Nicola here, rambling a bit today on the subject of too much information. Not in the sense of over-sharing, although there’s plenty of that about too, but simply the huge amount of information that there is online or in the media, about everything. How on earth do you find the things you want to read, listen to or chat about in the middle of all the noise? How is it even possible to find treasure amongst the profusion? This isn’t a rhetorical question. I’d really like to know, because the irony of being overwhelmed is that I actually feel as though I’m missing out.
Just to add to the sense of information overload, yesterday I did something I never imagined myself doing. I set up a newsletter on Substack. Substack is an online publishing platform that reminds me very much of a blog. I’m using it like a blog, publishing articles directly onto the internet because I’ve decided this is the way I want to publish some of my non-fiction historical writing. I could have set up a website, or used an actual blog platform, but this seems much easier. I guess I don’t really need to worry about the differences between a substack and a blog as long as it does what I need.
Here at the Word Wenches, we pride ourselves on being one of the longest-running writing blogs on the internet. Those Wench
readers who have been with the blog from early on will remember what an exciting and innovative thing blogs were when they first began. Suddenly there were online communities of people who shared common interests such as reading historical romance! You could find your tribe, join in, chat and share recommendations. Then along came social media. Sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram became the places to share short updates and information, while blogs became longer-content and more “professional.” Then blogs started to close down and other forms of communication took over. At some point between vlogging and Tik Tok, the whole situation lost me. I carried on having a website and I developed my FB and Twitter pages and we Wenches kept on blogging because we like it, for so many reasons.
Then people asked – “Why don’t you set up a podcast?” ???
It felt like a really interesting idea. I could imagine myself talking about writing and reading and history. (Podcasts are “a digital episodic series of audio or video files.” Thanks to AI for that definition <g!>) But by the time I’d worked out how to do it, everyone was already publishing their podcasts all over the place. They seemed to explode in quantity. Finding a good quality, engaging podcast suddenly felt as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. And what about the ones I’d find fascinating if only I knew about them?
I may be an outlier, but I seldom listen to podcasts. Once again, I think I’m missing out. I’m aware that the most successful history podcast in the world is “The Rest is History” hosted by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook. And lo, when you look at the top ten, the list is dominated by male broadcasters. According to the stats, there is a striking gender imbalance in podcasting: 64 – 66 percent of all podcast hosts are men and in areas such as history that figure is even higher, possibly because of the interest in military history. Hmm, maybe that’s why I can’t find one that suits me, because some of these can seem a little bombastic and cliquey. But then there are book and reading podcasts. Surely the gender balance is better there. I just need to find the right one…
Anyway, a few months ago, I did find a brilliant podcast. The Word Wenches were invited onto Gretel Le Maitre Ponders Beauty with Bede and other guests. Gretel’s podcast is an acclaimed, independent daily arts and history podcast in which she visits
fascinating historic places and chats to a variety of interesting people; she also reads aloud from classic books like Vilette by Charlotte Bronte. It’s a natural, warm and entirely engrossing podcast that feels gentle in a less-than-gentle world. I could feel my mood rising and my stress dropping simply by settling down to listen. Plus Gretel has the most beautiful voice. I could listen to her speaking forever.
As we couldn’t assemble all the Wenches in the UK for the occasion (which is a shame!) I represented us all and chatted to Gretel about books, historical fiction and romance etc. We wandered around an amazing old house called The Abbey at Sutton Courtenay. Oh, and we drank a lot of tea! You can check out the episode here if you would like. It was a very special and enjoyable afternoon.
Perhaps it was talking to Gretel that made me think about how I might share my accumulated research with the world. It’s arrogant to imagine that the world even needs to hear from me when there’s so much of greater significance going on. But over 20 plus years I have accumulated a lot of research notes on my Great Historical Passion, the Craven Family of Ashdown House. Several people have written books about the Cravens and I didn’t really see the need to go over the same ground but I wanted to share what I had learned, especially for people interested in genealogy and British history. So now there is even more information out there, and if you’d like to find out about The House of Craven here’s the link.
I think I’ve rambled on enough now about trying to sort the online wheat from the chaff. But I’m also curious. Do you think one of the best ways to find good “stuff” online is still be personal recommendation, like on the Word Wenches What We’re Reading feature? Do you listen to podcasts or subscribe to Substack newsletters? What am I missing out on?! Please share your suggestions!
Great blog Nicola. ‘Bombastic and cliquey’ is a brilliant description of some of those history podcasts. My husband lists to one in the car and I can’t bear it – two men trying to out ‘know’ each other :-(. I drive long distances for work and am always looking for new things to listen to as a change from the radio so will enjoy you and Gretel. Thank you
Thank you, Alice, I’m so pleased you enjoyed the blog! I’m also glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t like the “boys’ club type atmosphere” of some podcasts. It definitely puts me off. I hope you enjoy Gretel’s podcast; it’s very soothing in the best possible way.
My problem with podcasts is the same as my problem with audiobooks—impatience. I read much faster than people talk, even New Yorkers like me, so I would much rather read even a transcript than sit there waiting for people to spit it out. I appreciate your “What We’re Reading” feature and have found a number of good reads that way, but I couldn’t possibly sit still long enough to listen to a podcast.
That’s so interesting, Lil! I can imagine you waiting impatiently for them to get on with it :)! I’d never thought of podcasts and audiobooks in that way but I can see if your mind’s running ahead it’s just frustrating having to wait for information you could read more quickly.
Lil, you can always increase the speed of the podcast if they’re talking too slowly. Conversely, there is one podcast I listen to that I have to slow down, because the host speaks too quickly for me.
I’d forgotten that, Karin. I always thought it would sound odd to listen to a podcast or audiobook at a faster speed but it’s actually a great idea if the pace doesn’t suit you. Even better to be able to slow one down – I think I’d need that to be able to think things through as I was listening.
I also don’t listen to a lot of podcasts. I used to listen to Tides of History and Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast, both of which no longer create new episodes. Every once in a while I listen to Scoundrels Inn which brings you Pirate Music in all forms, from traditional sea shanties to modern takes (rap, heavy metal, etc.). Podcasts can be interesting, but I think most just get lost in the over abundance of podcasts out there.
I go on Substack occasionally. It is probably a good venue for a writer to explore their craft. Have you looked at Reddit? There is a subreddit for Historical Romance that I discovered this year and I’m getting recommendations from there for new authors/books. There are all kinds of subreddits so there may be one for authors who want to discuss their research.
There are so many different platforms out there these days, and it is hard to tell which ones will stick around or provide what content creators and consumers need going forward. Good luck with whatever venture you decide to explore.
Hi Karen. I love the sound of Scoundrels Inn and will definitely give that a listen.
I’ve been on Reddit a few times but didn’t know about the Historical Romance thread on there. I’ll check that out, thanks. Yes, there really is a super-abundance of everything these days and it’s hard finding the good stuff.
Thank you, Nicola, for this great blog! I only thought of http://www.goodreads.com where I see all sorts of reviews and questions to authors.
Personal recommendations here from the Word Wenches for the books they prefer is still one of the best sources.
I tend to watch webinars from museums that feature historians who have written in-depth books about all sorts of interesting people.
I like travel webinars to get an idea of what a particular tour might offer.
There are podcasts on YouTube that also show up on Substack that I enjoy listening to because of uplifting ideas spiritually that help to deal with current world events.
Hi Pat. Ooh, the webinar idea is a great one! Thank you for that. The museum and art ones would definitely appeal to me and I know organizations like English Heritage do a good blog as well.
My husband listens to quite a few science and psychology podcasts that he finds very positive. Something uplifting to help deal with world events is the ideal, rather than listening to stuff that only adds to the stress.
As a retired librarian, i am more than aware of the problem of information overload. I also majored in history in college wayyyyy before the internet was a gleam in anyone’s eye. One thing i learned was don’t be too trusting of everything that is posted on the internet(especially social media). Make sure it is a reputable source and not Joe Blow’s website of historical stories. The Wenches seem to be pretty up on their history so will know when someone is messing about with fhe facts, so if you see something suspicious or outrageous, use reliable sources like information written by well knkwn historians or other writers who are known to be accurate, universities, public ,libraries websites, encyclopedias, Wikapedia, major institutions like the Smithsonian, historical organizations, museums, and so on. One thing I wa s taught in college was never trust just one source and find out where the story originated because even bad informatiin is oicked up by ithers and relayed.
I have listened to some podcasts but gave up on them because at the monent i don’t have time to listen to them(i guess if you have a long commute or travel a lot they are good to lksten to). I woukd rather soend my time doing ither things(like reading a book!).
One learns from experience hiw to seperate the wheat from the chaff, but also, call or stop in a your local public library, they usally have their finger on the pulse of what is reliable a d what isn’t a d where to find things on the internet that will steer you where you want to go. And sometimes a reliable website will have other links or suggestions on where to go next. It is easy to drown in information, but ince one learns hkw to swin in it, it is a fascinating journey.
Thanks so much, Jane. I completely agree about sources, whether it’s for history, science or anything. There are a lot of completely unregulated, uninformed and untrue sources out there! For me, the most egregious example is genealogy, where sites such as Ancestry simply share and repeat inaccurate historical information so that it amplifies and increases. It drives me mad! On the other hand, they also make records available online that a lot of us wouldn’t be able to access otherwise.
Fortunately, as you saw, we Wenches are indeed up on our history and strive to be accurate, or if we take (fictional) liberties with history we generally point it out.
Libraries are a great source of information – thank goodness we have them!
I could never just sit in the house and listen to a podcast, but I do listen to them when I’m taking a walk or driving by myself. There are a few fun romance podcasts I listen to: Reformed Rakes, Heaving Bosoms and Fated Mates. Historical romance author Sarah McLean is one of the hosts of Fated Mates. I also like “You’re Dead to Me” which is a light-hearted history podcast produced by the BBC.
Sometimes I’ll hear about a new-to-me author or book on a podcast, or read a book review, but I do mainly rely on blogs like What We’re Reading for finding new books.
My Substack consumption is completely different. Most of the substacks I follow are about current news and politics, and I do have trouble keeping up with what’s going on in the world! And I read The New Yorker magazine. They have great writers, and they are famous for their rigorous fact-checking and editing.
I’ve heard that Fated Mates is very good. I’ll give that one a try, thank you. You’re Dead To Me is a great name for a podcast!
This is a great post Nicola! I listen to podcasts when I’m walking or out gardening or even doing mundane house work, makes it go faster! But I find it hard to get ones I like. I’ve taken down the names of the ones mentioned by KarenG and Karin. They sound very interesting along with the Reddit one. I always find something new on here. I hope the Word Wenches long continues at it’s actually the only blog I follow.
I too get very bogged down with stuff. Substack baffles me. I tried it and couldn’t get the hang of it.
A podcast I discovered lately is Slightly Foxed. It’s about older books and authors that may have gone out of fashion and I find it fascinating!!
Thanks for the tip about Slightly Foxed!
Thanks, Teresa. Podcasts, like audiobooks, seem like a really good thing to listen to whilst you are doing other jobs, particularly non-interesting ones!
Slightly Foxed sounds perfect. I’m going to check that out.
Several good suggestions here for podcasts to check out. It looks like I really need to check out the Reformed Rakes, Heaving Bosoms and Fated Mates. They sound like my cup of tea for sure. I enjoy listening to podcasts while driving and the one I regularly listen to is called The History Chicks. Two women research famous and not so famous women in history and then tell us all about them. It is humorous and down to earth and always interesting. There are two substacks I regularly read. Humor for Humorousless Times is written by a woman “of a certain age”. Right now she is writing about aging and it definitely humorously hits home sometimes. The other is “Letters From God”. It’s not at all religious but is political and quite entertaining and thought provoking. Neither of those is historical so I hope you will forgive me but both are definitely enjoyable without being too heavy.
Thanks so much, Linda, there are some really great recommendations here. I do think it’s good to have a mix – whilst I’m specially looking for bookish and history podcasts, I also listen to The briefing Room from the BBC and The Rest is Entertainment.
Thanks for sharing love reading these post have a blessed day!
Thank you!
I feel you, Nicola, with both the overwhelm of information on social media (the good, the bad, and the ridiculous), and podcasts – EVERYbody has one now! And because I have wide ranging interests and endless curiosity, I get sucked into a vast array of things. And my ADHD doesn’t help!
As for podcasts, I have the same problem with audiobooks; my mind wanders and I lose the thread of whatever is being discussed. However, I did figure out that watching them helps, so I “watch” podcasts on YouTube; my current two favorite women are Heather Cox Richardson and Joanne Freeman. They each have their own YouTube channels where they talk about history as it relates to our founding and current politics, which has been really educational. They also do a joint one on Saturdays called What the heck just happened? that I love because they’re hilarious together. I have a few others I watch periodically but honestly, sometimes, it just puts me to sleep. I’d much rather watch puppy and kitty videos or recipe/cooking videos. 🙂
I hear you, Shauna! Sometimes there is just too much of everything and it ends up being distracting. Watching a podcast sounds like a great idea. What the heck just happened? sounds absolutely hilarious. When presenters have a rapport it makes such a difference to how engaging something is. Like you, though, I am also very happy to watch endless animal videos to entertain me!