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Writers Max and Nick Folkman sit down with other writers and developers to discuss storytelling in video games.
People talk about character and plot and climax, but no one covers how novel structure is needed to put it all together. SPOILERS for A Song of Ice and Fire Series and the Broken Earth Series by N.K. Jemisin. Get the extended version of this podcast via Patreon! February 18, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 14 (Ep 565) | murverse.com | Copyright 2005-2021, Mur …
Had a personal emergency and was unprepared, so the audience and Twitter questions keep me going! Get the extended version of this podcast via Patreon! February 16, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 13 (Ep 564) | murverse.com | Copyright 2005-2021, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 LicenseBy Mur Lafferty
Every few years there's a very concerned think piece about the innocent writer who got a six figure advance and blew it all, or sold zero books, or just felt betrayed by publishing, and I am sick of it. If only we all could get articles written about us when we have a bad day at work, or show ourselves unwilling to do basic research into our new pr…
"Notebooks: Do You Have a PROBLEM?" is brought to you in large part by by my patrons , who received this episode early, and expanded. You can join us with a pledge as low as $1 a month! Ohhhh... pretty notebooks. Get the extended version of this podcast via Patreon! Links: Moleskine Leuchtturm 1917 Pen subscription box (Sorry) The Artist's Way Fiel…
I have three projects going on right now that need edits, and for the next two months I'm going to be doing this thing that I HATE. So let's go into why, and how. Latest Twitch/YouTube stream times: Monday, 12:30, AMA/Hangout Tuesday, 3:00, I Should Be Writing Live Wednesday, 4:00, Gaming: Stardew Valley Thursday 12:30, I Should Be Writing Live * A…
I talk about my books from initial concept all the way through to the end, both Six Wakes and my current WiP. Links: You Need A Budget FTL Apex Writers Cat Rambo's Writing Community I Should Be Writing Ink Stained Fabulists Community Catch the next LIVE show on Twitch or YouTube! February 2, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 9 (Ep 560) | murverse.com Copyright 2…
I'm thrilled to welcome my good friend and Very Smart British Person Alasdair Stuart to the show to talk about, if we can weaponize language, how do we use it for hope?By Mur Lafferty
"Your character must want something, even if it's a glass of water!" Characters must always have wants, but it takes a bit more work to think about what they need, and more importantly, when in the story for them to address those needs. (Get the extended episode here on Patreon!) January 26, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 7 (Ep 558) | murverse.com | Copyright…
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Productivity (OR Mommy and Daddy are Fighting!)
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I look at two productivity methods and am entirely flummoxed by the two that seem at odds with each other: the 10X Rule that suggests if you shoot for 10X your goal you won't necessarily make 10X, but you'll very likely get much more than you would have had you, say, gone the compound method talked about in Atomic Habits and The Compound Effect whe…
I'm talking about truth bombs that a lot of beginning creative types don't want to hear, but I figure, I'm just telling you, "Hey, in the road up ahead there's a hole. Most everyone hits the hole and it jostles them. I wanted you to know it was there." That was my hole metaphor. I thought it was good despite sleep dep. January 19, 2021 | Season 17 …
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. January 14, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 4 | murverse.com | Copyright 2021, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 LicenseBy Mur Lafferty
I'm finally posting last week's episodes. I've been writing a lot and neglecting the podcast production, even though the streams are still on schedule. Ironically, 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…
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. January 7, 2021 | Season 17 Ep 2 (Episode 553) | murverse.com | Copyright 2021, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA…
"Grim and Determined in 2021" is brought to you by patrons Wil Ralston and Fyrerider, and the letter N! It's a new year, and things are still pretty terrible, so we face the new year with hope, but not pollyanna resolutions. Links: Tish Bouvier's YouTube videos Ann Harrison-Barnes' YouTube videos Catch the next LIVE show on Twitch! Support this sho…
Happy New Year one and all! To celebrate yet another new beginning, we've brought back old guests Greg (Creative Director of Supergiant Games, and writer of Bastion, Transistor, Pyre, and Hades) and Kate (Narrative designer on Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, all of its DLC, the Outer Worlds, and was a narrative co-lead on The Outer Worlds: Peril o…
Are those sleigh bells in the air? NO, IT'S A NEW EPISODE OF SCRIPT LOCK! After trudging through the hellacious year that was 2020, we're back with Cissy (actress whose voice you may have heard in such games as The Walking Dead, Life is Strange, Firewatch - for which she won a BAFTA - Horizon: Zero Dawn, and most recently Half-Life: Alyx and Call o…
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. 12 Pains of Christmas - Bob Rivers 12 Days of Christmas - Straight No Chaser December 17, 2020 | Season 16 Ep 53 (Episode 551…
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. Links: Support my Extra Life campaign for Duke Children's Hospitals! Cat Rambo's Patreon Reedsy Australian Writer's Center December 15, 2020 | Season 16 Ep 52 (Episode 550) | murverse.com | Copyright…
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 LicenseBy Mur Lafferty
Full gift list at murverse.com December 8, 2020 | Season 16 Ep 50 (Episode 548) | murverse.com | Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 LicenseBy Mur Lafferty
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. December 1, 2020 | Season 16 Ep 48 (Episode 546) | murverse.com | Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 LicenseBy Mur Lafferty
Monsters you can come across on your adventure including the evil time eater... Goal: 21,666 November 14, 2020 | Rerun from Nov. 16, 2016 Season 16 Ep 48 (Episode 545) | murverse.com Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 LicenseBy Mur Lafferty
Monsters you can come across on your adventure including the evil time eater... November 13, 2020 | Rerun from Nov. 8, 2016 Season 16 Ep 47 (Episode 544) | murverse.com Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 LicenseBy Mur Lafferty
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 November 12, 2020 | Rerun from Nov. 3, 2017 Season 16 Ep 46 (Episode 543) | murverse.com Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License…
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 November 11, 2020 | Rerun from Nov. 12, 2017 Season 16 Ep 45 (Episode 542) | murverse.com Copyrigh…
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 November 10, 2020 | Rerun from Nov. 12, 2017 Season 16 Ep 44 (Episode 541) | mur…
I talk about good old Chuck Palahniuk and how he wrote Fight Club. If it's good enough for the NYT Bestseller then it's good enough for you! Or something more motivational. (He wasn't a bestseller when he wrote Fight Club, you know.) November 9, 2020 | Rerun from Nov. 17, 2015 Season 16 Ep 43 (Episode 540) | murverse.com Copyright 2020, Mur Laffert…
Write whatever scene is in your mind. Don't worry about whether it follows the last scene, or even if it's got the right characters. Just get the words down, and fix it in edits! Goal: 13333 November 8, 2020 | Rerun from Nov. 6, 2017 Season 16 Ep 42 (Episode 539) | murverse.com Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License…
Now is the time to pull out all your description: food, drink, color, touch, adverbs, adjectives, spelling out contractions, etc. All of that and more. Get those words in, by any means necessary! Goal- 11666 November 7, 2020 | Rerun from Nov. 11, 2015 Season 16 Ep 41 (Episode 538) | murverse.com Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License…
Should have run November 6. Considering how distracted/low energy I've been this week, I figured getting back to the daily show with a distractions episode was appropriate. Catching up with a lot of episodes today. Goal- 10,000 My wordcount- ...not 10k November 6, 2020 | Originally posted November 4, 2015 | Copyright 2020 Mur Lafferty, BY-NC-SA…
TL;DR - Don't. But the podcast is cleverer than that. Your wordcount is your own and that's OK. Me, I'm dealing with a lot of intensity with current events and confusion with my WiP. I'm behind. But I don't care. I am moving on the story and that's what matters. Goal: 8333 November 5, 2020 | Originally posted November 11, 2017 | Copyright 2020 Mur …
We are back with our 2016 fantasy RPG, and we discuss the importance of both PCs (aka Player Characters, aka the important people in your stories) and NPCs (the spear carries and the cashiers and the red shirts and those troopers that Jedi have no problem killing but they can't kill the actual evil guy cause that's WRONG. Ahem. Tangent.) November 4…
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WMUR- Bike Brothers! What Can Break? - Rerun
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Back in 2017 my NaNoWriMo MO was to spoof on radio shows. This is my Car Talk homage. We don't like it when things break, but our stories need them to! Goal: 5000 November 3, 2020 | Originally posted Nov. 4, 2017 | Copyright 2020 Mur Lafferty, BY-NC-SABy Mur Lafferty
You'll get pushback during NaNoWriMo. Some people will make fun. Some will dismiss you. Some will be downright jackasses. BUT I am a skilled jackass-to-English translator, and I cover what some of those comments mean. Goal: 3333 words This year November will feature daily reruns of past NaNoWriMo episodes! Tune into Twitch.tv/mightymur for live wri…
It's November 1. You walk into a tavern and discover you're on a quest. There are metaphors and daggers involved. This year November will feature daily reruns of past NaNoWriMo episodes! Tune into Twitch.tv/mightymur for live write-ins on Tuesday and Thursday, 12:30 EST. November 1, 2020 | Episode 532 | Rerun from Nov. 1, 2016 Copyright 2016, Mur L…
October/November always feels like a renewing time for me, for my own personal reasons, so I talk about that. October 27, 2020 | Episode 531 Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License murverse.comBy Mur Lafferty
We chat about writing yourself into a corner, the "Sliding Doors" moment, a peek in to the way I think about this show. How the sausage is made, actually. But also, HOLY CRAP Tom Lehrer music is in the public domain! That is huge. Also, this weekend (Oct 23-25) I'm Guest of Honor at MileHi Con! Doesn't matter where you are, you can show up, cause w…
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Should you use versioning in writing?
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I talk how to keep up with versioning. Well. I try, anyway. That, plus the motivational power of 4thewords.com and more NaNo prep talk! Remember you can see this video on Youtube and you can catch the next episode LIVE on Twitch! Also, this weekend (Oct 23-25) I'm Guest of Honor at MileHi Con! Doesn't matter where you are, you can show up, cause we…
You will want to gain and keep momentum going in October as you prepare for NaNoWriMo. And good lord, folks, back up your computer and your work! October 13, 2020 | Episode 528 Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License murverse.comBy Mur Lafferty
I wasn't feeling well, so I just took Q&A in the live chat. Catch the next live show on Twitch! Twitch Schedule (All times Eastern Daylight Time): M- Lunch AMA, 12:30 T- Live ISBW, 12:30 Th- Live ISBW, 12:30, Live gaming, 8:00 Su- Live gaming, 2:00 October 8, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse.com…
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ISBW #526: Outlining With the Story Grid method
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Is it an outlining tool, though? October 6, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse.comBy Mur Lafferty
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ISBW #525: Outlining using Save the Cat method
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This one went MUCH better, so for me, Saving the Cat is better than Snowfall. It's still a long video, so it's only on Twitch till October 14, 2020. Tuesday we cover the Story Grid method (live -- it'll be on the feed next Thursday)! Save the Cat Writes a Novel October 1, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse.com…
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ISBW #524: Outlining with the snowflake method
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This was a LONG video and it seems people don't like you to post 1hr + videos to Youtube when you're not fancy and verified. So the video is on Twitch for TWO WEEKS only, check it out if you want. September 29, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse.comBy Mur Lafferty
I like to plan early, and through long discussion we worked out what we're doing for NaNoWriMo: Reruns for the daily show and live virtual write-ins for the streams! Note: I lost the stream in the middle and had to reconnect. I've edited the two halves together but I'm noticeably flustered for the second half. Support this show on Patreon! Septembe…
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ISBW #522: Agents, ADD, and Track Changes
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It's been a rough few days, but I'm back to talk about agents being people, too, still addressing ADD and productivity (I'm seriously considering writing a LARPing a responsible human blog series), and how to handle an editor who doesn't use Track Changes. (Wha?) September 22, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse…
I talk about training your brain, and as long as you do your part, you should start training your brain to do its part. Atomic Habits Zumbo's Just Desserts Blaseball (again) September 17, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse.comBy Mur Lafferty
"If it's not I've had a few bad days and am still dedicated to streaming on time, so I talk about what's making me mad (because it does affect my creative pursuits.) I bet Terry Gross doesn't bring her angst to her show... By the way, the Murverse newsletter is no more. I kinda did a rage-quit this morning. September 15, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur…
I'm not a huge fan of Sherlock Holmes stories, but Doyle did one thing Christie didn't: he made a brilliant sleuth and then gave him an antagonist just as smart. September 10, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse.comBy Mur Lafferty
A reasonable question came up in the Discord this week. Why create right now when everything is terrible and even creators have existential (or very tangible) dread? September 8, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse.comBy Mur Lafferty
I'm back talking about goals, not long term, but what's next? Mur on Twitter Mur on Twitch Sept 3, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse.comBy Mur Lafferty
