How Podcasts Can Improve Your Writing

Each day, you have 1,440 minutes to cram in your must-do, should-do, and want-to-do activities. Podcasts are a secret weapon to get it all done, especially for those of us attempting to balance life, a full-time job, and our writing.

Why I love Writing-Related Podcasts

If you think of your time as a budget, you “pay” your must-do activities first. For most of us, these include sleep, work, and daily maintenance. Once you’ve paid for your must-do activities, the rest of your time is then split into your should-do and want-to-do tasks. Since I still work full time, the want-to-do bucket is the time I spend on writing.

My should-do tasks are the ones that drag at me. They are the time-consuming chores that grow in urgency when I ignore them. The tasks that directly improve my life, but I don’t want to prioritize. I feel better when I get them done… but who wants to weed, or exercise, or fold laundry when there are worlds to build and characters to meet?

Luckily, my should-do chores and tasks are activities I can complete while focusing elsewhere, so this is where I’ve “found” time to improve my understanding of writing mindset, craft, and business. Instead of resenting the time my should-do activities require, I now think of it as personal development time. Bonus time where I focus on my writing-related goals, even though I’m not putting words on the page.

Podcasts fit into the crannies and gaps in my life and pair well with my should-do list. I listen to them while exercising, grocery shopping, housecleaning, and even while baking bread. They allow me to keep up with publishing industry news, learn writing craft, and find marketing tips. Through them I also get recommendations for books, courses, software, conferences, and other podcasts without using up my limited writing time. Even better, when I sit down to write, I don’t have the anxiety of unfinished chores pulling at me.

The podcasts I focus on are…

• Free. There is so much terrific free content available that I haven’t looked into any of the paid or subscription-based podcasts.
• Portable. I stream most of my podcasts using Google Podcasts, but if I know I’m going somewhere without reliable internet, I download episodes to listen to while hiking, kayaking, or traveling.
• Educational. Not only do I regularly have “ah ha!” moments while listening to podcast episodes, I also note craft and business resources to look into later. The best podcasts provide links in their show notes for you to follow up on interesting ideas and resources.
• Entertaining. Once a show hooks me, I enjoy getting to know the podcast hosts. It’s fun to listen to their stories and updates. I’m a linear listener, so if a show intrigues me, I start on Episode 1 and binge the show until I catch up. Once I do, the show goes into my regular rotation.
• Authentic. The podcast hosts I’m drawn to share their failures and their successes.

My Favorite Podcasts

The podcasts in my regular rotation include the following.

Interview-Based Shows

The Creative Penn. Joanna Penn is a successful, UK-based indie author who hosts an interview-style show. Her audio persona is charming and approachable. Because she’s been podcasting forever (as of this post, she’s put out nearly 600 episodes!), binging her show is like getting a degree in creating and maintaining an independent author business. Her guests and topics range from mindset to services to craft to the future of publishing.

The Rebel Author Podcast. This show is another interview-style podcast hosted by a UK-based author who goes by the name of Sacha Black. Although Sacha clearly modeled her show after the Creative Penn podcast (and often has the same guests!), I enjoy her take on craft and developing an author business. This is partly because she is newer in her career and less established than Joanna Penn. Like many of us, Sacha is still finding and setting up her processes. Sacha is funny and relatable, and I cheer her on when she shares her personal breakthroughs.

Mindset and Craft Shows

Writing Excuses. This show has four foundational members (Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells) as well as seasonal hosts who rotate on and off. The format is quick with each episode 15-20 minutes long. Most of the theories are coming from highly successful, traditionally published authors, and I enjoy listening to their discussions on craft. The show can tend toward groupthink, but even when I disagree with their opinions, I find value in considering them.

My Imaginary Friends. Leslye Penelope, a hybrid (both traditionally and independently published) author, hosts this solo show. Leslye rarely includes interviews and instead shares a brief, weekly glimpse into her writing process and how she balances her author business with her work and life. Her style is warm and intimate, like a phone call with your best friend. As I was binging her show, she often mentioned tools, systems, processes, and books that I also use. We’re so frequently on the same wavelength that I’ve taken to calling her “my imaginary best friend” when talking about her show.

6 Figure Authors. The three indie authors (Lindsay Buroker, Jo Lallo, and Andrea Pearson) who host this show share how they built their 6-figure author careers. They often share mistakes they’ve made, as well as the things they did which were successful. Their show is kind, funny, and encourages me to keep writing. Unfortunately, as of April 2022, the creators have ended the show, but they’ve kept the website and backlist episodes available!

Fiction-Focused Shows

Levar Burton Reads. LeVar Burton hosts this show, which highlights short fiction. As a kid I watched Reading Rainbow, and Burton has brought those vibes into this podcast. Each episode is like a mini audio drama. Not only does he narrate a short story, each one includes background music and sound effects. I also enjoy when he shares what he loves about the piece and how the themes explored in each is relevant to his personal history and experiences.

I’d like to add more shows focused on the reader experience, so if you have one you recommend, let me know in the comments below.

A Podcast for Everyone

No matter where you are in your writing career, there is likely a podcast that will speak to you. Adding personal development time à la a podcast can help level-up your writing career. Need tips on motivation, marketing, trends, or craft? With over 2.4 million podcasts, there’s sure to be one where the host, content, and format fit your needs.

What are your favorite podcasts?

Header Photo by Yarenci Hdz on Unsplash