"Despair is the overprotective parent going, 'oh, it's okay that you lost that game. We'll protect you by never letting you play again.'" -Mur Lafferty

In this episode, we talk about Bully #4, Despair. Despair wants to hug you and join you when it's raining. It's nice to feel sorry for yourself for a moment, but you can't listen to it.

Mur is candid about feeling overwhelmed and the challenges of maintaining a connection to the outside world amidst creative struggles and personal challenges.

We explore some ways to combat despair, including the helpful practice of listing accomplishments and breaking down projects into manageable steps. And get a little fussy.

(This post went live for supporters on June 11, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!)

Transcript

• Joco Cruise
• Escape Pod
• Brindlewood Bay
• Mari Naomi
• John Hodgman

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21
• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.
• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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!

— "Tango with the Tentacles, DESPAIR" 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.

June 18, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 11 | murverse.com "Tango with the Tentacles, DESPAIR" 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.

"If you feel you have something to say, just put the time into saying it." -K.M. Huber

In this episode, we welcome K.M. Huber, the author of Call of the Owl Woman, about her journey from writer to published author. K.M. talks about how her years in Peru, including extensive exploration and research into local mythology, affected her writing and her new book.

Call of the Owl Woman is heavily influenced by those years, and is written for her daughter (who asked for it many years ago.)

(This post went live for supporters on June 5, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!)

Transcript

[podcast_subscribe id="6238"]

Links

• K.M. Huber
• Call of the Owl Woman
• Madeleine L'Engle

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21
• Like 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, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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!

 

— "Writing Between the US and Peru with K.M. Huber" 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.

June 8, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 10 | murverse.com "Writing Between the US and Peru with K.M. Huber" 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.

"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. Barnes
• Cold Eternity
• Becca Syme
• Event Horizon (movie)
• Aliens (movie)
• Ghost Ship (movie)

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21
• Like 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, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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.

"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 21
• Like 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, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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

"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 Pod
• Severance
• Murderbot
• The Teller of Small Fortunes
• Save the Cat
• Deadloch

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21
• Like 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, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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.

S21 Ep6: From Medieval Fashion to Modern Writing with Natania Barron

"Stories are how I make sense of the world." -Natania Barron

(This post went live for supporters on March 27, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!)

In this episode, I talk a little about the JoCo Cruise and how it reminded me of the importance of community and creativity. I forgot how good it felt to surrounding myself with fellow creatives.

Then I talk to Natania Barron, a prolific fantasy author and medieval scholar of the Queens of Fate series. We delve into Natania's latest works and discuss the intersection of history and fantasy, the nuances of writing queer narratives, and the significance of food and fashion in storytelling.

Transcript

Links

• Natania Barron's Website
• Natania's Patreon
• Queen of None
• Worldbuilding for Masochists Podcast
• Diane Ackerman
• A Wrinkle in Time
• Flyleaf Books
• Quail Ridge Books
• Solaris Books
• Chuck Wendig

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21
• Like 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, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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!

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. —

"From Medieval Fashion to Modern Writing with Natania Barron" 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. March 31, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 6 | murverse.com "From Medieval Fashion to Modern Writing with Natania Barron" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S21 Ep5: Crafting Tales Through Holiday Themes

"Engaging with the holidays definitely feels like a way to develop world and character." -Mur Lafferty

(This post went live for supporters on March 24, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!)

In this episode, I dive into the significance of holidays in storytelling and how they can shape character development and plot progression. With no guest this week, I talk about my own projects, creative work and admin work both.

I cover Christmas romances that evoke themes of rebirth to the complexities of Valentine's Day, and discuss how different holidays can influence narratives.

Transcript

Links

• Writer's Digest
• The Holiday
• The Last Holiday
• Holidate
• Home for the Holidays

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21
• Like 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, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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!

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. —

"Crafting Tales Through Holiday Themes" 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. February 13, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 5 | murverse.com "Crafting Tales Through Holiday Themes" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S21 Ep4: Taking a Machete to Creative Blocks with Premee Mohamed

"My characters would be wandering around the field with me going like, hey, I just found a rare orchid." -Premee Mohamed

(This post went live for supporters on March 21, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!)

(recorded February) In this episode we welcome prolific, brilliant Premee Mohamed, a Nebula and Aurora award-winning author to talk about her new book, One Message Remains.

. We explore the process of creating clean first drafts, the chaos of deadlines, and the balance between creativity and productivity. And why the cat needs a job.

Premee shares the challenges of producing multiple works in a year and the strategies she employs to keep her creativity flowing. We cover outlining techniques and the importance of not being precious about the writing process.

Transcript

Links

• Premee Mohamed
• One Message Remains
• Premee's Patreon
• Psychopomp Press
• Tor.com
• Hugo Awards
• Aurora Awards

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21
• Like 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, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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!

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. —

"Taking a Machete to Creative Blocks with Premee Mohamed" 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. March 24, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 4 | murverse.com "Taking a Machete to Creative Blocks with Premee Mohamed" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S21 Ep3: Rachel Howzell Hall on Balancing Thrillers and Fantasy

"I will try this new thing and I will learn how to do it." -Rachel Howzell Hall

(This post went live for supporters on March 18, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!)

(recorded February)

In this episode of I Should Be Writing, we dive into the chaotic world of creativity with acclaimed author Rachel Howzell Hall, thriller writer turned fantasy writer. She discusses her new romantasy book, The Last One.

We delve into the importance of urgency in storytelling, the balance of world-building, and the personal experiences that shape a writer's voice.

Transcript

Links

• Rachel Howzell Hall
• The Last One
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Elden Ring
• Thomas & Mercer

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21
• Like 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, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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!

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. —

"Balancing Thrillers and Fantasy" 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. March 21, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 3 | murverse.com "Balancing Thrillers and Fantasy" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S21 Ep2: Mental Health and Creativity

"Nothing is 100% original. It's what you do with it that counts." -Elaine M. Will

(This post went live for supporters on February 13, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!)

Ever-looming existential dread, but we keep going. Then there's the challenge of navigating creativity amidst mental health struggles. I also reflect on a fear of failure. I'm not proud. I'm human.

And then we welcome to the show Elaine M. Will, a writer and illustrator known for her graphic novels that tackle mental health themes. We discuss Elaine's latest work, The Last Band on Earth, and the intricate relationship between storytelling and visual art.

Whether you're a writer or an artist, we hope you'll get something out of this episode, and you remember that a creative journey is filled with ups and downs, and it's okay to take your time.

Transcript

Links

• Elaine M. Will on Ko-Fi
• The Artist's Way
• Toronto Comic Arts Festival
• Scott McCloud
• Lynda Barry
• Gene Day Award
• Cuckoo's Nest Press
• Citizen Sleeper 2

Evergreen Links

• See all books from Season 21
• Like 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, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends
• Support 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!

 

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. —

"Mental Health and Creativity" 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. February 13, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 2 | murverse.com "Mental Health and Creativity" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0