Writing can feel like an endless series of decisions. How does one face the blank page? Move a character around a room? Deal with time? Undertake revision? The good and bad news is that in fiction writing, there are no definitive answers to such questions: writers must come up with their own.

Elizabeth McCracken, author of bestselling novels, National Book Award long-listed story collections, and a highly praised memoir, has been teaching for more than thirty-five years, guiding her many students through their own answers. In *A Long Game*, she shares insights gleaned along the way, offering practical tips and incisive thoughts about her own work as an artist.

The book covers:

- understanding and developing characters
- plot, and what to do if it eludes you
- her thoughts on common writing “rules”
- And of course, the Butter Cow Lady of the Iowa State Fair and her work as it relates to revision.

Writing “is a long game,” she notes. “What matters is that you learn to get work done in the way that is possible for you, through consistency or panic. Through self-recrimination or self-delusion or self-forgiveness: every life needs all three.”

As much a book about the life of a working artist as it is a guide to thinking about fiction, A Long Game is a revelatory and indispensable resource for any writer.