Best Undercover Novelist Podcasts (2025)

1
Mile 8 & 9: Plotting with Post-its, plus: Writing with the ending in mind 9:41

2y ago9:41

9:41

🏃Welcome to Mile 8 & 9 of Novel Marathon – The 2023 Edition! 🏃When it comes to writing styles, we talk about “planners” and “pantsers” as if they are two different species – as in “men are from Mars, women are from Venus.” 🙄 And maybe that’s true for some people. However, by and large, humans are more interesting than that. I was researching differ…

1
Mile 7: Why do you want to write this book? Plus: Commit to 500 words, 5x per week 7:58

2y ago7:58

7:58

🏃Welcome to Mile 7 of Novel Marathon – The 2023 Edition! 🏃The last couple of weeks have been a wild ride at my job. As in I wasn’t sure whether I still had a job! Which led me to think about compartmentalization, and the value of art. For me, compartmentalization is a way of separating different parts of who I am. There is the bringing-home-the-bac…

1
Mile 6: Ready, Set… 🏁 WRITE! 7:22

2+ y ago7:22

7:22

Dear Novelists & Novelistas, 🏃Welcome to Mile 6 of Novel Marathon – The 2023 Edition! Guess what? All that planning you’ve been doing is paying off and you’re now READY TO WRITE! Scared? Don’t be, because you already have the best tool for creating a compelling narrative in your back pocket: Scene cards. Scene cards are a way to structure each scen…

1
Mile 5: How to get into your protagonist’s 🧠 head 15:19

2+ y ago15:19

15:19

Dear Novelists & Novelistas, 🏃Welcome to Mile 5 of Novel Marathon – The 2023 Edition! It’s the first week of April! Perhaps some of you are participating in #CampNaNoWriMo. If you are, I’m cheering you on! Meanwhile, I’m doing my own version of camping – in my own driveway, no less… Yes, we bought a camper! The plan is to take it out on the road in…

1
Mile 4: Three-quarter turn, accountability check-in ✅ and a little AI-powered 🤖 handwriting magic ✍️ 3:48

2+ y ago3:48

3:48

Dear Novelists & Novelistas,🏃Welcome to Mile 4 of Novel Marathon – The 2023 Edition!Hope you’re staying warm, wherever you are! This past week it snowed in the northeastern part of LA, where I live – not a regular occurrence! Of course the snow didn’t stay, but it’s still nice to drive my kid to school in the morning and see snow-dusted hills in th…

1
Mile 3: Working title, one-quarter twist and strong midpoint, plus: mental health check-in 🧘 9:00

2+ y ago9:00

9:00

Dear Novelists & Novelistas,🏃Welcome to Mile 3 of Novel Marathon – The 2023 Edition!The basics: Novel Marathon is a self-directed class. Like you, my goal is to write a novel in a year. Let’s do it together 💪Here are the readings and assignments to work on for the NEXT two weeks:📚Required reading Ch. 5 & 6 in The One Year NovelistCh. 7 in Story Gen…

1
Mile 2: From initial book idea to “What if?” question 8:55

2+ y ago8:55

8:55

Dear Novelists & Novelistas, 🏃Welcome to Mile 2 of Novel Marathon – The 2023 Edition! The basics: Novel Marathon is a self-directed class. Like you, my goal is to write a novel in a year. Let’s do it together 💪 Here are the readings and assignments to work on for the NEXT two weeks: 📚Required reading Ch. 3&4 in The One Year Novelist Ch. 5 in Story …

1
New Year, Season 2, Mile 1: How to be accountable & who is this main character of yours? 8:12

2+ y ago8:12

8:12

Dear Novelists & Novelistas,🏃Welcome to Mile 1 of Novel Marathon – The 2023 Edition!The basics: Novel Marathon is a self-directed class. Our goal is to complete a ~80k word novel in a year. There will be exercises and readings, details below. We’ll be reading three books:👟 The One Year Novelist by L. M. Lily👟 Story Genius by Lisa Cron👟 This Year Yo…

1
Mile 26: How to outline your bext book (Part 5) 9:28

2+ y ago9:28

9:28

Welcome to episode #26 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 25: How to outline your next book (Part 4) 16:29

2+ y ago16:29

16:29

Welcome to episode #25 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 24: How to outline your next book (Part 3) 17:41

2+ y ago17:41

17:41

Welcome to episode #24 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 23: How to outline your next book (Part 2) 14:03

2+ y ago14:03

14:03

Welcome to episode #23 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 22: How to outline your next book (Part 1) 9:25

2+ y ago9:25

9:25

Welcome to episode #22 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 21: The End aka it’s not over until your protagonist has their a-ha moment 7:25

2+ y ago7:25

7:25

Welcome to episode #21 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! Suggested re…

1
Mile 20: Overcoming perfectionism & “The Ugly Podcast” with Lauren Alexander 6:00

2+ y ago6:00

6:00

Welcome to episode #20 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! Suggested re…

1
Mile 19: 3 tool tips, #NaNoWriMo & the case for an imperfect writing habit 10:06

2+ y ago10:06

10:06

Welcome to episode #19 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 18: Research, procrastination, Scrivener & the magic of a tiny keyboard 8:41

3y ago8:41

8:41

Welcome to episode #18 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 17: Treacherous second acts & character arcs 10:41

3y ago10:41

10:41

Welcome to episode #17 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 16: How to layer subplots and secondary characters into your novel 12:59

3y ago12:59

12:59

Welcome to episode #16 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 15: How to captivate an audience, or: What is plot? 9:06

3y ago9:06

9:06

Welcome to episode #15 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 14: Writing towards a strong midpoint 7:24

3y ago7:24

7:24

Welcome to episode #14 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 13: Story logic & how to use 3 simple tests to ratchet up tension in your novel 9:16

3y ago9:16

9:16

Welcome to episode #13 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 12: How to mine your backstory for plot points that propel your characters forward 10:42

3y ago10:42

10:42

Welcome to episode #12 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 11: Unleash your one-quarter twist & a special word count hack 9:04

3y ago9:04

9:04

Welcome to episode #11 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 10: Why you should be writing your first novel in third person POV, plus: Showing vs. Telling 13:55

3y ago13:55

13:55

Welcome to episode #10 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’re reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s e…

1
Mile 9: Character development and how to blueprint your novel scene by scene 11:57

3y ago11:57

11:57

Welcome to episode #9 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’ll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s…

1
Mile 8: Writing with an ending in mind and how that unlocks the first five scenes 13:47

3y ago13:47

13:47

Welcome to episode #8 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’ll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s…

1
Mile 7: Beginnings, forming a realistic writing routine & word count goals 14:24

3+ y ago14:24

14:24

Welcome to episode #7 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’ll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s…

1
Mile 6: Subplots, point of view, opening scene and how to use scene cards to avoid plot holes 13:22

3+ y ago13:22

13:22

Welcome to episode #6 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’ll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s…

1
Mile 5: Review of main story elements + get inside your protagonist’s head 12:27

3+ y ago12:27

12:27

Welcome to episode #5 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’ll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s…

1
Mile 4: Three-quarter turn, climax, loose ends, conflict litmus test & a cure for procrastination 19:13

3+ y ago19:13

19:13

Welcome to episode #4 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast for writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’ll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. Want to join? Get the books and start with episode 1! In today’s…

1
Mile 3: One-quarter twist, strong midpoint, character misbeliefs and the all-important “Why?” 18:48

3+ y ago18:48

18:48

Welcome to episode #3 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast aimed at writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’ll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. In this episode we’ll be recapping ch. 3 & 4 of THE ONE YEA…

1
Mile 2: What is a story? Goals, values, conflict, and who is your protagonist really? 15:21

3+ y ago15:21

15:21

Welcome to episode #2 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast aimed at writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’ll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, and 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley. In this episode, we’ll be reviewing ch. 1 & 2 of THE ONE YE…

1
Mile 1: Protagonist, antagonist, conflict, character beliefs & story spark 11:51

3+ y ago11:51

11:51

Welcome to episode #1 of NOVEL MARATHON, a 26-episode podcast aimed at writing the first draft of an 80,000 word novel over the course of a year. We’ll be reading: 1) THE ONE YEAR NOVELIST by L. M. Lilly, chapters 1-2 2) STORY GENIUS by Lisa Cron, chapters 1-4 3) THIS YEAR YOU WRITE YOUR NOVEL by Walter Mosley, p. 3-13. To join, complete the readin…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Undercover Novelist Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Novel Marathon

Undercover Novelist

1
Mile 8 & 9: Plotting with Post-its, plus: Writing with the ending in mind 9:41

1
Mile 7: Why do you want to write this book? Plus: Commit to 500 words, 5x per week 7:58

1
Mile 6: Ready, Set… 🏁 WRITE! 7:22

1
Mile 5: How to get into your protagonist’s 🧠 head 15:19

1
Mile 4: Three-quarter turn, accountability check-in ✅ and a little AI-powered 🤖 handwriting magic ✍️ 3:48

1
Mile 3: Working title, one-quarter twist and strong midpoint, plus: mental health check-in 🧘 9:00

1
Mile 2: From initial book idea to “What if?” question 8:55

1
New Year, Season 2, Mile 1: How to be accountable & who is this main character of yours? 8:12

1
Mile 26: How to outline your bext book (Part 5) 9:28

1
Mile 25: How to outline your next book (Part 4) 16:29

1
Mile 24: How to outline your next book (Part 3) 17:41

1
Mile 23: How to outline your next book (Part 2) 14:03

1
Mile 22: How to outline your next book (Part 1) 9:25

1
Mile 21: The End aka it’s not over until your protagonist has their a-ha moment 7:25

1
Mile 20: Overcoming perfectionism & “The Ugly Podcast” with Lauren Alexander 6:00

1
Mile 19: 3 tool tips, #NaNoWriMo & the case for an imperfect writing habit 10:06

1
Mile 18: Research, procrastination, Scrivener & the magic of a tiny keyboard 8:41

1
Mile 17: Treacherous second acts & character arcs 10:41

1
Mile 16: How to layer subplots and secondary characters into your novel 12:59

1
Mile 15: How to captivate an audience, or: What is plot? 9:06

1
Mile 14: Writing towards a strong midpoint 7:24

1
Mile 13: Story logic & how to use 3 simple tests to ratchet up tension in your novel 9:16

1
Mile 12: How to mine your backstory for plot points that propel your characters forward 10:42

1
Mile 11: Unleash your one-quarter twist & a special word count hack 9:04

1
Mile 10: Why you should be writing your first novel in third person POV, plus: Showing vs. Telling 13:55

1
Mile 9: Character development and how to blueprint your novel scene by scene 11:57

1
Mile 8: Writing with an ending in mind and how that unlocks the first five scenes 13:47

1
Mile 7: Beginnings, forming a realistic writing routine & word count goals 14:24

1
Mile 6: Subplots, point of view, opening scene and how to use scene cards to avoid plot holes 13:22

1
Mile 5: Review of main story elements + get inside your protagonist’s head 12:27

1
Mile 4: Three-quarter turn, climax, loose ends, conflict litmus test & a cure for procrastination 19:13

1
Mile 3: One-quarter twist, strong midpoint, character misbeliefs and the all-important “Why?” 18:48

1
Mile 2: What is a story? Goals, values, conflict, and who is your protagonist really? 15:21

1
Mile 1: Protagonist, antagonist, conflict, character beliefs & story spark 11:51

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