S9 Ep. 11: Elizabeth McCracken on Writing About Writing, At Last

Acclaimed fiction writer and long-time creative writing professor Elizabeth McCracken joins co-hosts Whitney Terrell and V. V. Ganeshananthan to discuss her ninth book and first volume about craft, A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction. McCracken reflects on her long-held reluctance to attempt such a project and the impossibility of creating absolute rules for writing. She explains why she doesn’t believe in “show don’t tell,” “write what you know,” “write every day,” and other classic canards of craft. McCracken talks about the importance of imagining characters’ physicality; well-executed present tense; how time can shape narrative; justifying flashbacks; and writing outside one’s own identity. She reads from A Long Game.

To hear the full episode, subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app (include the forward slashes when searching). You can also listen by streaming from the player below. Check out video versions of our interviews on the Fiction/Non/Fiction Instagram account, the Fiction/Non/Fiction YouTube Channel, and our show website: https://www.fnfpodcast.net/

This podcast is produced by V.V. Ganeshananthan and Whitney Terrell.

Elizabeth McCracken

• A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction
• The Hero of This Book
• The Souvenir Museum
• Bowlaway
• Thunderstruck & Other Stories
• An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination
• Niagara Falls All Over Again
• The Giant’s House
• Here's Your Hat What's Your Hurry?

Others:

• Tinkers by Paul Harding
• The Gates of the Alamo by Stephen Harrigan
• Affliction by Russell Banks
• Gilligan’s Island
• Allan Gurganus

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