The walk to work had never been so much fun. Yeah, it’s the same road, the same buildings and slowly completed extensions. The same people heading to the same places. Recently for me, though, it became way more interesting. My wife has been listening to podcasts for months, trying to convince me to try several, from GriefCast to Adam Buxton. At the time, I was determined to make a go of writing, but finding very little time to write. There’s always another chore that needs doing or book that needs reading. Which is what led me to investigate podcasts not for comedy but for writing. Are there any podcasts dedicated to writers?
OK, yeah, so maybe I was naive. It’s not are there any. It’s more a question of which of the many podcasts to listen to. For starters I wanted a current one. That got rid of several as a lot have fallen by the wayside. Of the rest, I tried one or more episodes of several. Some were just people recording meandering conversations that may be of interest to some. Others were obviously just an excuse to sell the host’s own services or books. Neither of these felt of interest to me.
What follows are some of the best podcasts for writers I have found. In most, the hosts do plug their own work, but not to the point of irritation. And these are the ones I found to have the best mix of entertainment and information.
Writing Excuses
Quite possibly the best writing podcast you will ever listen to. I am not joking. This is a masterclass in how to write. These guys cram more useful information into fifteen minutes than most people manage in an hour’s podcast. Also, having paid to go to talks at Winchester Writers Festival, I would also say there is more useful information in these podcasts for free than you will ever get at a paid festival. Hosted by Brandon Sanderson himself, they take a topic per year (this year is character, last year was plot structure) and delve into a different area every week. This year they have covered protagonists, antagonists, when to use tropes and when to subvert expectations. They even have suggested homework at the end of each episode. With thirteen seasons under their belt, there is enough back catalogue to fill even the longest commutes. Although this is definitely one to take slowly and consider rather than binge-listen.
The Creative Penn
A British podcast! Yay! Joanna Penn does this one solo, and manages to make the mix of news and interviews continuously entertaining. She has been doing the podcast for years, so has honed it well. Joanna does a lot of research into future technology and so there is a lot of advice on what to do to try and stay ahead of the marketing curve. The angle on this one is very much self-publishing, but also has a lot of advice for traditional as well.
Sell More Books Show
This some stood out from the crowd as the two hosts obviously have great chemistry and are entertaining to listen to. It stood out from many as they rarely have special guests. Instead they trawl through the writing news and other podcasts, doing a top 5 news, dissecting each one in detail. If you are unable to keep up with a lot of podcasts then this serves as a good summary of the rest.
The Best of the Rest.
The following are those that if I had enough time to listen to I would definitely give a try.
Ask Alli
A podcast by self-published authors for self-published authors brimming with advice.
Grammar girl
A short weekly podcast delving into grammar.
Helping writers become authors
Writing advice from K.M. Weiland, author of several how-to-write books.
Rushmoor Writers 