Invasion of the Podcast People
By Jeff Baker
Some brief advice (with grateful thanks to Angel Martinez for invaluable information.) on writing a story for a podcast.
When I started writing fiction (back in the ‘90s) there was no such thing as a podcast, at least not that I know of. Now they are a regular, viable market for fiction of all kinds. Sometimes, they pay! As I have had my stories read on a podcast or two I can offer a few tips (which hardly count as expert advice, but every bit helps!)
Keep it simple. No more than two, maybe three characters with speaking parts.
Try to avoid hard to pronounce words, phrases or names. (I have a story coming out in an anthology with a monster called “T’iabbas,” for example.)
Follow the guidelines set by the podcast to the letter. They will know what they want and what they are capable of. (Think of these as submission guidelines. Treat them as you would guidelines for something for print publication.
Beyond that, the possibilities of a podcast are limitless. This era of podcasts is almost a resurrection of the days of radio drama, and the world of podcasts includes a great deal of “radio drama.”
Lastly, on the subject of what J. Scott Coatsworth calls “The Great Pause” which we are currently undergoing; in a few weeks we may be given the “all clear.” Please still be careful after that. Practice caution, wash your hands and keep up the social distancing for a while. I keep thinking of the old Twilight Zone episode “The Old Man in the Cave,” where the only survivor is the one who heeded the warnings about contamination.
I like my readers and I want to keep them around.
Jeff Baker blogs about reading and writing sci-fi, fantasy and horror and other sundry matters on or about the thirteenth of every month. As he said, his stories have been read on podcasts like “Monsters Out Of the Closet,” and published other places. He is quarantined happily with his husband Darryl Thompson in Wichita, Kansas. He posts fiction on his blog https://authorjeffbaker.com/, and can be reached on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Jeff-Baker-Author-176267409096907/