Our Top Five Writer Podcasts
We spend as much time as we can reading and writing but sometimes you just have to drag yourself away from the page. So when we’re doing household chores, walking the dog or on the commute to work, we take the chance to listen to a podcast. And of course it has to be about writing. Over the past few years we’ve found some brilliant writerly podcasts which have inspired and entertained us in equal measure. Here are the Creative Writing Programme’s top five writing podcasts.
Writer’s Routine – Dan Simpson We love hearing about other writers’ routines so Dan’s podcast is always a must-listen for us. He talks to a variety of different writers from every type of genre to find out about their writing routine. How do they plan their day and maximise their creativity, in order to plot and publish a bestseller? Some are frantic night-owls, others roll out of bed into their desks, and a few lock themselves away for days in the woods. Comfortingly, most started by fitting their writing around a day job, so there’s hope for us all. Our director Cathy Hayward was interviewed by Dan about her recent novel.
The Brighton Book Club – Anna Burtt Brighton is the home of the Creative Writing Programme so we love hearing from local authors about their books and writing habits. The Brighton Book Club is dedicated to all things literary and bookish in Brighton and beyond. Anna interviews authors, publishers, people working in literature programmes and also gets recommendations from local booksellers and bloggers. She has a really lovely manner about her too.
The Honest Authors podcast – Gillian McAllister and Holly Seddon If you’re new to writing then the Honest Authors podcast is the perfect place to start. We’ve listened to pretty much all the episodes as they’re so brilliant at dissecting the publishing world. From the role of everyone in the publishing process to top writing tips and life as an author, the podcast covers everything you need to know. It’s also a really personal podcast – Holly and Gillian talk about how their own writing is going and how they’re fitting it around family life/ jobs etc. Our favourite bit is when they read out really bad reviews they’ve received at the beginning and laugh at them. One star Amazon reviews because the book arrived late. Lovely.
In Writing – Hattie Crisell This was the first writing podcast we found and remains one of our favourites. Journalist Hattie Crisell visits the studies of writers of all kinds – novelists, screenwriters, poets, journalists and more – to find out how they write, why they write, and what they can teach us about doing it better. It provides the novice writer with brilliant insight into how famous writers work. What it taught us is that everyone is different. There is no perfect routine which will guarantee you a publishing deal or a place on the bestseller list. It also gave us study envy – Maggie O’Farrell has two writing desks, one for each book she’s working on. We have a long way to go.
Write-Off – Francesca Steele All writers are rejected or ignored by literary agents and publishers at some stage in their writing careers – and not just at the beginning. Francesca's podcast focuses on writing rejection in all its forms, from self-doubt to books not selling, and how people get through it. She set it up after her own first book failed to sell. We find it hugely inspiring to hear famous writers talk about being rejected, how they coped and went on to be successful.
We’re sure there are loads more writerly podcasts which we just haven’t discovered yet, so please share your favourites with us.