We’ve all had friends and family say, “One day I’m going to write a novel,” or maybe we’re the ones with the dream. If you’re anything like me, I thrive on support and advice to keep the fiction flame burning and to stay inspired as I spend my free and even not-so-free time writing.
There are several quality podcasts available online for fiction writers. These podcasts are useful to everyone involved in the craft, all the way from the first-time writer just beginning to create a story to the pro who just sold their tenth book. Below is a short review of five podcasts that offer the strongest sources of advice, inspiration, support, and sometimes even humor.
5) The Dead Robots’ Society
The Dead Robots’ Society was created by Justin Macumber and was partially inspired by one of the other podcasts on this list: I Should Be Writing. Every contributor on this podcast has some sort of writing experience, which gives the listener the feel that they are getting good, solid information. After all, we want our advice to come from people who know what does and does not work in the industry!
The average podcast runs about an hour, though the first 10 or 15 minutes is typically friendly banter before the topic at hand gets attention. The podcast is currently updated on a weekly basis and frequently contains interviews with published authors who describe their experiences in the business.
For a first time listener, go here to check out any of the podcasts recorded from panels at Con-Jour 2011. These cover everything from research and character development to editing and publishing. Or check out the recent post entitled The Hard Side of Writing, which discusses popular software used by creative writers.
4) The Secrets
Although this podcast is long retired, it still offers a wealth of information from author Michael A. Stackpole. There are just 15 podcasts available and as a listener you can easily tune in to just one of them or start from the beginning and receive excellent advice from a well-known author.
Michael’s voice is much like that of a professor giving a well-done lecture. He is easy to listen to and keeps his episodes short, to the point, and easy to understand. His set of podcasts is wonderful for people who want a large amount of information in a short amount of time. They cover the often-discussed character development and editing processes, but also spend a great deal of time on the world of publication and writing as a career.
For the first time podcast listener, The Secrets is a good recommendation that will give you a few answers and countless more questions, questions you can take with you to other podcasts that are longer running and frequently updated with lots of episodes.
3) Pendragon Variety
The Pendragon Variety is “an audio literary magazine and round-table discussion group dedicated to prose and poetry of all genres” as self described by the Ladies Pendragon, a group of 6 women who run the podcast. These podcasts run on average about an hour in length and as a listener you’ll find great information, both on and off-topic, in every episode.
One of the strong points of Pendragon Variety is the way in which the podcasts are conducted. The round-table discussion usually consists of three or four of the Ladies Pendragon and sounds more like a coffee shop session with friends than a sophisticated advice-giving show. This technique is relaxing to the listener and with several contributors you are also bound to hear several opinions on the topic of the day.
Speaking of topics, the Pendragon Variety includes a wide variety of specific topics you won’t always find someplace else. Two recent episodes discussed fantasy-genre specific topics which, for fantasy writers, were both extremely helpful. Look for those episodes under #25: Imposing Limitations on Magic Systems and #26: Research for Fantasy, or check out any of the other many episodes discussing other genres, working with agents, and current topics in the literary world.
2) I Should Be Writing
This podcast by Mur Lafferty is near its 200th episode and for good reason. Mur’s voice is warm, friendly, and easy to listen to as she delves into just about every topic a fiction writer could want. Her episodes vary in length, but are always highly informative with lots of insight and humor dabbled throughout.
Her recent episodes #192: Feedback and #191: Social Media contain plenty of interesting advice for writers just beginning to seriously enter the world of writing as well as those wanting to learn the art of self-promotion. She discusses the factors that usually affect the decision of when a writer can quit his or her day job as well as introducing some of the best ways to use social media to make a positive name for yourself.
Mur usually updates the website with a new episode every few days and occasionally with other articles in between. The podcasts she hosts by herself are always entertaining, but keep an eye out for when she co-hosts with other authors, agents, and editors who bring a whole new perspective to the table.
1) Writing Excuses
The Writing Excuses podcasts top my list for a multitude of reasons. The podcast was created and continues to be hosted by authors Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, and Howard Taylor. They keep the podcasts to a short fifteen minutes, making the information easily accessible, while still keeping the episode extremely informative with plenty of humor for good measure.
By keeping their podcasts short, Writing Excuses is able to tackle many specific topics within a large range of subjects. Recent episode 5.30: Writing Action is an excellent look at how to effectively include enough action in your story to interest readers while writing it well enough to sustain their interest. Episodes 5.29: Rewriting (co-hosted by author Tracy Hickman) and 5.27: Perseverance are superb looks into writing as a job and a craft rather than just the creative side of the work.
Writing Excuses is updated weekly and is already into their 5th season with no expected end in sight. They offer the best fifteen minutes of advice and writing fun available in a society where time is a commodity. If you’re a writer already working on your own projects there is plenty to learn from their episodes, and if you’re a writer trapped in the rut of writer’s block, listen for the writing prompts given in each episode. No matter what you want within the realm of fiction, Writing Excuses has an episode for you.
