I Should Be Writing

Main Topic: Rejectomancy Revisited

• Diving into the alchemy of deciphering rejection letters
• Does the story fit the magazine it’s being submitted to?
• Social Media: the game is afoot and no one knows the rules
• Try to level up networking skills

Links

• Merch Shop
• Mur on Twitter
• Mur on Instagram
• Mur on Youtube
• Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon or Ko-Fi!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp

Twitch schedule for week of May 9:

• Mon: 4:30pm Ditch Diggers with Alasdair Stuart
• Tues: 3:00pm I Should Be Writing
• Wed: 3:00pm Gaming
• Thurs: 3:00pm NO STREAM

April 26, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 34 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Main Topic: Story Engine

• Unboxing: Story Engine… we have cards!
• Booster: Eldritch Horror set
• Today’s quandary is how to run a giveaway for the spare Story Engine set. Roll for wild luck.
• Walking through the decks, and how to use them to help you tell your stories
• Buy Your Own Story Engine deck: https://storyenginedeck.myshopify.com

Links

• Merch Shop
• Mur on Twitter
• Mur on Instagram
• Mur on Youtube
• Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon or Ko-Fi!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp

Twitch schedule for week of May 9:

• Mon: 4:30pm Ditch Diggers with Alasdair Stuart
• Tues: 3:00pm I Should Be Writing
• Wed: 3:00pm Gaming
• Thurs: 3:00pm NO STREAM

April 21, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 33 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Main Topic: Distractions

• Sometimes, we just need a person, pet or thing to bounce ideas & questions off of
• The games more fun to play have the more intricate and fleshed out stories
• Writing on side projects when you get stuck on a primary project can be a good thing
• Emotions are not reality, but take the emotions out of how the distractions make you feel
• ISBW archives and DD archives are complete!

Links

• Merch Shop
• Mur on Twitter
• Mur on Instagram
• Mur on Youtube
• Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon or Ko-Fi!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp

Twitch schedule for week of May 2:

• Mon: 4:30pm Ditch Diggers with Matt Wallace
• Tues: 3:00pm I Should Be Writing
• Wed: 3:00pm Gaming
• Thurs: 3:00pm I Should Be Writing with Marguerite Kenner

April 19, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 32 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Open

• 2022 Word Count: 65178
• Your Mur doesn’t pun, and your daddy doesn’t rock ‘n roll

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 141 ??
• Spoilers Club: “One for All” by Lillie Lainoff – April 30, 6pm Eastern

Main Topic: Examinations of Flaws in the Writing

• Over explaining or under explaining in descriptions and dialogue
• Repeating repetitive phrases over and over
• The challenges in designing satisfying interpersonal conflict
• Editing cleanup on Aisle 4
• Working with the characters living in your head
• Keeping track of word counts in edit passes

April 14, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 31 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Open

• 2022 Word Count: 50200
• Science research!

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 141
• Welcome Cosmo Quest raiders!
• Spoilers Club: “One for All” by Lillie Lainoff

Main Topic: Hitting Home Runs with Your Story Settings

• Tips on making settings come to life… it’s all about the details
• Guidelines for using real business names in your stories?
• Trademarks vs Copyrights

April 12, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 30 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

• Amazing reveals in 2022 Hugo Finalist announcements
• Spoilers Club reminder: One for All by Lillie Lainoff, copy giveaways next week
• Tangling with Taxes, what can help freelancers
• YNAB: https://www.youneedabudget.com/our-app-lineup/
• How advances work (a breakdown)

• Resurrecting the Magic Spreadsheet?
• Requesting recommendations for Tips & Tricks for alternatives to “write every day”

[ Turbo Tango Raid incoming ]

Links

• Merch Shop
• Mur on Twitter
• Mur on Instagram
• Mur on Youtube
• Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon or Ko-Fi!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp

Twitch schedule for April 18-30:

• Mon: Ditch Diggers with Matt Wallace 12pm
• Tues: ISBW 3pm
• Wed: Gaming (Inscription) 3pm
• Thurs: ISBW 3pm
• Sat: SPOILERS CLUB! 6pm We talk One For All -with ALL the spoilers- with special guest Lillie Lainoff!

April 7, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 29 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 115
• First new Ditch Diggers has arrived!
• Spoilers Club, April 30, 6pm: One for All by Lillie Lainoff 

Main Topic: How You Should Use Social Media (At Your Career Stage)?

• Elon Musk. Buying into Twitter. Because speech freedoms confuse him?
• Facebook is the worst. Facebook decides who sees your content, not you.
• Tik Tok… hmph, get off my lawn
• Choose what safeguards work best for your online presence comfort levels
• Be your best self, be kind, considerate, and have fun

Links

• Merch Shop
• Mur on Twitter
• Mur on Instagram
• Mur on Youtube
• Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic
• Support via Patreon or Ko-Fi!
• John Anealio on Bandcamp

Twitch schedule for April 18-30:

• Mon: Ditch Diggers with Matt Wallace 12pm
• Tues: ISBW 3pm
• Wed: Gaming (Inscription) 3pm
• Thurs: ISBW 3pm
• Sat: SPOILERS CLUB! 6pm We talk One For All -with ALL the spoilers- with special guest Lillie Lainoff!

April 5, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 28 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Open

• 2022 Word Count: 44000 (?)

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 111
• Ditch Diggers returns April 4, Noon Eastern!
• Book Club: “One for All” by Lillie Lainoff

Main Topic: Important yet Boring writing related side topics

• Are you doing your backups of your work? And you know you should be, right?
• There are so many cloud-based options, what are you waiting for?
• Now, about your rights and copyright…
• Creative Commons licensing: ​​https://creativecommons.org/licenses/
• Stream break: Tornado Warning
• Creative Commons implementation examples
• Dancing along that knife edge that is fan fiction
• Will the Afterlife series go public domain?

March 31, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 27 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

NOTE- Releasing early so everyone knows to come see the return of Ditch Diggers on April 4, 2022, on Twitch!

Open

• 2022 Word Count: 43300 (?)

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 108
• Ditch Diggers returns April 4, Noon Eastern!
• Book Club News: Spoilers Club goals
• Camp NaNoWriMo starts April 1

Main Topic: Humor is subjective but doesn’t have to be cruel

• Is it funny if the joke’s purpose is to make fun of someone else in a less powerful situation?
• Sometimes, you don’t have to share your hot take with the world
• Keep in consideration the cause and effects of power imbalances regarding reviewers & fans
• If you can, tell your jokes without mocking a person or group of people
• “The Hidden Tools of Comedy” by Steve Kaplan
• Book Club: “One for All” by Lillie Lainoff

March 29, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 26 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open

• 2022 Word Count: 41200 (?)
• Does Mur need her own cruise? Signs point to “yes”

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: 100
• Ditch Diggers returns April 4!
• SFWA Membership requirements have been updated

Main Topic: Applied Self Help Strategies. Chances. Opportunities. Luck.

• Shonda. Rhimes.
• Scientific study examining luck as the convergence of talent, opportunity and hard work:
• “How Luck Happens: Using the Science of Luck to Transform Work, Love, and Life” by Janice Kaplan & Barnaby Marsh
• Fortune Favors the Bold – Chance Favors the Prepared Mind
• Sometimes “no” is the right answer
• Imposter Syndrome, Fears often rear their ugly heads

March 24, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 25 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License