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I Should Be Writing: A Writer's Workshop Kindle Edition

by Mur Lafferty (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 145 ratings
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“Equal parts motivation and inspiration . . . Bite-size, easy-to-read chapters coach new writers through everything from imposter syndrome to writer’s block.” —The Writer

I Should Be Writing is everything you’d hope to find in a writing workshop, condensed into one highly effective journal. It’s time to stop dreaming about what you want to write and finally do it!

Let award-winning podcaster Mur Lafferty, who in the past has interviewed authors including John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, Gail Carriger, Adam Christopher, and Kameron Hurley, guide you through the nuts-and-bolts process of honing your craft, including which writing myths to ignore, how to refine your creative process, listening to your inner muse while ignoring your inner bully, and more.

This book also contains writing exercises that will help the blossoming writer strengthen the writer’s muscle of writing every day. These include everything from situational writer’s prompts to lists of ideas writers should try to jot down between writing sessions.

With this helpful guide, you can make the phrase, “I’ve always wanted to write a story . . .” a thing of the past. Because you should be writing!
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  1. Print length
    160 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Rock Point Gift & Stationery
  5. Publication date
    August 22, 2017
  6. File size
    5653 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Bite-size, easy-to-read chapters coach new writers through everything from imposter syndrome to writer's block.  - The Writer

About the Author

Mur Lafferty's podcast, I Should Be Writing, has run for free, since 2005, helping new writers overcome both emotional ("Rejection! My career is OVER!") and craft-specific ("How do I choose a POV for my novel?") writing problems. She has interviewed several notable authors including John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, Gail Carriger, Adam Christopher, and Kameron Hurley. The show reaches more than 8,000 listeners each week. Mur has been a podcaster for 11 years and has won the Podcast Peer Award and three Parsec Awards. She is also the winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer and of the Manly Wade Wellman Award. In 2015 she was inducted into the Podcaster Hall of Fame. She has hosted and/or created shows for Tor.com, Lulu, and Angry Robot Books, as well as created several of her own shows, like Geek Fu Action Grip and I Should Be Writing. Her newest show, Ditch Diggers, looks at writing from a business point of view.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B079TLDQTQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Rock Point Gift & Stationery (August 22, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 22, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5653 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 145 ratings

About the author

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Mur Lafferty

Mur Lafferty

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2018 Hugo, Nebula, Philip K. Dick, Manly Wade Wellman Best Novel nominee (Six Wakes)

2018, 2017 Hugo Best Fancast nominee (Ditch Diggers)

2014, 2015 WINNER Manly Wade Wellman Award (The Shambling Guide to New York City & Ghost Train to New Orleans)

2013 WINNER Astounding (John W. Campbell) Award for Best New Writer

"...the doyenne of scifi podcasting." ~Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing.net

Mur Lafferty is an author and podcaster from Durham, NC. She made her name with podcasting (I Should Be Writing, Ditch Diggers, and Escape Pod) and has written for magazines, roleplaying games, and audio and video podcasts.

She's the author of Station Eternity, The Ophelia Network, Solo: A Star Wars Story, I Should Be Writing, Six Wakes, The Shambling Guides, and part of the team that writes Bookburners.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
145 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

wil ralston
5.0 out of 5 stars Get this book!
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2017
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I loved this book! I had the chance to get an advance readers copy and was so ecstatic that I read it right away. I listen to both Mur's podcast: I should be writing and Ditch Diggers with Matt Wallace. Listening to Mur on I should be writing is like having a best friend who believes in you, and tells you not to give up. Let me make this clear though-she doesn't sugar coat things when it comes to what the publishing would is like. She talks in the book and her podcast about her struggles and insecurities of being a full time writer. The difference is that she keeps on writing and I find this incredibly inspiring.
The layout of the book is beautiful, easy to read, and done in chapters that you can skip around or re read easily. The book has the Bully(our inside voice who likes to tell us we can't write.) and Our Muse(our creative force that tells us to keep going.) I found this helpful because it shows you that almost every writer has experienced this type of feeling. I equally felt Chapter 3 entitled Squashing Myths is important to everyone on the road to writing. Practice, persistence and hard work will out way anything in life.
Chapter 4 is to be what makes Mur stand out- All Writing Advice is Crap. It's a chapter about taking advice with a grain of salt. You have to find your groove in writing. If that means writing everyday, just on the weekends, at your job, or between mid terms. Every writer has their own set of what works for them and we should find our own.
Chapter 1(how did I forget this part) really talk about expectations of what you are getting into with publishing. It gives a chart that breaks down advances and pay. I haven't found another writing book that really breaks down what they pay structure of an author can be and to realistically set your goals. There is also a quote from Kameron Hurley that really talks about getting published is just one hurdle.(keep on writing.)
Overall the book is amazing and really helpful. The writing exercises are fun and the part where she talks about editing is incredibly helpful and clear. While I got an advance readers copy I already have preordered two other copies for two of my writer friends. GET THIS BOOK. ITS AMAZING!
16 people found this helpful
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Thaddius
4.0 out of 5 stars It's not educational
Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2020
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Let me remind you this isn't about teaching you how to write. But it's great inspirational and encouraging. I've read it twice. I'll have my eldest son, who is also a writer, read it. We'll all read it several times as a good reminder what we should be doing. Writing.
7 people found this helpful
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Blue Angel
3.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2019
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Interesting book. Could have lived without the bully/ muse interaction. Expanding other topics would also make it stronger and appealing.
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Tee
5.0 out of 5 stars COLORFULLY WISE & ENCOURAGING!
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2020
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i just got the book today after waiting nearly 2 weeks. i immediately read the book and was hooked that i arrived at chapter 6! THATS HOW GOOD THE BOOK IS! the book is very colorful & simple. not too long, not too short. just perfect. the book pushed me to just write periodt.
One person found this helpful
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Jason G
5.0 out of 5 stars Directions from Someone Who Has Walked the Road All Writers Want To
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2018
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This book is like a cold shower on a sweaty Summer day. It shocks you awake but makes you feel good at the same time. ISBW gives wannabe writers a direct dose of the reality in a compassionate, understanding way. Mur has "been there and done that" and has not lost sight of where she started, a fact that comes across in her instructions. The book is interlaced with "Muse" and "Bully" statements which accurately reflect the quiet "positive/encouraging" and "negative/discouraging" voices that all writers hear in their heads. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is even thinking about starting a writing career. There are even writing prompts to practice with at the end of the book as a bonus.
8 people found this helpful
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darren
4.0 out of 5 stars Can't wait till it gets going
Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2020
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I'm on chapter 4 and it is still talking about the same thing. I get it! I got it at chapter 1
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Jasmine Jobe
5.0 out of 5 stars Colorful fun workbook style
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2019
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I did not expect this book to be awesome but it is! Got it on sale with no expectations. So thrilled with it! Definitely worth it.
One person found this helpful
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Melissa
3.0 out of 5 stars Snazzy title, but lacking on the depth of content.
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2017
So, this was kind of a mixed bag for me. Certain aspects of this self-help guide—marketed as a workshop for aspiring writers—spoke to me, while others felt like nothing more than filler.

Let’s start with the positives:

That title—snazzy. The moment my eyes landed on it, I was like—YES! That’s me—a wannabe writer that just hasn’t found the discipline or confidence to sit down and really explore my ideas on the page. Hearing that EVERYONE experiences negative self-talk—even seasoned and widely-published writers—put things in perspective. It’s no secret, putting yourself out there is hard, while finding excuses is all too easy. To further that point, the author delves into the quest some of us have for perfection and how it only hinders a writer’s progress. NOTHING is ever perfect and apparently that’s what editors are for. I think the biggest and most important piece of advice I took away from this book was to write, write, write and then go back and try to edit. It’s important to avoid letting your “inner editor” bully you about word usage and sentence structure as you’re writing—save that for the actual editing phase.

Alright, it’s time to delve into the negatives or things I personally found unhelpful. Number one, the author’s discussion on how to publish or what one might expect to see as far as an advance. For the person picking up this book—one who’s acknowledged “I Should Be Writing”—that’s a little outside the scope of focus. Shouldn’t we be more worried about actually getting the words on the page? I also felt some of the author’s advice was contradictory—she says you don’t need a fancy new pen or notebook to get started, but in the next breath pimps Scrivener. Huh? The “workshop” wraps up with a large number of writing exercises/prompts, which honestly felt like nothing more than filler.

Overall, this is a quick and easy read with some useful insight, but not something that I found to be mind-blowing in any capacity.

*Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Rock Point for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
12 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Patsy Gee
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 15, 2017
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Excellent, as good as I expected
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Womble
5.0 out of 5 stars Virtual writing mentor
Reviewed in Australia on October 22, 2020
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I got the ebook version and the writing prompts ARE included (just mentioning it as I saw another review saying they weren’t there. Someone has fixed it now!) I enjoyed this book, and I will look back on my highlights in future to remind myself of important points. It was a good read for getting me back on track, which is what I love about the ISBW podcast also. Kind of like having a virtual writing mentor!
One person found this helpful
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DragonRhapsody
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely!
Reviewed in Canada on November 20, 2017
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I really enjoy the Podcase by Mur Lafferty and her Podcast books - I enjoyed reading this and felt it had a good sense of her brand of humour, it has great advice and is interesting to see the thought process from a great author!
2 people found this helpful
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Nick Shears
5.0 out of 5 stars Practical Advice from a Pro.
Reviewed in Australia on April 15, 2021
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Mur Lafferty was a newbie writer and is now a successful, professional author. Here she gives solid advice to those who are newbies. Written with a light touch and subtle humour.
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Kindle Customer
1.0 out of 5 stars Help! My kindle copy did not have writing prompts?!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 31, 2018
Verified Purchase
I liked this book but it is very short for the price. My main complaint is that my kindle copy did not contain any writing prompts, the last chapter said there would be writing prompts and then went on straight to the acknowledgements! Amazon you need to look at this!
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