Elizabeth McCracken: A Long Game

Write what you know.

Never miss a day.

Kill your darlings.

Elizabeth McCracken is having none of it.

In A Long Game, the Guggenheim Fellow, National Book Award finalist, and much-loved teacher dismantles the tired rules of fiction – from punctuation to plot – with wit, warmth, and a glorious streak of crankiness.

Today, she reflects on doubt, discipline, and why the writing life is less about mastery than defending the strange, singular work only you can make.

Chaired by Sam Baker.