Helping Writers Become Authors

The Helping Writers Become Authors podcast by K.M. Weiland has released weekly craft education since 2009, amassing 734+ episodes (as of May 2026) that function as a structured university-level curriculum in story theory. Weiland, author of the bestselling craft books Structuring Your Novel, Creating Character Arcs, and Outlining Your Novel, uses the podcast to extend those frameworks into applied practice across 18 seasons.

What You Get#

• Solo instructional format: Every episode is Weiland alone — no guests, no interviews, no sponsor reads. ~14-30 minutes of dense story theory applied to specific craft problems.
• Book-aligned curriculum: Episodes are organized into seasons built around the same frameworks in Weiland's books. Recent 2026 episodes cover embodied writing, the neuroscience of narrative, conflict as psychological transformation, and writer burnout in the modern creative landscape.
• Deep backlist: 15+ years of content covering story structure, scene construction, pacing, character motivation, plot holes, theme, and the psychology of why stories succeed or fail.
• Platform availability: Apple Podcasts (4.8/5, 1,012 ratings), Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, and the website. Apple feed currently exposes 728 of 734 total episodes — older episodes accessible via the website archive.

Who It's For#

• Craft-focused fiction writers: Authors who want to understand why story structure works, not just follow a beat sheet.
• Writers building systematic frameworks: Weiland's approach treats storytelling as a learnable system with repeatable principles — ideal for outliners and pantsters trying to diagnose what's going wrong in a draft.
• Aspiring-to-intermediate authors: The podcast works as standalone education, but those who've read the craft books will find it reinforces and extends those ideas into edge cases.

Pricing: Free on all platforms.

Strengths#

• 4.8/5 on Apple Podcasts: 1,012 ratings as of May 2026 — among the highest-rated craft podcasts in the indie author space.
• Depth over entertainment: Weiland doesn't chase trends or viral moments. Episodes stay on craft regardless of what the publishing world is discussing that week.
• Seasonal structure: The organized format means newer listeners can start with recent episodes while power users can work through the archive thematically by topic area.

Limitations#

• Fiction only: The focus is entirely on narrative storytelling. Nonfiction authors, memoirists, or authors focused on platform-building and marketing won't find much applicable content.
• No industry news or business coverage: Weiland doesn't cover publishing trends, pricing strategies, or marketing. Pair this podcast with a business-of-writing show for a complete picture.
• Solo format may not suit everyone: 734 episodes of solo narration means you need to connect with Weiland's voice and teaching style — there's no guest variety to break things up.

Alternatives#

The most comparable craft-focused show is Writing Excuses (Brandon Sanderson), which uses a panel format and 15-minute episodes. Weiland goes significantly deeper on theory; Writing Excuses covers more genre variety with less structural depth.