On the way to work
my podcasts remind me that
I should be writing!
It has been a number of years since I’ve listened to the radio in my car, and it’s rare that I listen to music anymore while driving. Since fitting an iPod car kit* I’ve listened almost exclusively to audiobook and podcast content, starting with Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time audiobooks and lasting until I discovered all the podcasts that exist for my many interests, including writing.
This morning’s commute podcast was Episode 139 of Mur Lafferty’s always excellent I Should Be Writing (see what I did with the haiku?) with Matt Wallace as the guest, covering their Christmas season topics.
If you have not yet discovered the joys of podcasts, particularly if you commute to work or school, or have a block of free time on a regular basis where you can focus on audio — just like sitting down and listening to the radio as your parents or grandparents did (not as easy as it sounds, with all the other distractions these days — have a look at my previous 10 Podcasts for Writers post. However, I don’t listen to Lifehack Live, PerfCast or Hot For Words, but I do also listen to:
- The Creative Penn. Interviews, inspiration and information on writing, publishing options, internet sales and promotion.
- The Secrets – Podcasts for Writers. No longer in production, this tutorial series has an excellent archive.
- The Writing Show. Another inspirational, interview-centred podcast with excellent archives.
I use iTunes as my podcatcher (podcast client) and simply sync my iPod with it sometime each weekend, all ready for the coming week. It doesn’t get any easier. If you have not used it before for podcasts, some podcast websites have a “Subscribe via iTunes” link that points to an apple.com address, which will automatically open iTunes and set up the subscription. Other will simply have an RSS, Atom or XML feed that you copy and paste into the Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast menu in iTunes.
* My CD/tuner is made by Kenwood, so I installed their iPod Interface Kit that plugs into the back of the radio and provides a single iPod plug that can be placed in the glovebox, keeping everything out of sight, and completely controlled from the radio’s front panel controls. Seamless, simple and works brilliantly.
