"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.