Audio only
Length5h 31m
About this audiobook
From bestselling and award-winning author and professor Elizabeth McCracken comes an irresistible look at the art of writing.
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.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.2 (681)
Includes Goodreads
GenreOther, Self-Help
Length5 hrs 31 mins
Narrated byElizabeth McCracken
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateDec 2, 2025
LanguageEnglish
More from Elizabeth McCracken
BowlawayElizabeth McCracken12h 53m3.4 (9.6K)$33 · $0.00
The Souvenir MuseumElizabeth McCracken7h 40m3.7 (4.1K)$26 · $0.00
The Giant's HouseElizabeth McCracken11h 10m3.7 (8K)$29 · $0.00
The Hero of This BookElizabeth McCracken4h 33m3.8 (8.2K)$20 · $0.00
Here's Your Hat What's Your HurryElizabeth McCracken6h 36m4.0 (1.4K)$24 · $0.00
The Holy Bible - 1 SamuelKing James2h 13m4.8 (1.6K)$3 · $0.00
The American Standard Bible — The Gospel of MatthewMatthew3h 56m4.7 (3K)$2 · $0.00
Bad Fat Black GirlSesali Bowen6h 32m4.7 (2.8K)$24 · $0.00
The King James Audio Bible New Testament CompleteChristopher Glyn20h 2m4.7 (2.6K)$12 · $0.00
Faiths CheckbookCharles Spurgeon12h 44m4.7 (3.2K)$11 · $0.00
Ten Things I Wish You Knew About Your Child's Mental HealthDr. Billy Garvey4h 53m4.7 (2.4K)$20 · $0.00
The Book of PsalmsUnknown Author5h 9m4.6 (18K)$10
Designing Terry Pratchett’s DiscworldPaul Kidby3h 52m4.7 (343)$20 · $0.00
The Chosen Book OneAmanda Jenkins, Kristen Hendricks, Dallas Jenkins3h 8m4.6 (4.9K)$10 · $0.00
The Lives of BrianBrian Johnson9h 45m4.6 (3.5K)$29 · $0.00
Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of LukeJ.C. Ryle27h 13m4.7 (536)$18 · $0.00
CrossroadsKaleb Dahlgren7h 56m4.6 (4.9K)$26 · $0.00
Across the RiverKent Babb11h 40m4.6 (927)$29 · $0.00
Brain Training for RidersAndrea Monsarrat Waldo5h 56m4.7 (550)$19 · $0.00
My Effin' LifeGeddy Lee17h 11m4.6 (13.1K)$40 · $0.00
Kings and PawnsHoward Bryant10h 9m4.6 (678)$29 · $0.00
The Elementia Chronicles #2: The New OrderSean Fay Wolfe11h 17m4.6 (841)$29 · $0.00
The ActsLuke2h 55m4.6 (19.7K)$12 · $0.00
Woodcraft and Camping (Annotated)George Washington Sears3h 30m4.6 (1.2K)$0.99 · $0.00
The Hate U GiveAngie Thomas11h 50m4.5 (1.1M)$8 · $0.00
Rewrite the Mother CodeDr. Gertrude Lyons10h 55m4.9 (144)$25
The Best of Les Brown Audio CollectionLes Brown8h 12m4.7 (1.8K)$65
Swayam Ki AwaazPrem Rawat8h 34m4.7 (1.1K)$26 · $0.00
Finding Your VoiceMannette Morgan8h 10m4.8 (187)$20
Forever BoyKate Swenson9h 27m4.7 (5K)$29 · $0.00
You Are Worth ItKyle Carpenter, Don Yaeger8h 53m4.7 (4.8K)$29 · $0.00
The Happiest Man on EarthEddie Jaku3h 48m4.6 (178K)$7 · $0.00
Finding MeViola Davis9h 15m4.6 (256.4K)$29 · $0.00
AretéBrian Johnson19h 57m4.7 (2.2K)$35
Spiritual AnatomyDaaji Kamlesh D. Patel9h 47m4.7 (319)$29 · $0.00
The Dangerous Truth about Today’s MarijuanaLaura Stack CSP, MBA9h 57m4.7 (384)$20 · $0.00
Birdie & HarlowTaylor Wolfe7h 50m4.6 (6.5K)$26 · $0.00
Ghetto BastardK’wan7h 37m4.6 (2.9K)$20
Legally YoursManasi Chaudhari8h 52m4.7 (223)$29 · $0.00
CrossroadsKaleb Dahlgren7h 56m4.6 (4.9K)$26 · $0.00
Life on the BridgeKaelynn Partlow5h 40m4.6 (1.1K)$24 · $0.00
From Questioning to KnowingLisa Barnett5h 34m4.7 (244)$17
Keep Your Love OnDanny Silk9h 4m4.6 (8.1K)$10 · $0.00
The Manifestation CodeRaimon Samsó5h 54m4.7 (655)$18
Parents And ChildrenCharlotte M. Mason13h 8m4.6 (1K)$2.30
You may also like
How to Live on 24 Hours a DayArnold Bennett1h 19m3.8 (13.1K)Free
Smart SexEmily Morse8h 37m4.2 (1.9K)$25 · $0.00
Liminal ThinkingDave Gray3h 10m4.1 (3.9K)$17
Truth Without ApologyAcharya Prashant6h 41m4.8 (2.2K)$18 · $0.00
Pretty BoysDavid Yi9h 16m4.3 (310)$29 · $0.00
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ckMark Manson5h 18m3.9 (1.7M)$24 · $0.00
Becoming CliterateLaurie Mintz7h 48m4.3 (4.3K)$26 · $0.00
Kant's Three CritiquesImmanuel Kant47h 6m4.3 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
Siddhartha's BrainJames Kingsland10h 38m4.1 (1.7K)$29 · $0.00
The Law of Success in Sixteen LessonsNapoleon Hill2h 39m4.4 (17.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Secret Code of SuccessNoah St. John5h 47m4.1 (869)$24 · $0.00
The Unsold MindsetColin Coggins, Garrett Brown7h 14m4.3 (395)$24 · $0.00
Modern Discipline in a Comfort WorldSam5h 8m$6 · $0.00
Me and the OrgoneOrson Bean2h 49m3.8 (78)$12
ProductivitySteve Pavlina2h 14m3.9 (49)$12 · $0.00
Self-Discipline at WorkSteve Pavlina1h 19m$8 · $0.00
Karate For BeginnersJose Clementino Barbosa1h 46m$7 · $0.00
Brockwood Park 1969 - Public Discussion 2 - Can I live completely without resistance?Jiddu Krishnamurti1h 24m$6 · $0.00
What does it mean to be totally free?Jiddu Krishnamurti1h 36m$4 · $0.00
Change Your GameBaiju Solanki3h 31m4.1 (21)$20 · $0.00