I Should Be Writing » you’re allowed to suck

ISBW #133 – You’re allowed to suck / Anders and Defendini Interview – LIVE

Mur — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:21:44 +0000

00:00:07 ISBW #133
00:01:12 State of the Mur update: final season of Heaven (War) is finished! Upcoming projects:
- �Project Underground�
- NaNoWriMo � other WriMos are welcome to visit the MightyMur profile page (Mur is happy and flattered that so many people want to be her NaNo �writing buddies�� but it may take time for her to �friend� you back. Please be patient!)
- List of helpful iPhone/iTouch writing-themed apps for future blog post
- Mailing books to winners of the writing prompt contest
00:04:38 Promo: Jennifer Hudock�s Goblin Market
00:05:43 Main topic: Cautionary tales for novice writers, including advice re: NaNoWriMo & podcasting novels. Balancing �you�re allowed to suck� with �is it ready to put out there?�
00:13:45 Promo: The Scotchcast
00:15:03 Interview: Lou Anders of Pyr Books and Pablo Defendini of Tor.com at DragonCon
- Short fiction website mentioned during interview: SF Signal
- How to submit to Tor.com?
- Email short fiction to Patrick Nielsen Hayden at pnh at panix.com
- Email comics to tordotcomics at gmail.com or pablo.defendini at tor.com
00:50:52 Promo: Well Told Tales
00:51:48 Feedback & Announcements: Event! December 10, 2009 (Thursday) from 7pm-8:30pm reading/singing/performances with Jeff VanderMeer and Natania Barron at Chapel Hill Comics. Mur will also be at BlogWorld in two weeks to talk about podiobooks. Feedback: Who is the antagonist in the typical romance novel? Update from listener Tom, re: balancing multiple projects. Writers� conferences. Writing contests. Who does the podcast intro music? Beatnik Turtle! More thoughts on use of language originating with the specifics of the real universe in the context of a fictional and other-worldly novel.

Show notes provided by Carrie Kei Heim Binas.

ISBW #126 LITE – Drawing Class

Mur — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 01:17:14 +0000

I test out my new headphone/mic combo for my ipod and talk about my latest creative attempt: a beginning drawing class where I have to allow myself to suck. Square one, baby.

It’s short, it’s unedited, it’s attempting to be daily, and it’s free.

Things you have to do

Mur — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 13:01:37 +0000

Was thinking last night about our mindsets, and how our minds decide what we’re capable of. For example- when driving with my husband, I can do about 3 hours before I get tired and want to switch drivers. But I drove up to Balticon last weekend with no problems, and that’s a 5 hour drive. See, I didn’t have a choice. There was no one else there to take the wheel. I simply had to do it. So I did it.

I hear this with parents of multiple kids. I’m here, exhausted from taking care of my one six-year-old, and I ask my friend, the mother of twins, “how the hell do you do it?” She just looks at me blankly and says, “I just do.” Well of course she does. Because she doesn’t have a choice.

When it comes to writing, sure, you have a choice. You can NOT write that novel, or NOT hit the wordcount. I’m sure you’ve NOT done these things several days out of your life. But at some point you have to decide if the consequences of you not doing something are worth it. If not, then you have to do it. You have no choice. There’s no other driver waiting on you, no nanny’s going to come to your door. You have to do that project.

I recently accepted a freelance writing project that has a night-impossible wordcount for 5 days. And I’m going to do it.

Because I can’t not.

In fact, I need to get started.

Writing prompt for June 2: Your character has a “dead” anniversary; celebrating something that no longer exists (example- s/he’s divorced, fallen off the AA wagon, something). How does s/he deal with or commemorate such a day?

Writing advice for the day: Practice failing until you can fly, from The Creative Penn (sounds a little like “you’re allowed to suck,” doesn’t it?). Incidentally, @thecreativepenn is a Twitter handle every writer should follow.