Guest Post: Creating a Podcast: Going from an Idea to Reality
By Marissa Lete
A year ago, if you had told me that I would be starting a podcast where I interview strangers about their writing processes, I would have laughed at you.
If you know me on a personal level at all, you probably know that having to talk to strangers is my worst nightmare. I’ve lost count of the number of times making a simple phone call to cancel a doctor’s appointment has sent me into a cold sweat.
Nowadays, I willingly hop on a Zoom call on a weekly basis to talk to people I know very little about, and I love every minute of it. Podcasting is such a unique form of media that allows you to connect with others in an organic way and quite literally use your voice to share your message.
Even though I still get nervous before each episode, I’m so passionate about sharing the stories of myself and my guests that I get excited every time I have an interview coming up. I love chatting with other writers and giving them a chance to use their voices to help others, too.
Do you want to share your voice with the world, but you aren’t sure where to start? There are a lot of great articles that articulate step-by-step instructions for starting a podcast, but I’ve found that it follows the same basic pattern as any other creative endeavor!
First, start with an idea.
Much like how I often get ideas for my books while I’m reading other people’s books, the idea to start Creative Conversations sparked while I was listening to another podcast I really liked.
In 2020, one of my favorite authors (Marissa Meyer—and no, it isn’t just because we share a first name) launched her podcast, The Happy Writer. In it, she interviews a different author each week to discuss their books, their writing strategies, and how to bring more joy into their writing process.
I absolutely loved listening to her podcast, and while I did, I started to think about how much fun it would be to chat with other authors about their books all the time. Beyond that, I realized that all writers—whether you’re an author, poet, playwright, blogger, creative copywriter, or anything else—go through the same internal struggles and that everyone has a unique method for getting through them.