Useful and Interesting Podcasts

As I've continued to write more, I've also been on the look-out for resources to help me improve my craft.  One of the more useful ways I've found are podcasts specifically for published and unpublished writers.  It's been helpful to me to listen to the advice of authors and professionals in the industry.  The convenience of listening to a podcast while doing other things such as yard work, the dishes, or working out at the gym has helped me to maximize my time and grow in my knowledge of the craft.  I wanted to share a few of those with you today.  Hopefully you'll find them as useful as I have.


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The first podcast I have to mention is the "Writing Excuses" podcast which bills itself as being "Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart."  I highly recommend this podcast for any writer, regardless of genre.  The team behind the podcast are authors Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Howard Tayler.  Though the four authors are more sci-fi and fantasy in nature, they offer helpful tips in a condensed format.  They are fairly regular in posting and since I've been listening, they have only continued to grow in popularity.  Check them out!

The "Writer 2.0" podcast by A.C. Fuller is a great resource for writers.  A.C. Fuller interviews authors and other professionals in the publishing world to give writers an inside look at the industry.  The podcasts are full of tips for the writer and I can't wait to see how it progresses.  It's only been out for a couple months, but so far has been informative in my process of growing as a writer.  New episodes come out every week so you will have plenty of content to tide you over.

Much like the "Writer 2.0" podcast, "The Writing Coach" podcast by Kevin T. Johns is another excellent podcast that I hope grows in popularity.  Kevin brings together authors, editors, and others in the publishing community to open up and share with writers about all kinds of things from blogs to agents to marketing.  The podcast started off with seven or so episodes in the first week and will be going to once a week.

The "Odyssey Writing Workshop" podcast comes from the six week long workshop for science fiction, fantasy, and horror held at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire.  The episodes are recordings of lectures and talks held by industry pros and authors.  Though they aren't released regulary (kinda makes sense since it's a podcast from a six week long event) it is helpful to hear what the professionals have to say about the process of writing.

"The Narrative Breakdown" podcast by James Monohan and Cheryl Klein is an excellent podcast for writers.  They cover not only novels, but television and movies as well.  They seek to explore the narrative in all forms of entertainment.  A few recent episodes even dealt with the narrative in video games.  It's a well produced podcast with tips for writers of all kinds.  Though the episodes are longer than most of the others on this list, it's definitely worth your time.

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These are the podcasts I've found most useful.  There were others that I've tried but I didn't get much out of them or they weren't interesting enough to keep my attention.  If you are looking for more advice or just want to listen to something different to keep you motivated as a writer, I suggest trying these out.  You never know what will work for you.  And if you have any suggestions of podcasts that you enjoy and help you with your writing, please add them in the comments below.  We all have room to grow.