Ditch Diggers

By Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace

What's Ditch Diggers about?

Treat your writing like a blue collar job. Doctors don't get doctor block and ditch diggers don't get ditch digger block, and working writers can't get writer's block. Business and humor.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Ditch Diggers episodes:

09.05.2023
[DD] Birthdays and Gail Carriger 2, Electric Boogaloo
This was recorded back in July, but time and things and travel got away with me. Actually what happened was the fact that I can't spread podcast production across more than one day. If I do, I will forget it...
07.20.2023
[DD] Data Wonking with Podmother Gail Carriger
Streamed live, July 10, 2023 Below are some affiliate links that support indie bookstores and may benefit me financially with no cost to you. S9 Ep8 Horny chaotic god energy is what we're all about in today's Ditch Diggers, "Data...
06.26.2023
[DD] Author/Agent Seth Fishman Answers Our Questions
S9 Ep7 Recorded live on Twitch! Mur's agent Seth Fishman joins us to take your questions, and we fill up an hour FAST. Full transcript available! Seth Fishman: ...the industry is right now, where editors are just, they just have, they're...
06.20.2023
[DD] Matt's Book Launch: Savage Crowns
Streamed live, June 13, 2023 Below are some affiliate links that support indie bookstores and may benefit me financially with no cost to you. S9 Ep6 It's our 1001st episode (not really) and Matt is here to launch the final...
05.22.2023
[DD] Premee Mohamed and our 1000th Episode (?)
Matt and Mur welcome Premee Mohamed, multiple award winning author of No One Will Come Back for Us. We talk about chickens, sea cucumbers, conventions and anxiety, and there's a hair flip in there, but you can only see it...
04.11.2023
[DD] OG Ditch Digger Fonda Lee Is Back!
Streamed live, April 3, 2023 S9 Ep4 Matt and Mur welcome Fonda Lee, multiple award winning author of Untethered Sky. Fonda talks Patreon, starting something new after a very successful series, and more! Links Fonda Lee Matt's site Mur...
03.23.2023
[DD] Debut Author Advice from Mary Robinette Kowal
S9 Ep3 Matt and Mur welcome Mary Robinette Kowal, podcaster, puppeteer, former SFWA president, audiobook narrator, and Hugo Award winning writer. Mary Robinette has had blog posts helping out debut authors, so we decided to pick her brain for a...
03.07.2023
[DD] AI Submissions with Valerie Valdes
Streamed live, February 27, 2022 S.9 Ep.2 I'm joined at the last minute by Valerie Valdes, my co-editor at Escape Pod! We talk about the whole AI thing and look to shed some light on the current kerfuffle. Links ...
02.16.2023
[DD] Discussing Ethics in Publishing
S9 Ep1 Streamed live, February 6, 2022 - next livestream is Feb 27, 2023 How do we, the little guys, handle things like strikes and other uncomfortable news? HarperCollins strike news Tom Monteleone news from File 770...
02.03.2023
[DD] Close out 2022 with Matt!
S8 Ep22 Streamed live, December 12, 2022 Matt joins us to close down the year and send seasonal greetings! Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot...
01.31.2023
[DD] Unexpected Solo Cast with Mur
Yep, I'm still behind in posting the final episodes for 2022! Here you go! S8 Ep21 Streamed live, December 5, 2022 Matt can't make this episode, so Mur handles it herself! Links Mur...
10.28.2022
[DD] Veronica Roth Talks Messages to Past Self
Streamed live, October 24, 2022. I was thrilled to have Veronica Roth of Divergent and Chosen Ones fame to come talk about her new book, Poster Girl, and what the business has taught her in her career! ...
10.17.2022
[DD] Power Dynamics and New Writers with Ursula Vernon
Matt had a family emergency so Ursula stepped in to talk about the gross topic of grooming, and whether any one person has the power to make or break your career. Links Mur...
10.14.2022
[DD] Station Eternity Launch with Cherie Priest and Chuck Wendig
Station Eternity is out! Cherie Priest and Chuck Wendig come on the show to celebrate with me! Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic...
09.30.2022
[DD] Mur and Matt and Book Launches
Streamed live, September 26, 2022. Mur has a book coming out! And it's hard to think about anything else. Matt's taking a well-earned break from writing novels. Links Preorder Station...
09.29.2022
[DD] Kameron Hurley and Margaret Dunlap Decode Hollywood
Streamed live, September 23, 2022. Kameron Hurley is guest host today, and we are talking with Margaret Dunlap about the enigma that is Hollywood, money, and how you keep going when so few projects actually get to...
09.24.2022
[DD] Matt and Mur Talk Short Story Markets
S8 Ep15 It's Post-WorldCon, and Mur and Matt have stuff to talk about regarding short stories and short story markets. Matt has new merch! September 5, 2022 | Season 8 Ep...
09.22.2022
[DD] Kameron Hurley and Why We Do This
S8 Ep14 Kameron and Mur aren't bitter at all. But we do mention Nick Mamatas' Starve Better. Kameron Hurley's site August 22, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 14 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace...
08.22.2022
[DD] Matt Wallace Returns! Walking Many Freelance Paths
Matt returns. This wasn't supposed to be a "buck up little camper" pep talk for Mur, but it turned out to be. But mostly, we talk about the importance of different things to focus on as a freelancer. August 15,...
08.17.2022
[DD] Alasdair Stuart and the DOJ vs PRH
S8 Ep12 Streamed live, August 8, 2022. Monopolies are bad, we all know that, and yet the "Big Six" publishers are eating each other, dwindling down, and claiming it's in the authors' best interest. We call shenanigans. ...
07.25.2022
[DD] Kameron Hurley and Writing Reality Shows
S8 Ep11 Streamed live, July 18, 2022. So there's talk of a writing reality show. No really. So we talk about that and all the things that could go wrong with it. (And how we're dying to watch...
07.22.2022
[DD] Co-starring Jennifer Udden, ex-agent, current writer!
S8 Ep10 Streamed live, July 11, 2022. Y'all have asked for it, and I deliver! My former agent Jen Udden joins us live to answer questions (since she isn't an agent anymore but she still has all that knowledge.)...
07.12.2022
[DD] Ursula Vernon, the Lost Episode
S8 Ep9 Streamed live, May, 2022. Whoops, I told you I needed a break this past spring. I never got this out to folks. Recorded mid-may I believe. Links Ursula Vernon...
07.08.2022
[DD] Grant Baciocco, Podcaster and TikTok Star
S8 Ep8 Streamed live, July 5, 2022. I'm joined by Grant Baciocco and we talk about video and TikTok and how to know what kind of content to make, if you're digging ditches! Links...
06.27.2022
[DD] BEACHCAST With Gwenda Bond
Streamed live, May 23, 2022. I'm joined by Gwenda Bond, and we talk about writing at the beach and what we hope to get accomplished this week! Links Gwenda Bond and her new book, The Date From Hell Mur...
05.16.2022
[DD] Alasdair Stuart and Publishing Trashfires
I'm joined by Alasdair Stuart and we talk about burnout and how it's hurting writers as well as publishing at large. But we manage to find some hope within! Links Trade Industry Facing Burnout Mur on Twitter, Youtube,...
05.09.2022
[DD] Imposter Syndrome and Censorship
I talk about Imposter Syndrome and how it can mess with my career, and then Matt and I discuss book banning and censorship as our politicians attack libraries. Check Links for what you can do to help. Links American...
05.04.2022
[DD] Kameron Hurley and Social Media, Pt. 2 (audio is not good)
Please note the audio is terrible. I did what I could. See if you can fast forward through me and just listen to Kameron! Kameron Hurley is back playing Proxy Matt and we talk social media again! *l*n M*sk got...
04.26.2022
[DD] Some Kickstarters rise while magazines fall
Matt and I discuss how some Kickstarter have made millions, and smaller magazines are shutting down. Links Mur on Twitter, Youtube Matt on Twitter, YouTube, website Support via Patreon or Ko-Fi! Twitch schedule for April 18-30: ...
04.17.2022
[DD] The Market HUNGERS, with Ursula Vernon
Streamed live, April 11, 2022. Ursula was recently asked "what's selling right now?" and we discuss that and why we HATE that question. Next week: Matt is back! Links Mur on Twitter, Youtube Matt on Twitter, YouTube, website Ursula...
04.15.2022
[DD] The Return
Streamed live, April 4, 2022. Matt and I have fun talking about publishing, and catching up for the last several months. Next week: Ursula Vernon co-hosts. Links Mur on Twitter, Youtube Matt on Twitter, YouTube, Website Support via ...
10.12.2021
[DD] How Many Kidneys Does Ursula Vernon Have?
Ursula joins me and we talk about body organs and just how important they are to a writing career. We reference this debacle. HEY check out my Speakeasy class on NaNoWriMo coming up on October 12, 8pm EDT! Twitch...
10.08.2021
[DD] What Does John Milton Have To Do With YA?
Yup, we're talking, a little late, about the YA Ratings debacle, but through the lens of dead white guy John Milton. Yeah, he was a cranky old man, writer of super long Bible fanfic, and helped with regicide a little...
09.23.2021
[DD] What Do You Do When Your Books Don't Sell?
Mur and Matt welcome back the Godmother of Ditch Diggers herself, Gail Carriger! Gail wanted to talk about what happens when you're a pro and your books don't sell. What avenues do we have? Gail's books Mur's GODMAKER race...
09.16.2021
[DD] Guest Hosts Ursula Vernon and Diana Rowland
I had some last minute changes come up, but the awesome authors Ursula Vernon and Diana Rowland ended up calling in and hanging out to talk about the tools we use in our careers, from Scrivener to assistants.
09.13.2021
[DD] Exiled to Discord!
Matt and Mur return to Discord instead of Twitch, since we were taking a day off Twitch in solidarity with the streamers getting harassed on the platform. New Twitch schedule for our live episodes! Tune in on Wednesdays at 11am...
08.31.2021
[DD] Streaming on my own from the basement
The day was kind of a perfect storm for crap, so it ended up with me and the dogs and my phone, streaming from the basement. To quote Stuart Smalley, "This was not my best show." But I...
08.23.2021
Matt Returns and tells us how the money should flow.
Another scam publisher has reared its ugly head, so we talk about that, and exactly how you can tell if someone is scamming you. (Hint- it has to do with the flow of cash.) Welcome back, Matt! New Twitch schedule...
07.27.2021
[DD] Dirt Butlers with Alasdair Stuart
Alasdair comes by to help out, wearing his Matt Wallace t-shirt and changing the name of the show to Dirt Butlers! I'm taking a break from Twitch- my week has gotten incredibly stressful, and then I'm going on vacation...
07.19.2021
[DD] Mike Underwood Takes the Shovel
Mike Underwood, writer and marketer extraordinaire, returns to talk about post-pandemic publishing and where we find ourselves now. Twitch Schedule for week of July 12-24 M. 1pm Chatting, gaming, anything goes T. 1pm Ditch Diggers with Alasdair Stuart T....
07.12.2021
[DD] Ursula Vernon Talks Triple Crown
Ursula Vernon, aka T. Kingfisher (the winner of the Andre Norton Nebula for YA and the Locus Award for YA) joins us to talk Ditch Digging, Wizards and Baking*, and, uh, a lot of other things. Awards. Cover Art....
07.05.2021
[DD] Kameron Hurley Talks Social Media
At last, we have Kameron Hurley back to talk about the much-needed social media discussion! While nowhere near perfect, various social media services do have settings that you can tweak to protect yourself from trolls. We go over some, compare...
06.28.2021
[DD] Margaret Dunlap Talks Hollywood
My old Bookburners co-author and friend Margaret Dunlap comes aboard to talk about the state of Hollywood, how she got into scriptwriting, and how in the world they have so much damn money to throw around.
06.21.2021
[DD] Alasdair Stuart is back!
Hugo-finalist fan writer, nonfic writer, and fiction writer Alasdair Stuart joins us again to talk about some recent news in SF including the Nebula Awards! Are you watching Ditch Diggers on Twitch? Why not? Next live episode is Thursday (6.24)...
06.14.2021
[DD] Ursula Vernon Co-Hosts
Ursula joins us from her lovely back yard, and we hope to not be rained out.
06.11.2021
[DD] Kameron Hurley Co-Hosts
Kameron is back with more talk of ditch digging!
06.01.2021
[DD] Matt STILL Missing! SB Divya Co-Hosts
I'm joined this week by editor and author SB Divya to talk about Covid, being a debut during a pandemic, and other fun things! Are you watching Ditch Diggers on Twitch? Why not? Next live episode is Wednesday (6.2) with...
05.27.2021
Matt is Missing! Cat Rambo Co-Hosts
Matt is very angry with me for having a real president on the show, but he's not here, so screw him. I invite the former SFWA president, amazing writer, and excellent teacher Cat Rambo to come hang out with me...
05.11.2021
[DD] Matt is Missing! Guest Host Alasdair Stuart
Matt is still gone, but has sent us a bloody fang as proof of live. Don't ask me, I don't control the boy. Alasdair Stuart, co-owner of Escape Artists, four time Hugo Finalist (this year alone!), writer of fiction and...
05.04.2021
[DD] Author 201 With Guest Host Kameron Hurley
Kameron Hurley joins Mur to talk about all the things people just expect you to know when you get to a certain level of authordom. We talk Guest of Honor stuff, readings, talks, agents, and more! Check out Kameron online!

What's Ditch Diggers about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Ditch Diggers episodes:

[DD] Birthdays and Gail Carriger 2, Electric Boogaloo

[DD] Data Wonking with Podmother Gail Carriger

[DD] Author/Agent Seth Fishman Answers Our Questions

[DD] Matt's Book Launch: Savage Crowns

[DD] Premee Mohamed and our 1000th Episode (?)

[DD] OG Ditch Digger Fonda Lee Is Back!

[DD] Debut Author Advice from Mary Robinette Kowal

[DD] AI Submissions with Valerie Valdes

[DD] Discussing Ethics in Publishing

[DD] Close out 2022 with Matt!

[DD] Unexpected Solo Cast with Mur

[DD] Veronica Roth Talks Messages to Past Self

[DD] Power Dynamics and New Writers with Ursula Vernon

[DD] Station Eternity Launch with Cherie Priest and Chuck Wendig

[DD] Mur and Matt and Book Launches

[DD] Kameron Hurley and Margaret Dunlap Decode Hollywood

[DD] Matt and Mur Talk Short Story Markets

[DD] Kameron Hurley and Why We Do This

[DD] Matt Wallace Returns! Walking Many Freelance Paths

[DD] Alasdair Stuart and the DOJ vs PRH

[DD] Kameron Hurley and Writing Reality Shows

[DD] Co-starring Jennifer Udden, ex-agent, current writer!

[DD] Ursula Vernon, the Lost Episode

[DD] Grant Baciocco, Podcaster and TikTok Star

[DD] BEACHCAST With Gwenda Bond

[DD] Alasdair Stuart and Publishing Trashfires

[DD] Imposter Syndrome and Censorship

[DD] Kameron Hurley and Social Media, Pt. 2 (audio is not good)

[DD] Some Kickstarters rise while magazines fall

[DD] The Market HUNGERS, with Ursula Vernon

[DD] The Return

[DD] How Many Kidneys Does Ursula Vernon Have?

[DD] What Does John Milton Have To Do With YA?

[DD] What Do You Do When Your Books Don't Sell?

[DD] Guest Hosts Ursula Vernon and Diana Rowland

[DD] Exiled to Discord!

[DD] Streaming on my own from the basement

Matt Returns and tells us how the money should flow.

[DD] Dirt Butlers with Alasdair Stuart

[DD] Mike Underwood Takes the Shovel

[DD] Ursula Vernon Talks Triple Crown

[DD] Kameron Hurley Talks Social Media

[DD] Margaret Dunlap Talks Hollywood

[DD] Alasdair Stuart is back!

[DD] Ursula Vernon Co-Hosts

[DD] Kameron Hurley Co-Hosts

[DD] Matt STILL Missing! SB Divya Co-Hosts

Matt is Missing! Cat Rambo Co-Hosts

[DD] Matt is Missing! Guest Host Alasdair Stuart

[DD] Author 201 With Guest Host Kameron Hurley