Posts Tagged ‘Self-Doubt’

I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Careful What You Pack

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“All I can do is what I can do right now.”

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustrationISBW 22.1

First episode of the year, and we talk about the things we may not want to take along with us into the new year. New books, new shows (Patreon-only Evil Mur podcast called STET!), and all that other stuff.
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(This post went live for supporters on January 12, 2026. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!)

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Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn.
Get archives of the show via Patreon.
January 6, 2025 | ISBW 22.1 | murverse.com
“Careful What You Pack” 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 Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] The Silent Bully: The Nap

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That feeling when you realize while you’ve been recording, you haven’t posted a podcast in 2 months. I have been sitting on so many episodes with no spoons to do the production.
Send help.

“Nothing’s easy, man; being an adult sucks.”
-Mur Lafferty

ISBW logo with sad looking pink pillowS21 Ep12
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 The Nap isn’t rest. It’s escape. We also discusses the importance of sleep hygiene and how to combat the allure of a cozy nap when creativity calls.

 We touch on the other bullies we’ve encountered along the way, including Bart, The Blade, The Sponge, and Despair, each representing unique obstacles in the creative process. (Still 3 to go!)

(This post went live for supporters on August 21, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or get my newsletter at Ghost!

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  • Salvadore Dali (recently I discovered his admiration of fascism, so I won’t be linking to him.)

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“The Silent Bully: The Nap” is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon!

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon.

August 22, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 12 | murverse.com
“The Silent Bully: The Nap” 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 Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Tango with the Tentacles, DESPAIR

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“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

S21 Ep11
In this episode, we talk about Bully #4, Despair. Despair wants to hug you and join you when it’s raining. It’s nice to feel sorry for yourself for a moment, but you can’t listen to it.

Mur is candid about feeling overwhelmed and the challenges of maintaining a connection to the outside world amidst creative struggles and personal challenges.

We explore some ways to combat despair, including the helpful practice of listing accomplishments and breaking down projects into manageable steps. And get a little fussy.

(This post went live for supporters on June 11, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or get my newsletter at Ghost!

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Links

Evergreen Links

—
“Tango with the Tentacles, DESPAIR” is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon!

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon.

June 18, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 11 | murverse.com
“Tango with the Tentacles, DESPAIR” 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 Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:37 — 20.7MB)

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“The bully loves pantsers because it can insult your outline.”
-Mur Lafferty

(This post went live for supporters on April 23, 2025. Join the Fabulists or support my newsletter at Ghost if you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes!)

NOTE- I had a microphone glitch near the end, which is why it ends abruptly. Apologies.

In this episode, we launch our series on the bullies that live in your head, rent free. This week we talk about my original bully, Bart (a potato). He’s ugly and mean as a snake, but I do have some ways to deal with him.

We also touch on the recent Hugo nominations, my reading habits, and the exciting upcoming adaptation of Martha Wells’ Murderbot series!

Transcript

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Links

Evergreen Links

—

“Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)” is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack!

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon.

April 10, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 7 | murverse.com
“Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)” 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.

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