Blogs, Podcasts, and Writers, Oh My.

Blogs used to be a thing for me. I followed several of the heralds of the indie writing revolution and tried hard (from within my limitations) to comprehend what was being presented. These days, I don't follow blogs so much as drop in to visit once in awhile, mainly because the internet is a rabbit hole into which I all too willingly fall and then no books get written. I have to manage the addiction. Therefore, few I visit from time to time:

• Terrible Minds by Chuck Wendig 
• Whatever by John Scalzi 

I drop into their posts because the language is awesome and the subject of writing is generally talked about in connection to the broader context of the world we live in. They also share my politics. So yeah. Bubble. I'm surprisingly comfortable with that. Also, they make me laugh.

When it comes to podcasts, though, I'm usually not looking for craft info or discussions. I'm looking for inspiration and ideas. I want the weird, the eccentric, and the unexplained. I want to know what novels other readers are losing their minds over so I can go read the books and deconstruct those myself. It isn't that I won't try some other podcasts. Among those mentioned this week are a few really intriguing sounding ones. The podcasts I turn to with the intent of stirring my gray matter are:

• Stuff They Don't Want You to Know (Yes. Still.) I give you the Apple link to the podcast here, but you can also follow this podcast on Youtube if you prefer.
• Fated Mates - This podcast was originated for the PNR audience, but has branched out to cover all kinds of romance. It's longer episodes, so I rarely get to listen all in one go, but I find so many fun reads through this podcast.
• University of Arizona Science Lecture Series - This is hard science and you can search all over the podcast verse and find any science that lights you up and listen in on the lectures for free. When I listen to these things, I don't expect to always understand what's going on. I straight up do not have the math chops for quantum mechanics or other advanced physics. But what I do have is the ear to listen for a lecturer to say, "What we *don't* know . . ." and then the imagination to take that into a story somewhere. It's a lot of listening, and maybe learning something, for the maybe of a gem I can use somewhere. Whatever. It makes me feel like maybe I'm keeping brain cells alive. Humor me.

 

Jeffe's Favorite Podcasts

Our topic at the SFF Seven this week is our favorite blogs and podcasts.

I must be a child of my era - or current fashion - because I don't really have any blogs I follow regularly. The only times I read blog posts are when I read the daily (mostly) posts here at the SFF Seven, or if I see something go by that looks interesting.

I do listen to a number of podcasts regularly. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my own podcast, First Cup of Coffee. You can also see all episodes here, along with the various podcast services. I post four days/week - on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings - and chat over my first cup of coffee of the day. I try to give a real-world glimpse of what it's like to be a career author. That naturally leads into thoughts on writing, publishing, living, coping with the world, and wrangling cats.

I was inspired to do this by Nathan Lowell's Talking on My Morning Walk. Nathan is CFO of SFWA and an amazing author of SFF, particularly known for space opera. He takes a 20-minute walk every morning and talks about, well, writing, publishing, living, and coping with the world.

Another podcast I enjoy is L. Penelope's My Imaginary Friends. She was, in turn, inspired by my podcast (so flattered!), though she's been a successful vlogger from way back. She posts weekly about her writing, process, etc. I very much enjoy her short (key for me!) and engaging podcasts.

Leslye also turned me onto Writing Excuses. Notably, these podcasts are also brief - 15 minutes - and feature a number of guests along with the standard team of regular hosts: Mary Robinette Kowal, Dan Wells, Brandon Sanderson, and Howard Tayler. They've been going since 2008, so have a pretty established and polished presentation. They also delve deeply into craft discussions, which can be very interesting for writers.

Finally, I should also mention that both my podcast and My Imaginary Friends are part of the Frolic Podcast Network, which is a network of romance-themed podcasts. I've listened to them all and it's a great round-up of discussions on books, sex, love, and associated topics.

What about you all? I'm looking forward to getting some great recs this week!