The Art of Nonfiction

  • Author Ayn Rand
  • Narrator Marguerite Gavin
  • Publisher Blackstone Publishing
  • Run Time 6 hours and 53 minutes
  • Format Audio
  • Genre Writing and editing guides.
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What to expect

In 1969, the world-renowned author Ayn Rand gave a series of informal lectures on the art of nonfiction to a select group of friends and associates. These edited transcripts take the listener step by step through the writing process, providing insightful observations and invaluable techniques along the way.

Rand discusses the psychological aspects of writing and the different roles played by the conscious and subconscious mind. She explains how to select a subject and theme, how to identify your audience, and how to write the first draft. From preparing an outline to mastering an individual writing style, this crucial resource introduces the ideas of one of our most enduring authors to a new generation.

Aspiring—and established—writers of nonfiction will find this guide to creating effective nonfiction invaluable.

Critics Review

  • “Writing is no more difficult a skill than any other, such as engineering. Like every human activity, it requires practice and knowledge. But there is nothing mystical about it. Any person who can speak English grammatically can learn to write nonfiction.”

    Ayn Rand
  • “Ayn Rand is a writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly.”

    New York Times Book Review
  • “This book is a frank demystification of the writing process.”

    Amazon.com, editorial review
  • “Rand talks knowledgeably and energetically about clarity, selectivity, style, organization, editing, the ‘squirms’ (when writing just won’t flow) and how to beat them: remind yourself that you’re writing for your own pleasure.”

    Booklist

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