Mur Lafferty's Blog, page 5
April 12, 2024
[ISBW] The Landscape of Grief with Scott Alexander Howard
S20 Ep11: In which we travel "The Other Valley" with Scott Alexander Howard
"I wrote it in a blissful who cares? Mentality, like, 'oh, well, genre will sort itself out.'" - Scott Alexander Howard
In this episode, we're joined by Scott Alexander Howard, author of The Other Valley, a novel where literary meets speculative. Scott delves into his journey from philosophy to fiction, sharing how his background influenced the emotional depth of his debut. We discuss the challenges of genre and the slow dance of publishing.
Links:
Scott Alexander Howard The Other Valley Elena Ferrante Ted Chiang Virginia Woolf Yoko Ogawa Marilynne Robinson Jenny Erpenbeck Martin McInnesEvergreen Links
Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!(go here for all the books mentioned in 2024)
"The Landscape of Grief with Scott Alexander Howard" is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack!
Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please!
CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 12, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 11 | murverse.com "The Landscape of Grief with Scott Alexander Howard" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
April 8, 2024
[ISBW] Navigating Imposter Syndrome on the JoCo Cruise
"I felt like a cuckoo among very pretty birds." - Mur
Fresh off the JoCo cruise, we discusses the allure of nerd paradise and how navigating imposter syndrome is a frequent struggle. I share tabletop RPG antics, celebrity karaoke adventures, and the amazing feeling of having legitimately cool creators accept you. Self doubt did show up, and I'll talk about how I dealt with that.
Also, what should I do for my 20th year podcasting celebration?
Other links:
JoCo Cruise Jonathan Coulton Skullcrusher Mountain Chiron Beta Prime Portal (Video Game) Portal 2 (Video Game) NPR Ask Me Another That Bronze Girl (Twitch) Drunk History James S.A. Corey (Ty Franck) The Expanse Tochi Onyebuchi Mari Naomi Our Flag Means Death Oscar Nunez Scott Alexander Howard The Other Valley (Book by Scott Alexander Howard)Evergreen Links
I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!(go here for all the books mentioned in Season 20)
Your support keeps our ship afloat. Thank you for being part of the crew.
If you can't give monetarily, then consider leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts!
April 18, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 10 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
April 5, 2024
[ISBW] Evil Mur Takes Over the Secret Seagull Shack
"If you don't start out perfect, you're never going to be good." - Evil Mur
Evil Mur is back giving terrible advice and it's a wild ride through the looking glass of a writer's darker musings. We cover questioning the point of writing when perfection eludes us to the ruthless strategy of writing on the job. She gives some seriously excellent advice about emotions in horror, and offers an unorthodox method for trimming the fat from your prose. We touch on the Hugo Awards and reveal the cover of Mur's upcoming book, Infinite Archive.
Be warned: Evil Mur doesn't play by the rules, and neither does her advice.
Other links:
JoCo Cruise Baldur’s Gate 3 (game) The Secret (book) Jonathan Livingston Seagull (book) The Celestine Prophecy (book) Infinite Archive (book) How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method (book) Hugo Awards Save the Cat Writes a Novel (book) Penguin Random House (publisher) Twitch (MightyMur) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!(go here for all the books in Season 20)
Support the show, if you dare, and remember: Evil Mur is watching. Write like it's your last act of defiance.
CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, site design by Clockpunk Studioand files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 5, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 9 | murverse.com "The Epiphany of Routine" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0April 3, 2024
[ISBW] The Epiphany of Routine: Embracing Structure in a Creative Life
Transcript
I found myself looking for my own magic bullet and getting frustrated a the media who take the idea of a daily routine--something people with ADHD people need--and play it off as only done by stodgy, unfun dorks. I discuss Josh Zimmerman's videos, how creation is like jumping off a diving board for me, my solo RPG plans, and promote Premee Mohamed's books and bullying.
From the fear of preparation to the power of routines for neurodiverse individuals, we open up about the importance of finding what works for you—even if it means facing your own hypocrisy. Plus, hear about the anticipation of the JoCo cruise, the chaos of running Brindlewood Bay RPGs, and why sometimes, you just have to leap off the high dive.
Other links:
Apple Fitness Plus Ray Bradbury, Zen and the Art of Writing Stranger Than Fiction (movie) Publishers Weekly File 770 JoCo Cruise Ursula Vernon Brindlewood Bay (RPG) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Check out all the books we've featured this year!And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support.
March 12, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 8 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0March 11, 2024
[ISBW] Trusting Yourself (again)
In this episode, I discuss trusting yourself because sometimes no one else will. We also talk File 770, Genre Grapevine, I mispronounce "chutzpah," make a Wizard of Oz reference, and how should I celebrate 20 seasons of ISBW? Remember, advice is supplementary.
Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!See what books we've discussed this season here.
Some of the above links are affiliate, meaning I may receive a small amount of money for the purchase at no cost to you.
And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support.
March 9, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 7 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0March 7, 2024
[ISBW] Heists and POV with Gwenda Bond
Author Gwenda Bond comes on the show to talk The Frame Up, heists, and point of view!
We also discuss being ballsy at Boskone, pen names, T. Kingfisher's "What Feasts At Night," writing retreats, and heist structure.
If you order The Frame Up from Bookshop.org, use the code FRAMEUP for 10% off!
Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!Some of the above links are affiliate, meaning I may receive a small amount of money for the purchase at no cost to you.
March 7, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 6 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0February 21, 2024
[ISBW] Avione Lee and the Odyssey Workshop
Debut author Avione Lee comes to tell us about the Odyssey Workshop and the various programs!
Odyssey Your Personal Workshop (deadline is soon!)
Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!February 14, 2024
[ISBW] Hugos, Characters, and Outlining for Pantsers
Hugos are still messy, so check out Chris M. Barkley*, Paul Weimer, Alasdair Stuart, and Jason Sanford and the excellent fanwriting they do.
*Accidentally call him Charles in the recording. Sorry!We talk character depth, using Baldur's Gate 3 as an example. Lastly we get in to the hybrid outline thing I'm trying to do to help me write.
Show Links
Paul Weimer Chris M. Barkley Jason Sanford Alasdair Stuart Nancy Kress' Beginnings, Middles, and Ends (affiliate) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!February 12, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 4 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
February 8, 2024
[ISBW] Interview with Eilish Quin and retelling of ancient stories
Debut author Eilish Quin joins us to talk about her retelling of Euripedes' classic story, Medea, with glorious descriptive prose and a feminist point of view. We talk about hurdles and wins and what to keep in mind when doing a retelling.
Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!(some book links are affiliate, go here if you can't see the widget)
And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support.
February 8, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 3 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
February 6, 2024
[ISBW] When 100k is really 56k: The Money Episode
I am not a lawyer or an accountant, and taxes mentioned in the podcast are specific to my understanding of US tax law.
No one like to talk about money. Either you admit how bad you are or you're awkward because you make a lot. Or you're a jerk, but we aren't talking to those people. I'm here to talk about my income, what an advance really means, and how to best use your writing income. We also discuss YNAB, my favorite budgeting tool, and authors Valerie Valdes and Premee Mohamed show up in chat to give their input.
Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support.
February 6, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 2 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
