ADWIT: The Audio Drama Writers' Independent Toolkit

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Lindsay's stuck in a rut. Sarah rows out to rescue her. Come along for a relaxing day at the beach, where we'll guide you through some resources to reignite your passion for writing! In this episode, we explore how reconnecting with nature, observing people and the environments around us, and trying different creative outlets can spark your imagination. We also share some amazing podcasts, writing prompts, and resources to help you improve your writing. Avanti!
Image photographed by Tom Price, via Shutterstock
Resources:
Gabriel Urbina's Audio Drama Writing Resources
Audio Fiction 101 Course
Improv Your Writing
Elevate Collective for Podcasters
Danielle Desir Corbett's Grant for Creators Resources
NEH Media Projects: grants for new media projects (US)
Join the WGA Audio Alliance DiscordGuidelines for Fiction Podcasters During The WGA Strike
Write Now with Sarah Rhea Werner
Learn with 11th Hour Audio
500 Writing Prompts to Help Beat Writer’s Block
Write or Die
Written? Kitten!

Get the scoop on audio drama news, opportunities, creative resources and more with The Fiction Podcast Weekly newsletter. For more info, visit The Podcast Host's Fiction Podcast Weekly.

Want to get in touch? You can send us a text message with the link at the top, email us at [email protected], join our Discord server, or visit our website at adwit.org.

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Thank you!

Sarah and Lindsay

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Getting ready to light a fire under your audio drama writing habits in 2024? Here's a method for planning your next season or story arc that breaks your season down into episodes, and episodes into moments, so you can make a story that matters, one storytelling beat at a time. We'll explore Dan Harmon's storytelling method in detail, and how Lindsay adapted it for her needs, making up a season and an episode. Plus, you'll learn about the ADWIT Audience Survey, and how you can shape the future of The Audio Drama Writers' Independent Toolkit. And, you can sample the coming attractions for our next episode.
WARNING: Spoilers for Star Wars and The Wizard of Oz.
Resources:

• ADWIT: The Survey!
• NaNoWriMo.org
• Dan Harmon’s Story Circle at the Channel 101 Wiki
• Dan Harmon explains the story circle with examples from a Community episode in a Tumblr post
• What is Libro.fm?

Produced, written and hosted by Lindsay Harris Friel.
Music and production assistance by Vincent Friel.
Additional sounds by https://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld
Park Forest, Boxtel North Brabant, Netherlands

For more information about this podcast, visit adwit.org.

Get the scoop on audio drama news, opportunities, creative resources and more with The Fiction Podcast Weekly newsletter. For more info, visit The Podcast Host's Fiction Podcast Weekly.

Want to get in touch? You can send us a text message with the link at the top, email us at [email protected], join our Discord server, or visit our website at adwit.org.

Share the love. Please write a review on Podchaser or on Apple Podcasts.

Thank you!

Sarah and Lindsay

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Ideas constantly surround us—emerging from single words, current events, or persistent questions. From Rajiv Joseph finding a newspaper article about a Bengal tiger killed by American soldiers (which eventually became a Broadway play starring Robin Williams) to Lynn Nottage crafting "Ruined" as a commentary on conflict minerals powering our smartphones, we examine how to refine these ideas into compelling fictional narratives using real-world connections.

While concepts like Space Pirates might initially excite us as creators, what matters is premise—the underlying message giving a story significance beyond its setting. We demonstrate how seemingly different stories (Star Trek TOS: "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" and Arthur Miller's "A View from the Bridge") can share the same fundamental premise about understanding those different from ourselves.

We introduce practical tools like audio mood boards—collections of sounds, music, and contextual elements that help steer your idea toward an outline. We also tackle crucial questions about sustainability: Do you have the resources to write and produce your concept? Will the format work for audio? And we explain what it means when a story has "legs."

Connect with us through [email protected] or join our Discord server to continue the conversation about transforming your creative sparks into actionable outlines. Next episode, we'll dive into plotting versus "pantsing" approaches to storytelling!

Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Dramatists Play Service)

Ruined (Dramatists Play Service)

One Flea Spare (Broadway Play Publishing)

Let That Be Your Last Battlefield on Memory Alpha

A View From The Bridge from BBC Bitesize

Sample audio drama inspiration board on Milanote

Sound effects from freesound.org:
Guitars in Auditorium by kevp888

Soundwalk In Black-Forest Thunderstorm by RandomRecord19

German Forest by duck37fm

Get the scoop on audio drama news, opportunities, creative resources and more with The Fiction Podcast Weekly newsletter. For more info, visit The Podcast Host's Fiction Podcast Weekly.

Want to get in touch? You can send us a text message with the link at the top, email us at [email protected], join our Discord server, or visit our website at adwit.org.

Share the love. Please write a review on Podchaser or on Apple Podcasts.

Thank you!

Sarah and Lindsay

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Sarah and Lindsay explore how to craft character breakdowns that genuinely serve audio drama production, focusing on vocal qualities and core characteristics rather than irrelevant physical attributes and other animals.
• Character breakdowns serve many key purposes including concisely guiding actors/casting directors, showing character relationships, and informing technical production choices if deftly employed.
• Effective breakdowns include vocal qualities, status, relationships, and intentions rather than physical appearance
• Consider what "singing voice part" might match your character (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone) or orchestral instrument a character might be to instantly convey vocal quality
• Script clues like sentence length, punctuation, vocabulary choices, and verbal tics help create distinctive character voices
• Characters are distinguished by what they want and how they pursue it— objectives - some are direct "blunt instruments," others subtle and calculating
• Great characters may have internal conflicts between their public and private selves
• A character web showing relationships and conflicts helps visualize how characters interact
• Focus on what drives characters, their objectives, and the barriers they face

Links for ADWIT EP 303

John Yorke Into the woods - a five act journey into story

Hamlet to Hamilton - Emily C A Snyder

WASTELAND - The Dex Legacy

TUMBLR page - F**k yeah character development - worksheets a plenty

Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid - oxygen food shelter sleep...

Join our Discord community! Find the link in the show notes. Write to us at [email protected] with your thoughts and examples of effective character breakdowns.

Get the scoop on audio drama news, opportunities, creative resources and more with The Fiction Podcast Weekly newsletter. For more info, visit The Podcast Host's Fiction Podcast Weekly.

Want to get in touch? You can send us a text message with the link at the top, email us at [email protected], join our Discord server, or visit our website at adwit.org.

Share the love. Please write a review on Podchaser or on Apple Podcasts.

Thank you!

Sarah and Lindsay

Click here to tell us what you think!

Recording at a distance from your fellow audio drama artists is challenging. Lindsay and Sarah discuss some ways that writers can make scripts easier for voice actors and sound designers. Plus: what makes an ideal recording environment? How do telephones work on you? Why do you need a good sound bed? What is the secret of Pittsburgh's jukeboxes? What did Oscar Wilde think of baseball?
Warning and/or Bonus: Spoilers or promo for Homecoming and The Tower
Resources:
MADIVA podcast episode 108- remote recording
Wooden Overcoats behind the scenes videos: Recording The Final Scene and Season 2: Behind The Scenes
Bombs Always Beep by K. C. Wayland
How to Record a Podcast Remotely: Best Call Recording Apps (The Podcast Host)
Pittsburgh Telephone Music Service
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Avanti!

Get the scoop on audio drama news, opportunities, creative resources and more with The Fiction Podcast Weekly newsletter. For more info, visit The Podcast Host's Fiction Podcast Weekly.

Want to get in touch? You can send us a text message with the link at the top, email us at [email protected], join our Discord server, or visit our website at adwit.org.

Share the love. Please write a review on Podchaser or on Apple Podcasts.

Thank you!

Sarah and Lindsay