Perhaps you have more time on your hands lately. Perhaps not. I thought I’d do a round up of some podcast that I like to listen to that you might enjoy too!
(I’m going to talk about Pandemic related stuff for 2 paragraphs, so if you are tired of hearing about it, skip them.)
In a way I’ve had more time, but I feel busier than ever. As an introvert, staying home is not a hardship for me. That’s not to say this change of routine is not stressful, I just have it a little better than some others. My husband and I still have jobs even if it involved a pay-cut for now. I’m thankful for that. But this new schedule is throwing me for a loop.
Some people have frozen in place and can’t work on their writing. That is totally understandable. For me, I’m a throw myself into my work so I don’t have to think about all the horrors going on all around the world right now. The immensity of that is terrifying!
Lately I have been juggling several projects that I have in the works: Getting my book cover designed (gathering the info the designer needs), editing my book, buying and setting up ISBNs. I’ve also been working on my e-course. Lighting and a lapel mic came in the mail, so I’ve been learning all about that! I’ve written all kinds of notes and created slide decks and handouts. I’m doing all-the-things and somehow not getting enough done. I still have some more work to get fully switched from MailChimp to MailerLite. I don’t think I’ll ever have enough time to do all that I want to do. Who’s with me?
I’ve been listening to some podcasts more lately as I work. I thought I had done a podcast roundup before on this website, but all I found was a narrator roundup. I’ve talked about some of these creators before so they might sound familiar to you. Without further adieu… here are some of my favorite podcast in their different categories.
Science Fiction Podcasts
Girl in Space! (Audio Drama)
Sarah Rhea Werner began this audio drama in 2017 and this is one of two podcasts that allowed her to launch her full-time writing career. I love this podcast because it not only entertains, it’s thought provoking.
Shocker here…It is about a girl…in space. Seriously though, The girl, named X, lives on a space station, all alone in the middle of nowhere. She used to live there with her parents, but they are gone. Initially, the listener doesn’t know where they are, but you learn snippets along the way. She has never known anything except this science station. Well, that and the movie Jurassic Park. She is highly intelligent as were her parents who were both scientists. Her space station is falling apart now with only herself to maintain it. Then, a space ship approaches and trouble ensues. Here is a link to Episode 1.
https://www.girlinspacepodcast.com/
Podcasts that get Creative Juices Flowing
Ideas and inspiration come from a myriad of places. Podcast are one of my best sources of inspiration.
Cabinet of Curiosities This is a podcast narrated by Aaron Mahnke. It is a collection of very short, rather strange stories. Here is the episode page.
Lore is another podcast narrated by Aaron Mahnke. It is a collection of longer, more detailed, strange stories. Both of his podcasts give me ideas for characters or plot. If you write horror, this will be an excellent idea generator for you!
Whether you write Science Fiction, Fantasy or another genre, taking in science related material can bring all kinds of inspiration. SciFri is a favorite of mine in addition to watching all kinds of documentaries. They talk about all sorts of topics related to science. Ira Flatow and his associates, interview scientists from around the globe about their research and findings. It is fascinating to hear about all the new discoveries happening right now.
Short Story Podcasts
In order to be a skilled writer, we need to consume quality stories. These are a few sources of stories I enjoy listening to.
PodCastle is a podcast made of short stories in the Fantasy genre. If you like well written stories with diversity, then you’ll love this podcast. (Note to writers: This podcast will accept reprints for release on Patreon!)
Beneath Ceaseless Skies presents literary adventure fantasy short stories. I enjoy listening to literary fiction like this with envy at the talent of these writers. I aspire to be as skilled as these writers, though writing in a literary style is not really in my wheelhouse. My voice is too casual.
LightSpeed is both a magazine and a podcast. They publish fantasy and science fiction stories, although they get more science fiction than fantasy, I think.
About Writing Craft
Writing Excuses podcast is possibly my favorite! I have been listening to it for about 10 years. It is hosted by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, and Howard Taylor. For the past few seasons they’ve had seasonal hosts so we can hear some different perspectives. I linked season 10 because I think that is a really good place to start. in January begins with Brainstorming and walking listeners through the process of writing a book start to finish.
88 Cups of Tea is hosted by Yin Chang. She interviews all kinds of authors and focuses on diversity in writing. (some explicit language) She is fun and interesting to listen to. She has the best authors on her show.
Write Now is another podcast by Sarah Rhea Werner. This one is not an audio drama. It is her talking about what she’s been thinking lately. She talks about issues that writers face. If you are hard on yourself, then you NEED to listen to this podcast. If you are insecure in your writing or your ability, you will get a boost from listening to her podcast episodes.
Bonus! A Podcast I Just Found
We’re Alive by KC Wayland and Shane Salk is a new podcast I just discovered this week. It is a Zombie Apocalypse story. It has quite a bit of language though, so this is not a show for young ears! I found the show because it was featured in the NY Times (I think) as a best audio drama. So far the sound quality is great and the story line is pretty good. The cover looks darker than my usual but I’m in kind of a dark mood lately…or rather in the mood for reading something dark.
Sadly, or maybe happily, this is not all the podcasts I listen to, just a few of my favorites. I decided I need to do a separate post about all the authorpreneur podcasts I listen to. So you have that to look forward to sometime!
Stay safe and healthy everyone! Happy writing!
Quill and Books 
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