Five Podcasts for Writers

By Iola Goulton

I have finally joined the new millennium, caved to pester power from my teenagers, and become the last person in my family to own an iPhone.

I’m now the proud owner of a rose gold iPhone SE, which my daughter informs me is the size of a 5 with the brain of a 6. (She was the first in the family to climb aboard the iProduct bandwagon, with an iPod then three iPhones. All funded from her job in a supermarket café.)

One of the nifty features the iPhone has is the ability to play podcasts.

Yes, I know I could listen to podcasts through my computer, but that relied on me being near my computer, and not using it for something else (I found I could listen to a podcast if I was working on Word or Excel, but if I was on the internet, switching windows away from the podcast would stop it). Also, listening on my PC relied on me remembering the podcast existed, and navigating my way to the relevant site.

Apple makes it all so much easier. There is a Podcast button, and I have to do is locate and subscribe to podcasts. The iPhone then automatically downloads new episodes for me, so I can listen to them online or offline—even while I’m driving, using Apple's nifty bud earphones. Very handy!

So now I’m investigating what podcasts are worth subscribing to—particularly podcasts about writing, editing, publishing, and marketing.

So far I’ve tried several, found some I like, some I’m not sure about, and discarded others. Here are my top five picks so far:

The Smarty Pants Book Marketing Podcast

Marketing expert Chris Syme and her daughter, bestselling author Becca Syme, on all things book marketing. I’ve read Chris’s book, Sell More Books with Less Social Media, and her latest release, Sell More Books with Less Marketing. Both are excellent, and recommended for newbie and not-so-newbie authors alike. Becca Syme is also an instructor at Lawson Writer's Academy, so she knows what she's talking about.

The Creative Penn

Yes, I know. Everyone recommends Joanna Penn and The Creative Penn Podcast. There is a reason for this—because she covers all aspects of writing, publishing, and marketing, because she is knowledgeable and personable, and because she attracts great guests. She also has a great accent.

The Story Grid Podcast

The Story Grid is Shawn Coyne’s plotting mechanism. In this podcast, Shawn takes book marketing expert Tim Grahl through the process of writing and editing a novel. Fans of The Story Grid will love seeing (hearing?) the grid in action. Pantsers will hate it. I’m somewhere in the middle.

In the last couple of episodes, he's moved away from the novel structure into discussing non-fiction, and I'm finding that equally interesting.

Novel Marketing

The Novel Marketing Podcast is a collaboration between bestselling author James L Rubart, and marketing expert Thomas Umstaadt Jnr, focusing on (wait for it) marketing your novel. The episodes are short—around 20 minutes each, and their voices are easy to listen to. That might sound shallow, but it’s important (at least, it is to me). Just as a bad audiobook narrator can ruin a good novel, a host with a voice that grates means I’m not listening to the content.

ISites

I’m still on the fence about this one. It’s hosted by StudioPress and Copyblogger, and about website design and marketing. Episodes focus on “the four pillars of a successful WordPress website: content, design, technology, and strategy”. I’ve used WordPress for several years but I’m no expert, so I hope this doesn’t get too techy for me. 

What podcasts do you listen to and recommend? Let me know in the comments.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nzto download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
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Facebook (Editing)
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The layers of the writer, not the writing

In pursuit of improving my craft, I have been diving into the thoughts from a range of different authors to find out how they produce better stories.

One thing I found common to many of them is an idea that our writing should have different layers, and the deeper we go into them, the more engaging our stories will be.

I’ve read about going to deeper layers within characters. Readers will care about a character with depth, who has quirks and foibles not unlike their own. As the story progresses, they reveal more of themselves that the reader can embrace.

I’ve also read about the deep layers of plot. There is an intricate art to weaving subplots in, through and under the main storyline so there is something there for the reader to sink their teeth into.

There are layers of research, whereby authors don’t just check the spelling of the place name or breed of horse. They know what their story setting sounds like, smells like and feels like. They go deeper into finding out where their stories are set.

Lastly, I’ve read about the layering of scenes, so it’s not just a mad scramble from the opening line to the final phrase. Instead, the scene itself takes the reader deeper into the character’s dilemma.

I’ve embraced this advice and all of them have deepened my writing.

But I’ve been challenged beyond this. There is another level of layering that really makes a story deeper and more engaging.

It’s going deeper into the author. Me. You.

I’ve been challenged by God to respond to this. To not just provide a story that has deeper layers in and of itself, but to look at the layers of myself so my story will go deeper for my reader.

These are the layers I’ve been looking at:

1. My mind. I’m a pretty cerebral, rational guy and I live in my head most of the time.  I’m comfortable at this level. So when I write stories that are only at this layer, they might be observational but it’s still surface. It’s like reporting on a news channel.  Stories should go deeper than that.
2. My experience. I’ve found that writing from my experience takes the story another level deeper again, when I convey through my characters that I know the wrenching grief of what it’s like to lose a grandfather, or the heart-pounding sprint to catch a flight. It’s another layer again and drives the reader deeper into the story. But I’ve been challenged to take my stories deeper than that.
3. My heart. I could take the already-signposted route and claim that as an Aussie bloke this is the element of writing I’ll probably struggle with the most. But I’m surprised by how many other authors struggle with this; bloke or not, Aussie or not.  Peeling away the onion-like layers of mind and experience, and connecting with what you feel – in a tangible, real way for readers and putting it on the page – is scary and confronting. Writing from the heart draws readers even deeper into the story we’ve created. I’ve noticed with my own reading, this is where I connect with characters because I can see the passion bleeding through the words on the page. The author has gone beyond that they think or know, and has dared to put on the page what they feel. But there is another layer deeper than that.
4. My soul. This deepest layer is where I want to be.  I don’t mean by this that all Christian authors instantly turn into writers who produce sermons dressed up as fiction, but to me, writing from the soul is not just writing what you think, know or feel – it’s writing from who you are. It’s the essence of you.  I’ve read stories recently where there is almost something primal about connecting with someone on that level. I love a good plot twist and clever turn-of-phrase more than the next person, but when I read James L Rubart’s The Five Times I met Myself, I was drawn in by the fact that this wasn’t just Jim’s words on the page, it was Jim himself.

So I’ve been challenged not just to go deeper into the layers of the writing, but more into the layers of the writer. 

In my reading, I can see how this writing is the best and it’s a challenge that I’m working towards.  How about you?

PS: Speaking of layers, I've just launched my eNewsletter, which will be looking at the idea of diving deeper into reading, into writing and into life.  If you'd like to subscribe - https://davidrawlings.com.au/how-to-get-in-contact/ - I'll send you a short story I wrote called The Funeral. It's another take on a life event we've all experienced.

About David Rawlings

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, I am a sports-mad, married father-of-three with my own copywriting/communication business who reads everything within an arm’s reach. I can see a typo from across the room and always – always – make sure my text messages are grammatically correct.

Oh, and I love cooking, comedy and surfing. Over 25 years, I’ve made writing my career and paid the bills with words. It’s not a big leap from the six-year-old writing short stories instead of doing homework.

www.davidrawlings.com.au