My Precious Podcast: 10 Things I Learned From the Crack Between Worlds

I’m proud to have written for the Crack Between Worlds, but it was far from easy. This is my first podcast, and the first time I’ve written anything outside novels and short stories. Aside from an embarrassing foray into poetry during my middle school years, I tend to stick with what I know.

Podcasting is easy to do but hard to do well. I can’t speak to the nonfiction or interrogative podcasts, but fiction/narrative-driven podcasts have a steep learning curve. Most of the how-to books and Wikihow articles focus on the tech side of things. I am not a tech person. The suggestion that I might have anything to do with software or microphones was met with horrified denials by my team. Nonetheless, there is more to podcasting than pop filters. Here are ten things I’ve learned from writing a podcast.

I’ve been told writing a fiction podcast has a lot in common with screenwriting. They’re both scripts, after all. Unfortunately, I am also not a screenwriter. I had to start from scratch.

You may think that writing a podcast script is simple. You slap down a name, add a colon, and then write the dialogue. Easy peasy, right?

Wrong.

In a narrative podcast, the story is told entirely through dialogue. The scene, mood, and tension depend solely on the spoken words. A talented voice actor can add a lot of richness through inflection and pacing, but it’s unfair and unrealistic to put all the pressure on their shoulders.

Podcast writing requires a different style of description, exposition, and transition. Podcast  and novel standards are similar enough to lure you into a false sense of security, but at their core they are as different as science fiction and murder mysteries. Even the story structure is different from more traditional mediums. Research alone wasn’t enough to teach me the mechanics. I had to listen to dozens of narrative podcasts before I was able to adjust to this new medium.

I know, I know. Can you imagine the torture of listening to phenomenal podcasts like The Magnus Archives or Welcome to Night Vale? If you’re planning to start your own podcast, I highly recommend listening to popular podcasts so you can internalize the different standards.

As previously stated, I am not a tech person. Dane Farren, an upcoming epic fantasy author, handles most of the production side. When I first began writing The Crack Between Worlds, I assumed she would know where to insert sound effects. Dane Farren has many talents, but she’s yet to add telepathy to her impressive resume. When I failed to add a note to the script, she couldn’t read my mind and know what I intended.

When I realized I needed to be clearer about my vision, I went back through the scripts and made notes about the sound effects. I may have overcompensated. Slightly. Or a lot, depending on who you ask.

Sound effects are fun. I was having the time of my life adding monster growls and mournful music into the script. Unfortunately, too many sound effects clutter up the audio. They are best used sparingly so they can be deployed for the greatest impact.

Unfortunately, Marvin the Mystery Man also has a tragic lack of telepathy on his resume. He is a phenomenal voice actor, but he needs direction to understand how best to voice his character.

The first time Marvin sat down in rehearsal, he was great. Spectacular really, but he wasn’t Rob Skythrust. The character he was playing would’ve been at home in any video game, but it wasn’t right for The Crack Between Worlds.

We spent a solid hour rehearsing before I finally managed to stammer out my concerns about Rob’s portrayal. Fortunately for the podcast, Marvin is pretty easygoing. He didn’t mind being told that he was doing everything wrong. He just nodded and began asking questions.

If I had written better stage notes or given him a short biography on Rob, we could’ve avoided a lot of confusion. As we worked on later episodes, I became a lot better about including directions in the script. Or at least, I think I did. It’s possible he took a quick course on telepathy at the local community college, but I’d like to think I grew as a podcast writer.

When I sit down to write, I know everything that will happen in the chapter. Beat by beat, I scribble down a thorough outline before I start clacking away at the keyboard. I know most authors have strong opinions about outlines, but after so many years as a writer, I know what works for me.

Unfortunately- I seem to be using that word too much, but there were an awful lot of unfortunatelys floating around this podcast’s birth- writing for a podcast differs from writing a novel. Different mediums require different tactics. Long, detailed outlines led to the script being too long or too lifeless. No one wants to listen to a sterile story. The podcast needed to breathe, and all my outlines were strangling it before it had a chance to live.

Once I loosened my outlines, there was more space for banter and growing relationships. It felt like a story, and not just a croaky recollection from an anthropologist. (No offense, anthropologists. I’m sure you’re all excellent storytellers, and I’m just traumatized by middle school social studies.)

I still love my long, detailed outlines, but now I limit myself to a handful of bullet points when I’m working on a podcast episode. If you’re going to write for a podcast, experiment with different techniques. Something might be a terrible time-killer in one medium and a saving grace in another.

I cannot recommend this point enough. Know how long you want each episode to be. If you want your episodes to average thirty minutes long, you don’t have to end them at thirty minutes every time. Some can be longer and others can be shorter. No one is going to burn your house down if the episodes aren’t exactly thirty minutes long.

That being said, you want to be consistent. If you want your episode to be roughly thirty minutes long, you should stick to it as often as you can. As you go, you’ll develop an instinct for length, but you’ll need to be more careful when you’re starting off.

I found it helpful to time myself while reading the lines. I knew I wanted the episodes to be between twenty and thirty minutes, so I read the scripts out loud until I knew the word count range. It’s not perfect. Sound effects add time, and suspenseful moments usually lead to the lines being spoken quicker. Still, it gets me in the ballpark, and that’s what matters.

This may come as a shocker, but authors don’t tend to play well with others. We have a vision, and anything that might compromise our vision tends to raise our hackles. There are exceptions, of course. Authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman famously wrote the fabulous book Good Omens together. Nancy Drew Mystery Stories were written by Caroline Keene, a collective pseudonym for several authors. Clearly, authors can work together; most of us just prefer to avoid it.

When writing Crack Between Worlds, necessity forced me to collaborate far more than I would like. The other minds involved in this podcast had ideas for their characters and a never ending list of suggestions. Dane Farren wanted to lean more into the science fiction aspect of the podcast, and the name alone changed at least a dozen times.

Ultimately, collaboration made the podcast a better story. The jokes are snappier, the exposition is more streamlined, and the episodes are all around better than I could’ve made them alone. I’ve learned to appreciate the merits of a good brainstorming session. This podcast is stronger than I could’ve made it alone.

I love dragons. They’re scaly, bad-tempered, and prone to arson. What’s not to like? Their most relatable quality is definitely their tendency to amass hordes. I have a chocolate stash squirreled away that would make Willy Wonka raise an eyebrow. If I had a mound of shiny treasure, I would definitely spend my days sitting on top and threatening anyone who came near.

When working collaboratively on a podcast, hoarding decisions is not productive. I may have written the scripts, but I don’t have the knowledge to override actual experts in their area of specialization. Over and over, I was forced to acknowledge (if only to myself) that I didn’t know enough to override my teammates. Stepping back and letting others take the lead is painful, but ultimately necessary.

If you’re going to create a podcast with several other busy adults, scheduling is your friend. You’ll also want to schedule far, far in advance. The first date you agree to meet will likely fall through, as will the second and third planned meeting. If you want to meet the agreed upon deadline, you’ll need a robust schedule and a habit of reminding your collaborators of the upcoming brainstorming sessions, rehearsals, and recording days.

Admittedly, podcasting alone did not teach me this. Anyone forced to participate in a group project is probably familiar with the necessity of scheduling. It still bears repeating. If you want to start a podcast, set a deadline for yourself and get comfortable with a calendar. Scheduling is your friend.

Before you write every episode, have your voice actors do a reading of the first episode. If you don’t have voice actors yet, ask your friends, family, or anyone eager to make twenty bucks.

Podcasts are an auditory medium. This might sound like a no-brainer, but it bears repeating. What looks good on paper doesn’t necessarily sound right. It’s better to figure out what’s working on not working before you waste time polishing twelve episodes that will never air. The first episode sets the tone for the rest of the season. It has to show the listener exactly what kind of podcast they clicked on while still being compelling. If your podcast has problems, chances are they’ll be most noticeable in the first episode.

If you’re lucky enough to have voice actors lined up, you should absolutely ask them to do a reading of your first episode. The voice they give their character may spark changes that will become more apparent in later episodes. For example, in Crack Between Worlds, Dolly is a sweet old woman, and her voice is meant to reflect that. After our first reading, Marvin the Mystery Man decided to monologue in Dolly’s voice. He was just having a little fun, but his take on Dolly resulted in her gaining a deep southern accent.

Dress rehearsals are important. Really, really important. I can’t stress this enough. They’re almost as important for writers as they are for voice actors. Obviously your voice actors should be given the script long before the recording session, but they still need a chance to practice with the other voices.

From a writer’s viewpoint, the rehearsal is absolutely vital. Dialogue may need to be adjusted. There may be a few sentences written as inadvertent tongue twisters. One of the voice actors may have a fantastic burst of improvisation that could be written into the episode with just a little tweaking. If you’re going to collaborate on a podcast, you need to build in opportunities for communication.

It’s hard to start a podcast. The lack of resources focused on fictional podcasts makes it much harder than it needs to be. I learned a lot from writing Crack Between Worlds. I hope hearing about my struggles can help you start off strong. Good luck!