I Should Be Writing » Podcast http://isbw.murlafferty.com The podcast for wanna-be fiction writers Wed, 16 May 2012 14:57:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 The podcast for wanna-be fiction writers Mur Lafferty clean Mur Lafferty mightymur@gmail.com mightymur@gmail.com (Mur Lafferty) Copyright 2005-2012, Mur Lafferty Creative Commons BY-NC-SA The podcast for wanna-be fiction writers writing, literature, how-to I Should Be Writing » Podcast http://isbw.murlafferty.com/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/rss_default.jpg http://isbw.murlafferty.com/category/podcast/ Durham, NC Weekly ISBW #249 – Convention questions answered/Peter V. Brett interview pt 2 http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/05/14/isbw-249-convention-questions-answeredpeter-v-brett-interview-pt-2/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/05/14/isbw-249-convention-questions-answeredpeter-v-brett-interview-pt-2/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 17:38:07 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2455 I answer a great deal of questions about conventions, as it’s nearly that season! And if you’re a fabulist, then let’s have breakfast at Balticon! Drop me a line.

]]> http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/05/14/isbw-249-convention-questions-answeredpeter-v-brett-interview-pt-2/feed/ 0 conventions,Peter V. Brett I answer a great deal of questions about conventions, as it's nearly that season! And if you're a fabulist, then let's have breakfast at Balticon! Drop me a line. I answer a great deal of questions about conventions, as it's nearly that season! And if you're a fabulist, then let's have breakfast at Balticon! Drop me a line. Mur Lafferty clean 1:07:43 ISBW 248 – Feedback http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/05/09/isbw-248-feedback/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/05/09/isbw-248-feedback/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 23:15:05 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2437 Another feedbacky type show.

ISBW #248

00:28 State of the Mur: remember to check out Mur on Twitter & Facebookfor contemporaneous notices when she records feedback shows. 00:55 Parsec Awardspromo featuring Good Cop / Bad Cop 02:38FEEDBACK: when to reveal information in a story; promoting self-published novellas (recommended: [...]]]> http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/05/09/isbw-248-feedback/feed/ 0 Another feedbacky type show. - ISBW #248 00:28 State of the Mur: remember to check out Mur on Twitter & Facebookfor contemporaneous notices when she records feedback shows. 00:55 Parsec Awardspromo featuring Good Cop / Bad Cop Another feedbacky type show. ISBW #248 00:28 State of the Mur: remember to check out Mur on Twitter & Facebookfor contemporaneous notices when she records feedback shows. 00:55 Parsec Awardspromo featuring Good Cop / Bad Cop 02:38FEEDBACK: when to reveal information in a story; promoting self-published novellas (recommended: The Creative Penn); connecting with new readers; giving yourself permission to suck (and then getting good); on success & feeling like a phony (see also First Million Words podcast, WorldCon); child protagonists in novels for non-youth audiences; finding good characters to fill out good plots; working with ideas that start out as only single scenes/vignettes; writing & world-building during one's commute; next steps after editing / when to query; comments still closed until ISBW moves to new host / frequency of blogging / Mur's currently available novels/stories/writing; why Mur writes; health & fitness for writers (see Fit 2 Write podcast & also the Tee Morris interview on Being Healthy for Busy People). Credits:    Producer: Patrick Hester, Show notes writer: Carrie Kei Heim Binas, Theme song: Famous Patrick Mur Lafferty clean 41:45 ISBW #247 – Peter V. Brett Interview / Unrequited Love http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/05/03/isbw-247-peter-v-brett-interview-unrequited-love/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/05/03/isbw-247-peter-v-brett-interview-unrequited-love/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 17:20:08 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2430 Brought to you by Picking Up the Ghost by Tone Milazzo!

Pick up the ebook for only $2.99 until May 8th!

This week I run part 1 of the Peter V. Brett interview from World Fantasy Con, and talk about how to handle unrequited love. (In a story, I mean; I can’t [...]]]> http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/05/03/isbw-247-peter-v-brett-interview-unrequited-love/feed/ 0 Peter V. Brett Brought to you by Picking Up the Ghost by Tone Milazzo! - Pick up the ebook for only $2.99 until May 8th! - This week I run part 1 of the Peter V. Brett interview from World Fantasy Con, and talk about how to handle unrequited love. (In a story, Brought to you by Picking Up the Ghost by Tone Milazzo! Pick up the ebook for only $2.99 until May 8th! This week I run part 1 of the Peter V. Brett interview from World Fantasy Con, and talk about how to handle unrequited love. (In a story, I mean; I can't help you handle it in real life.)   Living in St. Jude, a 110-year-old dying city on the edge of the Mississippi, is tough. But when a letter informs fourteen-year-old Cinque of the passing of the father he never met, he is faced with an incomplete past and an uncertain future. A curse meant for his father condemns Cinque to a slow death even as it opens his eyes to the strange other world around him. With help from the ghost, an enigmatic White Woman, a Loa, and a devious shape-shifter, Cinque gathers the tools to confront the ghost of his dead father. But sometimes too much knowledge can be dangerous - and the people he trusts most are those poised to betray him. Mur Lafferty clean 46:38 ISBW 246 – Feedback http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/30/isbw-246-feedback/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/30/isbw-246-feedback/#comments Tue, 01 May 2012 00:32:34 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2420 It’s another feedback show!

Brought to you by Picking Up the Ghost by Tone Milazzo!

Pick up the ebook sale for only $2.99 until May 8th!

Living in St. Jude, a 110-year-old dying city on the edge of the Mississippi, is tough. But when a letter informs fourteen-year-old Cinque of the passing [...]]]> http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/30/isbw-246-feedback/feed/ 0 feedback It's another feedback show! - Brought to you by Picking Up the Ghost by Tone Milazzo! - Pick up the ebook sale for only $2.99 until May 8th! - Living in St. Jude, a 110-year-old dying city on the edge of the Mississippi, is tough. It's another feedback show! Brought to you by Picking Up the Ghost by Tone Milazzo! Pick up the ebook sale for only $2.99 until May 8th! Living in St. Jude, a 110-year-old dying city on the edge of the Mississippi, is tough. But when a letter informs fourteen-year-old Cinque of the passing of the father he never met, he is faced with an incomplete past and an uncertain future. A curse meant for his father condemns Cinque to a slow death even as it opens his eyes to the strange other world around him. With help from the ghost, an enigmatic White Woman, a Loa, and a devious shape-shifter, Cinque gathers the tools to confront the ghost of his dead father. But sometimes too much knowledge can be dangerous - and the people he trusts most are those poised to betray him. ISBW #246 00:28 State of the Mur: still fried, but hopeful.  Keep tweeting/blogging about #ISBW to be entered into contest with prizes by Surly Amy.  SF Signal received two Hugo nominations for Best Fanzine & Best Fancast (produced by ISBW's Patrick Hester!) 03:06 Sponsor: Picking Up the Ghost -- read up to 4 chapters free by solving puzzles on author Tone Milazzo's website 04:35 FEEDBACK: bundles of resources on Writer's Digest; deciding how much cutting is enough; looking for new fiction in niche sub-genres; picking battles when asked to modify story for publication; pacing for discovery writers; identifying & solving plot holes; Kurt Vonnegut quote -- " No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them, in order that the reader may see what they are made of."(emphasis added); listener asks why Playing for Keeps didn't count as a "pro sale" for Campbell nomination purposes; writing short stories to specific word counts; researching novel locations via Google Earth; switching from discovery writing to plotting mid-project / writing advice from Holly Lisle; conventions re: who a 1st person narrator should be addressing; struggling to get words down at the start of a project; BookLife now under new management; introverted vs extroverted writers. Credits:    Producer: Patrick Hester, Show notes writer: Carrie Kei Heim Binas, Theme song: Famous Patrick Mur Lafferty clean 31:41 I’m all alone in my angst http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/26/im-all-alone-in-my-angst/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/26/im-all-alone-in-my-angst/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:54:25 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2412 I am a fraud. *

Everything I write sucks.

I haven’t written today and therefore I am a waste of space.

I’ll never, ever, ever, make it, even though I’m not sure what “making it” means.

What a relief.

(If you’re really impatient, the important message is at 2:40 – but sheesh, it’s only [...]]]> http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/26/im-all-alone-in-my-angst/feed/ 0 ISBW #245 – Catherine Gildiner http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/24/isbw-245-catherine-gildiner/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/24/isbw-245-catherine-gildiner/#comments Tue, 24 Apr 2012 18:19:58 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2401 I talk to memoir author Catherine Gildiner and talk about blogging. Don’t forget you can win a Surlyramics necklace by tweeting about ISBW with the tag #ISBW! (and follow me on Twitter at @mightymur)

Brought to you by Audible- get your free book when you sign up for a trial at http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/24/isbw-245-catherine-gildiner/feed/ 0 blogging,Catherine Gildiner I talk to memoir author Catherine Gildiner and talk about blogging. Don't forget you can win a Surlyramics necklace by tweeting about ISBW with the tag #ISBW! (and follow me on Twitter at @mightymur) - I talk to memoir author Catherine Gildiner and talk about blogging. Don't forget you can win a Surlyramics necklace by tweeting about ISBW with the tag #ISBW! (and follow me on Twitter at @mightymur) Brought to you by Audible- get your free book when you sign up for a trial at Audiblepodcast.com/ISBW ISBW #245 00:37 State of the Mur: discovering that desperation can feed productivity (multiple simultaneous deadlines, handling a wider internet presence).  Announcing the winner of the Andrew P. Mayer / Society of Steam contest, announcing new contest with prizes by Surly Amy: tweet or blog about #ISBW! 10:11 Sponsor: Audible.com 11:12 Finding balance. Thoughts on self-promotion and blogging/social media. 19:12 Promo:  All Things Trek 20:04 Interview:  Catherine Gildiner Memoirs: After the Falls (author website for both books) & Too Close to the Falls (purchasing link for both books) On living one existence but learning how to behave in another Memoir as representation of an era, and overcoming the "who cares?" (platform) Novel: Seduction (link to purchase) Writing about the War of 1812 -- when a spy defends her country, despite seeing how flawed her country is "You have to write what your heart tells you to write." Approaches to writing, thoughts on inspiration & writing as a job Advice to beginning writers Blogs: Stuff Old People Like & Gildiner's Gospel 48:10 Promo:  Escape, Book One of Omega 49:30 Final thoughts: Patrick's critique template in the show notes for ISBW #244, guest blog post by Helen Lowe Credits:    Producer: Patrick Hester, Show notes writer: Carrie Kei Heim Binas, Theme song: Jon Anealio Mur Lafferty clean 52:45 Guest Post- Writing Strong Women by Helen Lowe http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/20/guest-post-writing-strong-women-by-helen-lowe/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/20/guest-post-writing-strong-women-by-helen-lowe/#comments Fri, 20 Apr 2012 16:00:41 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2394 Helen Lowe is a novelist, poet, and interviewer, and the current the Ursula Bethell Writer-in-Residence at the University of Canterbury. She has won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for achievement in SFF for both Thornspell (Knopf) in 2009, and The Heir of Night (The Wall of Night Book One) in 2011. The Heir of [...]]]> http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/20/guest-post-writing-strong-women-by-helen-lowe/feed/ 0 ISBW #244 – Feedback http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/14/isbw-244-feedback/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/14/isbw-244-feedback/#comments Sat, 14 Apr 2012 13:00:40 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2386 Another feedback show, including a special talk with James Patrick Kelly about workshop etiquette!

ISBW #244 00:28 State of the Mur.  Go to Murverse to find out more about Mur (other podcasts, writing, editing, etc.) 02:27 Parsec Awards promo featuring Good Cop / Bad Cop 04:11 More thoughts on rejection & [...]]]> http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/14/isbw-244-feedback/feed/ 0 feedback,james patrick kelly,workshops Another feedback show, including a special talk with James Patrick Kelly about workshop etiquette! - ISBW #244 - 00:28 State of the Mur.  Go to Murverse to find out more about Mur (other podcasts, writing, editing, etc.) Another feedback show, including a special talk with James Patrick Kelly about workshop etiquette! ISBW #244 00:28 State of the Mur.  Go to Murverse to find out more about Mur (other podcasts, writing, editing, etc.) 02:27 Parsec Awards promo featuring Good Cop / Bad Cop 04:11 More thoughts on rejection & workshop etiquette (see ISBW #240) with James Patrick Kelly See also JPK's recent works: The Last Judgment & The Biggest 22:07 FEEDBACK: listener-suggested writers' group at the Kelley Armstrong Forums; critique template from producer Patrick; trouble with a story's "hook" & handling major edits in the middle of a draft; strong female characters & Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (book / anime on Hulu); handling a pseudonym when self-publishing (social media, etc.); writing as more than just a "hobby" & following up on a query; writing app FocusWriter; on "naming & shaming"; impact of online posting on future publication prospects; NEVER PAY AN AGENT UP FRONT; favorite interviewees & dream-list interviewees; how much time to spend on worldbuilding; how to change focus from a submitted project to a new one. Credits:    Producer: Patrick Hester, Show notes writer: Carrie Kei Heim Binas, Theme song: Famous PatrickCritique Template Word Mur Lafferty clean 45:46 ISBW #243 – Andrew Mayer and Jon Sprunk interviews http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/12/isbw-243/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/12/isbw-243/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 21:19:56 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2382 Hey everyone! We have a double interview for you, two Pyr authors Andrew Mayer and Jon Sprunk! And we’re doing a contest for Andrew’s book! Tweet about I Should Be Writing during the week of 4/12-4/20 and get a chance to win in a random drawing! (US only, please. Sorry, international shipping kills [...]]]> http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/12/isbw-243/feed/ 0 andrew mayer,contest,jon sprunk Hey everyone! We have a double interview for you, two Pyr authors Andrew Mayer and Jon Sprunk! And we're doing a contest for Andrew's book! Tweet about I Should Be Writing during the week of 4/12-4/20 and get a chance to win in a random drawing! Hey everyone! We have a double interview for you, two Pyr authors Andrew Mayer and Jon Sprunk! And we're doing a contest for Andrew's book! Tweet about I Should Be Writing during the week of 4/12-4/20 and get a chance to win in a random drawing! (US only, please. Sorry, international shipping kills more people than cigarettes do.) Tag your post #ISBW so I will be sure to see it, and say what you get out of ISBW! (And follow me, if you like, @mightymur) ISBW #243 0:00:32 State of the Mur: nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer (based on first pro sale); fretting about writing/deadlines; upcoming vacation. 0:06:06 Parsec Awards promo featuring Good Cop / Bad Cop 0:07:49 Thoughts on how to effectively build & follow through on a Kickstarter campaign. 0:24:26 Promo:  Escape, Book One of Omega 0:25:46 Interview:  Andrew P. Mayer The Society of Steam, a superhero steampunk series Steamcon & thoughts on the steampunk genre Superhero influences Difficulties of being a new writer on the convention circuit Responding to criticism Writing a trilogy under contract / writing novels vs. short stories Outling / mindmapping / the writing process Advice for new writers Society of Steam on Facebook 0:49:16 Promo:  The Twisted Geeks 0:49:58 Interview:  Jon Sprunk The Shadow Saga novels with Pyr Books Bio / path to publication Current writing process Pennwriters Changes in publishing / self-publishing Advice for new writers Fear of the Dark blog, Jon's Twitter @jsprunk70 1:09:18 Promo:  All Things Trek Credits:    Producer: Patrick Hester, Show notes writer: Carrie Kei Heim Binas, Theme song: Jon Anealio Mur Lafferty clean 1:11:58 ISBW #242 – Feedback http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/06/isbw-242-feedback/ http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/06/isbw-242-feedback/#comments Fri, 06 Apr 2012 22:56:18 +0000 Mur Lafferty http://isbw.murlafferty.com/?p=2366 Feedback wants YOU for the US Army!

ISBW #242

00:28 State of the Mur.  Productivity & procrastination. 01:55 Promo: Escape, Book One of Omega 03:15 FEEDBACK: how to choose among ideas; experimenting with interactive fiction / visual novels (see Her Side by Mur & J. R. Blackwell); question re: [...]]]> http://isbw.murlafferty.com/2012/04/06/isbw-242-feedback/feed/ 0 feedback Feedback wants YOU for the US Army! - ISBW #242 00:28 State of the Mur.  Productivity & procrastination. 01:55 Promo: Escape, Book One of Omega 03:15 FEEDBACK: how to choose among ideas; experimenting with interactive fiction / visual novels (... Feedback wants YOU for the US Army! ISBW #242 00:28 State of the Mur.  Productivity & procrastination. 01:55 Promo: Escape, Book One of Omega 03:15 FEEDBACK: how to choose among ideas; experimenting with interactive fiction / visual novels (see Her Side by Mur & J. R. Blackwell); question re: manga; listener support for the writer with the negative workshop experience; free word processing at OpenOffice; on editing/compromising for marketability; Mur's contact info is available through her About page; on writing and mental health: PRI Studio 360 produced a series on Science and Creativity, with an episode on genius & mental illness: Method in the Madness (the show notes writer also found a potentially interesting paper titled: Creative Method in the Madness: The Connection between Creativity and Psychopathology); writing in English not-as-a-first-language; LiveScribe Smart Pen; the definition of human strength/action & characters with agency; varying kinds of strength, including masculine/feminine (see Marguerite Henry's Justin Morgan Had a Horse); getting an agent for short stories vs. novels; writing a novel with short chapters; writing more compelling fiction; self-editing. Credits:    Producer: Patrick Hester, Show notes writer: Carrie Kei Heim Binas, Theme song: Famous Patrick Mur Lafferty clean 29:48