We Interrupt This Broadcast

To inform you of just what is required to write a radio drama.


Hours and hours of thinking.


Writing a radio drama isn't as simple as you might think. You have to come up with a story and characters that are interesting enough to entertain without visuals, that are going to be complex enough to come across many different problems episode after episode and not become repetitive. Not every story translates into a workable radio play. 


When writing a character, you have to remember that no one can see what your character looks like, walks like, or what their physical mannerisms are. You have to convey all of this audibly. If your character walks slowly, you can show this by giving them a slow, dragging low voice. If they walk rapidly, you can create a higher-pitched more scattered speech pattern. Basically, with creating a character for the radio, you really exaggerate characteristics to create a feelings that can be conveyed audibly using sound effects and dialogue.


When coming up with a story, you have to leave room for progression, change, and new problems. At the same time, your story has to have elements of consistency, from familiar characters to settings and the speed at which time passes.


There are plenty of parts involved in writing a drama that are only increased in difficulty with the radio drama, but the work is well worth it and a radio drama can last anywhere from a ten minute segment to a series that will last for ages.


over and out