The Art of Nonfiction by Ayn Rand

Nonfiction writing and Ayn Rand. I only associated her with the admired fiction novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. I learned of the connection when I received the book The Art of Nonfiction based on a series of lectures she gave to friends who planned on writing for her magazine, The Objectivist. I was a bit intimidated.

It's a great book. Coming from such a talented writer, she's very encouraging to the hopeful authors she teaches. She covers the basics like choosing a theme, outlining and finding your audience. She even discusses “the squirms.” She says her husband coined the term after watching her struggle to complete several chapters of Atlas Shrugged. I’m halfway through the book and I give it a thumbs-up.