I Should Be Writing

Had a talk with someone last week that didn't go the way I'd hoped, and I'm forced to start looking at my habits a little closer.

I did want to talk about the power of language again this month, but I did not expect the president to whip his fans into a fury with some very amazing weaponized language, so this topic hit a little close to home on January 12. 

I found it very hard to concentrate after the events of January 6, so I realized that in order to get work done, I had to do some self care and turn it off. News, social media, the whole world of distraction. I hope you can find some equilibrium.

It's a new year, and things are still pretty terrible, so we face the new year with hope, but not pollyanna resolutions.

Brought to you by patrons Jon Tollerton and Zach Payne! I wanted to do a Christmas Carol overall, but ended up talking about my own past, present and future. Stuff got real. We talked about 12 Days of Christmas parodies too. 

I wanted to cover the concept of productivity in December, which is hard in a GOOD year. We also touch on the idea of finding writer's groups in 2020.  December 15, 2020 | Season 16 Ep 52 (Episode 550) | murverse.com | Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

People in crit groups can mean so much when they say those three words. What makes something derivative, or a trope, or a cliche? December 10, 2020 | Season 16 Ep 51 (Episode 549) | murverse.com | Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

We go through the best gifts to give the writer in your life. Full list at murverse.com.

Yeah, it's cliche, but the basic decisions on how to describe people, considering your POV and your own biases, can dramatically affect your book.

A little bit of NaNoWriMo wrap-up, but then we deal with the idea of goals again, and the trouble I have with these goal programs that are everywhere. And I'm taking another one now.

"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.

"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.

Back to the spoof radio shows, this time we look at the soap opera, and how it gives us one of the basic things about characters. Namely- they've got to WANT something. Goal: 20,000

DESPITE what I posted yesterday about the power of placebos, you still have to do the work, sorry to say. Ain't nothing out there going to do it for you. And around this time you have to remember that. Just also remember you're not alone. Goal: 18,333

Do you need that cup of tea, or the right music, or your lucky Star Wars figure to sit beside your monitor so you can imagine it saying "you got this!" Whatever feather you need to hold in your trunk, if it helps you get the words done, then don't knock it. Goal: 16666