Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The next generation of writing -what’s old is new again.
Sometimes podcasts are better with a bit more meat on the bones. Avid readers know well the value of being able to dive into worlds of imagination. Worlds that are difficult and expensive to recreate in video format, which might explain the resurgence of the audio drama format.
Chit chat and current events are all well and good, but every so often it is worth spending some listening time exploring life, the Universe and everything in between. Which is something Audio Dramas do well. The success of the bi-monthly podcast ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ shows there is currently an appetite for audio fiction writing.
There are plenty of shows already doing this. The writers are constructing stories specifically for this format. It is storytelling with dialogue and fast paced action.
If this is something you fancy getting into, then there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Probably the foremost is the actors. To my mind they are the story and in an ideal world you would write to suit their styles. In the case of the few dramas I have written and recorded this was relatively easy as I knew most of the cast personally, and it was an unpaid bit of fun. Which is the problem. It can be very difficult to arrange to get everyone on board at the same time, and realistically one or more of the participants won’t have the time to get a part voiced. This is just something to keep in mind, and prepare for.
In terms of writing style it is probably best to keep a scene down to two or three participants. The actors will make their parts distinct, but it can still be difficult for a listener to tell who is speaking in a larger group. Which leads into the third thing to keep in mind, and that is preparation.
I was recently fortunate enough to participate in what I like to think of as a first division audio drama. Please note that this is subjective but I consider it so because of the quality of writing, acting and production. It is currently the number one fiction podcast on the Goodpods charts, which means I am probably not alone in thinking that. In any case the level of preparation was impressive. The writer prepared individual scripts, recorded an introduction, and then clearly outlined the expected pronunciation for the names of people and places in the episode. They also sent examples of the style of work that inspired the episode. What I’m typing here is that no more than preparing a novel, there is a lot of work involved.
Although …it can be done with less effort. The result will absolutely not be the same quality but if you are reading this, then the chances are that you are a writer. And the chances are that you work full time to support yourself and have other responsibilities. Such is the way. I don’t think that means you can’t make audio drama. It just needs a bit of creative thinking to get a show together, which I’m guessing you are good at. What I did was use a free open source software called Audacity. This allows you to mix and match voices recorded on the phone. I’ve managed to mix in recordings taken from WattsApp to form a reasonable quality audio story. In fact, WattsApp (or whatever brand name messaging app) is a very handy way of getting a show together. Most folk will have a few minutes to record audio into a phone over the course of a week. The mixing software will allow you to match these recordings (Audacity has a shallow learning curve and there are plenty of tutorials online). As I mentioned above, the quality won’t be great but it’s definitely worth doing as an experiment. At worst you will have gained a bit of writing practice, and at best you might be joining in with the new Golden Age of Radio.
On the theme of the Golden Age of Radio, next month sees the US based show Madison on the Air remake the classic Forbidden Planet. The original Forbidden Planet was penned by Allen Adler, who in turn adapted it from Richard Shakespeare’s The Tempest (so nothing new under the sun, or even under the star of Altair;). The Madison on the Air version wrapped up themes of Power, Colonialism, Forgiveness, Nature and Betrayal in a warm comedy blanket. For any writers unfamiliar with the style, it is a good example of this new/ renewed writing format.
The show will air from 1st August, 2024. It also has a West of Ireland connection with myself taking on the narration. At a sub-hour runtime it should give an insight into the future of writing and podcasting, and hopefully inspire more writers to latch onto the style.
(c) Brian Sexton
Link to download editing software: https://www.audacityteam.org/
Link to a DIY Irish Writer Audio Drama: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/Ug4HVMlbyLb
