I Should Be Writing

Open

• Mur: 2k words today
• Nicole: words later tonight

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count: still at 1

Main Topic: Nicole Glover

• Nicole introduces the Murder and Magic series (2 books so far)
• The world-building involves the historical, the magic, and the murder mysteries
• The structure / framework of the stories
• Games Nicole plays
• Wildermyth: https://wildermyth.com/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/763890/Wildermyth/
• Murder & Magic character cards: https://nicole-glover.com/books/
• Debut author advice for fresh new authors

Links

• https://www.redbubble.com/people/mightymur/shop
• https://thegarages.bandcamp.com/,
• https://twitter.com/thegaragesband

January 13, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 4 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open

• Embrace the live stream stumbles. It builds character!
• New novel: 11k words in

Good News Good News

• Team Rejection count
• Next episode: Guest Interview Nicole Glover!

Main Topic: Embracing the Weird Thing for Yourself

• Using the tool that works best for your brain doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong
• Finding comfort where you can in order to get the work done
• Don’t overload in self-care so much that you can’t do any work
• Half a million downloads for 2021!

Links

• https://www.redbubble.com/people/mightymur/shop
• https://thegarages.bandcamp.com/
• https://twitter.com/thegaragesband

Twitch schedule for Jan:

• Mondays: 1-3pm AMA
• Tues: 3-430 pm I Should Be Writing
• Wed: 3-5pm Gaming
• Thurs: 3-430 pm I Should Be Writing

January 11, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 3 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open

• Pluto. Red Snow. Cthulhu spaces. Go Team Elder Gods!
• Arranging the pieces for a Book 2 to help the writing along
• Fonda Lee book prizes are en route!
• The world has timey wimey loose threads folding 2020 into 2021

Good News Good News

• Twitch gadgets and bots are nearly back to normal
• Team Rejection is on the field

Main Topic: To-Do Lists, Productivity, and Writing

• PNH on forming your to-do list based on your Inbox (hint: don’t do it)
• Looking at email items to put them on the to-do list, and prioritization confusion
• Saying YES to your work, or saying NO for yourself?
• Varying task scheduling approaches
• Patreon tiers: upcoming changes on Jan 17

Links

https://www.redbubble.com/people/mightymur/shop

Twitch schedule for Jan:

• Mondays: 1-3pm AMA
• Tues: 3-430 pm I Should Be Writing
• Wed: 3-5pm Gaming
• Thurs: 3-430 pm I Should Be Writing

January 6, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 2 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open

• Sometimes, we all need a break
• Attending WorldCon for the Hugos… was not fun this time? But still Fancy Like
• FIYAH. Go read, now.

New Year Good News Good News

• Dodged COVID while at WorldCon in the middle of a spike in DC
• Started a new book

Main Topic: Resolutions

• Focus on getting your work out there, instead of on the rejections
• Patreon tiers are changing, to offer more support for writers
• The Whole Ass Quotient
• Evil Mur: Name Dropping Neil Gaiman

Links https://www.redbubble.com/people/mightymur/shop

Twitch schedule for Jan:

• Mondays: 1-3pm AMA
• Tues: 3-430 pm I Should Be Writing
• Wed: 3-5pm Gaming
• Thurs: 3-430 pm I Should Be Writing

January 4, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 1 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

This is the final I Should Be Writing for 2021. I am taking some time off to plan 2022, changes to the Patreon, and just get some rest. I will still be streaming from time to time, writing my newsletter, and posting to Patreon.

Open

Wannabees vs Amateurs

What I’m Working On

• A gay Christmas rom-com in progress… maybe?

Good News Good News

• Looking forward to time off!
• Acknowledgements!
• Birthdays!

We are sponsored by Scribophile again! Thanks Scribophile! Check them out to find a writing buddy, beta readers, or form your own writing crit group!

Main Topic

• There’s no such thing as a NaNoWriMo failure
• The Daily NaNo fell by the wayside this year… many apologies
• 2021 Year in Review
• Trope Bingo
• No official ISBW podcasts for December 2021, but streaming will be partying on
• Secret Merch Locations!

Links

• https://nanowrimo.org/
• https://www.redbubble.com/people/mightymur/shop

WorldCon is December 15-19! Here's my schedule:

• 12-16 Thursday 5-7pm, Public Hugo Nominee Reception, Ambassador Ballroom (I will try to make the end of this, but I get in at 5pm and have no idea how hard it will be to get to the hotel.)
• 12-17 Friday 1pm The Softer Side of Science Fiction, Blue Room 2:30pm Escape Artists Meetup, Ambassador Ballroom
• 12-18 Saturday 1pm The Magnificent Novella, Blue Room 8pm The Hugo Awards! (Eee!)

I don't have a Kaffeklatch, a signing, or a reading, so I'm a bit unhappy with that, but the con has been beset by many problems, COVID not the only one, and I'm trying to be understanding. That said, if you want something signed, hit me up after a panel or if you see me around.

I'm hoping to have custom postcards for y'all. Wish me luck.

Twitch schedule for December: Best to follow on Twitch, because, frankly, because of holidays and Worldcon, I'm not sure what I can promise, but the goal is:

• Mondays: 1-3pm
• Tues-Thurs: 3-5pm

I WANT to stream from WorldCon, but I'm not sure if I will be able to.

December 2, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 82 (Episode 634) | murverse.com Copyright 2021, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open

Today is unfocused chill… grab a glass of wine, put your feet up

What I’m Working On

• Freelance projects progress
• Murder pies and cozy mysteries
• There’s that NaNoWriMo novel again… asking for attention

Good News Good News

• Feeling healthier!

We are sponsored by Scribophile again! Thanks Scribophile! Check them out to find a writing buddy, beta readers, or form your own writing crit group!

Main Topic

• Twitter Main Character of the Day: Jealousy from Toxic Partners?
• Don’t throw temper tantrums on social media; it doesn’t end well
• NaNo goal: 40k words, and more NaNo tips
• Writing related memories & pep talk
• Interviewing your characters who hate to be interviewed
• Series Completus Interruptus?
• Writing / Brain Hacks for productivity
• No official ISBW podcasts for December 2021, but streaming will be partying on
• Secret Merch Locations!

Links

• https://nanowrimo.org/
• https://www.redbubble.com/people/mightymur/shop

Twitch schedule for December: Best to follow on Twitch, because, frankly, because of holidays and Worldcon, I'm not sure what I can promise, but the goal is:

• Mondays: 1-3pm
• Tues-Thurs: 3-5pm

I WANT to stream from WorldCon, but I'm not sure if I will be able to.

November 24, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 80 (Episode 632) | murverse.com Copyright 2021, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open

Infectious contagions anxiety! Yay!

What I’m Working On

• Freelance projects ahoy
• Whamageddon: the rule is: “no listening to Last Christmas by Wham!” … and this game has been around since 2011? [PODCASTER'S NOTE: I officially lost on December 5, when I started to rewatch "Dash & Lily" on Netflix.)

Good News Good News

• Home for the Holiday(s)!
• Streamlabs vs OBS reindeer games

We are sponsored by Scribophile again! Thanks Scribophile! Check them out to find a writing buddy, beta readers, or form your own writing crit group!

Main Topic

• Waxing nostalgically poetical about David Sedaris’ writing to jumpstart changing POV for effect
• The examination of the unreliable narrator
• No official ISBW podcasts for December 2021, but streaming will be partying on
• Pending Patreon changes are afoot
• Secret Merch Locations!
• NaNo Count Target for Today: 36,666
• [PRODUCER'S NOTE: if you’re curious, one of 2020’s Welcome to the Blumhouse films on Amazon, “The Lie” is unreliable narrators from start to finish, and delightfully brutal]

Links

• https://www.whamageddon.com
• https://nanowrimo.org/
• https://www.redbubble.com/people/mightymur/shop

Twitch schedule for December: Best to follow on Twitch, because, frankly, because of holidays and worldcon, I'm not sure what I can promise, but the goal is:

• Mondays: 1-3pm
• Tues-Thurs: 3-5pm

I WANT to stream from WorldCon, but I'm not sure if I will be able to.

November 23, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 80 (Episode 631) | murverse.com Copyright 2021, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

The world needs cookie points. Just sayin’

Open

Sarah Lahey is here!

What I’m Working On

• Sarah has been moving house, in addition to teaching uni
• Mur is surviving

Good News Good News

• Sarah’s enjoying Book Launch

Main Topic

• Interview with Sarah: 
• Looking at the increasing interest in climate change based science fiction 
• More about NOSTALGIA IS HEARTLESS (sequel to GRAVITY IS HEARTLESS)
• Fan response to the series, with plans for Books 3 & 4
• The science behind predicting future trends
• All about colors
• Talking about the cover designs of both books
• Creating using your hands rather than your screens
• https://www.sarahlahey.com 
• Other new cli-fi novels:
• Trashlands by Alison Stine (Claire reviewed for WritersAfterDark.com)
• Glimmer by Marjorie B. Kellogg 

Links

• https://nanowrimo.org/
• https://www.redbubble.com/people/mightymur/shop

November 18, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 79 (Episode 630) | murverse.com Copyright 2021, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open

• NaNo Day 16: word count should be near 26,667 words
• Bug bites in the middle of the night are creepy, no matter what the bug is
• NaNo wordcounts from chat: progress not perfection

What I’m Working On

• Stardew Valley Psychological Thriller Working Title: Nitro Infused Cold Brew

Good News Good News

• The zombie bite on Mur’s face is not causing rot. Yay. (Note, doctor input has declared spider bite a case of shingles. Which always made me think that people's skin got all rough and layered like shingles--or like dragon scales. I am not a dragon.)

We are sponsored by Scribophile again! Thanks Scribophile! Check them out to find a writing buddy, beta readers, or form your own writing crit group!

Main Topic

• Acceptance: there’s only so much one can do
• Christmas Romances are an awesome weakness
• Podcast: Deck the Hallmark does heavy lifting, but there’s no Christmas novels podcast coming
• (is pity Twitch watching really a thing?)
• The Christmas Romance Movie Tropes Bingo Cards
•  Options to try when your NaNo gets stalled

Links

• https://nanowrimo.org/
• MERCH!

Twitch schedule for week of Nov 22

• Tues: 3pm- I Should Be Writing Ep. 80
• Wed: 3pm- I Should Be Writing Ep. 81(taking Thursday off)

November 16, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 78 (Episode 629) | murverse.com Copyright 2021, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open

• ADHD executive functions and brain fatigue
• Answering marketing questionnaires is hard

What I’m Working On

• NaNo wordcount: 13k
• Freelance projects are cool

Good News Good News

• The Fonda Lee books giveaway going strong! (Note- I am extending the giveaway through Nov 30 since I posted this so late)
• Merch: YAY Button at Red Bubble
• Yes, there are two Merch sites. Double the swag, double the pun potential (Actually one is discounted for Patreon supporters and one is for everyone else.)
• Hugo Voting is open thru Nov 19th! (out of date)

Main Topic

• The Supervillain’s Guide to Being a Fat Kid by Matt Wallace
• Inclusion & representation in writing fiction
• The Ego and The Editor

Links

• https://nanowrimo.org/

Twitch schedule for week of Nov 22

• Tues: 3pm- I Should Be Writing Ep. 80
• Wed: 3pm- I Should Be Writing Ep. 81(taking Thursday off)

November 9, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 77 (Episode 628) | murverse.com Copyright 2021, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License