Four Helpful Writing Podcasts
In my recent position as chauffeur to my teenage children, I find myself in the car a lot. I can’t write or edit while driving. (Yes, I know, there are many authors who can dictate, but I’m not one of them. My talking brain and my writing brain are separate entities. Anyone who has had a conversation with me as I struggle to remember a simple word like mug or sofa can vouch for me.) When we get to our destination, I often find it difficult to re-focus on the writing or editing I tossed aside in the middle of active work to run and grab the kids.
Luckily, I discovered a hack. (One my children are not enjoying, but tough. Mom has work to do.) I listen to writing podcasts. I’m learning so much I wanted to share my favorites with you.
Their tagline is brilliant: “Fifteen minutes long because you’re in a hurry and we’re not that smart.” Except they really ARE that smart. Originally, it was Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor, and Dan Wells. Since then the cast has grown quite a bit, adding more diverse voices. This podcast is refreshingly short. They talk about writing itself, like character development and tropes and plot structure. Do yourself a favor and tune in.
Lead by Lindsay Buroker with Joseph Lallo and Jeffrey M. Poole, this podcast explores the marketing of your work. The hosts are genre writers, but their advice holds for whatever you write. They concentrate on how to build your own fanbase to sell more books. With various guests from successful authors to experts in advertising, SFF Marketing gives so much good advice you’ll want to keep a pen and pad handy to take notes. This might be where dictation software can come in handy.
Jonathan Maberry, Christopher Golden, and James A. Moore discuss whatever crosses their minds. They take questions from listeners before each taping so you can get first hand knowledge from these very successful authors who are generous in sharing their expertise. (Side note: I met James A. Moore at Dragon Con 2017 and he was the first person to buy my first book. That’s how much these guys support authors.)
K.M. Weiland shares incredibly detailed plans on structure, outlining, character arcs, etc. Basically, she tells you everything you need to know about finishing and polishing your novel. If you prefer a blog over a podcast, she’s really just reading hers word for word. So, whichever method works for you is available for your writing improvement.
What podcasts are you listening to? Any great writing ones I’m missing?
