S5 Ep5: Mur Lafferty - Facing Down the Demons

The Failing Writers Podcast

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OK. Now, People… buckle up.

You’re about to enter the Murverse.

Cos our guest this week is the lovely Mur Lafferty. A scifi / fantasy writer and podcaster whose refreshingly candid insights into writing and publishing caught our eye a while ago.

Being a fan of all things brutally honest, we thought it would be a fascinating exercise to join Mur in drilling down into the dark corners of our psyches by asking those horribly uncomfortable questions about writing. The idea being, that hopefully they might shed some light on the ways we could face down some of our demons.

And so… we created… THE WHEEL OF TERROR. A random-spinny-machine designed to pick all the questions we’d rather not answer.

There is no escape from the Wheel of Terror.

Why not ask yourself the questions? (See all the questions at the bottom of the show-notes)

Find out more and connect with Mur here: as well as finding a list of her books... (‘Six Wakes’ is the book Jon read and enjoyed.)

https://murverse.com/

And check out Mur’s podcast “I Should Be Writing” here:

https://podfollow.com/79085800

1 What is holding you back from being one of the most celebrated writers of our time? (Oh… you have a list…)

2 What’s your biggest weakness as a writer?

3 What’s your current criteria for ’success’?

4 Why do you reaaaally write? I mean… the deep, gnawing, psychological need inside you… what actually IS it?

5. What’s the most common thing that prevents you writing?

6. Is there a project you regret giving up on?

7. Are you easily distractable by electronic devices? If so what’s the app you go to most?

8. What’s the last thing you used as an excuse to not write?

9. What was your absolute worst moment as a writer?

10. When the doubt demons come at night, what do they whisper?

11. What one thing (in relation to writing) would you like to be known for in the future?

12. What do you usually think when you read back your first draft?

13. Which writer are you most jealous of?

14. What is your most embarrassing success daydream?

15. Who is responsible for making you think you’d be a good writer?

16. At what point in a project do you tend to get stuck?

AND THEN, DON’T FORGET TO ASK THE QUESTION:

IF THIS IS A PROBLEM, WHAT’S YOUR STRATEGY TO OVERCOME IT?

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