Best Podcasts for Fiction Writers
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Article by: Caroline Lewsey, freelance writer at Globe Soup.
We all know writing is difficult, and often it is easier to talk about writing than to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboards, and actually do the writing. It is also true that writing is a notoriously lonely profession, leaving writers feeling isolated and struggling to find ideas or motivation on their own.
Similar to writing groups, podcasts can create a kind of virtual community where other people share their ideas, tips, tricks, routines, and inspirations, helping even the most unmotivated writer find their way through the literary landscape. Here are a few that are definitely worth a listen.
Writing Excuses
Writing Excuses is a fast-paced podcast hosted by New York Times best-selling author Dan Wells, literary agent DongWon Song, writer and illustrator Howard Taylor, author Mary Robinette Kowal, and short fiction writer Erin Roberts. The podcast is produced to help writers become better at their craft, whether they are seasoned professionals or new to the art of writing.
The first episode was released in February 2008 and each weekly installment is designed to cover a single topic, such as creating a good hero, pacing, submitting to editors, writing for children, and how to organise your writing. Episodes are quick, designed to be listened to on your commute or even your lunch break, and while they are advertised as being fifteen minutes long, that isn’t a hard and fast rule with the average episode being between twenty and thirty minutes.
The hosts and their guests cover a vast range of topics on this award-winning podcast giving any writer plenty of advice no matter their experience.
The Creative Penn
Hosted by Joanna Penn, this weekly podcast first aired in October 2020, consists of information and interviews on everything to do with writing, publishing, marketing, and how to make money from your writing. Topics include: writing in the age of artificial intelligence, business plans, how to achieve your goals at any age, and writing authentic crime fiction. The Creative Penn contains a wealth of information for writers, not only about the writing but also about the business side of it.
Helping Writers Become Authors
K.M. Weiland hosts this podcast aiming to help writers create characters, polish stories, structure novels, and edit your story into something agents and publishers will want to buy. Launching in June 2009, Helping Writers Become Authors consists of weekly quick-fire episodes, less than ten minutes long, covering every facet of creating a story and editing your work. Topics such as character motives, making minor characters dazzle, dialogue, re-writing, and plot devices. The structure of these episodes makes it easy to scroll through and get individual advice on a massive range of subjects quickly.
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
Writer and former university educator Mignon Fogarty hosts Grammar Girl about English grammar and its usage. Launched in September 2006, this five-time winner of the Best Educational Podcast covers topics such as capitalisation, abbreviations and acronyms, writing numbers, and the difference between your and you’re. She also covers punctuation, style, and tips on the writing business to help you be a more successful writer.
Whether or not English is your first language, these short episodes make it simple to get all the information and advice you will need about grammar and punctuation, taking some of the effort out of your editing process.
In Writing With Hattie Crisell
Hattie Crisell, a contributing editor of Grazia magazine hosts this podcast consisting of interviews with different types of writers about why they write, and how they write, and asks them how they can teach other writers how to do it better. The first episode aired in December 2019 and each week Hattie interviews a different writer, such as Waterstone’s Children’s Laureate Cressida Cowell, Stand-up comic James Acaster, novelist and presenter Graham Norton, and comic book writer and illustrator Tor Freeman asking them what advice and tips they have to help aspiring writers get better.
Writer’s Routine
Dan Simpson, a children’s TV presenter brings a unique enthusiasm to his interviews in this podcast. First airing in August 2017, this weekly podcast interviews some of the world's best writers about their process, how they maximize their productivity, where they write, and how they managed to build their brand enough to be able to do it full-time.
Some of the writers' routines he delves into are crime writer Karin Slaughter, thriller writer and son of the master Stephen King, Owen King, Crime writer Sir Ian Rankin, Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern, and writer and filmmaker Danny Wallace. He covers everything from their latest work, where they work, the tools they use, and how they plot their stories, to even the tiniest details like what font they prefer to type in, making this podcast a must for writers regardless of their experience.
Between the Covers: Conversations with Writers in Fiction, Nonfiction & Poetry
Between the Covers, a Tin House production began airing in December 2010. Writer David Naimon hosts this literary radio show and podcast consisting of interviews with writers from many different genres. Each episode features a single author and unlike most podcasts like this, the conversations take a deep dive into the individual creative process of that author and often last two hours or more. There is also a special mini-series “Crafting with Ursula” discussing his work with science-fiction writer Ursula Le Guin, so if you enjoy long conversations about writing, this one is for you.
The Creative Writer’s Toolbelt
Writer Andrew Chamberlain hosts this podcast which launched in January 2014. Bi-monthly episodes give practical advice to writers along with a little encouragement. These short episodes cover subjects including showing, not telling, the power of suggestion, character motivation, as well as marketing advice and tips on perfecting your digital presence. Alongside these episodes, there are interviews with writers and other artists giving their personal advice on style, story, and their own writing process.
The Writer Files
Writer and podcast producer Kelton Reid hosts this podcast studying the habits of some of the most renowned writers working today. A series of interviews started in April 2015; The Writers Files is ideal for those of us who are obsessed with productivity.
Each episode covers a single author with interviews with writers such as James Patterson, Andy Weir, James McBride, Iris Yamashita, and Jeffrey Deaver. Reid dissects their routine and analyses the science behind the creativity looking at individual techniques to help his listeners become better writers. The interviews aren’t confined to novelists though, he also interviews copywriters, journalists, screenwriters, and even a neuroscientist.
The Failing Writers’ Podcast
Hosted by voice-over artists and writers Dave Baird, Jon Rand, and Tom Turner, The Failing Writers’ Podcast is for people who dream of becoming a professional writer but haven’t managed to make that dream come true. Launching in May 2021, they talk about procrastination, terrible ideas, and broken dreams along with topics such as rejection, writing for TV, using apostrophes correctly, crime writing, constructive criticism, and what happens when you lose your enthusiasm. There are also interviews with published authors in almost every genre. With plenty of content, the hosts use their unique humour to help their fellow writers deal with the highs and lows of being a writer.
Dedicated With Doug Brunt
Hosted by New York Times best-selling author Doug Brunt, the podcast takes a behind-the-scenes look at some of the world's best authors, discussing their latest work, creative process, and how they manage their writing life.
First airing in October 2022, these weekly episodes interview authors about a diverse range of topics such as rejection and career progression with James Patterson, the writing process and his early career in journalism with Jess Walters, and social media and morning routines with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author Anna Quindlen.
Dedicated with Doug Brunt covers a huge range of authors and genres, each delving into their own creative process and personal experiences to help aspiring authors perfect their craft.
Write-Minded
Launched in July 2021, this conversational podcast stands out because of its hosts. Brooke Warner, an inspirational writer, known for helping women overcome sexist barriers with the popular online writing community She Writes, and Grant Faulkner who leads the competition responsible for hundreds of thousands of writers attempting to create a 50,000-word work of fiction in just one month, the National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). Each weekly episode consists of interviews with writers, authors, and publishing professionals about subjects such as YA (young adult fiction), ‘whodunnits’, writing unlikeable characters, self-care, and pushing boundaries.
Unpublished
Author Amie McNee and her husband, research student and writer James Winestock host this podcast discussing the practical and emotional barriers creative writers face and how to tackle them. Airing since October 2020, each episode covers subjects such as AI (artificial intelligence), self-publishing, avoiding burn-out, journaling, and long-term goals. As writers we often attempt to face these problems alone, forgetting there is an entire community of writers facing the same issues. This podcast opens the door to that community.
The Essential Guide to Writing a Novel
Writer James Thayer hosts this step-by-step guide to writing a novel. Airing since March 2022, James guides writers, both new and old, through a series of steps to help them polish their writing skills. Using his skills in storytelling, he teaches his listeners the foundations necessary to write well, dishing out practical advice on topics such as crafting a scene, pacing, point-of-view, and dialogue as well as things like making writing less daunting and how to practice writing using examples to help explain his concepts.
Writing Around the Kids
Hosted by playwright and novelist Anna Jefferson and freelance writer Sam Johnson since July 2022, this podcast has been created by women, for women, giving mums an outlet for their creative vision. Writing Around the Kids is a community arts project designed to help mothers find the time to write. Sam and Anna interview women writers about their work and topics such as the creative process, not being too hard on yourself, and finding inspiration.
The Writing Life
A weekly podcast launched in October 2018 and hosted by Simon K. Jones and Steph McKenna for anyone who writes. Each episode talks to writers about their process and their writing journey. Produced by The National Centre for Writing this podcast covers topics such as creating crime fiction protagonists, writing for children, and writing non-linear narratives. They also cover topics like what it's like to be a bookseller, competitions like NaNoWriMo, and the (often) long road to publication with interviews with authors such as Val McDermid, Jackie Kay, and Margaret Atwood.
Self-Publishing School Podcast
Chandler Bolt, founder of selfpublishing.com hosts this podcast full of interesting insights into the world of writing, publishing, and marketing. Each week he interviews experts in their fields about subjects such as building an e-book business, self-publishing, writing a timeless story, book launches, creating the perfect book title, and much more. Some of the experts he interviewed are Joanna Penn, Hal Elrod, Robert Kiyosaki, and Susie Moore.
DIY MFA Radio
This podcast first aired in August 2014 and is hosted by Gabriela Pereira provides a toolkit for writers looking to improve and strengthen their craft. Each episode offers techniques and advice to help writers get better at what they do. Topics covered include finding focus, perfecting plots, mastering voice and point-of-view, and bringing your settings to life with authors such as JoJo Moyes, Steve Berry, Jane Yolen, Delia Ephron, and Beatriz Williams. DIY MFA Radio has something for every writer who wants to continue to learn.
The Shit No One Tells You About Writing
Best-selling author Bianca Marais hosts this podcast which began airing in September 2020, and interviews authors, agents, editors, and more about all things literary. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing covers topics like writing sex scenes, succeeding in the YA (young adult) market, self-publishing, why writing groups are important, finding your process, and how to deal with rejections. Bianca is also joined by co-hosts, literary agents Carly Watters and CeCe Lyra, who, each week, read and critique query letters written to agents, to help aspiring writers get them right.
All of these podcasts are available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!
Caroline Lewsey graduated from Glyndwr University in 2020 with a first-class degree in English and Creative Writing. An avid reader since childhood, she enjoys spending her time writing short stories, working on her novel and writing occasional non-fiction blog content.