#Wyllis Fletcher | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

thepodcasthoard · 2 months ago

Text

Advice for beginner audio drama writers- Gabriel Urbina

Gabriel Urbina is known for Wolf 359, and as humble as he is, I feel like anyone with a published show as popular as that one is qualified to offer at least a few tips for newbies. His article on his blog can be found here.

Do your homework

The first step to figuring out how to write an audio drama is to listen to a lot of audio dramas. Not just in your genre, either! The more you listen to, the more you understand how it's done. I suppose trying to write one purely from how-to articles is like trying to write a novel purely from craft books. It will feel formulaic and not quite 'right.' You need to see a story played out and the devices writers use to get a feel for it.

Urbina points out that you might be able to be inspired by a technique you find interesting or a way to get around something that might just not be possible in audio drama. He likens it to building an arsenal before going into battle.

And don't just listen to modern ones! Urbina recommends Wyllis Cooper, the Mercury Theater, and Lucille Fletcher from the "Golden Age" of the 1930s-1950s.

2. Put fuel in the tank

Listen, read, and watch things that get you excited, not just audio dramas. Watch your favorite movie again, or read your favorite book. Anything that lights up your brain and gets you inspired to create something that awesome. As Urbina puts it- 'if something can give you the drive to spend another day or hour or minute toiling away at your story it's worth it.'

3. Write for the ears

Constantly think about how the audience is going to be listening- and they will be listening. So some things just won't work- you won't be able to pull off visual gags or complex scenes that require the audience to see what's going on to get it. Find another way to do it or somehow sum it up in an interesting way, or leave the idea by the wayside. [And a side note from me: keep those ideas in a separate document. You'll never know when you'll think of a way to use them.]

In general, make sure the story is clear and focused, and give enough information that the audience fills in the gaps in the way they need to.

4. Structure backwards

Start with the last piece of the puzzle- where does the plot end at the episode, season, or series? If you don't know that yet, try to see if you know where the audience needs to be emotionally and mentally. What will they have learned by the end? How will you leave them? If you know your destination as well as your starting point, the journey there is easier.

And don't be afraid to get messy with it. Urbina says he uses notebook pages and scrawls down bad ideas to get them 'out of the way' so he can get the writing done. But the bad ideas are just as useful as the good ones. Think of it like clearing a pipe. You're gonna have to get the gunk out and run the dirty water until you get to the usable stuff. And if you keep going, you will get to the good stuff. I promise.

5. Restrictions are your friends

Urbina uses a simile that writing is like a jigsaw puzzle, but the pieces are mixed in with different puzzles' pieces. If you keep trying to dump out every piece of every box, you'll end up with far too many pieces. Resist that urge and instead say 'I'll only let myself get more pieces once I've done everything I can with the pieces I have out right now.' Urbina says it's helped him be more efficient with his writing.

Wolf 359, if you don't know the story, is about four characters' audio diaries recorded in and about an isolated space they can't leave. Even with these fairly limited conditions, Urbina sometimes made even stricter ones- only two characters, or only in one room. Figuring out how those pieces fit will stretch your writing capabilities for sure, and it will also make you a better writer.

6. Don't be defined by the medium's strengths and limitations but be aware of what they are

There are some stories that are better suited for audio- comedies and horror, for example- and some that aren't, like romances. But that doesn't mean it can't be done. You're the creator of your world, and if you figure out how to do something, all the more power to you. You should experiment and innovate. At the same time, be aware of how hard the process will be and gather supplies as needed.

7. Listen

Read your script out loud at least once. The written word is one thing, speech is a different beast altogether. Read it by yourself, of course, but also listen to your actors. You'll catch awkward phrasing. And this step also encapsulates listening to suggestions from others. If you try out the suggestion, something that will probably only take a couple of minutes, you'll feel if it's working or not nearly immediately.

8. Don't follow every piece of advice

If a bunch of people are bringing up the same problem in your writing, then it probably is a problem and you should work to fix it. If only one person says it's a problem, it may be more of a taste thing, or even something you intended! If you, say, laid some foreshadowing and someone picked it up without realizing its importance, then leave it. But if ten people say 'this part was confusing,' then maybe work to straighten it out and not make it as obscure.

As Urbina writes, 'sometimes [criticisms] have as much to do with the individual who's engaging with your work and their subjectivity as much as with your work itself.' In other words, everyone brings their own experience and hang-ups and preferences to every work they read, so don't be surprised when two people have vastly different opinions about the same line.

9. Be kind to yourself

Be proud of smaller accomplishments along the way, not just the very end. After all, the only way to get to the finish line is to pass a whole lot of mile markers. Doing anything creative at all almost requires anxiety and despair and self-doubt, but most of the time you have to ignore those voices. Sure, sometimes tough love is necessary, but if you let yourself be ruled by those feelings, this thing you love will turn into something you despise.

10. Be ready for it to be difficult

You will most likely not nail the whole 'audio drama' thing your first go-around. Audio drama, as a medium, are hard. They require the audience's undivided attention but offer less stimuli than TV, movies, and books. You can't exactly do chores and read a physical book at the same time. I personally don't know a single person who sits and listen to a podcast without doing anything else. It happens. But don't let the fear of sucking stop you. The only way to get better is to do more. And while podcasts are becoming more popular than ever, the subset of those people who listen to audio dramas is incredibly small compared to the rest of the world. It's niche, and the truth is that not everyone will like your particular story.

Be patient. It might take years for people to discover your work, but if you don't create it in the first place, then there's nothing to be discovered.

11. Be ready for it to be amazing

As much as the last ten points cautioned you, this point is about all the positives. Audio dramas are fast- you can finish a script on Monday, rehearse on Tuesday-Thursday, record on Friday, and have a finished product by the start of the following week. It's fast in a way that TV shows, movies, and novels aren't.

And, if you'll tolerate an aside from me: audio dramas don't need to be pitched to seven major companies that run everything in the medium. You can do it with yourself, some friends, and a little bit of spare money if you really want. There's no one saying you can't, so you might as well give yourself permission to say 'I can.'

12. Finally

Your process is just that- yours. You can read all the guides and advice you want, but you will have to find ways for you to do it yourself. It's just you, your brain, and a keyboard/notebook in the end. If some piece of advice everyone swears by doesn't work for you, disregard it! Try everything of course, but don't try to adhere to something that 'everyone uses so it must be the way to do it.' As Urbina writes: 'the products of your writing are for the world to enjoy, but the steps you take to get there are for an audience of you alone, so be as selfish, self-centered, and self-aware as you possibly can.'

Another aside from me: there's nothing wrong with making stupid jokes in the margins. I remember personally writing in religion class that Jesus Christ and His Apostles were 'J.C. and The Boys.' It's for you, and just have as much fun as you can. Like Urbina points out, your process is private. You don't have to share every (or any!) part of it with anyone.

Urbina finishes the article with a 'TL:DR' that sums up the main points, as well as shares a guide from Stephen Sondheim's 'Finishing the Hat:'

Content dictates form

Less is more

God is in the details

which all serves

CLARITY.

#audio drama help

4 notes · View notes