Overview

There has never been a better time to get involved in audio work. From podcasts to radio to paid services such as Amazon’s Audible platform, producers and content creators are searching for more material to meet demand from their listeners. In this series we’ll take writers through some of the different types of audio, from drama to fiction and poetry made specifically for listening audiences. We’ll look at the writing techniques you’ll need to learn in order to flourish in these areas and we’ll guide you through the opportunities for working in audio. Working alongside industry professionals including actors and writers with extensive audio experience our workshops will inform and entertain while hopefully inspiring attendees to have a go at getting into the world of audio.

Getting started in writing for audio drama

Audio drama has enjoyed a huge growth in popularity over the last few years. Whereas previously BBC Radio 4 might have been the only place you’d have heard radio drama, now the world of podcasting offers creators a platform for their talents. With major players like Spotify, Audible and Realm also commissioning their own original dramas there’s never been a better time for writers to have a go at creating an audio play. The topics we'll cover on this workshop will be

• Why write audio drama : The challenges and possibilities for writers?
• The different types of audio drama
• Writing dialogue for audio drama
• "Show, don't tell" isn't going to work in this game! An introduction to working without visuals
• Openings and plot devices for your audio drama
• Writing in sound - Writing place and sound directions in your drama
• Working with actors - writing character directions and other things your actors will need to know (includes contributions from one of our actors)
• Finishing touches - table reads and working with a director - the amendments a writer may want to make after this stage
• Pitching your audio drama script. How and where to do it.
• Questions and answer session

All attendees will receive an information pack and access to Alternative Stories Podcast series on creating audio drama