I love podcasts. I’m currently subscribed to 35 podcasts and I’m always looking for more good ones. I listen to podcasts about different subjects, but today I’m sharing with you my favourite awesome podcasts for writers.
Ann Kroeker is dedicated to helping emerging writers be more creative and productive. Episodes are short, usually between five and eight minutes long, and focused. Kroeker offers practical advice, gives insider information, and is encouraging through the pain of rejection. Whether you’re looking to learn more about how to generate ideas, establish a writing habit or a platform, or bounce back from rejection, Kroeker’s got you covered.
Creative Writing Career is about the craft and marketing of writing across media, primarily screenwriting, comics, video game writing, etc. If you’re into this kind of writing – sci-fi and space operas, magic and fantasy, dark horror, apocalyptic fiction, great! Check out this podcast. It’s not what I read or write, but I still enjoy this podcast and find it valuable. Around the genre-specific discussions, you’ll find insights around the craft of writing, traditional and self-publishing, and marketing.
Helping Writers Become Authors
K.M. Weiland is a published author of genre fiction and non-fiction books about writing including the bestselling Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story. She’s also a blogger, a mentor, and podcaster. Weiland offers straight advice on writing. She talks about scene structure, character subtext, creating believable languages, writing thematically-pertinent antagonists, how to choose the right point-of-view, and much more.
Magic Lessons with Elizabeth Gilbert
Elizabeth Gilbert is the author of the bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love, which I’ve never read. I did, however, read Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, her 2015 self-help book on living life as a creative. It was all the rage in some circles and people kept recommending it. Although I liked it, it didn’t blow my mind. What I like much more is her Big Magic-inspired podcast. Although Magic Lessons isn’t specifically about writing, it is about living a creative life and how to overcome fear. In the book, Gilbert glosses over the hardest parts of being a creative, not just fear, but also doubt and rejection. In her podcast, she confronts that more through conversations with guests such as Glennon Doyle Melton, Neil Gaiman, and Michael Ian Black. There’s still a dose of pink woo, but if you can go with it or overlook it, you’ll discover some gems.
So You Want to be a Writer with Valerie Khoo and Allison Tait
Valeria Khoo is a freelance journalist who founded the Australian Writers’ Centre. Allison Tait is the author of The Mapmaker Chronicles, an adventure series for children. This is an excellent podcast that features insider information, practical advice, and interviews with authors. But what makes So You Want to be a Writer a standout podcast is the hosts. Khoo is vibrant and giggly. Tait is usually tired and doesn’t know how to answer when Khoo asks, “How are you, Al?” They have great chemistry and their podcast is a fun and engaging conversation.
Sarah Werner is the writing friend you need. Write Now and the Coffee Break spinoff are weekly podcasts for writers seeking inspiration. In Write Now, Werner tackles topics such as writing excuses, how to prioritise your writing, self-care, SEO, and personal branding. In Coffee Break, she speaks with authors about the joys and struggles of living a writer’s life. Werner’s voice is kind and encouraging making her podcast a pleasure to listen to.
Writing Excuses
What do editors want? What makes a plot a subplot? How do you structure a short piece? How do you make a piece longer? How do you make a piece shorter? The tagline of this podcast is “Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart.” Some of the episodes go for a little longer, but Writing Excuses is a fast-paced, educational podcast hosted by seven writers (not necessarily at the same time) that get to the point quickly.
