Supercharge your writing by listening to these 7 writing podcasts
I love listening to writing podcasts. There are a lot to choose from so for this list I have picked the writing podcasts I listen to the most.
There are many ways that listening to writing podcasts can help your writing. I enjoy listening to podcasts especially podcasts about the writing process.
It helps to hear that other people are going through the same struggles. I feel less alone when I hear established authors and writers that I respect talk about their difficulty with finding time to write.
In Atomic Habits, James Clear suggests that we should ‘surround yourself with the voices of people who are doing what you want to do’. By listening to writing podcasts you can create a group feeling where writing is a part of your life.
I have many books about the writing craft and mindset but when I also hear the information spoken it really helps me to understand and apply it to my writing.
Writing podcasts are so convenient
I love the portability of podcasts. I often listen to podcasts as I am cleaning the house. I hate cleaning but if I listen to a writing podcast at the same time I feel like I’m benefitting as well as the house. If you drive regularly you could include writing podcasts as part of your listening schedule. There are lots of times during the day when it could be hard to sit down and write but you could listen to writing podcasts instead.
I consider listening to writing podcasts to be writing adjacent. Even though it is not contributing to my word count or my current work in progress, it is an activity that will still benefit my writing. I wrote about writing adjacent activities in this blog post.
The greatest benefit, for me, of listening to writing podcasts is that it helps me to get into a writing frame of mind before I sit down. Even if the podcast episode that I listen to does not directly relate to what I am writing I still benefit. What I am doing before I write determines what podcast I listen to and for how long. There are a wide variety of lengths and styles in this list.
Six figure authors
This writing podcast is presented by three self-published writers. While they are not currently recording any episodes because they currently focusing on their writing there is still some great advice to be had. The three writers know each other well enough to have very frank and honest discussions about writing. They cover everything from starting out as a new writer as well as parts of the writing process. There are 148 episodes of this show and the episodes average around one hour.
Ditch Diggers
This podcast focuses on the writing industry and the business of writing. While the writers that present it are traditionally published they do feature authors that are self-published. Some of the episodes cover what is happening on Twitter at the time the episode was recorded but they are still interesting to go back and listen to. One of the reasons I like this writing podcast is because they acknowledge how hard writing can be sometimes.
Creative Penn
Joanna Penn is a self-published author. She is very interested in the changes to the publishing industry and what writing will look like in the future. Each of her shows starts with a look at what is happening in the industry that week. She talks a lot about creative entrepreneurship and has a very positive, upbeat attitude. I always feel motivated to write after listening to this writing podcast.
Writing Excuses
This is the shortest writing podcast on the list. As their opening says, “ . . . only 15 minutes long, because you’re in a hurry . . “. There is an ensemble of presenters each week. The regulars are Howare Taylor, Mary Robinette Kowal and Dan Wells with different guests each week. They are on season 17 so they have covered many aspects of the writing industry and writing craft. Some highlights for me are definitely the episodes that discuss magic systems because they cover it so well. I also love that each episode has homework related to the topic of the episode.
I Should be Writing
This is the longest running writing podcast on the list. (Possibly the longest running writing podcast of all time.) The host, Mur Lafferty, is a traditionally published author. She speaks a lot about how difficulties with mental health can impact your writing. She has recently moved to twitch where she records the podcast live. So, now there is an interactive element to it which I think enhances her episodes.
The Self Publishing Show
The two hosts of this writing podcast have very different levels of experience in the writing industry. Mark Dawson has written many books, James Blatch has only written one so far. I like how the emphasis is always on practical advice and action steps that writers can take. Whenever they interview other authors they always ask them about when they first started.
Becca Syme The Quitcast for Writers
While this is a bit different from the rest of the writing podcasts on this list because it is only available on youtube Becca covers some important topics for writers. If you are feeling disheartened and burnt out by writing then Becca has an episode for you. She is also the author of the Dear Writer series. These are books that will help you to maintain a long-term writing career.
There are a lot of writing podcasts to choose from. You might find that some of the podcasts on this list are not enjoyable for you and that is ok. Try them out and see what writing podcasts work for you. I choose based on how I feel at the time that I am listening to the writing podcast. You might choose based on how much it helps your current work in progress.
Including writing podcasts as part of your week could help boost your writing.