I finally replaced my mp3 player, and I’ve started listening to Mur Lafferty’s podcast, I Should Be Writing. I’m Culling 5 episodes of that today. Also, I’m starting to use a new category called Rough Cut for when I do a very quick Cull. That means you won’t get “what seconds should I listen to” or “what posts should I read” but more like “what shows should I listen to” or “what threads should I read”. This Cull is performed with a rifle at long distance with no scope but lots of bullets.
A podcast about writing is only partially related to gaming, but since this is my special snowflake you guys can follow this or ignore it (key phrase follows) AS YOU SEE FIT. We cool? Cool.
From episode 83 to 86 (including specials) here’s what survived:
Special #29 (John Scalzi interview)
The interview is entertaining and and definitely worth listening to for Scalzi’s ideas about juxtaposing the grim with humor. If this wasn’t a rough cut I imagine I’d get it down to about 10 minutes or so.
Episode #86 (Back to Basics)
The meat of this episode is great to listen to when you’re ready to submit, but it’s not about the writing process so much as the submission process. Otherwise, this mnemonic from a call-in listener stands out: “Am, is, are was were, be, being, been. These, are, very bad words, never, use them again.”
Otherwise, a few comments in the other episodes really struck me.
In Special 28 Mur said (I’m paraphrasing again):
Am I the most talented of all the writers I’m up against in the submission process? Well, maybe not. But the most talented person gave up after their hundredth rejection and I didn’t, so I’m the one who’s going to get published.
Episode 84 was amusing, but not much use. The best part was the very quick reference to the Bushido of Writing from about 10:10 to 10:50 – Matt Wallace describes the first virtue as Write, and the second as Persistence. I’m highly curious where that’s going.
So that’s what you need to know, and now you can skip 83, 84, 85, and Special 28. If you don’t, and I’ve missed a gem, let me know in the comments.
