Some online journals, like Sniplits, sell short fiction exclusively as podcasts. Many more offer readers the option to download an audio podcast of individual stories or offer the entire journal as an optional audiobook format. Writers need to be aware of this when submitting as good writing alone is not enough to make a story work as a podcast.
The Best Podcasts Have a Simple Plot
It is easier to follow a plot when reading on the page or screen than when listening. Therefore when writing short fiction for the podcast market writers should try to stick to the basic elements of beginning, middle, and end and avoid meandering or complicated plot lines that cause readers to lose interest or feel the need to constantly rewind.
Stories for Podcast Download Have Fewer Characters With Stronger Voices
When someone listens to a story rather than reading it, they find it much harder to keep track of a lot of names. Therefore when writing short stories for the podcast market, writers should limit the number of main characters to no more than four, if possible, though one or two is even better. Also, these characters should have strong and distinctive voices so their lines of dialogue can be easily distinguished without too many tag lines––Mary said, John said––that sound awkward in a reading. This also makes it more likely that the reader, who will probably have no contact with the writer before recording, will give characters the voice the writer had in mind.
Draw Readers in With Conflict
Some form of conflict is important in all writing. However, much literary writing focuses on inner conflict or subtle conflicts between or among characters. Stories made for listening work better when the conflict is more obvious. This doesn't have to mean man against man or man against nature, but something has to happen. It can't be all reflection.
Choose Descriptive Words and Similes
Even more than in the written form, spoken word fiction must draw a picture with words. Listeners want to envision the setting, feel the weather, and know what the characters look like. Spot-on similes help accomplish this as well. However, writers should also be careful not to overdue the use of simile. The word "like" coming up too many times in audio can grate after a while.
Think Classic Short Stories
For examples of what works well as an audio podcast, look to some of the classics like Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart," Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," or Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." There is a reason why all of these were chosen for Public Radio's Selected Shorts Podcasts. In addition to being relatively short, they include all the elements noted above:
- Simple plots
- A few strong characters with distinctive voices
- Obvious conflict
- Good descriptions that paint a picture with words
Nannette Croce - Nannette Croce is a writer and editor who has worked with online publications for more than ten years, most recently as Co-Managing Editor ...
