Archive for Projects

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #395: Feedback

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:38 — 30.8MB)

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serial box logoLordy, I’m behind on feedback! I catch up here. I’ll do a Twitter feedback show in the future.

I would love some ideas as to what you want to see in episode 400 of I Should Be Writing. Send me your thoughts!

ISBW is sponsored by Serial Box! Yes, my publisher for Bookburners, one of my favorite projects I’ve worked on in the past few years! Get a discount on a whole season of content with the code WRITING18.

Also: did you know I’m offering transcriptions of both ISBW and Ditch Diggers? They will go up as soon as I get them for Patreon supporters, and a bit later for everyone else. It’s only at the $1 level, and you’re helping me offer a more accessible show, so pledge now!

(I recorded and scheduled this last week, so the below hasn’t changed.)

  • Current WiP: [REDACTED], a secret project and Project Code Name: LIMBY
  • Currently reading: How Luck Happens, and research related to [REDACTED], will update when I can. Follow me on Goodreads if you like, I’m usually reading a bunch of stuff at once.)
  • Last movie seen: Black Panther (still)

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Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #58: Justina Ireland Interview

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:06:16 — 45.7MB)

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  • Matt and Mur come to you live from the Alternate History Wing of Morgan Freeman’s Private Art Museum with special guest co-host, Dread Nation author Justina Ireland.
  • Justina talks about the long (and often exhausting) ramp-up period in YA book promotion and its roots in old school internet “first” culture.
  • The Ditch Diggers discuss author expectations with Justina, who recounts the story of how the amazing cover of her forthcoming novel Dread Nation came together.
  • Justina talks about the story of Dread Nation and reader expectations, including not delivering a wall-to-wall zombie-killin’ fest.

(more…)

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #394: Procrastination / Gabe Denning Interview

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:10 — 36.5MB)

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serial box logoIn reading a book on luck, I had an epiphany not on luck, but on procrastination. I explore the reason why we may avoid writing, and then I talk to G. S. Denning, author of the Warlock Holmes series.

ISBW is sponsored by Serial Box! Yes, my publisher for Bookburners, one of my favorite projects I’ve worked on in the past few years! Get a discount on a whole season of content with the code WRITING18.

Also: did you know I’m offering transcriptions of both ISBW and Ditch Diggers? They will go up as soon as I get them for Patreon supporters, and a bit later for everyone else. It’s only at the $1 level, and you’re helping me offer a more accessible show, so pledge now!

  • Current WiP: [REDACTED], a secret project and Project Code Name: LIMBY
  • Currently reading: How Luck Happens, and research related to [REDACTED], will update when I can. Follow me on Goodreads if you like, I’m usually reading a bunch of stuff at once.)
  • Last movie seen: Black Panther (still – I don’t see a lot of movies in the theater, but upcoming I hope to see Annihilation, Pacific Rim, and the new Pacific Rim movie)

Affiliate links!

Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #57: Agent Episode with DongWon Song and Jennifer Udden

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:33 — 49.0MB)

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  • Matt and Mur come to you from Morgan Freeman’s hyperbaric negotiation chamber with very special guest co-hosts and their very own book agents, DongWon Song of Howard Morhaim Literary Agency and Jennifer Udden of Barry Goldblatt Literary!
  • This episode is dedicated to Allie Wade, who asked the Ditch Diggers about contracts last June and is just not receiving the answer (Matt insists this was an elaborate training simulation to teach authors about the lengthy waiting process in publishing).
  • The Ditch Diggers and their agents discuss publishing contract clauses for which to watch out, standard clauses, and the nature of clauses themselves.
  • Matt asks DongWon and Jennifer to do a “Know Your Rights” Rundown and go over the major rights often requested by publishers in contracts, what those rights mean, and how to approach which rights to sell and which to retain as an author.
  • DongWon and Jennifer attempt to tackle the eternal question (their version of “Where do you get your ideas?” for authors) posed to agents, “What are you looking for?”
  • Our guest agents discuss the changing marketplace and economic culture of fiction, Amazon, and the vanishing book blogger.
  • Twitter Q&A! Topics include authors needing multiple agents.
  • The customary end-of-episode shilling!
  • DongWon Song on Twitter!
    https://twitter.com/dongwon
  • DongWon Song’s website!
    http://www.dongwonsong.com/
  • Jennifer Udden on Twitter!
    https://twitter.com/suddenlyjen
  • Jennifer Udden’s website!
    http://www.jenniferudden.com/
  • The Shipping & Handling Podcast!
    http://www.shippingandhandlingpodcast.com

Affiliate links to our books!

Podcasts, Projects, Transcript

[Transcript] Ditch Diggers #54: Retcons and JKR

Ditch Diggers #54

January 31st, 2018

Theme Song: [00:00:04] Ditch Diggers appear, ain’t no wannabes here. With some not so nice advice for your writing career. To be clear, no punches will be pulled, but the punch may be spiked, how they like before they get on the mic. To my left we got the mighty Mur Lafferty, and if I piss her off, believe me, she’ll come after me. And her co-host Matt F’n Wallace on the right, yeah she may be half his height, but she could take him in a fight. So settle in folks, buckle in, and boot up. Time to meddle in a way to make you write or shut up. It’s hard work, but the perk is that it’s fun and exciting. Facebook will still be there when you’re done writing. Ditch Diggers!

Mur: [00:00:46] Coming to you live from Morgan Freeman’s official historical retconning chamber. It’s the Ditch Diggers with Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace. Good morning, Matt. How are you?

Matt: [00:00:56] Good morning, Mur. I’m well. It’s early, but I’m forcing my energy level up several octaves, so I was a little worried last time that I sounded like I was dragging ass because I’ve been getting up much earlier than I used to these days.

Mur: [00:01:11] Well you’re just dealing with the new schedule man. We all can appreciate that. Or at least I can. I don’t know about those other assholes, but this asshole can. (more…)

Podcasts, Projects

ISBW #393: Supporting Characters’ Motivations

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:40 — 18.5MB)

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serial box logoWhen your supporting characters’ response to personally tragic things in their life is “how will this affect this other person?” then you have a problem.

Are you a WorldCon member? Don’t forget to vote for the Hugos, AND remember you have the power to go to the business meeting!

ISBW is sponsored by Serial Box! Yes, my publisher for Bookburners, one of my favorite projects I’ve worked on in the past few years! Get a discount on a whole season of content with the code WRITING18.

Also: did you know I’m offering transcriptions of both ISBW and Ditch Diggers? They will go up as soon as I get them for Patreon supporters, and a bit later for everyone else. It’s only at the $1 level, and you’re helping me offer a more accessible show, so pledge now!

  • Current WiP: [REDACTED], a secret project.
  • Currently reading: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (follow me on Goodreads if you like, I’m usually reading a bunch of stuff at once.)
  • Last movie seen: Black Panther — 12/10 OMG SO GOOD

Affiliate links to my books!

Podcasts, Projects, Transcript

[Transcript] ISBW #391: Emotions Get In The Way

January 30, 2018

Mur: [00:00:00] I Should Be Writing 391, I think. Yeah, sure let’s say that. For the week of January 29th. Yes, I know it’s not the week of January 29th.

Theme Song: [00:00:13] I should be writing. I should be working on my craft. I should be writing. I should be submitting my next draft. But I’m sitting watching Doctor Who.

Mur: [00:00:36] Hi there, welcome to I Should Be Writing, the podcast for wanna-be fiction writers. I’m your host, Mur Lafferty, and yes, I said this is last week’s episode, and I know it’s not last week, it’s this week. Here’s what happened: I know I always have an excuse when things go sideways, but I think this is a pretty good excuse. Last week I had a pretty bad migraine for a couple days, and I got some professional news that pretty much blew my mind. And no, I can’t tell you what it is, unfortunately, because I would love to. Seriously, it ruined my brain for a couple of days, literally, and now I’m just trying to get back on the work that’s late. So you’re going to get two episodes of I Should Be Writing this week and two episodes of Ditch Diggers. (more…)

Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #56: Drinking From the Fire Hose

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07:33 — 47.3MB)

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(I still don’t have the hang of recording and uploading on the road. Apologies.)
Is hobo pejorative?

  • The Ditch Diggers come to you live from Morgan Freeman’s calendar room (featuring an inordinate amount of train calendars).
  • Matt and Mur argue about the configuration of a train whose cars are the months of the year and whether or not “hobo” is a pejorative term (yes, this really happens).
  • Mur is a bona fide Nebula Award nominee for her novel SIX WAKES! Woohoo!
  • Mur talks about being up for the Neblua and the Philip K. Dick Award, and meeting fellow Nebula nominee Annalee Newitz at a late-night con fetish panel.
  • The topic of the episode finally emerges: Feast or famine as a freelance writer!

(more…)

Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #55: Christopher Brown and Timely Subjects

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:49 — 39.4MB)

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ARGH I put this in the feed but somehow didn’t make the blog post live! Here is #55. #56 will be coming soon.

Notes of Show:

  • Matt and Mur come to you live from Morgan Freeman’s Border Crossing (it’s an inside reference) with special guest co-host Christopher Brown.
  • Morgan’s border crossing is a cerebral crossing into expanding your mind (Matt mostly comes here for the colors), because Morgan is an open-world kind of guy.
  • Mur apologizes to Christopher for inadvertently botching her recording of Christopher’s interview on her OTHER podcast, I Should Be Writing.
  • Christopher talks about his novel, Tropic of Kansas (Harper Voyager, 2017), a dystopian road trip about a walled-off America, and how the themes and events in the book came to life around him after he finished it.
  • The Ditch Diggers discuss with Chris how writing a novel that abruptly became so topical affected, for better or worse, the process of shopping his novel to publishes and selling the book to the public.
  • The folly of chasing headlines and current events in your fiction, and how it mimics attempting to write to the market and chase the next fiction “trend.”
  • Matt and Mur engage Christopher on the subject of award season, as his novel is on the long list for the Compton Crook Award, and the three discuss the do’s and don’t’s of campaigning for literary awards.
  • Christopher talks about how awards and the marketing of them can be used to spotlight underseen and unrecognized work from around the world, using an anthology of Mexican fiction he edited/translated that was nominated for a World Fantasy Award, and how it affected and validated the authors, as a prime example.
  • The Ditch Diggers dive into the email question bag and take on the always popular topic of MFA’s.
  • The customary end of episode shilling (Ditch Diggers is once again eligible for Best Fancast Hugo!)

Twitter handles: Mur, Matt, Chris

Affiliate links to our books!

Podcasts, Projects, Transcript

[Transcript] Ditch Diggers #53: The Money Taboo

January 25, 2018

Theme Song: [00:00:04] Ditch Diggers appear, ain’t no wannabes here. With some not so nice advice for your writing career. To be clear, no punches will be pulled, but the punch may be spiked, how they like before they get on the mic. To my left we got the mighty Mur Lafferty, and if I piss her off, believe me, she’ll come after me. And her co-host Matt F’n Wallace on the right, yeah she may be half his height, but she could take him in a fight. So settle in folks, buckle in, and boot up. Time to meddle in a way to make you write or shut up. It’s hard work, but the perk is that it’s fun and exciting. Facebook will still be there when you’re done writing. Ditch Diggers!

Mur: [00:00:44] Ditch Diggers #53 coming to you live from Morgan Freeman’s gender neutral statue factory. It’s the Ditch Diggers with Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace. How are you Matt?

Matt: [00:00:55] I’m good, Mur. I didn’t expect the factory to be in New Jersey, oddly. I feel like I judged New Jersey unfairly in that respect. But here we are.

(more…)

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