S20 Ep21: In Which Mur and Mary Pascual Talk Writing and Mental Health "I refuse to feel like or believe that [ADHD] is a detriment. Honestly, there are so many things about ADHD that I personally love." - Mary Pascual T ranscript (This post went live for supporters on July 8, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack !) In this episode, Mur Lafferty is joined by Mary Pascual, author of Walk the Web Lightly . They dive into the challenges o...
Jul 29, 2024•42 min•Season 20Ep. 21
S20 Ep20: In Which Mur and James L. Sutter Discuss Editing, Outlining, and Ghostly Romances "I think that is the beating heart of any novel, is characters changing." - James L. Sutter Transcript Join Mur and guest James L. Sutter as they delve into the intricacies of the writing process, from the importance of meticulous outlining to the challenges of editing. They discuss James’s new book, The Ghost of Us , a queer YA supernatural romance that combines ghost hunting with a heartfelt coming-of-a...
Jul 22, 2024•49 min•Season 20Ep. 20
S20 Ep19: In Which Mur Explores the Deck of Worlds and Story Engine "You know, if you use the word 'modified,' you can get away with anything." - Mur Transcript (This post went live for supporters on July 1, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack !) Join Mur Lafferty as she dives into a live-streamed session of world-building using the Deck of Worlds and The Story Engine . Despite a challenging week, Mur's creativity shines as she crafts...
Jul 15, 2024•55 min•Season 20Ep. 19
S20 Ep18: In Which Mur Explores Tarot and Historical Fiction with Susan Wands "Action is always better than no action. You can always fix what you've done. You can't fix not getting started." - Susan Wands Transcript (This post went live for supporters on June 27, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack !) In this episode, Mur chats with Susan Wands, the author of High Priestess and Empress . They delve into the fascinating world of Pamel...
Jul 08, 2024•41 min•Season 20Ep. 18
S20 Ep17: In Which Mur Reflects on Creativity and Ambition "It's really easy. It's so relaxing to not be creative." - Mur Transcript This week, Mur shares her journey through book edits, the struggles of low energy, and the comforting realization that creation is often less comforting than consumption. Mur explores the myriad of creative opportunities available today—from writing novels to making music videos—and the emotional weight that comes with each creative endeavor. She also touches on he...
Jul 01, 2024•32 min•Season 20Ep. 17
S20 Ep16: In Which Mur Tackles Short Fiction Submissions "You're not gonna be Wiswell or Chambers. You're gonna be you." - Mur In this episode, Mur delves into the intricacies of submitting short fiction, sharing invaluable tips and personal experiences. From the importance of understanding market guidelines to the emotional resilience required to handle rejections, this episode is packed with advice for both new and seasoned writers. Mur also recounts her recent whirlwind trip to Buffalo, battl...
Jun 24, 2024•28 min•Season 20Ep. 16
S20 Ep15: In Which Mur Muses on AI and the Writer's Journey "I'm exaggerating a little bit, but if you look at the last 20 years, that's pretty much how I work." - Mur Transcript In this podcast we dive into the depths of editing my novel, Infinite Archive , and how I'm navigating the murky waters of murder mystery tweaks. We also explore the increasingly complex landscape of AI in writing and its implications for creatives. Links: Infinite Archive Valerie Valdez Premee Mohammed Savage Mill Geek...
May 16, 2024•34 min•Season 20Ep. 15
S20 Ep14: In Which Mur Dives into Conventions and Confidence "You can't stop caring about something... You stop what you do about it, but you can't really just turn that switch off." - Mur From the thrill of networking to the trepidation of tax season, Mur navigates the maze of a writer's life with humor and honesty. In this episode, she shares her experiences and insights on convention attendance, from choosing the right ones to the art of mingling without the cringe. Plus, she tackles the ever...
May 09, 2024•47 min•Season 20Ep. 14
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 for Alternate History ...
Apr 17, 2024•55 min•Season 20Ep. 13
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 the unexpec...
Apr 15, 2024•21 min•Season 20Ep. 12
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 genre ...
Apr 12, 2024•46 min•Season 20Ep. 11
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 links:...
Apr 08, 2024•21 min•Season 20Ep. 10
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 prose. W...
Apr 05, 2024•34 min•Season 20Ep. 9
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 indi...
Apr 03, 2024•20 min•Season 20Ep. 8
I Should Be WritingSeason 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 acces...
Mar 11, 2024•16 min•Season 20Ep. 7
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 perks ...
Mar 07, 2024•29 min•Season 20Ep. 6
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: Ex...
Feb 21, 2024•32 min•Season 20Ep. 5
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 Links I don't...
Feb 14, 2024•31 min•Season 20Ep. 4
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 Writin...
Feb 08, 2024•25 min•Season 20Ep. 3
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 Mohamed s...
Feb 06, 2024•40 min•Season 20Ep. 2
