Please join me in welcoming the delightful as well as informative author Brinda Berry to the blog. The first five people to leave a comment here will win a romance trading card! There's also a chance to win a copy of the e-book or a chance at an Amazon gift certificate. Take it away, Brinda!
Using Podcasts for Research
In writing my debut novel, The Waiting Booth, I used what some may consider an unorthodox method of research. Instead of using the many online resources or visiting an actual library, I relied on information that I could obtain at my convenience while commuting to my full-time job two hours daily. I listened to podcasts.
If you aren't familiar with the world of podcasts, you are really missing out on a very enjoyable form of information that suits our social natures. The podcast is a digital audio or video file that a user can access by using a web feed or checking it manually for updates to download. I used the iTunes software to manage my podcasts and subscribe to some of my favorites. Episodes are available for me on my laptop, iPad, and iPhone. I have an auxiliary cable that I plug into my car radio to connect the device (iPhone), and I can listen on the go. There are a variety of mobile devices which support the storing of podcasts.
I listened to The Scientific American Podcast, Stuff You Should Know, The Coolest Stuff on the Planet, NPR: Science Friday Podcast and others for inspiration and research while writing The Waiting Booth. I don't have a degree in science and won't pretend to be versed in some of the more scientific topics. The great thing about podcasts is the social format of the information. There are interviews with questions that I might ask. These are experts in the field as well as ordinary people with limited expertise. Conversations occur that break down the issues to the most basic elements. Also, these brief talk shows that usually lasts between thirty minutes to one hour are highly entertaining and frequently humorous.
Even if you aren't researching a topic, you have other great resources in the world of podcasting. There are enlightening author interviews on BTR: Authors on Air, Blog Talk Radio. Other podcasts focus on topics like technology, language instruction, news, humor, and sports. I'm afraid to look at the selection because I keep finding more podcasts to add to my listening queue.
Have I sold you on listening to a podcast yet? It may not be for everyone. I have a long commute daily, so this format fits nicely in my schedule. Instead of a commute, you may exercise with a daily walk while listening to your iPod. Or you could play it from your computer while you are cooking a meal. The possibilities are endless. Writers all lament about the lack of time for writing related tasks. Podcasts are terrific resources for the time-challenged author. I hope you'll try a podcast if you haven't, but I must warn you. They are addictive!
If you aren't familiar with the world of podcasts, you are really missing out on a very enjoyable form of information that suits our social natures. The podcast is a digital audio or video file that a user can access by using a web feed or checking it manually for updates to download. I used the iTunes software to manage my podcasts and subscribe to some of my favorites. Episodes are available for me on my laptop, iPad, and iPhone. I have an auxiliary cable that I plug into my car radio to connect the device (iPhone), and I can listen on the go. There are a variety of mobile devices which support the storing of podcasts.
I listened to The Scientific American Podcast, Stuff You Should Know, The Coolest Stuff on the Planet, NPR: Science Friday Podcast and others for inspiration and research while writing The Waiting Booth. I don't have a degree in science and won't pretend to be versed in some of the more scientific topics. The great thing about podcasts is the social format of the information. There are interviews with questions that I might ask. These are experts in the field as well as ordinary people with limited expertise. Conversations occur that break down the issues to the most basic elements. Also, these brief talk shows that usually lasts between thirty minutes to one hour are highly entertaining and frequently humorous.
Even if you aren't researching a topic, you have other great resources in the world of podcasting. There are enlightening author interviews on BTR: Authors on Air, Blog Talk Radio. Other podcasts focus on topics like technology, language instruction, news, humor, and sports. I'm afraid to look at the selection because I keep finding more podcasts to add to my listening queue.
Have I sold you on listening to a podcast yet? It may not be for everyone. I have a long commute daily, so this format fits nicely in my schedule. Instead of a commute, you may exercise with a daily walk while listening to your iPod. Or you could play it from your computer while you are cooking a meal. The possibilities are endless. Writers all lament about the lack of time for writing related tasks. Podcasts are terrific resources for the time-challenged author. I hope you'll try a podcast if you haven't, but I must warn you. They are addictive!
Brinda has her own blog at http://www.brindaberry.com/blog.html .
Her new book is THE WAITING BOOTH:
A missing boy, government agents, an interdimensional portal...
Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High—find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia’s drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it’s no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia’s secrets, she begins to wonder if there’s more going on than she thought...and if she was wrong to trust him...
Mia has one goal for her senior year at Whispering Woods High—find her missing older brother. But when her science project reveals a portal into another dimension, she learns that travelers are moving in and out of her woods in the most alarming way and government agents Regulus and Arizona are policing their immigration. Mia’s drawn to the mysterious, aloof Regulus, but it’s no time for a crush. She needs to find out what they know about her brother, while the agents fight to save the world from viral contamination. But when Regulus reveals that he knows Mia’s secrets, she begins to wonder if there’s more going on than she thought...and if she was wrong to trust him...
12 comments:
I love podcasts! Some of my favorites to pick up potential plot ideas are the BBC History Magazine, and Stuff You Missed In History Class.
Janyce Hill
I'll look for those two and try them. Thank you for the recommendations and for stopping by to comment!
That's some great information, Brinda. thank you for sharing. :D
Great idea. I've never thought of trying this as a means of research before, but I do listen to my iPod quite a bit. It would definitely work for me.
Question: where do you find your podcasts? On iTunes?
Gerri, thanks for stopping in to read and comment!
Shelley, I do use iTunes. Since you are using an ipod, this will be great for you. Podcast is on the menu bar at the top of the iTunes store on my computer. You can browse by category. Click on a specific podcasts to see a list of episodes or subscribe to all. You can also easily search. If you were researching fireman, you could type "Fireman podcast" in the search box at the top right corner. I searched it, and 19 episodes came up in the results. One podcasts came up that is called "To Become a Firefighter" and is purely instructional/training. I stick mostly to the podcasts that I listed above. I liked Jayce's favorites she mentioned above and added Stuff You Missed in History Class to my subscriptions. Have fun with it!
Thanks! I'm definitely going to try this way of research.
Hi Brinda
Waving at you in this stop of the tour and thanks for sharing this information with us.
I don't I've listened to a podcast before, I guess I prefer listening to music when I can :)
Dnaiela.
Hi Daniela! Thank you for stopping to read about podcasts. There are some cool podcasts that are about music. I love to listen to music, too. If you want to try a podcast sometime, you could always look for one that is about your favorite singer/band or even about new artists. I'm a Kings of Leon fan so I subscribe to one podcast about them.
One I use is a French news podcast. Helps me keep up on what's going on over the pond as well as keep my listening skills up for the language.
I majored in English and French in college, but I've forgotten so much French! It would be very beneficial for me to listen to a French podcast. What a great idea!
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