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I Should Be Writing

I Should Be Writing

By: Mur Lafferty
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About this listen

 "I should be writing" is what people say, but they rarely do it. This podcast is designed to help you get past those blocks, whether it's what your teacher told you when you were a kid, to being totally sure you'll never be as good as (FAV AUTHOR) so you might as well quit.Copyright © by Mur Lafferty, 2005 - 2025 Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 Art Literary History & Criticism
Episodes
  • [ISBW] Dancing Through Genres with S.A. Barnes and Bully 3, The SPONGE

    [ISBW] Dancing Through Genres with S.A. Barnes and Bully 3, The SPONGE
    May 26 2025
    "Get [your book] all the way to the end. You learn so much that way that you will not learn in any other way."- S.A. Barnes (This post went live for supporters on May 23, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!) In this episode, we talk about the creative process with guest author S.A. Barnes. We discuss her latest release, Cold Eternity, a space horror novel, and her upcoming work, Death's Daughter, set to release in May, 2026. Stacey shares her journey of balancing writing with her teaching career and we discuss the trial of writing sequels and crafting compelling narratives. We explore the nuances of genre blending, the emotional stakes in horror, and the importance of getting to the end of a draft, no matter how messy it may be. Join us as we also discuss Bully #3, the Sponge, who only wants your house to be clean and then it will let you write. Transcript Links S.A. BarnesCold EternityBecca SymeEvent Horizon (movie)Aliens (movie)Ghost Ship (movie) Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes.Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, FocusmateTheme by John AnealioSavor I Should Be Writing tea blendsSupport local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more!OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! — "Dancing Through Genres with S.A. Barnes and Bully 3, The SPONGE" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. May 20, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 9 | murverse.com "Dancing Through Genres with S.A. Barnes and Bully 3, The SPONGE" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
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    52 mins
  • [ISBW] Jealousy and Bully #2: The BLADE

    [ISBW] Jealousy and Bully #2: The BLADE
    May 23 2025
    "We contain multitudes; you can be happy and jealous at the same time." -Mur Lafferty (This post went live for supporters on May 21, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) We're back! In this episode, we talk about the bullies that can sap our confidence and creativity again, today's bully is the Blade, a stern knife that can cut deep. (I also announce my new cozy fantasy, it's real now! I am of course stressing over storytelling complexities (again).) Let's talk about the Blade, and everything it stands for: mainly, jealousy, a feeling that can be sharp and painful. But fear not, we also discuss how to deal with these feelings and how to shut this bully up. Transcript Links Ted Chiang and "Story of Your Life"Arrival (Film)Six Wakes (Book) Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes.Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, FocusmateTheme by John AnealioSavor I Should Be Writing tea blendsSupport local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more!OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! — "Jealousy and Bully #2: The BLADE" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. May 20, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 8 | murverse.com "Jealousy and Bully #2: The BLADE" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet. May 23, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 8 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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    26 mins
  • [ISBW] Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)

    [ISBW] Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)
    Apr 29 2025
    "The bully loves pantsers because it can insult your outline."-Mur Lafferty (This post went live for supporters on April 23, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) (Also, I had a microphone glitch near the end, which is why it ends abruptly. Apologies.) In this episode, we launch our series on the bullies that live in your head, rent free. This week we talk about my original bully, Bart (a potato). He's ugly and mean as a snake, but I do have some ways to deal with him. We also touch on the recent Hugo nominations, my reading habits, and the exciting upcoming adaptation of Martha Wells' Murderbot series! Transcript Links Escape PodSeveranceMurderbotThe Teller of Small FortunesSave the CatDeadloch Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes.Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, FocusmateTheme by John AnealioSavor I Should Be Writing tea blendsSupport local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more!OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! — "Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 10, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 7 | murverse.com "Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
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    23 mins
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