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[ISBW] AMA and Silly Notebook Problems

Release Date: 08/19/2026

I Should Be Writing

ISBW 22.17 So much to talk about! is looming, and we take listener questions. How do you handle writing after a long break? What books do you recommend for writing fight scenes? Books by and are mentioned Mur is reading . Mur also has silly notebook problems that no one else seems to have. The HWA sent a ridiculous newsletter out and we are all seeing the fallout. See on it, and HWA’s response is in the comments. The lesson of this episode is the classic, if no one buys your thing, it is probably because THEY DO NOT WANT THE THING, not because they want to spite you. Authors...

[ISBW] What does "confidence" even mean?

I Should Be Writing

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 . So let’s talk about confidence. Don’t forget the book giveaway from last time! You have a week to enter! The Books (along with links if you want to just order right now!): by Sara Cate by Ann Archer by Maxie Dara by Brooke Fast by Lucy Foley (and Agatha Christie) This post went live for supporters on August 7, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at ! Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on ! The next live...

[ISBW] 2026 Book Giveaway (#1)

I Should Be Writing

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 or upcoming books of several different genres and then doing a giveaway! All you have to do is email me (mightymur at gmail) and tell me which one you want to be in the drawing for! I will draw the winners August 15! This is open to anyone, Patreon supporter/follower or not! The Books (along with links if you want to just order right now!): by Sara Cate by Ann Archer by Maxie Dara by Brooke Fast by Lucy Foley (and Agatha...

[ISBW] Scams, scams, and more scams!

I Should Be Writing

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 agent and take theirs, and they are really into helping you promote a book you have forgotten about, and have zero control over because it was work for hire. GLOSSARY: Work For Hire: It is an exception to the general (copyright) rule that the person who actually creates a work is the legally-recognized author of that work. Meaning when Marvel* hires you to write Superman, Marvel owns the rights to everything and you get a check. The biggest...

[ISBW] Dance Like Nobody’s Watching

I Should Be Writing

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 of my secret anxieties. It boils down to: Why are you doing this? Notes: is a finalist for the Hugo and Ignyte awards! Amazing! I attended once upon a time. Song of the Day This post went live for supporters on June 22, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at ! Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on ! The next live episode is July 2! Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! ....

[ISBW] SUBLIMATION with Isabel J. Kim

I Should Be Writing

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 Severence-like novel, but her use of point of view, second person, and about her award-winning story “”. This post went live for supporters on June 19, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at ! Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on ! The next live episode is June 25! Links: “” Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! . Socials: , , , Theme by Support local book...

[ISBW] Magic Systems and Ruinous Creatures

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 to the show to talk about her debut novel, ! 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 ! The next live episode is May 16. This post went live for supporters on May 11, 2026. If you want early and...

[ISBW] Are you sure you want to injure that character?

I Should Be Writing

"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 ! NOTE- This coming weekend (May 1-3) I will be GoH at DemiCon! Remember, you can join us live on Thursdays at 3...

[ISBW] When Characters Go Rogue

I Should Be Writing

"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 ! Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on ! The next live episode is April 24, when we will talk about A...

[ISBW] Can Rejectomancy Save Our Sanity?

I Should Be Writing

"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 ! 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.)...

More Episodes

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 recommend for writing fight scenes? Books by Alan Baxter and Marie Brennan are mentioned
Mur is reading Page One to Done.
Mur also has silly notebook problems that no one else seems to have.
The HWA sent a ridiculous newsletter out and we are all seeing the fallout. See Chuck Wendig’s take on it, and HWA’s response is in the comments.

The lesson of this episode is the classic, if no one buys your thing, it is probably because THEY DO NOT WANT THE THING, not because they want to spite you. Authors have many reasons to hate AI that have nothing to do with “gatekeeping.”

Other links of stuff I said: Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Covers, Grant Baciocco’s Creativity Journal video, Hobonichi Planners.

This post went live for supporters on August 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 August 20!

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Aug 19, 2026 | ISBW 22.17 | murverse.com
“AMA, Silly Notebook Problems” 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.

And “AI” or large language models are wretched and we hate them so very much.

If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

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