Shows / I Should Be Writing
I Should Be Writing
"I should be writing" is what people say, but they rarely do it. This podcast is designed to help you get past those blocks, whether it's what your teacher told you when you were a kid, to being totally sure you'll never be as good as (FAV AUTHOR) so you might as well quit.
Episodes
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] The Black Dog Needs a Nail Trim
ISBW 22.25 The black dog of depression has been visiting a lot lately, and this episode is to address it and list out the things I do to fight back. Not a lot…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Return to Outline Hell
ISBW 22.24 I take a determined look at outlining again, going through some tried and true methods, mainly the Snowflake Method and a brief look at the…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Jenny Will Eat Us Now
ISBW 22.23 I got to interview the delightful Gillian Daniels, whose debut novel Jenny Will Eat You Now is available now! It's a rom-com horror novel, so of…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] The Lonesome October Club
ISBW 22.22 In classic Mur style, I am posting this mid October, not beginning. I need a minder. But the concept still works, if you can start now as day 1, or…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Deconstructing Imposter Syndrome
ISBW 22.21 It's time to talk about Imposter Syndrome, where it comes from, and how to handle it. If we can. I'm not sure I'm qualified. In other news I have a…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Isaac Green says Start Before You're Ready
ISBW 22.20 I met Durham author Isaac Green at a local reading and loved his work, so I invited him on the show. Get ready for some talk about MFAs, writing…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] The Magic Bullet Myth
ISBW 22.20 After a heartbreaking Q&A session at a recent convention, I felt the need to say something that's cold and honest. And that is about the magic…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Emotions are Stupid
ISBW 22.18 I had imposter syndrome so sneaky I didn't even realize it! (recorded before WorldCon). We all talk ourselves out of good ideas. Convention rules…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] AMA and Silly Notebook Problems
ISBW 22.17 So much to talk about! Worldcon is looming, and we take listener questions. How do you handle writing after a long break? What books do you…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] What does "confidence" even mean?
ISBW 22.16 I finished the book, I started a short story, and I have been looking at the concept of confidence a bit lately. Also been enjoying Charisma on…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] 2026 Book Giveaway (#1)
ISBW 22.15 I want a lot of books. I buy a lot of books. I get sent a lot of books. I can't with all these books. So you get to benefit! I'm discussing five new…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Scams, scams, and more scams!
ISBW 22.14 The scammers are getting wilier, and we have to keep up, folks. They want you to pay to join book clubs, they catfish you to make you fire your…
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[ISBW] Dance Like Nobody's Watching
ISBW 22.13 Believe it or not, we got a feedback question to answer! We talk about how to get moving when you've stalled out on your writing routine, and a few…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] SUBLIMATION with Isabel J. Kim
ISBW 22.12 Happy Pride! Recently we welcomed Isabel J. Kim to the show to talk about her debut novel, Sublimation! We not only talk about her mind-bending…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Magic Systems and Ruinous Creatures
ISBW 22.11 (There will be a giveaway of Ruinous Creatures! I'm taking entries until May 21! Email me with GIVEAWAY in the subject line! You do not need to be a…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Are you sure you want to injure that character?
"If you injure somebody, that injury tells a story, and you have to decide whether that story fits the rest of your story." 22.10 In this episode, I go into…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] When Characters Go Rogue
"Every character is the star of their own story." ISBW 22.9 In this episode we talk about how different writers view characterization, from the ones who…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Can Rejectomancy Save Our Sanity?
"I think the thing people have the most problem with is, 'This was very good, but it didn't excite me.'" ISBW 22.8 Mur is back solo, talking about Rejectomancy…
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[ISBW] Medicine and AI with Dr. Justin C. Key
"Acceptance is built on a pile of rejections." ~ Justin C. Key ISBW 22.7 Dr. Justin C. Key joins us to discuss his debut novel, The Hospital at the End of the…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Regret, Spite, and shiny new book haul
"Weird is hot right now." ISBW 22.6 CW- pet death. It's been a rough week, so I'm talking regret and spite. Can they help and fuel us? Or is it just wasted…
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[ISBW] Revisiting Space Murder with Olivia Waite
"Take your time, there's no rush. The audience will be here whenever your story is ready." ISBW 22.5 In this episode we welcome author Olivia Waite to discuss…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Have I changed my opinion of writing contests?
"It might be too much, but it looks really fun." ISBW 22.4 I've had a strong opinion about writing contests for years, but things have apparently evolved. I…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] 977 Episodes Archived: What Secrets Did I Find?
"If [I] start thinking about the details, [I] will either go down the wrong path and not record or [I'll] talk [my]self out of it." ISBW 22.3 I finally…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] The Art of Juggling Writers (as an assistant)
"Not every opportunity is equal, and you don't have to chase everything." ~Tim Minneci ISBW 22.2 What do you need to have when you're wrangling several pro…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Careful What You Pack
"All I can do is what I can do right now." ISBW 22.1 First episode of the year, and we talk about the things we may not want to take along with us into the new…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Research or Procrastination?
"You tell them enough information to show that you know 10% of what you're talking about, and your reader will assume you know the other 90%." In this episode…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Gifting Books to the Reader in Your Life
"It's a definitely a giftable type thing for the Tolkien lover in your life." In this somewhat festive episode we talk about all the books we weren't able to…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] The Journey from Ideas to Anarchy with Cadwell Turnbull
"You want to preserve your experience of the work. You want to preserve the doing of the art." ~Cadwell Turnbull Amazing author Cadwell Turnbull joins us to…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] NaNoWriMo Ghosts with Valerie Valdes
"Anytime someone starts a sentence with, 'why don't you just,' immediately stop listening to them." ~Valerie Valdes (Lia Amador) While it hasn't been a long…
I Should Be WritingNaNoWriMo Rerun Day 0 (2023)
I'm going over some daily episodes from the past this month! Get the whole 2025 NaNoReRun over at Patreon free for all followers! Do not listen to Evil Mur…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Embracing the Imposter: Battling Doubts in Writing and Life
"If you're writing your stories down, you're more than a writer than a lot of people ever will have the courage to try to be." It's a solo episode! I get into…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Exploring Romance and Reality in Writing with Valerie Valdes
"You should be writing, because that's the only thing that ultimately you can have even a hope of controlling." ~Valerie Valdes Welcome back to the talented…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Nostalgia and Climate Fic with Tim Chawaga
[Worldcon] was my first convention where I went to panels, gave a reading, and had a big party. It made my sweet little book feel like the huge thing it is in…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Chinaza Bado and Moving From Romance to Epic Fantasy
Even writing badly will get you to writing well eventually. - Chinaza Bado S21 Ep17 In this episode, we sit down with Chinaza Bado, author of Birth of a…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] The Sweet Spot of Horror and Desire with Sarah Gailey
Content warning: since Spread Me is erotic horror, this episode has an explicit tag. I wrote it to have fun because I have written a lot of books that were not…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Happy 20th ISBW! With James Patrick Kelly at Worldcon
You have to celebrate your friends who are more successful than you. ~Jim Kelly In this special 20th anniversary episode of I Should Be Writing, recorded live…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Chasing Monsters: A Journey Through Hampton Heights
I think I was a very... particular kind of undergraduate workshop student. -Dan Kois In this episode, I welcome my old classmate from UNC, Dan Kois, Slate…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] The Haunted Mask: Exploring Volatile Memory with Seth Haddon
'Reformed Pantser' is one of the most difficult things to be. -Seth Haddon In this episode, we welcome Seth Haddon, the talented Australian author behind…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] The Secret Bully: The Nap
"Nothing's easy, man; being an adult sucks." -Mur Lafferty In this episode, we dive deep into Bully #5: The Nap. We discuss the sneaky ways the Nap can derail…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Tango with the Tenacles, DESPAIR
"Despair is the overprotective parent going, 'oh, it's okay that you lost that game. We'll protect you by never letting you play again.'" -Mur Lafferty In this…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Writing Between the US and Peru with K.M. Huber
"If you feel you have something to say, just put the time into saying it." -K.M. Huber In this episode, we welcome K.M. Huber, the author of Call of the Owl…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Dancing Through Genres with S.A. Barnes and Bully 3, The SPONGE
"Get [your book] all the way to the end. You learn so much that way that you will not learn in any other way."- S.A. Barnes (This post went live for supporters…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Jealousy and Bully #2: The BLADE
"We contain multitudes; you can be happy and jealous at the same time." -Mur Lafferty (This post went live for supporters on May 21, 2025. If you want early…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)
"The bully loves pantsers because it can insult your outline." -Mur Lafferty (This post went live for supporters on April 23, 2025. If you want early, ad-free…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] From Medieval Fashion to Modern Writing with Natania Barron
S21 Ep6: From Medieval Fashion to Modern Writing with Natania Barron "Stories are how I make sense of the world." -Natania Barron (This post went live for…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] How to use holidays in your fiction
S21 Ep5: Crafting Tales Through Holiday Themes "Engaging with the holidays definitely feels like a way to develop world and character." -Mur Lafferty (This…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Taking a Machete to Creative Blocks with Premee Mohamed
S21 Ep4: Taking a Machete to Creative Blocks with Premee Mohamed "My characters would be wandering around the field with me going like, hey, I just found a…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Rachel Howzell Hall on Balancing Thrillers and Fantasy
S21 Ep3: Rachel Howzell Hall on Balancing Thrillers and Fantasy "I will try this new thing and I will learn how to do it." -Rachel Howzell Hall (This post went…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Mental Health and Creativity
S21 Ep2: Mental Health and Creativity "Nothing is 100% original. It's what you do with it that counts." -Elaine M. Will (This post went live for supporters on…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Evil Mur Ushers in 2025
S21 Ep1: In Which Evil Mur Delivers a Message of Hope "It's time to just... quit." -Evil Mur (Do not listen to Evil Mur) Welcome to a new season of I Should Be…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Ten Terrible Ideas
[NOTE- even though I remember editing, this is still an all over the place episode. And apparently I said I wasn't going to swear and then did it anyway…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Tigers [Explicit]
S20 Ep34: In Which Mur Looks Into The Pit of Despair and Sees a Tiger [Explicit] "Don't talk yourself out of being creative, because that really is the biggest…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Returning to Agenting with Jennifer Udden [Explicit]
S20 Ep33: In Which Mur and Jen Udden Discuss World Fantasy Con, Fan Fiction, and the Ever-Changing Publishing Landscape [Explicit] "I think we're about 10…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] NowNoWhatMo…with Valerie Valdes [Explicit]
S.20 Ep.32: In Which Mur and Valerie Discuss NaNoWriMo Alternatives, Writing Tools, and Community Building [Explicit] "The spirit of NaNoWriMo was to do…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] From Fanfiction to Fantasy: Gwen Garfinkel's Writing
S.20 Ep.31: In Which Mur and Gwynne Garfinkle Discuss Short Stories, Anthologies, and the Joy of Fanfiction "I write about what I know, and what I know is…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Unveiling the Magic of Cozy Fantasy with Stacy Sivinski
S20 Ep30: In Which Mur and Stacy Sivinski Discuss Cozy Fantasy, Sensory Writing, and Sisterhood "The senses are actually connected, and the way we describe…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Accountability and Adventures in Writing with Cat Rambo
S20 Ep29: In Which Mur and Cat Rambo Discuss Writing, Accountability, and Intelligent Spaceships "I think that right now there are so many very interesting and…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Unveiling Haunt Sweet Home with Sarah Pinsker!
S20 Ep28: In Which Mur and Sarah Pinsker Discuss Reality Shows, Workshops, and Writing Patience "I love the bingo card measure of success rather than the…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Writing Family Stories and Magical Realism with Anamely Salgado Reyes
S20 Ep27: In Which Mur and Anamely Salgado Reyes Discuss Magical Realism and Writing Journeys "I write about what I know, and what I know is family." - Anamely…
I Should Be Writing[ISBW] Navigating WorldCon and Writing Challenges with SB Divya
S20 Ep26: In Which Mur and S.B. Divya Discuss Worldcon, Accessibility, and Future Worlds NOTE- I will be doing a giveaway for signed copies of Meru and Loka on…