A Long Game

Warm, wise and full of practical tips, this book is the ideal guide to every writing life 'Amazingly freeing' Guardian 'For anyone who wants to write a novel, or for anyone who loves reading novels... A Long Game is a joy' Sunday Times Write every day Show, don't tell Write what you know Kill Your Darlings These are some of the most popular nuggets of advice given to writers, universally agreed to be true. They are all pieces of writing advice that Elizabeth McCracken expertly and persuasively shoots down in A Long Game. McCracken has been writing for most of her life. Here, she shares insights gleaned along the way, deconstructing received wisdom whilst playfully tackling the mysteries that are inherent to writing and creativity. A book about the life of an artist and a guide to fiction, A Long Game is a revelatory and indispensable resource and will lead all writers, at any stage of their career, back to the page. 'Lovely and energising' Megan Nolan, Observer 'Wonderful tough love, direct, and very funny advice on how to be the writer you want to be' Ann Patchett 'A cheering companion that makes writing a less lonely business' Yiyun Li 'Elizabeth McCracken is one of America's finest writers' Garth Greenwell 'I would encourage every writer to read it' Rebecca Ivory

Elizabeth McCracken is the award-winning author of eight books including The Giant's House (a National Book Award finalist), Thunderstruck & Other Stories (winner of the 2014 Story Prize and longlisted for the National Book Award), and The Hero of This Book (winner of the Wingate Prize). She has received grants and fellow­ships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and she was chosen as one of Granta's twenty best American writers under forty. She has served on the faculty at the Iowa Writers' Workshop and taught at the University of Texas at Austin.