Top 7 Podcasts for Writers

I've been gorging on podcasts lately. Mostly while I'm at work. I have felt so informed and entertained and inspired by these podcasts I just had to share, particularly because I really feel like podcasts are one of the best ways to keep the creative juices flowing throughout the day.

So without further ado, here, in no particular order, are my top 7 podcasts for writers.

1. The Writing Show with Paula B: This was definitely my first podcast love. In college I spent basically a whole semester listening to this podcast while I did homework. Paula is wise and genuine and she gets some great tips and advice from the people she interviews.

2. K. M. Weiland's Podcast: This is a new one for me, but if you're looking for the nitty-gritty, grammar basic writing advice, this is the place to go. It is very informative and can help you get a good, solid grip on good sentence construction.

3. New Yorker Fiction Podcast: No getting around it, the New Yorker is the big guns. If you want a feel of the literary community, this might be a good place to go. I'll be honest, I think sometimes the language can be a bit academic and even hoity-toity, but often its just really interesting and inspiring.

4. Writing Excuses: This podcast is just plain fun, and particularly helpful for those writing science fiction and fantasy. It features a group of fun writers (including Brandon Sanderson) chatting about different aspects of writing. It's entertaining and short, because, as their motto goes, "You're in a hurry, and we're not that smart."

5. I Should Be Writing: This is definitely a writing podcast classic. You get all areas of writing covered here, from crafting tips to interviews to all sorts of awesomeness. Definitely worth subscribing too, and definitely worth digging through the archives.

6. The Q and A Podcast with Jeff Goldsmith: Ok, when I discovered this podcast a few weeks ago, I spent every hour at work listening to it until I'd gone through the whole thing. This podcast is focused on screenplays, and basically entails hour long interviews with seriously amazing screenwriters (from movies you might recognized like, ya know, Frozen and Iron Man 3). I'm a little movie obsessed, which added to my enjoyment, but the lessons in here for writers of all kinds are not to be missed.

7. Welcome to Night Vale: Okay. Okay. Like, really guys, I can't express to you my level of admiration and obsession. This is the current podcast I'm blitzing through, and its gotten to the point where I'm badgering not only my roommate but my former roommates until they finally give in and try it out. And of course end up loving it. I mean, I can actually understand it not being everyone's style. But it is wacky, and amazing, and bizarre, and creepy, and profound, and please do yourself a favor and at least give it a shot, because if its something you like, its something that you will really like.

Any other podcasts you think I should add to this list? 

Sarah Allen