10 Writing Podcasts Worth Binging

A fun game me and my fellow podcasting friends play involves yelling out a random phrase, then googling it. The goal is to find a podcast on that topic. I haven’t ever played a round where we couldn’t find an episode on some niche subject. Fireplaces, neurosurgery, fishing; you name it, there’s a podcast for it.

Writing podcasts are one of my favorites of the niche community. I walk everywhere these days, and it’s a blast to think and learn about writing during my commute.

If you need some writing pick-me-ups, here are some of my personal favorite writing podcasts.

Writing Excuses

A group of writers, including Brandon Sanderson, acclaimed fantasy writer, get together and talk about a specific writing topic per episode. Their website gives you access to all 14 seasons, starting back in the early 2000s. Each year/season, they focus on some aspect of writing, such as the year of plot, the year of character, or this year – the year of setting. Every episode has different cast members, all writers of vastly different genres. Horror writers talk with web comic writers, all providing unique points of view that help you understand where you fit in the grand scheme of the writing community. Each episode comes with a writing prompt, which is a fun exercise to get you working on the ideas you’ve learned and get your creativity working.

The Writer Files

Kelton Reid interviews bestselling authors, acclaimed publishers, and other big names in the industry, all to discuss their stories and experiences with this career. Whether you want to hear from award-winning short story writer Abigail Ulman or Senior Buzzfeed Writer Doree Shafrir, this podcast has a little something for everyone.

Write On

Write On is produced by Final Draft, which you may recognize as the standard screenwriting word processor for the film industry. Pete D’Alessandro interviews big name creators every week to talk about their process, how they write, why they write, and so much more. From Taika Waititi to Stephen Merchant, you won’t want to miss out on this sage wisdom from some of the best screenwriters out there today.

Start With This

Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Crainor, creators of the audio drama podcast Welcome to Nightvale, share unique outlooks on certain aspects of writing with the hope to get their listeners started on their projects. Starting is hard, and they figure if they can talk you into that, you’ll be able to create something magnificent. Every episode ends with something to consume and something to create, to keep you learning from art around you while creating your own.

Ann Kroeker: Writing Coach

Ann Kroeker doesn’t merely rely on her own credibility, she builds episodes chocked full with wisdom from beloved writers and informative articles. Her episodes are full of citations, bits of genius, and resources for you to go and learn for yourself, beyond what she provides for you. Episodes are always about 10 minutes long and there’s over 200 of them, so you can get a quick dose of writing advice any time you want.

The No Pants Cocktail Hour: Jeff Somers Talks and Reads

This one’s a bit different than the other podcasts on this list in that it reflects on how someone can change as a writer over their lifetime. Jeff Somers, author of Writing Without Rules and the Avery Cates series, opens up a different drink every episode to discuss some short story he’s read, published or unpublished, and the backstory behind it. He then reads this story with fun sound effects. My personal favorite episode is “6. The Amazing Martin Landawer”.

Story Grid Podcast

Shawn Coyne, author of the book Story Grid and editor with two decades of experience, and Tim Grahl, struggling writer, have created 171 episodes of vastly different writing topics, all in the pursuit of helping writers get their work out there. With topics ranging from spreadsheeting your novel, to episodes dedicated to analyzing Brokeback Mountain, you’re sure to learn something new.

Helping Writers Become Authors

K.M. Weiland’s podcast provides 471 (and counting) episodes of writing advice, based in distinct areas, genres, mediums, and more. Her content covers just about everything, so you’ll have hours worth of listening material to help inspire and enlighten. She did a 22 episode series she called “The Do’s and Don’ts of Storytelling According To Marvel”. My personal favorite is the final installment of this series where she talks about audience loyalty

I Should Be Writing

Mur Lafferty is wholly relatable and fun to listen to as she discusses certain aspects of writing, detailing her own struggles with her works in progress, her mental health, and life as a writer. Mur reminds us that it can be hard to write, but it’s the ups and downs that make this path we’re on rewarding.

Writing Class Radio

Run by Andrea Askowitz and Allison Langer, this podcast encapsulates all the fun of a workshop or creative writing class – including stories written by those in actual classes –  along with interesting advice. This focuses on telling stories about yourself and your own life, and has more of a creative nonfiction spin to it. If that’s your field, this one is destined to help you a lot. If not, come for a little dose of humanity.

I hope that one of these podcasts become your companion on your commute to work. Sometimes it’s nice to be reminded that even though it feels like we’re writing in a vacuum, we are not alone.

Written by Aubrey Dickens

A.J. Dickens is pursuing her undergraduate degree in English Literature at Brigham Young University. She wrote directed and produced the audio drama podcast ISOLATION which is available on Spotify Apple Podcasts and more.