A Long Game : How to Write Fiction

Warm, wise and full of practical tips, this book is the ideal guide to every writing life

'Wonderful tough love, direct, and very funny advice on how to be the writer you want to be' Ann Patchett

'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.

Format/pages: hardback / 208 pages

ISBN: 9781787336025

Publisher: Jonathan Cape

Year: 2026