Read Scripts to Become a Better Audio Drama Writer – and Have Fun While you do it
Why Reading matters
Good writers read. It’s a commonplace truth in the world of prose fiction and non-fiction writing that to be a good writer you need to immerse yourself in the written word of your fellow writers (both past and present). All writers read, for pleasure and for profit, yet lots of audio script writers fail to recognize that reading has a critical place in the writer’s tool-box.
No novelist would denigrate the importance of reading novels for their craft. Stephen King reads other horror writers. Peter F Hamilton reads other scifi writers. Romance and adventure writers read each other avidly.
But audio script-writers can occasionally be heard to boast about how they don’t listen to or read the works of other producers (particularly producers from the past). This may simply be a feature of the immaturity of the craft in the face of its modern day revival, but it, nonetheless, indicates a significant misunderstanding regarding the value of reading scripts. Lots of folks are coming to the art of audio drama script writing as if it is being invented brand new from whole cloth (rather than as the product of a long history of practice, experimentation, and industry knowledge). Hopefully, they will learn better quickly.
By way of illustration, there was a (rather hit and miss) TV comedy I saw a few years back called “Garth Marengi’s Dark Place” about a fictional writer who attempted to adapt his stories for television. It was a great illustration of the mistake involved in avoiding reading. The show was produced in the form of a mockumentary series with lots of interviews with the fictional author etc. One comment stood out to me in particular. Garth announced proudly to the camera that “I’m one of the few writers who’ve written more books than I’ve read.” This comment was obviously intended to highlight to the audience just how ignorant an individual the character was. But in audio drama, it happens from time to time that someone will make a similar statement without any sense of irony.
If you’re a script writer who doesn’t read scripts… well, you’re missing out on one of the primary means at your disposal to improve your craft.
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.
Simple as that.” – Stephen King
“The person who won’t read has no advantage over the one who can’t read.” — Mark Twain.
“Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it.” – William Faulkner
“You can learn from textbooks about the writing craft, but there’s no substitute for discovering for yourself how a writer pulls off a trick.” – Roz Morris
Reading and writing are two sides of the same coin. Writing relies on reading for it’s impetus, improvement, and inspiration.
Why Reading Scripts Makes Us Better Writers
Reading is the writer’s primary means of self-education. Reading is the means by which we come to absorb the power of words. By immersing ourselves in the written word we provide our brain with the fuel it requires to learn and master new techniques, improve style, and generate new ideas. Aside from multiplying the connections in our brains, reading shows us how good writing (and bad) is done.
We absorb a vast amount of what we read unconsciously. Rules of spelling and grammar, while still requiring conscious effort to be consciously recalled, are absorbed and become part of us through reading.
Via reading our understanding of vocabulary, our critical appreciation of what constitutes good and poor quality writing, and our intuition of the nuances of language improves.
The Benefits of Reading Other People’s Scripts
By reading we gain inspiration. Creativity is as much a feature of being exposed to a variety of ideas and approaches as it is a matter of locking ourselves in a room and brainstorming. New thoughts inspire new thoughts, and exposure to a new idea, technique, or experience can prompt a veritable storm of new thoughts. Reading is a window onto new experiences and ideas from which our own unique ideas can be born. Exploring the world from a variety of perspectives and approaches makes us better problem solvers and more creative individuals.
By reading we gain insight. If you want to become a master of characterization, and a genius at exposing the inner workings of personality through your writing then you need to give yourself as many opportunities as possible to develop a deep understanding of people. By reading the portrayal and actions of as wide a variety of characters in written work as you can, you gain greater empathy, insight, and understanding of what makes people tick and how they behave.
By reading we improve our technique. The more we read the richer our knowledge base becomes. We learn from the tips, techniques, and tragic mistakes of others. If we tap into the experience of others, there is no need for us to make the mistakes that have been made in the past. All of this and more is available to us through reading.
And lets not forget that reading is fun. Very few areas of human endeavour are as enjoyable to learn as writing. Why? Because the primary and easiest means of learning the craft of writing comes from a practice that is inherently enjoyable and entertaining; reading.
Why Reading a Wide Variety of Scripts is Important
As writers we tend to reflect what we read. The influences we absorb come back out unconsciously in the things we write.
As a result it is important to read widely. If we read lots of textbooks our writing will be economical and informative. If we read history and biography our writing will be analytical and personal. If we read poetry our writing will be lyrical and fluid. If we read novels and stories of adventure our writing will be fast paced and action oriented. If we read thrillers our writing will be tense and suspenseful. If we read best-sellers our writing will have a contemporary feel. If we read classics our writing will have a mature feel and one with a strong sense of style and mastery of language. By reading from a wide variety of genres and styles we absorb a wide range of skills and styles that are then integrated into our own repertoire.
If you are a horror writer, or a scifi writer, then, by all-means, read within your chosen genre. Learn from the masters in your chosen field. But always remember that reading outside your chosen genre diversifies and expands your skills and allows you to bring new techniques and methods into your writing. It also helps to keep you from becoming stale and formulaic.
A Characteristic of the Successful Writer
If you intend to master the writing of audio plays, you can’t afford to ignore the huge resource available to you in the scripts provided by your forebears and contemporaries.
Scripts can show us how to achieve all manner of effects; technical, narrative, and emotional. We can analyse them to break down specific techniques and tricks. We can see how the limitations and strengths of the medium are exploited by a variety of writers to create great stories.
Most of us learn by example and audio scripts are full of examples we can learn from (both those we wish to follow and those we wish to avoid).
Many producers of audio drama already share their scripts with the world. A huge library of material from the past and present can also be found online. As much as we should be listening to a wide range of audio drama in order to improve our craft, we should also be reading as much as we can (from the past and present). If we wish to develop as audio writers we should be building a library of scripts that we read regularly, from a wide variety of times, styles and genres.
Don’t count yourself among those who mistakenly believe the work of others is of little value. There will always be egotists who believe their uniqueness requires that they keep themselves unsullied from the influence of others. Laugh at them if you must, but don’t follow their example. Allow them to go ahead and repeatedly make all the mistakes that others have made before them. Allow them to stagnate within the narrow confines of their limited experience. But don’t be that kind of writer, yourself. Give yourself permission to learn, and room to grow, by seeking out masters and mentors for yourself from the written work of those around you (past and present).
Given that the reading of scripts is so obviously helpful to audio writers, it is a huge surprise that there are still audio-dramatists who refuse to invest much time in doing it.
One of the most important characteristics of the successful writer is a commitment to continuing improvement. Read scripts to improve your writing practice. Seek them out, absorb them, immerse yourself in them, analyse them, and take them seriously as a means of self-improvement. In the process you’ll discover just how much fun there is to be had in growing your skills and ability.
Great Free-To-Read Script Resources
100+ Great Free Audio Drama Scripts
This collection of great free entertainment includes genres such as Pulp Adventure, Gaslamp Mystery, Fantasy Noir, Space Opera, Tales with Twists, and other imaginative entertainment – all at the click of a button – and with many more on the way.
http://www.weirdworldstudios.com/scripts/BBC’s Script Library (Comedy)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/search?genre=comedy&platform=radio&orderby=recent
BBC’s Script Library (Drama)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/scripts/search?genre=drama&platform=radio&orderby=recent
Simply Scripts (OTR Script Resource)
http://www.simplyscripts.com/radio_all.html
Miscellaneous OTR Scripts
http://www.oocities.org/emruf6/
http://www.oocities.org/emruf7/
http://www.oocities.org/emruf8/
http://www.silentuniverse.com/
http://www.quietplease.org/index.php?section=listepisodes
http://otrsite.com/jackmann/scriptpage.html
http://www.oocities.org/daggerofthemind2000/Radio/CairoScriptLibrary.html
https://sites.google.com/site/microphoneplays/home
http://www.icon.co.za/~whyle/RejoiceWS4.htm
http://www.radiowork.com/?page_id=89
Scripts from Radio’s Black Legacy
