Over the course of writing and producing four years of scripts, a small mountain of editorial articles, and various freelance writing pieces, I've discovered, stumbled upon, or invented a couple of structuralist tools and models to help the process along the way. Here are some of the greatest hits from those shelves, offered up in the hopes of helping anyone trying to navigate the murky waters of creative writing.
A few disclaimers: these are offered up in good faith, and in the spirit of, "This helped me, it will - hopefully - help you." It is, however, entirely possible that you'll find that my particular wavelength of geeky, hyper-formalism does not play well with your creative process. Likewise, as with all good formulas, these tools should be taken not just with a healthy dose of skepticism, but also with a spirit of expansion. These are made to be changed, riffed on, turned upside down, and adapted to the particularities of your project. These are just points of departure, so make sure you - you know - depart from them when the time is right!
Audio fiction 101
In 2019, Sarah Shachat, Zach Valenti, and I created the world’s first online course dedicated to critically examining and teaching the art of writing for Audio Fiction. It’s called Audio Fiction 101, and it’s for anyone interested in creating or thinking about storytelling and podcasts - whether professionally or as a fan.
Featuring 36 original video lessons, the course is focused on how to think strategically about solving storytelling challenges - what audio dramas tend to be good at and what they struggle with, in terms of genres, presentation, the flow of information, and more. You'll see how to develop ideas into audio fiction stories and identify what some fun opportunities for innovation are. You'll also see examples of the writing process can look like and develop the confidence to start writing your own audio fiction stories!
The course is divided into three units and is over three hours in total length. Unit One covers how to think about storytelling at a super zoomed out level: understanding the objectives of narrative, shaping audience expectations, and what makes audio unique among storytelling mediums - at least according to us.
Unit Two gets more concrete: how to construct settings, write for sound effects, plot and structure, do effective world-building in audio, and more - the practical, tactical business of audio storytelling.
Unit Three is all about writing: how to outline effectively, strategies for getting a first draft off the ground, how to come up with ideas, and more.
If this all sounds interesting to you, visit the Audio Fiction 101 Website, where you can sign up to start taking the class today!
“These three creators are responsible for the hugely successful and widely admired audio fiction series Wolf 359. Their immense talent is matched by an incredible generosity towards the community in helping pave the way forward for new creators. For these reasons and more, I support and look forward to every project they make.”
- Paul Bae, Creator "The Black Tapes" & "Big Loop"
“Their work is superb, they know what they're talking about, and they're incredibly charming too. This is going to be brilliant.”
- David K. Barnes, Creator "Wooden Overcoats"