Time
- 15 hours 50 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
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 Fiction, readers will hear from Ray Bradbury about why everyone should write, Alice Walker about writing with courage, Nick Hornby about creating dialogue, Anthony Doerr about getting ideas, and Amy Tan about discipline. Among the many other featured writers are Joyce Carol Oates, Jane Smiley, Don Winslow, Amor Towles, Billy Collins, 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.
Critics Review
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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
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At its best, the collection captures the spark of a live conversation, balancing practical insight with moments of genuine delight. Less how-to manual than a mosaic of perspectives, this will be a boon to aspiring writers.
Publishers Weekly
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Through his careful research and humorous goading, Dean Nelson removes the mystery of writing and publishing in this delightful compilation of wisdom. He facetiously claimed that my being part of his Writer's Symposium was the pinnacle of his career. I’m betting the wide appeal of this book will prove him wrong.
Amy Tan, author of The Backyard Bird Chronicles
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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
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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
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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
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Details
- Author
- Dean Nelson
- Narrator
- Bob Souer
- Duration
- 15 hours 50 minutes
- Release Date
- 4 June 2026
- ISBN
- 9798216477310
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Bloomsbury Publishing
- Genre
- Writing and editing guides, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers
Synopsis
Bloomsbury presents Talking to Writers: The Craft of Fiction by Dean Nelson, read by Bob Souer and featuring the original interview recordings between Dean Nelson and a collection of famous authors. 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 Fiction, readers will hear from Ray Bradbury about why everyone should write, Alice Walker about writing with courage, Nick Hornby about creating dialogue, Anthony Doerr about getting ideas, and Amy Tan about discipline. Among the many other featured writers are Joyce Carol Oates, Jane Smiley, Don Winslow, Amor Towles, Billy Collins, 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.
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