I Should Be Writing

Open

• New short stories being worked on

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 257
• STATION ETERNITY: Library Journal Starred Review https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/station-eternity-1790821

Main Topic: Back to Basics: Turrible Writing Advice, Just Turrible

• Writing & Self Publishing suggestions found on Wisdom, well, kinda weren’t all that wise
• Old Wives Tale: You can successfully write if you don’t read widely or at all. Um, nope… reading while you’re writing is vital
• (I’m with you… I have no patience for Tolkien, but the first 3 movies are wonderful)

Links

• Mur on Focusmate!
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

August 17, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 54 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Main Topic: Back to Basics w/Valerie Valdes

• Writing processes: stand-alones and series
• Dragon Age games, storytelling and world building
• NaNoWriMo, Structure, and storytelling secrets
• Candle In Sunshine
• Valerie on Twitter
• Valerie's Home Page

Links

• New! Mur on Focusmate!
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

Twitch schedule for August:

• Monday 12pm: Ditch Diggers (19th 4:30pm)
• Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• Wednesday 3pm: Gaming TBD
• Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• Thursday 8pm: Arsenic and Old Dice, A Brindlewood Bay Livestream

August 11, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 53 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Main Topic: Happy Birthday, Oh Podcast, My Podcast!

• The startup history and baby steps of I Should Be Writing
• What Mur has Learned in 17 Years of Pro Podcasting
• The foundation was built for a networking platform
• Timeless Writing Advice: Don’t Stop Writing.
• Updating podcasts to reflect the times and the tech
• Meeting and Knowing other Writers Helps All
• The anxieties of being an author are real, but you’re not alone

Links

• New! Mur on Focusmate!
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

Twitch schedule for August:

• Monday 12pm: Ditch Diggers (19th 4:30pm)
• Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• Wednesday 3pm: Gaming TBD
• Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• Thursday 8pm: Arsenic and Old Dice, A Brindlewood Bay Livestream

August 9, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 52 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Main Topic: Mindy Carlson and Characters

• Mindy’s writing retreat imminent
• Building characters needs as much detail as building the world: traits, connections, behaviors
• Consistently believable emotional responses help mysteries flow
• Yes, Her Dying Day is loosely based on the real life disappearance of Agatha Christie
• Advice for new writers: Be brave and do the thing that scares you the most
• https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781639100125
• Mindy on Twitter

Links

• New! Mur on Focusmate!
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

Twitch schedule for August:

• Monday 12pm: Ditch Diggers (19th 4:30pm)
• Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• Wednesday 3pm: Gaming TBD
• Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• Thursday 8pm: Arsenic and Old Dice, A Brindlewood Bay Livestream

August 4, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 51 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Short episode. I've been feeling low lately, and then had to remember this little nugget that keeps me going. So I thought I would remind you, too. 

Links

• New! Mur on Focusmate!
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

Twitch schedule for week of August 8:

• 8th Monday 12pm: Ditch Diggers with Alasdair Stuart
• 9th Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• 10th Wednesday 3pm: Gaming TBD
• 11st Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing, interview with Valerie Valdes
• 11th  Thursday 8pm: Arsenic and Old Dice, A Brindlewood Bay Livestream

July 28, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 50 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 226
• STATION ETERNITY: Library Journal Starred Review https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/station-eternity-1790821

Main Topic: Characters

• The Basic (Standard) Characters: characters have & need structure too
• The Protagonist changes, movement must occur
• The Antagonist creates obstacles, challenges Protagonist resolve
• Think about how your characters can & will interact while building them
• Reference: “45 Master Characters” by Veronica Schmidt
• ( ed note: author KM Weiland has a podcast, and she’s done a series on character arcs, and also positive, negative, flat and shadow archetypes, both in podcast and in book, https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/)

Live Stream Bar Con After Show

• Appearances Update: WorldCon, She Podcasts, (maybe) NYCC

Links

• New! Mur on Focusmate!
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

Twitch schedule for week of August 8:

• 8th Monday 12pm: Ditch Diggers with Alasdair Stuart
• 9th Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• 10th Wednesday 3pm: Gaming TBD
• 11st Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing, interview with Valerie Valdes
• 11th  Thursday 8pm: Arsenic and Old Dice, A Brindlewood Bay Livestream

July 26, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 49 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Main Topic: Where Do You Find Your Story Inspiration?

• Start with paying attention to the people, behaviors and events right in front of you
• Non-fiction recommendations: Mary Roach (science), Ruth Reichl (food)
• When you watch TV, Movies, Video Games, pay attention to the dialogue & story structure

Links

• murverse.com
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

Twitch schedule for July:

• 18th Monday 4:30pm: Ditch Diggers with Kameron Hurley
• 19th Tuesday 3pm: Canceled
• 20th Wednesday 3pm: Stardew Valley
• 21st Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing with
• 25th Monday 12pm: No work, BIRTHDAY STREAM!
• 26th Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• 27th Wednesday 3pm: Gaming TBD
• 28th Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing

July 14, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 48 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 218
• Virtual launch event at Mysterious Galaxy October 11
• Live launch event at Flyleaf Books, October 4
• She Podcasts Live conference/event October 11-14

Main Topic: The Tools at Your Disposal

• Think about your keyboard, and how typing stress can affect your writing
• Laptops, Tablets, or Phones?
• Software for your Writing Efficiency

Links

• murverse.com
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

Twitch schedule for July:

• 18th Monday 4:30pm: Ditch Diggers with Kameron Hurley
• 19th Tuesday 3pm: Canceled
• 20th Wednesday 3pm: Stardew Valley
• 21st Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing with
• 25th Monday 12pm: No work, BIRTHDAY STREAM!
• 26th Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• 27th Wednesday 3pm: Gaming TBD
• 28th Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing

July 12, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 47 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

• Team Rejection count: 215

• Author & Editor Steffanie Moyers talks about her new ebook, What Happens In…
• Staging and shooting professional and fun photo shoots
• Fiverr and working that freelance hustle to more leads
• Writing the stories in your head (pantsing all the time!)
• Vonnegut Love
• https://www.steffmoyers.com
• https://www.tiktok.com/@steffaniemoyers
• https://www.instagram.com/steffaniemoyers
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz1CL4w4mdgggJ1nIi0G--A
• https://twitter.com/steffaniemoyers
• Check out the official ISBW merch!
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

• 11th Monday 12pm: Ditch Diggers with Ursula Vernon
• 12th Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• 13th Wednesday 3pm: Thousand Year Old Vampire Solo RPG, 9pm (POSSIBLE) Stardew Valley stream with friends!
• 14th Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing

July 7, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 46 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

The first in our twelve episode Back to Basics series! But did you know you could pre-order signed copies of my new book Station Eternity? 

I'm going to be covering basic writing advice for the next twelve episodes.

Open

• STATION: ETERNITY will be out October 4 2022 
• 2022 Word Count: 120k
• Upcoming changes to ISBW: themed limited series are the new normal

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 204

Main Topic: Back to Basics

• Addressing the imagined fears that sneak up on you when considering a creative career
• Fear of failure when starting a project, Fear of success and its link to impostor syndrome
• Having the courage to say “yes” or “hello”
• There are a few real concerns when walking the path of a creative career
• Perfectionism: It’s A Trap!
• Refer to: Ira Glass, “The Gap”: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/extras/the-gap
• Comparison to others: It’s A Trap!

Links

• Check out the official ISBW merch!
• Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube
• Newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp
• I Should Be Writing tea blends

Twitch schedule for July 18-22:

• 18th Monday 12pm: Ditch Diggers with Ursula Vernon
• 19th Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing
• 20th Wednesday 3pm: Thousand Year Old Vampire Solo RPG, 9pm (POSSIBLE) Stardew Valley stream with friends!
• 21st Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing

Coming in August: Return of podcasts, and a live RPG play of Brindlewood Bay!

July 5, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 45 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License