S20 Ep13: In Which Mur Attends Wole Talabi's Creative Alchemy Transcript "The primary driver of my sense of success is, 'do I feel happy with what I've done?'" - Wole Talabi Mur chats with Wole Talabi, an engineer turned author (but still engineer). They discuss the Schrodinger's Cat of publishing, the thrill of rewriting old stories for new audiences, and the joy of challenging the norms of fiction. Links: Wole Talabi Nebula Awards Hugo Awards Locus Awards Sidewise Awards...

S20 Ep 12: In Which Mur Plans to Turn Hurt Feelings into Finished Drafts Transcript "I read over the notes and I got mad and I got my feelings hurt." - Mur (being fussy) I've received my edit letter about Infinite Archive, so I'm handling all the emotions that carries with it.  ADHD complicated my perception of time, so figuring out how long it will take me is a challenge. Valerie Valdes joins the chat with some excellent advice, like adding extra time to your deadlines to account for...

S20 Ep11: In which we travel "The Other Valley" with Scott Alexander Howard Transcript "I wrote it in a blissful who cares? Mentality, like, 'oh, well, genre will sort itself out.'" - Scott Alexander Howard In this episode, we're joined by Scott Alexander Howard, author of The Other Valley, a novel where literary meets speculative. Scott delves into his journey from philosophy to fiction, sharing how his background influenced the emotional depth of his debut. We discuss the challenges of...

I Should Be Writing Season 20, Episode 10 "I felt like a cuckoo among very pretty birds." - Mur Fresh off the JoCo cruise, we discusses the allure of nerd paradise and how navigating imposter syndrome is a frequent struggle. I share tabletop RPG antics, celebrity karaoke adventures, and the amazing feeling of having legitimately cool creators accept you. Self doubt did show up, and I'll talk about how I dealt with that. Also, what should I do for my 20th year podcasting celebration? Other...

I Should Be Writing Season 20, Episode 9 Transcript "If you don't start out perfect, you're never going to be good." - Evil Mur Evil Mur is back giving terrible advice and it's a wild ride through the looking glass of a writer's darker musings. We cover questioning the point of writing when perfection eludes us to the ruthless strategy of writing on the job. She gives some seriously excellent advice about emotions in horror, and offers an unorthodox method for trimming the fat from your...

I Should Be Writing Season 20, Episode 7 Transcript I found myself looking for my own magic bullet and getting frustrated a the media who take the idea of a daily routine--something people with ADHD people need--and play it off as only done by stodgy, unfun dorks. I discuss Josh Zimmerman's videos, how creation is like jumping off a diving board for me, my solo RPG plans, and promote Premee Mohamed's books and bullying.  From the fear of preparation to the power of routines for neurodiverse...

I Should Be Writing Season 20, Episode 7 In this episode, I discuss trusting yourself because sometimes no one else will. We also talk File 770, Genre Grapevine, I mispronounce "chutzpah," make a Wizard of Oz reference, and how should I celebrate 20 seasons of ISBW? Remember, advice is supplementary. Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like...

ISBW S20 Ep6 Author Gwenda Bond comes on the show to talk The Frame Up, heists, and point of view!  We also discuss being ballsy at Boskone, pen names, T. Kingfisher's "What Feasts At Night," writing retreats, and heist structure. If you order The Frame Up from Bookshop.org, use the code FRAMEUP for 10% off!  Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you...

ISBW S20 Ep5 Debut author Avione Lee comes to tell us about the Odyssey Workshop and the various programs!  Odyssey Your Personal Workshop (deadline is soon!) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story:...

ISBW S20 Ep4 Hugos are still messy, so check out Chris M. Barkley*, Paul Weimer, Alasdair Stuart, and Jason Sanford and the excellent fanwriting they do. *Accidentally call him Charles in the recording. Sorry! We talk character depth, using Baldur's Gate 3 as an example. Lastly we get in to the hybrid outline thing I'm trying to do to help me write.  Show Links Paul Weimer Chris M. Barkley  Jason Sanford Alasdair Stuart Nancy Kress' Beginnings, Middles, and Ends (affiliate) Evergreen...

ISBW S20 Ep3 Debut author Eilish Quin joins us to talk about her retelling of Euripedes' classic story, Medea, with glorious descriptive prose and a feminist point of view. We talk about hurdles and wins and what to keep in mind when doing a retelling. Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing...

ISBW S20 Ep2 I am not a lawyer or an accountant, and taxes mentioned in the podcast are specific to my understanding of US tax law.  No one like to talk about money. Either you admit how bad you are or you're awkward because you make a lot. Or you're a jerk, but we aren't talking to those people. I'm here to talk about my income, what an advance really means, and how to best use your writing income. We also discuss YNAB, my favorite budgeting tool, and authors Valerie Valdes and Premee...

ISBW S20 Ep1 Why am I still doing this show after 20 years? Believe me, I was the first person to ask this. We talk about my career, my mental health, and, well, why? Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six...

I got to talk to award-winning Nigerian author Chikodili Emelumadu about her new book Dazzling, and we wander all sorts of directions, including into ambition, what makes her write, and advice for new writers! Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea...

ISBW S19 Ep33 I wanted to discuss humor again, so my buddy Valerie came back on to talk about it because she's smarter than me. Even though she introduced us to "Diggy Diggy Hole." We also talk "The Homecoming Queen's Got a Gun," the Bridesmaids toast scene that makes me wanna die, The Hitchhiker's Gudie to the Galaxy, and Tom Cardy's "Perception Check" (NSFW language).  Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's...

ISBW S19 Ep32 Steve Martin famously did his comedy acts to empty bars when he started. It's a good mindset to keep. Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story:...

ISBW S19 Ep31 Self care, yo. It's dark, we're at the end of a big project, and time to be kind to yourself. Minimal show notes. If you want something clarified, ask in comments and I will get you a link. More shows coming soon! Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be...

Turns out that the stress of dealing with November has made me sit on this production. :( But Travis Baldree and I hung out online and talked about our books that launched this month, Chaos Terminal and Bookshops and Bonedust.   Transcript Travis Baldree 03:53 ...I've discovered stickers are the easiest way for me to not feel awkward at assigning or a thing, because I can just say, Do you want a sticker? Okay, well, I lay them out in front of me. There's like more than one...

HAH I AM CAUGHT UP 33333 down, 16666 to go OK, plotters and pantsers, if you're having trouble, then I can tell you exactly what to do. Let Evil Mur guide you. Trust Evil Mur.  Get John Anealio’s music here. Have you friended Mur on NaNoWriMo or 4thewords yet? Don't forget Chaos Terminal is finally on shelves! Please remember that Evil Mur is evil and gives terrible advice. Evil Mur will not be responsible for failed manuscripts or sleep deprived accidents. Do not listen to Evil...

31666 down, 18333 to go Did you read the NaNoWriMo terms and conditions? Better do that, cause things are getting serious.  Ask questions, and then don't worry about the answers.  Do not listen to Evil Mur. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA, all other rights reserved by Mur Lafferty

*still catching up 30000 down, 20000 to go So what if you’re only starting on Day 15? Or (checks calendar) Day 20? How can you possibly make up for lost days? Just write 1 word every 25 seconds. Boom. You’re done. Do not listen to Evil Mur. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA, all other rights reserved by Mur Lafferty

28333 down, 21666 to go Well I recorded it on the 17th, so that counts, right? What do you want from me? I’m evil. So what if you’re only starting on Day 15? Or (checks calendar) Day 20? How can you possibly make up for lost days? Just write 1 word every 25 seconds. Boom. You’re done. Get John Anealio’s music here. Have you friended Mur on NaNoWriMo or 4thewords yet? Don't forget Chaos Terminal is finally on shelves! Please remember that Evil Mur is evil and gives terrible advice....

  Halfway point! Exciting if you’re there, scary if you’re not. Ideas: putting your own life into your book, and give your characters a bath!   Get John Anealio’s music here. Have you friended Mur on NaNoWriMo or 4thewords yet? Don't forget Chaos Terminal is finally on shelves! Please remember that Evil Mur is evil and gives terrible advice. Evil Mur will not be responsible for failed manuscripts or plagiarism suits.   Do not listen to Evil Mur. Creative...

I'm missing days because real life is just kicking my ass right now. Good and bad stresses. Slipstreaming for fun and profit! Bikers do it, cars do it, time for writers to do it. Have you friended Mur on NaNoWriMo or 4thewords yet? Don't forget Chaos Terminal is finally on shelves! Please remember that Evil Mur is evil and gives terrible advice. Evil Mur will not be responsible for failed manuscripts or plagiarism suits. Do not listen to Evil Mur. Creative Commons BY-NC-SA, all other...