Best Writingtips Podcasts (2025)

1
Episode 486: Cartooning is the Children's Table of Art, says Roz Chast 1:04:57

Play Pause

2h ago1:04:57

1:04:57

"I really love this medium. I think cartooning is an incredible medium. There aren't a lot of rules. You can, if you can, really make it up. You can make it suit you," says Roz Chast a cartoonist and artist whose work routinely appears in The New Yorker. So today we have Roz Chast. You know Roz Chast, and if you don’t, quite frankly I hope we never…

1
Episode 485: Tensions and Textures with Poet Patrycja Humienik 1:07:41

6d ago1:07:41

1:07:41

"God, I feel like I'm still enduring that, like it's this sort of ongoing thing where I'm not sure I ever if I'll ever get to a place where I feel like my work and ambitions for the work and daydreams about writing and art-making ever meet my taste," says Patrycja Humienik. For Ep. 485 we've got Patrycja Humienik. She’s a poet and her debut collect…

1
#288 - Daredevil’s Gray Morality and Emotional Hooks: Storytelling Insights for Writers 1:03:49

9d ago1:03:49

1:03:49

Welcome to Episode 288 of the Spun Today Podcast with Tony Ortiz, where creativity takes the spotlight and storytelling is always at the heart of the conversation. In this episode, Tony dives deep into the writing brilliance of the Daredevil TV series, exploring seasons one through four and unearthing valuable insights every writer and creative can…

1
Episode 484: Rax King is Sloppy 1:06:03

13d ago1:06:03

1:06:03

"I am tyrannical about noise and about quiet. I don't feel that I can control the amount of mess I make. I mean, I know I can, but I kind of can't. And there's just so many things about my character that are really detrimental to having a writing process, which I need, and it's just so opposed to everything that's going on in my disgustoid little s…

1
Episode 483: Off the Page and Into the Ears with Julia Barton 1:17:44

14d ago1:17:44

1:17:44

"That is the main difference between storytelling for the ear and writing, is that the cost of revisions is so much higher," says Julia Barton. We have Julia Barton. Julia was the third hire, I think I have that right, with Pushkin Industries, the podcast giant founded by Malcolm Gladwell. She was the executive editor of Pushkin and helped develop …

1
Episode 482: Matthew Wolfe and the Grammar of Delight 1:23:20

22d ago1:23:20

1:23:20

"You have to finish it out. You have to report it, even if it's financially a terrible idea," says Matthew Wolfe. OK, it’s that Atavistian time of the month so we’re here to talk about Matthew Wolfe’s “The Talented Mr. Bruseaux: He made his name in Chicago investigating racial violence, solving crimes, and exposing corruption. But American’s first …

1
#287 – Creative Accountability, AI Tools for Writers, Insights from Ta-Nehisi Coates and More! (Free Writing Session) 51:34

25d ago51:34

51:34

Welcome back to the Spun Today podcast! In this episode, Tony Ortiz dives deep into the creative process, taking you behind the scenes of his own writing journey. This is a special “free writing session” episode, where Tony shares his candid writing stats—celebrating the progress, confronting the setbacks, and reflecting on what it really takes to …

1
Episode 481: Nieman Storyboard's Mark Armstrong Believes in the Beginners' Mindset 1:06:33

29d ago1:06:33

1:06:33

"Listening to podcasts, it's like, how do I start making them? That's been my approach, essentially try and take that beginner mindset into anything and try to teach myself new skills," says Mark Armstrong. Who do we have today? It’s Mark Armstrong! He is a producer, a writer, a singer, working at the intersection of storytelling and digital media.…

1
Episode 480: Dana Jeri Maier Doesn't Trust Anyone with a Neat Desk 58:42

1M ago58:42

58:42

"Yeah, join the club of people who feel inadequate," says Dana Jeri Maier, a cartoonist and author of the graphic book on creativity Skip to the Fun Parts. This incredible artist is the author of Skip to the Fun Parts: Cartoons and Complaints About the Creative Process. It’s one of the best books on creativity because it deals with doubt, it deals …

1
Episode 479: Jeff Sharlet and Finding Real Toads in Imaginary Gardens 1:15:59

1M ago1:15:59

1:15:59

"You're an outsider. And as you linger in that space, you start to become an insider ... but you're still an outsider. Don't forget that, even though you know more about it, you're an insider and an outsider," says Jeff Sharlet about when he's reporting on, say, far-right religious groups. OK, we’ve got Jeff Sharlet, which is pretty stunning when y…

1
#286 - Finding Inspiration Through Loss, Pandemic Reflections and Honoring Pablo 1:39:53

2M ago1:39:53

1:39:53

Welcome to Episode 286 of the Spun Today Podcast, the show anchored in writing but truly unlimited in its scope. I’m your host, Tony Ortiz, and today we’re diving into something both personal and nostalgic: a throwback tribute episode to my good friend and Spun Today alum, the late, great, Pablo Mosquera Jr. In this heartfelt installment, we revisi…

1
Episode 478: Nick Paumgarten says, 'The Reporting Suggests the Root System' 1:06:22

2M ago1:06:22

1:06:22

"I'm a guy who needs a lede. I need the lede to work. I need it to be compelling. And it doesn't have to be the best place to begin. It just has to be a place to begin that works and that amuses and sucks you in. I. So once I have a lede, then that will lead to another place," says Nick Paumgarten. Wow, so today we have Nick Paumgarten and can I te…

1
Episode 477: David Howard and the Search for Stories He Believes In 1:30:37

2M ago1:30:37

1:30:37

"It's honestly one of the biggest gambles I've taken in my career," says David Howard, the journalist behind "Conversations with a Hit Man," this for the Atavist Magazine. David is a journalist and author, and in this conversation we talk about: Nonverbal stuff, so the importance of doing this stuff in person The grand puzzle of a piece Looking for…

1
Episde 476: Amanda Heckert Helps the Rider Stay on the Horse 1:16:24

2M ago1:16:24

1:16:24

"The story is the horse, and the writer is the rider of the horse, and you as the editor, need to help guide them along. And if the rider starts to fall off, you put them back on, and it's your job to lead them safely into the barn. At no point should you shove the rider off the horse, get on yourself and ride it into the distance," says Amanda Hec…

1
Episode 475: For Dane Huckelbridge, Spacing Out is Part of the Process 1:19:31

2M ago1:19:31

1:19:31

"If you don't cultivate other interests or travel or spend time with friends, this and that, you don't have anything to write about," says Dane Huckelbridge, author of Queen of All Mayhem (William Morrow). Dane returns to the show to talk about his latest book, but also a smattering of other juicy writer topics such as: Procrastination Writing arou…

1
#285 – Turning Real Life into Art: Writing Takeaways from Standup, Storytelling, and Politics 1:03:03

2M ago1:03:03

1:03:03

Welcome to another episode of the Spun Today Podcast with your host, Tony Ortiz—the show anchored in writing and limitless in scope. In this episode, Tony dives deep into the creative process and storytelling power behind Andrew Schulz's latest Netflix comedy special, "Life." You'll hear how Schulz's masterful blend of vulnerability, humor, and inn…

1
Episode 474: How to Reconfigure the Fireworks with Yi Shun Lai 1:03:39

2M ago1:03:39

1:03:39

"One of the things I've done is to reconfigure the fireworks. The fireworks for me now are getting to have this thing off my desk so I get to work on something new. That's the firework," says Yi Shun Lai, an author, writer, and instructor. Our occasion for this show was an essay she wrote for Writer Magazine about "arrival fallacy," this notion tha…

1
Episode 473: Finding the Frame with Hampton Sides 1:10:10

3M ago1:10:10

1:10:10

"I would say my books are about three quarters research and sort of mining my research, and then one quarter writing," says Hampton Sides, author of several New York Times bestselling works of narrative history, including his latest, now in paperback, The Wide Wide Sea. It's published by Doubleday. So Hampton was great. There was a moment halfway t…

1
#284 - Sinners: Creativity, Symbolism, and Storytelling Insights from Ryan Coogler’s Latest Film 1:00:33

3M ago1:00:33

1:00:33

Welcome back to another episode of Spun Today. In this episode, I dive into a creative review and breakdown of the film Sinners, written and directed by Ryan Coogler. I pull out writing insights, character craft, and the power of blending personal history with big genre themes—sharing lessons any writer or creative can use to fuel their own work. B…

1
Episode 472: Melissa Febos and the Art of Personal Exploration with 'The Dry Season' 1:10:13

3M ago1:10:13

1:10:13

"I talked to my wife, and she was like, 'You're probably tired. You've been writing this book non stop for six months, and you probably just need a break. Like, go get a gelato and chill out.' And I was like, 'I can't,' then I was like, 'All right, fine, I will.' And then I ate a bunch of ice cream and watched the Pam Anderson documentary on Netfli…

1
Episode 471: The Cassidy Randall Residency at CNF Pod Continues! 1:11:10

3M ago1:11:10

1:11:10

"We are sort of drinking from a fire hose of content right now. And it makes me wonder, because I feel like I'm stuck on this wheel that I have to produce all the time. Do I even want to write for money anymore? I don't know," says Cassidy Randall, author of the book Thirty Below, and back for her second Atavist story "The Longest Journey." Writing…

1
Episode 470: Megan Baxter is Into Rewilding Her Writing 1:03:47

3M ago1:03:47

1:03:47

"I've also learned in this rewilding experiment that so much of our time as writers takes place off the page, as we're thinking about our concepts, as we're doing research, and when I actually do come to the page and have a chance to actually type out these ideas, I've done so much pre-writing over the course of the previous season that that draft …

1
#283 – Cycles of Life, Loss, and Stories: Honoring Friendship and Remembering Pablo Mosquera Jr. 1:34:17

3M ago1:34:17

1:34:17

Welcome to Episode 283 of the Spun Today podcast—the only podcast anchored in writing, but unlimited in scope. I’m your host, Tony Ortiz, and in this deeply personal and heartfelt episode, I invite you to join me as I honor the memory of my dear friend and Spun Today alumni, Pablo Mosquera Jr., who tragically passed away earlier this year. This epi…

1
Episode 469: John O'Connor on the Meaning of Bigfoot 1:06:12

3M ago1:06:12

1:06:12

"I don't feel envy. I don't think. Maybe in some deeper and maybe even more troubling psychological level. I do feel competition with with people, competition over resources, trying to claim certain ideas, stake a claim to certain ideas before other people can, especially when you're working with the subject that's in the public sphere. You don't h…

1
Episode 468: Local Journalism and the Folly of Fame with Maggie Messitt 1:20:28

4M ago1:20:28

1:20:28

"I genuinely feel that those of us writing books need to remember that we are writing them simply because we feel the desperate need to write that particular thing. And unless I feel that way, I shouldn't be writing it because it's not for the financial benefit. It is not because it gives me more time to do things with other people. It doesn't matt…

Writingtips Podcasts

1
Spun Today with Tony Ortiz

Tony Ortiz

1
The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara

Brendan O'Meara

1
Author Create

Stephen Woodfin

1
Author Like a Boss Podcast

Ella Barnard

1
88 Cups of Tea

88 Cups of Tea

1
The Girls Are Writing!

Tasha Monét

1
The Writing Gym Podcast | Annalisa Parent | Writing Coach

Annalisa Parent

1
Episode 486: Cartooning is the Children's Table of Art, says Roz Chast 1:04:57

1
Episode 485: Tensions and Textures with Poet Patrycja Humienik 1:07:41

1
#288 - Daredevil’s Gray Morality and Emotional Hooks: Storytelling Insights for Writers 1:03:49

1
Episode 484: Rax King is Sloppy 1:06:03

1
Episode 483: Off the Page and Into the Ears with Julia Barton 1:17:44

1
Episode 482: Matthew Wolfe and the Grammar of Delight 1:23:20

1
#287 – Creative Accountability, AI Tools for Writers, Insights from Ta-Nehisi Coates and More! (Free Writing Session) 51:34

1
Episode 481: Nieman Storyboard's Mark Armstrong Believes in the Beginners' Mindset 1:06:33

1
Episode 480: Dana Jeri Maier Doesn't Trust Anyone with a Neat Desk 58:42

1
Episode 479: Jeff Sharlet and Finding Real Toads in Imaginary Gardens 1:15:59

1
#286 - Finding Inspiration Through Loss, Pandemic Reflections and Honoring Pablo 1:39:53

1
Episode 478: Nick Paumgarten says, 'The Reporting Suggests the Root System' 1:06:22

1
Episode 477: David Howard and the Search for Stories He Believes In 1:30:37

1
Episde 476: Amanda Heckert Helps the Rider Stay on the Horse 1:16:24

1
Episode 475: For Dane Huckelbridge, Spacing Out is Part of the Process 1:19:31

1
#285 – Turning Real Life into Art: Writing Takeaways from Standup, Storytelling, and Politics 1:03:03

1
Episode 474: How to Reconfigure the Fireworks with Yi Shun Lai 1:03:39

1
Episode 473: Finding the Frame with Hampton Sides 1:10:10

1
#284 - Sinners: Creativity, Symbolism, and Storytelling Insights from Ryan Coogler’s Latest Film 1:00:33

1
Episode 472: Melissa Febos and the Art of Personal Exploration with 'The Dry Season' 1:10:13

1
Episode 471: The Cassidy Randall Residency at CNF Pod Continues! 1:11:10

1
Episode 470: Megan Baxter is Into Rewilding Her Writing 1:03:47

1
#283 – Cycles of Life, Loss, and Stories: Honoring Friendship and Remembering Pablo Mosquera Jr. 1:34:17

1
Episode 469: John O'Connor on the Meaning of Bigfoot 1:06:12

1
Episode 468: Local Journalism and the Folly of Fame with Maggie Messitt 1:20:28