I Should Be Writing

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 paying supporter to enter.) Recently we welcomed Jessi Cole Jackson to the show to talk about her debut novel, Ruinous Creatures! We cover Jackson's unique bone-specific magic system and her inspirations, not to mention how to wrap your head around romance and spice when you've only written tame things before. Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is May 16. This post went live for supporters on May 11, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon! Links: Jessi Cole Jackson Sarah Maclean T. Kingfisher Naomi Novik The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love Save the Cat The Heroine's Journey The Author Burnout Cure podcast 4 Act Structure Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio 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 links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. May 16, 2025 | ISBW 22.11 | murverse.com "Ruinous Creatures and Magic Systems" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

"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 "realism" with regards to injuries and health. Are injuries for pain? For an instant of shock? To give the character a new hardship? We talk about some of Stephen King's works and how to balance realism with narrative flow. This post went live for supporters on April 21, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon! NOTE- This coming weekend (May 1-3) I will be GoH at DemiCon! Remember, you can join us live on Thursdays at 3 PM Eastern on Twitch! Don't miss our next live episode! Links Ravencon Demicon Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio 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 links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 27, 2025 | ISBW 22.10 | murverse.com "Are you sure you want to injure that character?" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

"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 struggle to the ones who say the characters live in their heads. How do you manage all these wily beasts who want their stories told? I will also be appearing next week at Ravencon, and then the following week at Demicon! This post went live for supporters on April 17, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon! Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 24, when we will talk about A Year of Furious Creation. Links Ravencon Demicon Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio 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 links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 21, 2025 | ISBW 22.9 | murverse.com "When Characters Go Rogue" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

"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 and how to interpret the rejections you get, and more importantly, how to move forward after getting said rejection. And the bad news: you're aiming to make writing a job, which means you have to deal with the bad parts along with the good. Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 9*, when we will talk about A Year of Furious Creation. *(Maybe. I may have jury duty that day. Stay tuned.) Links The person who coined the phrase 'rejectomancy.' Escape Pod Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio 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 links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 6, 2025 | ISBW 22.8 | murverse.com "Can Rejectomancy Save Our Sanity?" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

"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 World, exploring intersection of medicine and AI. Justin shares his experiences as a psychiatrist and balancing a medical career with being an author. We go over writing process, community, and the lessons learned from both success and setbacks. This post went live for supporters on March 27, 2026. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon! Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 2, when we will talk about Characters with a Mind of Their Own. Links Justin C. Key Escape Pod Out There Screaming Vital, the Future of Healthcare Scribophile The Hospital at the End of the World Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio 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 links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. March 30, 2025 | ISBW 22.7 | murverse.com "Medicine and AI with Dr. Justin C. Key" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.