Jacob Shymanski

But we want to define what makes quality nonfiction, because I don't know if you agree with me, because I'm not an overly opinionated person, but I feel so strongly when I read bad nonfiction, it drives me nuts.

Bad nonfiction is like the worst sort of art.

It's lazy.

Let's continue along these lines.

These good nonfiction is good nonfiction or bad nonfiction is.

I see this as sort of a

therapeutic exercise because of how much i hate bad non-fiction so let's let's compile a list together of a do's and don'ts for non-fiction and in the process we're going to give you recommendations for books that we um we think are totally worth a read do you want to go first a do or a don't for non-fiction clarity over cleverness i have chosen to be in that author's book in his world

why you're writing this.

Be that to convince, to explain another perspective, to put down to memory, to even expose.

But whatever it is, know why you're writing the book.

I have read many memoirs where I'm halfway through and I'm asking myself...

the hell is the point of this what am i reading like this feels like a vanity project why am i reading this what is the point and i suppose this goes for fiction as well but especially for non-fiction you need to have a purpose and stick to it and that means having that roadmap and don't go off to the side don't do tangents everything has to serve the roadmap the through line have a purpose

And I'm going to assume that one of the reasons you enjoyed that book is that...

They weren't explaining the why beyond the what.

You just told me that there was an African emperor of Rome.

Very cool.

Now I know that.

Why?

How?

What happened that led to that?