I Should Be Writing

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 fun to write... -Sarah Gailey

In this…

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 at Worldcon 2025, I reunite with my ment…

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 editor and author of Hampton Heights. We di…

'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 Volatile Memory. We cover hybrid publishing,…

"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 our writing plans. Rest is vital, but …

"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 episode, we talk about Bully #4, Despa…

"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 Woman, about her journey from writer to p…

"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 on May 23, 2025. If you want early, ad…

"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, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes…

"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, and sometimes expanded episodes, suppo…

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 supporters on March 27, 2025. If you want…

S21 Ep5: Crafting Tales Through Holiday Themes

"Engaging with the holidays definitely feels like a way to develop world and character." -Mur Lafferty

(This post went live for supporters on March 24…

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 rare orchid." -Premee Mohamed

(This post …

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 live for supporters on March 18, 2025…

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 February 13, 2025. If you want early, …

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 Writing, where the notorious Evil M…

"…

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 thing that stops us is ourselves."

(T…

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 minutes away from reinventing urban fantasy…

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 something big, bold, and show what you're ca…