Writing the Middle

There are a variety of ways to think about the middle of a story.  They are not a prescription; no-one should feel obligated to use these techniques.  At most they should be understood as suggestions based on some common ways that writers have approached the story’s middle and the problem of maintaining audience interest until the conclusion.

At the most macro level, the middle is the second act of a three act play.  At the most micro level it is a series of MRUs (motivation-reaction units).  One way of thinking about the middle of a story that I have found helpful has been to think in terms of sequences.  At its simplest a sequence is a series of scenes (or sometimes a single scene) that accomplish a story or plot purpose.  It is a very flexible label that can be used to describe everything that happens between a setup and a payoff, the beginning and end of a single try-fail cycle, the introduction and conclusion of a character arc, etc.  Sequences always end in a significant change.  Sometimes this involves an internal character change (such as passive to active) or an external change to circumstances (wealth to riches, home owner to aftermath-of-an-earthquake survivor, or similar).

Setup and payoff

Setup is a special form of foreshadowing (foreshadowing, more broadly, being discussed elsewhere).  It aims to show or reveal the building blocks necessary to give the reader a revelation of deeper meaning later in the story.

To set up is to prepare the ground, to place the props, to provoke the questions that will receive their answers and demonstrate their purpose later on.

We set up our plot points, hinting at and revealing obstacles and objects early, etc. to give our stories credibility, so that the reader doesn’t feel like our plot points are contrived when introduced later.  Events should never feel like coincidences; they should always have precursors and causes that were put in place earlier in the narrative.  Our setups exist to create curiosity and anticipation in the reader and justify the story choices we have made.

To demonstrate a change in a character or establish the credibility of an important plot-untangling skill that a character will use, we have to setup their ability to use the skill or demonstrate the pre-existing character that must be altered/changed.

Problems can be setup ahead of time to increase the tension and suspense that the audience experience.  If we already know that the road on which our protagonist is recklessly driving to escape the antagonist has been washed out, our concern and investment in the outcome is heightened.

Jokes, likewise, have a setup and payoff.  The setup, repetition/exposition, and punchline/twist, topper, and second topper (see my article on humour).

Thematic elements and symbols can be planted early and often to emphasise the unity of a story (reminding us of the underlying theme or message).

We perform a setup by planting characters, unexplained absences and presences, symbols, objects, snatches of dialog, reactions, mood, locations, warnings and clues.

It is important that these planted items have a discrete meaning of their own within the story.  When the audience encounters a setup, it should not seem arbitrary, but signify something appropriate to that moment in the story.  It should also be memorable enough to be easily recalled when the payoff occurs.  When the payoff comes, it should provide a new way to see the original event.  For example, the shyness of Rebecca when introduced is, re-interpreted, in the light of the payoff, as an attempt to avoid being recognized by someone who could reveal she is an imposter.

Sometimes a setup raises a question that, when payed off, reveals its meaning in hindsight.  Questions raised in the mind of the audience need to always be paid off with an answer, preferably and surprising one.

One of the tricks to maintaining interest is to plant setups steadily throughout the story.  All setups must be paid off, but the time of the payoff varies.  Delay too long and the audience will tire of waiting or be overwhelmed by the number of threads waiting to be resolved.  Payoff too early and the setup will lack value and be easily dismissed by the audience.  Keep the payoffs coming at regular intervals and interest will be maintained.

Payoffs resolve the setup.  There are a variety of ways that a setup can be paid off.  Firstly, the action of a character can resolve a setup; they discover or uncover something through research and action that pays off the setup.  The character gains an insight that resolves a setup; they think something through and arrive at a realization that pays off the setup.  The character receives a revelation that pays off the setup; here a character is provided with information from an external party that produces the payoff.  Jokes have a payoff in the form of a punchline – a final line that surprises the reader and makes them laugh.  And, of course, the humble twist (discussed in a separate article) provides another form of payoff in the face of a setup – one that depends on misdirection in order to surprise the reader.

The Try-Fail cycle

The middle of a story is made up of a series of obstacles and disasters encountered by the protagonist.  Typically this is expressed in a series of try-fail cycles of varying importance that move the story forward.  The character has a problem or goal, attempts (tries) to solve or achieve it, and encounters a difficulty/failure that gets them to rethink their strategy and begin the process anew.  Generally, a story wants at least three try-fail attempts in the middle that lead up to the reversal before the story climax.  Each must have increasingly important and significant stakes and each will contain a series of increasingly difficult obstacles within it.  The first try-fail cycle occurs in the lead up to the story’s point of no return (the point at which the character is forced to commit fully to the pursuit of their goal).  The next occurs in the lead up to a redirection of some sort (where the character discovers the goal they have been pursuing is in some way mistaken and requires modification).  The third occurs in the lead up to the reversal at the end of the second act (that results in everything going wrong for the character and forces them into a crisis). 

There is an initial and final try-fail cycle that belong specifically to the beginning and end of the story.  The first results in the failure of the character to overcome a significant character flaw that establishes the character’s change arc within the story.  The final occurs at the story climax and differs in that the character tries, almost fails, and finally overcomes the major obstacle of the story (contributing to a satisfying ending).

Objectives, obstacles, tactics

Behaviors are always a matter of wants/goals, obstacles and tactics.  The protagonist wants a particular thing, but something stands in the way, and he/she is prepared to pursue that thing by employing a variety of tactics.  The wants and the tactics speak to the protagonist’s character.  Based on their emotions and temperament they will employ some methods to achieve their ends and not others.  As their trusted and tried strategies fail they are forced to employ new tactics, tactics that force them to embrace change, engage in struggle, and discover just how much their objectives mean to them.

The middle of the story is where character is demonstrated by forcing the protagonist through the series of try-fail cycles discussed above.  Each failure requires the character to abandon their typical approach to problem solving (the path of least resistance) in favor of new strategies and methods that create the opportunity for growth.  To properly test the character, the obstacles they encounter must withstand easy solutions and grow in difficulty and stakes.

Major and minor cycles

Each act in a typical three act play contains its own major try fail cycle.  But each act can be broken down to contain a series of sequences that replicate the try-fail cycle format.  And every scene is a try-fail cycle in its own right (only of minor significance).

Audience fatigue and alternating the beats

Where a protagonist encounters continuous success or failure, one event after another, the effect on the audience will be one of boredom and fatigue.  The recommended antidote for this is to alternate successes and failures.  The emotional charge at the end of each attempt to overcome a conflict or obstacle should be upbeat (optimistic) or downbeat (pessimistic) depending on what has come before it.  Failure to successfully negotiate an obstacle does not necessarily imply a down beat.  The failure could result in a breakthrough, insight, or discovery of a clue, etc. that ends the scene with a positive emotional charge.  Likewise a success can result in a discovery of tragedy or loss that switches the emotional charge in a negative direction.

Pinch points and Plot points

In the construction of novels and plays, editors often refer to pinch-points and plot points.  Pinch points occur where the protagonists are spurred to action by outside antagonistic forces.  Effectively a pinch point forces a character to react to an event or situation that is external and results in a significant turn in the plot.  A turn is a significant change in direction (a major change in the character’s goals, understanding of the problem, or tactics for achieving those goals).

Plot points occur where the protagonists initiate action as a result of internal desires that result in a similar turn.

Generally, a plot point occurs at the 25% and 75% point in the story.  A pinch point typically occurs halfway between the first plot point and the midpoint of the story, and halfway between the midpoint and the second plot point.

In each case the antagonistic forces on display need to be demonstrated as being both stronger and more intimidating than what came before and should result in an emotionally significant change of direction for the story (in terms of goal, strategy, or impact).

Passive to active characterization

In general, the characters in a story spend the first half of the middle of the narrative responding to the events around them.  In the second half they establish agency and begin initiating action that puts the antagonist on the back foot and forces the obstacles placed in their way to be increased in scope and number.  The midpoint, or point of no return, where the character signals their commitment to solving the problem that they face (either because all other options have been exhausted or because they have finally made an irrevocable decision) indicates the transformation from passive responder to active initiator within the character of the protagonist. 

Increasing the stakes by broadening and deepening

It is a commonplace of writing that the middle of the story should be used to build the action to a meaningful climax.  Two common ways to increase the investment of the characters and audience is to raise the stakes by placing increasingly challenging obstacles in the protagonist’s path.  By broadening the potential impact of the obstacle (increasing the number of people, etc. that it might effect) we increase the challenge presented to the character.  A terrorist organization intends to stage a kidnapping… that they wish to cover with a bombing that will kill hundreds of innocent people… that could kick off a global war.  By deepening the impact of the obstacle (increasing the effect on the protagonist) we increase the challenge presented to the character.  A character attends the doctor because they are finding their work difficult as a result of fatigue… and discover they have a potentially lethal cancer… that will result in severe mental decline and a loss of self.

In each case, by broadening the impact of events on the world, or by deepening the impact of events on the protagonist, the stakes are raised and interest is increased.

We don’t need to restrict ourselves to one or the other approach.  The writer can increase the stakes by deepening and broadening the impact of events at the same time in the same story.

Introducing a B-plot

Another useful technique to aid us in writing the middle of the story is to introduce and resolve a B-plot.  A B-plot is a separate secondary story or sub-plot that intersects with the first.  At it’s most cliched, it is the introduction of a love interest and romance to the plot.  But lots of other options are possible.  Regardless of what goal the B-plot establishes, the key to a successful B-plot is the introduction of a new set of interesting obstacles and problems to provide variety to the story’s overall trajectory.

Changing objectives in the second act

All of the suggestions regarding writing the middle of a story so far have been concerned primarily with maintaining the interest of the audience.  This is for the very good reason that the middle of the story is the part in which the story in greatest danger of dragging and becoming boring.  We can usually construct an interesting beginning, and the ending can be planned to include a great climax, but the middle, being a succession of problems and resolutions, can easily become dull.

One technique for addressing this is to introduce a redirection to the plot.  The protagonist is pursuing a specific goal that they think is essential to the success of their quest, but an event occurs that demonstrates they have been mistaken – the antagonist turns out to be an ally while an ally turns out to be the real villain, the goal sought turns out to be something that must be sacrificed.  The redirection, as its name implies, causes the protagonist to modify or change their goal and begin pursuing something new.  This can inject some much needed interest to an otherwise lagging story arc.

Setting up the climax (establishing the stakes)

The end of the middle is established by a major reversal, an event, or cluster of events, so devastating that it appears to the protagonists that all hope of success in achieving their goal has been lost.  Throughout the middle of the story the obstacles have been mounting, growing more and more insurmountable, until at last, the entire enterprise seems doomed, and worse still, the likely outcome will be orders of magnitude worse than if the protagonist had left well-enough alone in the first place.

If we can arrive at such a point while weaving sufficient interest into the story through variations in plot, character arc, dramatic beats, depth and breadth of impact, etc., then we will have constructed a middle that will keep the audience glued to the story until we are ready to bring home our conclusion.

Copyright Philip Craig Robotham © 2022 

The post Thoughts on Writing the Middle appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Over the years, I’ve found a couple of writing micro-structures very helpful in building immersion in my worlds and a sense of authenticity in my characters.  They are the MRU and the KAV cycle.  There’s nothing particularly clever about them, they just provide me with a conceptual label for something that many writers do without having to stop and think about it.

Creating authenticity through the Motivation-Reaction unit

The MRU is an acronym that stands for Motivation-Reaction Unit.  It is a means of describing the way a human being reacts to a stimulus (motivation).  The MRU consists of four parts;

1. The Motivation
   An event or stimulus to which a character will react.  This stimulus can be external or internal to the character (an event or a feeling).  Events include the appearance of a tiger, a car crash, a foetid smell, a loud noise; anything that attracts the attention of a character and elicits a reaction.  External motivations are appeals to the senses; sight, sound, hearing, taste, smell.  Internal motivations are emotions (eg. A feeling of being watched, sadness, joy, etc.)
2. The Reaction
   The reaction is made up of three optional parts.  It does not require the presence of all three elements, but if more than one is being employed, they must appear in the right order.
   1. Physical Instinctive reaction
      We react to a stimulus at the unconscious/automatic/physical level first.  Such reactions include freezing, feeling our heart race and breathing become more rapid, breaking out in a sweat, etc.
   2. Emotional reaction
      Next we react with identifiable emotions (even when we react to emotions) eg. fear, anger, horror, disgust, delight, etc.
   3. Volitional reaction
      Finally our conscious mind kicks in and we choose to act (raise the rifle to sight at the tiger, turn and run, climb a tree, etc.

While it isn’t necessary to include every element of the reaction, the order is important.  We react physically first, then emotionally, then volitionally (as our conscious brain catches up with our subconscious).  When a writer puts these elements in the wrong order we always notice (even if we aren’t quite sure why the description feels wrong).

Immersion and Voluntary Suspension of Disbelief via the KAV cycle.

Some stories transport us to a new place and immerse us in this world so that we do not wish to leave it while the story is being told.

To be entranced, a reader must be willing.  When an audience member chooses to listen to your story, they are willing already.

To deliver immersion we MUST make sensory appeals to our audience.  In audio drama, we are limited by the medium to conjuring sensory experience through sound, dialog, and music – the other senses are not directly available to us.  That said, we can activate the senses indirectly through the means we do have available.

In the real world our attention is given primarily to visual elements 60% of the time.  We attend to what we hear about 20% of the time, what we feel (physically and emotionally) about 17% of the time and what we smell about 3% of the time.

Interestingly, this doesn’t reflect how our attention is captured.

The order of sensory appeals is sometimes referred to as the golden circle and at others as the KAV cycle.  Our attention is captured first by emotion and movement (kinesthetic appeal, K), next by sound (auditory appeal, A) and, lastly, visually (through visual appeal, V).

In many ways this is more detailed modification of the MRU and provides the detail on the motivation side of the equation. Generally, we are doing/experiencing something and a sound catches our attention and directs our sight.

In audio drama this requires careful handling.  Narration provides an easy way to hit each of these notes but, used to excess, turns an audio play into an audio book.  It is far better to add these immersive appeals through dialog, sound, and music.

Music is a strong means of establishing emotion.  If you are lucky enough to have a composer as part of your production team, they can be crucial to creating the emotional tone of the play and reflecting the emotions of your characters.  It is also possible to construct a musical soundtrack from public domain or purchased sources.  It is difficult to decide, however, which approach is the more difficult and fraught. 

If you don’t have the budget for it, however, you may have to rely on dialog to communicate emotions and descriptions to achieve the immersion you’re looking for.

1. DAVID: Easy Jim, one slip and we’ll be blown to pieces.
2. JIM: You think I don’t know that?  My hands are so sweaty (K) I can hardly hold the wire cutters.

Visual description can also be achieved through dialog, but we must be careful not to have our characters discussing what is obvious to all.  The audience won’t notice “Look out!  He’s got a gun!”, but “Look out!  He’s pointing that Colt pistol he’s holding in his left hand two inches to the right and one inch above your heart” will come across as inauthentic and will, likely, destroy the sense of immersion you are trying to create.  It is always helpful to give your characters a reason to describe things to one another (such as only one character having binoculars with which to see something in the distance).

1. DAVID: Can you make out what it is?
2. JIM: I’m bringing it into focus.  Hang-on.  Well, I’ll be! 
3. DAVID: What?
4. JIM: It’s no rhino.  That’s a dinosaur, a triceratops I think.  The wrinkled, leathery skin (V), had me fooled ’til it turned around.
5. DAVID: Here, give me those binoculars.  I want to see.

Sound is a surprisingly challenging element to include.  Given that our chosen medium is audio drama, you’d think that sound effects would be the main way we communicate what is available to the senses of our characters and while, to an extent, this is true, it is more complicated than it seems.

Some sounds are self-identifying (such as an airplane, or train, or car engine) but most are not.  Most sounds require context (visual or verbal) to give them meaning.  The sound of a fire can read as rain or crumpled cellophane (and vice-versa) depending on the context in which it is delivered.

This means that sounds must be explained to the audience via the context if they are to be “read” clearly.

1. SOUND: DISTANT RUMBLE (S) – LET IT FINISH
2. DAVID: Was that thunder?
3. JIM: No.  That was cannon fire.  Fifty calibre, unless I miss my guess.  I reckon they’ll be here by nightfall at the latest.

Generally, it is best to establish the explanatory context of a sound before introducing it to your audience.

1. DAVID: Where’s that storm front, Jim?
2. JIM: It’s almost on top of us.  The first drops of rain are coming now.
3. SOUND: RAIN COMES DOWN (S) – UNDER

Motivating action tends to follow the same repeating pattern.  We are engaged in an experience (emotional and physical).  We are looking forwards.  Sound causes us to turn our heads, up, down, behind us, in order to change our visual focus.  We look at what has attracted our attention.

A word of caution should be expressed here when we use stereo or surround sound.  We hear with both ears, so placing a sound exclusively in the left or right channel will not create a realistic experience (and will be inaccessible to people who, like myself, are deaf in one ear).  Emphasise one channel over another by including the sound in both channels but reducing its audibility in one.

By appeals to Kinesthetics, then Audio, then Visibility, we immersively establish the motivaters to which our characters will react.

All elements are needed and the cycle is repeated over and over.

The brain empathises with the description of action and emotion through music and dialog, activating in sympathy.  The brain empathises with the presence of sound and music in a script, activating in sympathy.  The brain empathises with the description of visual input via dialog and narration (so long as it is not overdone), activating in sympathy.  The more this activation happens the greater the voluntary immersion occurs.

Problems implementing the KAV cycle

Some appeals are weak – too vague. Eg. A crowd is too vague.  What kind of people are we seeing in this crowd (in terms of time and place).  Groups lack details in general.  General descriptors are too weak.  A creature is too vague.  More detail is needed where possible.

The more description that is supplied, the more an audience can see with their mind’s eye, but a wall of text is counter-productive.  Precision is important (without being overlong).  A few judiciously chosen KAV details will bring the scene to life without burying it in exposition.  Don’t include details without a purpose.

Emotion should be conveyed through the scene and the action within it.  Reveal details of the scene through physical details (dry mouth, heart racing, etc. wherever possible and appropriate).

Not all appeals need to be strong, but the most important ones should be.  Ensure you use well chosen modifiers, adverbs, and adjectives (as well as evocative and illustrative metaphors and similes) in your dialog.

Rate your appeals.  Can they be made stronger than appears in your draft.  As you revise, strengthen them, but avoid the equal and opposite sin of becoming exposition heavy.

Copyright Philip Craig Robotham © 2022 

The post Writing-Microstructures for Audio Drama appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Theme defines Meaning

Theme is the deeper meaning of the story, usually a topic with universal appeal.  You don’t need to preach or prove a point in stories, but they can be made more impactful and affecting by including and exploring a theme.  One of the easiest ways to think about theme, is to view it as an idea that recurs throughout the story – one which the storyteller keeps reminding the audience about because, at heart, it is what the story is fundamentally about.

Ideally, in treating a theme, writers aim to discuss issues without necessarily drawing conclusions.

Every Shakespeare play has an argument that is progressed by multiple characters of multiple viewpoints.  In this way he explores themes in all his plays.  The best stories will always be more than a story about events and characters – they will have a message (but they won’t preach). 

Tell the story with the audience in mind – recognise that stories are about the audience (experiences that are common to the audience as well as the character).

It is a writer’s job to transport the audience – with physical detail (setting), with powerful emotional content (internal character growth), with questions about life (theme).  Do all three and the audience will be immersed.

Identify the theme

Themes don’t need to be complicated (in fact simpler themes are often better because you want the audience to keep the theme in the back of their minds as the story unfolds).  What questions about life do the characters in the story have?  What questions do the events of the story raise about life?  What questions do the characters’ flaws, wounds, and needs point to?  The more personal to the lives of the characters that the theme is, the easier it is to explore it in any given work.

Brainstorm the theme

Think – what have people said about the topic?  What arguments have been made?

How can the characters represent these different views?

Look up quotes from philosophers and thinkers on the topic.

There are multiple sides to all arguments (many more than two).  Be sure to conduct research to identify as many sides as possible.

Express the theme

Your aim is to get the audience thinking (be provocative).

Reveal what the characters believe about the topic (at the beginning of your story).  Reveal how their thoughts change as the story progresses.  Demonstrate the conclusions they arrive at by its end.

Look at the plot – where does the character become aware of the issue?  What information does the character receive that causes them to think more deeply (where, when, and how)?

What happens to give the character a breakthrough or insight?

Characters should be designed to express different approaches (or arguments) regarding the themes.  In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth presents a ruthless view of masculinity that sees kindness as weakness.  MacDuff presents a view of masculinity that sees nothing weak about kindness, loyalty, etc.  Each argues for a different definition of and approach to masculinity.

Season your story by scattering references to your theme throughout its telling.  Brainstorm words that relate to your theme and use them to link your thoughts and the way you express your story’s events and characters back to the theme.

Here are a series of words (many of them paired-opposites) that relate to the passage of time; clocks, watches, ancient, modern, fast, slow, to build, to neglect, grow, decay, birth, death, young, old, loss, grief, hope, expectation, progress.

Let’s imagine a pair of characters with different viewpoints regarding the passage of time.  And have them conversing on a bus ride into town.

1. MELISSA: So much has changed.  The old neighbourhood looks ancient and life has become so busy.  No-one has any time left to care for the history that remains.
2. JANE: Oh, I don’t know.  I still remember when we’d have to walk twenty minutes to find a bus into town.  Now, it comes almost past our door.  Progress has been good to us.
3. MELISSA: But look at all we’ve lost.  The café’s torn down and the boutiques put up in their place, selling stuff no-one needs.  People used to meet on these streets and talk of an evening!  You wouldn’t want to be out after dark these days.
4. JANE: It’s not so bad.  The neighbours still look out for each other.  The world has changed but a lot has stayed the same.  (BEAT) Look, here comes our stop.
5. SOUND: BUS COMES TO A HALT – LET IT FINISH.
6. DRIVER: You getting off here ladies?  Just letting you know; the company’s changing the bus route and this stop will be gone in a couple o’ weeks.
7. MELISSA: Figures.  Ooh.  These old-bones aren’t what they used to be.
8. DRIVER: Come on, ladies.  Time’s passing and I got a schedule to keep.

Multiple themes

Stories are not limited in the number of themes they can explore.  Some authors include themes for each character, others explore themes in clusters, and others-still explore multiple unrelated themes.  In Macbeth, Shakespeare explored duty, freedom and determinism, and masculinity among others.

Helpful exercises

Write three scenes where the character is thinking about the theme or discussing the theme with someone else.

How does the theme come up?  Why is it bothering the character? 

Write a scene that introduces new information and changes the character’s viewpoint.

Write a scene that causes the character to draw a new conclusion about the issue and a radical change.

Copyright Philip Craig Robotham © 2022 

The post Weaving Your Themes appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

At one level, nothing changes when telling stories for younger audiences.  A show that is designed for kids has all the same requirements, with regard to good storytelling, as shows for other audiences.  The story must have conflict, compelling characters, a strong structure with plenty of interesting incident, a great setting, and a well-explored theme.  That said, for younger audiences our show-design needs to take account of some unique requirements.

The Multiple-Audience

In writing for a younger audience, you must recognize that there are gatekeepers around what young audiences are exposed to.  Not only should you be writing for the younger audience itself, but also for the gatekeepers who must be won over in order to get your content into the hands of younger audiences.

In practice you must, while delivering what a younger audience is looking for, write a show that appeals simultaneously to parents, teachers, librarians, and reviewers.  These individuals are the filter that your content must pass through before your target audience can be reached (something well understood and mastered by companies such as Pixar and others primarily focused on the “family” market).  This is, of course, less of an issue with a young-adult audience.

Appealing to the gatekeepers

None of the following rules are set in stone.  You can make any choice you desire when creating your work, but you need to be aware that some choices will limit the full extent of the audience you can reach.

Stories for younger audiences should be as free from profanity as possible.  Parents are quickly turned off by the presence of profanity in content their children are likely to consume.  Likewise, schools, libraries, and critics will quickly focus on the presence of profanity when it comes to making a recommendation about a show.  No-one ever lost their audience by leaving profanity out of a work that aims at a younger audience, but the presence of profanity is a clear limiting factor with the regard to the size of the audience a show can potentially capture.

Likewise, sex and sexuality is best avoided in material aimed at a younger audience (and for the same reasons).

Lastly, though less significantly, death tends to be a “no-no”.  It is possible to create material that deals with death in a way that is sensitive to both children and their gate-keepers (Bambi, Old Yeller, and others) but the presence of death in a story encourages immediate caution in parents and gatekeepers.

As a younger audience gets older, it becomes easier to explore some of these more taboo issues in our stories, but they MUST be dealt with sensitively and responsibly (and will always narrow the audience that can be reached).

To satisfy a young audience, we must satisfy the older gatekeepers who decide what a young audience has access to.  For this reason, there needs to be elements in our shows that appeal to older demographics.  This includes older characters that the gate-keepers can identify with, and a certain amount of romance, mystery, and adventure.  If these elements are not present, then the story is unlikely to pass from your first audience’s hands into the hands of your target audience. 

Consider, the first Harry Potter novel.  The Hogwarts teachers were, as characters, deliberately designed to appeal to the gatekeeper demographic.  The elements of mystery and adventure supplied were sufficient to appeal to the adult audience as well.  J. K. Rowling instinctively understood that she had to appeal to the adults around the younger audience (of eight to twelve year olds that were her target audience) before her stories would find their intended audience.

Incidentally, Rowling was a genius at writing for an audience that aged in tandem with her characters, introducing death and romance, etc. to her stories in a way that was appropriate to the increasing age of her characters and audience.

Appealing to kids

Children aren’t attracted by drama (of the interpersonal variety).  Conflict is still essential, but soap-opera is frankly boring.  They are primarily attracted by wonder, especially wonder that leaks into the everyday.  Generally speaking, the dialog delivered by characters in a show aimed at 8 to 12 year-olds should involve simpler sentences and word choices.  Characters should generally be less complex and more readily identifiable (in terms of archetypes).  This doesn’t mean that stereotypes cannot be subverted, or that complex themes cannot be explored.  It does mean that clarity and simplicity in the presenting of the story is paramount.

Children also like a degree of horror (when leavened with humor) as part of their attraction to wonder.  The story can be spooky and atmospheric, but must not cross the line into the genuinely frightening or gory.

Humor is essential, younger audiences love to laugh.  A child’s sense of humor is fairly unsophisticated.  They love slapstick, verbal humor, and humor that arises from a surprise or twist.  Adults tend to dislike kids jokes and need more sophistication.  The brilliance of a company like Pixar arises in its capacity to build layered jokes; jokes that appeal at the simplest level to children, but contain layers of meaning that will appeal to the adults who encounter them.  This is not an easy balance to achieve, but the mass appeal of a children’s program often depends on this very factor.

Adventure (particularly exploring) is always a safe bet with younger audiences.  Romance is “icky” but if hinted at (but never consummated) between adult characters will act as a draw to the gatekeeper audience.

Structural Requirements

It is generally true, that younger audiences have decidedly shorter attention spans than their older counterparts and bore easily.  Shows should probably aim at being from 15 to 30 minutes in length.  Long form story-telling will work with a younger audience, if introduced as a B-plot, and can be especially effective with an episode by episode cliffhanger.  The A-plot, however, should be self-contained and resolve each episode in order for younger audiences to feel satisfied.  A children’s show should always aim to surprise the audience with a “wow” moment.  Originanlity is key.

Children are far more resilient and sophisticated than many adults give them credit for.  They are capable of comprehending and processing deep themes about life and friendship and the nature of the world.  But adults tend to underrate children and will often, unnecessarily, try to protect them from content that they feel requires too much of them.  This is largely overcome by writing for a dual audience of adults and children.  The adults will tend to think that the more sophisticated material is aimed at them (and to a degree it is) but it will remain accessible to the youngsters who are the primary audience of the writing.

Poetry and metaphor are key elements in writing for younger audiences.  I am not, when I refer to poetry, referring to rhyme.  What I mean is that children are particularly open to the use of language to evoke emotion, paint pictures in the imagination, and create atmosphere.  They also love the way metaphors can be enjoyed for their surface and deeper meaning.  Employ both to the best effect that you can.

Conclusion

When it comes to writing for younger audiences, all of the principles of good writing still apply. We should never talk down to or be afraid to challenge younger audiences. In deference to the more limited vocabulary and life-experience of younger audiences we should aim to be especially simple and clear in our communication. And we should also be mindful of the fact that younger audiences are primarily attracted to wonder, humor, and adventure (rather than romance or drama).

Of greatest importance is the realization that before we can reach our target audience, our show must appeal to the older gatekeepers who control access to that audience (parents, teachers, librarians, and critics). Unless we can appeal to these individuals as well (with characters and themes and humor that satisfies their tastes) we might never reach the intended audience of our works.

Copyright Philip Craig Robotham © 2022 

The post Writing for Younger Audiences appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

THOUGHTS ON CHARACTERS

I go back and forwards on the issue of character.  I used to write long, involved, and often useless amounts of back-story and description with regard to character, planning out the internal and external traits and attitudes they held in great detail.  Typically, the character would morph into someone quite different during the writing.

Feeling this was largely an inefficient waste of time, I went to the other extreme and began defining some key traits and emotions that defined the character instead.  This was more effective (for finding the character’s voice at least) but left the character without enough past to define the character’s motivation.

I now vacillate backwards and forwards between some clear pre-planned parameters regarding traits, emotion and personal history and a more organic approach to discovering the character in the writing process.  Will this be my last pass at this?  I’m not sure.

Finding characters

There are a number of ways to come up with characters.  Brainstorming helps.  You can model characters on real people (that you know) or celebrities or characters from books.  This can help you find the unique voice of your character (as expressed in their word choices and the forms of expression they use). 

You may already have a character concept.  If so, you can interview the character to determine who they are.  Pretend you are an interviewer and ask the character questions – then answer the questions in the first person. 

A bit of research goes a long way.  My undergraduate psychology and sociology studies have been incredibly useful in helping me understand what makes a character tick.

Another approach is to actively set out to research and meet people of the type you wish to write about.  Real people are genuinely surprising.  You never know who or what you will encounter.  I have met concentration camp survivors, submariners, airplane pilots and engineers, academic professors, parents of kids with disabilities, disabled people, cancer victims, recently bereaved folks, tradesmen, police, politicians, doctors, nurses, teachers, accountants, travellers, refugees, con-men, criminals, and one serial killer (that I know of) in my lifetime.  Real people have fascinating and surprising stories.  Ask lots of questions.

Writing is a solitary pursuit, but taking the time to get to know real people will only enrich your writing.

Appearance

The basics of character are pretty easy to define; height, weight, skin color, body shape, hair, eyes, facial features and clothing.  In audio drama, none of these are obvious to the listener, being visual information.  Without the visual sense, they must be revealed through dialog and/or narration.  But, because audio drama doesn’t afford us the luxury of long prose descriptions in narration and because it is necessarily on-the-nose to deliver physical description in quantity through dialog, we must supply these traits to the listener in small, well-spaced, judiciously chosen doses.  Not every detail of appearance is pertinent, but the most noticeable details should be supplied. 

Imagine a default male.  The majority of people will construct such a male in line with their own ethnicity, average in height, clean shaven and, generally speaking, fit.  Such a character needs little beyond hair color and clothing to take shape in an audience-member’s mind (but don’t be surprised if such a character is so generic that they are as quickly forgotten by an audience member as they are easily imagined).

Deviations from the norm need to be highlighted for the audience.  Is the character grossly overweight? The audience member needs to know.  Does the character have eyes of a particularly striking color or shade? The audience needs to be informed.  Facial hair, ethnicity, scars, bald, a limp?  Anything out of the ordinary needs to be communicated to the audience.

Audio-drama is color-blind in so far as people will create a general (male or female) place-holder for a character that stands in for themselves.  As details arise, the picture is modified and “painted in”.  But the earlier that major deviations from the generic placeholder are presented to the audience the better.  Once the character feels established, the audience will begin to resist new information regarding how they look.

Inside a conflict is a great place to introduce physical features to the audience. Conflict is one of those rare occasions (along with gossip) that people will actually comment on appearance out loud.

1. SALIERI: Jimmy, you’re a disgusting tub o’ lard.  That yellow wind-breaker and thatch o’ red-hair on your head makes you look like a christmas pudding topped with custard and a cherry.

A short bit of narration can, likewise, do it…

1. NARRATOR: Jimmy was looking larger than ever.  He waddled into the room wrapped in his yellow windbreaker and thatch of red hair, looking for all the world like a christmas pudding topped with custard and a cherry.

And of course, you can provide a description through another character before introducing them to a scene…

1. MARY: Did you see Jimmy, yesterday, crammed into that suit of his and bulging like a balloon that’s being squeezed through the palings of a picket fence?  I’m surprised he could even move around in those trousers.  With that yellow wind-breaker and his thatch of red hair on top, he looked like nothing so much as a Christmas pudding topped with custard and a cherry.

Because human beings in an audience naturally use themselves as a fundamental template for the characters that are being constructed in their brains, a lack of detail can help the audience to identify with the character that the story is presenting – but don’t rely to heavily on this.  Some detail is needed to stop a character from blending into the background of the story.

Minor characters need less detail than major characters.  And often only one detail is needed to define a walk on part (the presence of a stethoscope, a mailman’s cap, a police uniform, etc.).  Minor characters need a bit more fleshing out, while major characters often need a good deal of detail.  However many details are required, I would suggest that you don’t try to deliver more than three in any particular scene.  Challenging as it is to do this in a way that feels natural, signature features should be communicated in the first scene in which a character appears.

Some writers try to increase audience engagement by hiding, and raising questions about, a character’s physical traits.  This isn’t a good idea.  Hiding information that is obvious and trivial (such as how someone looks) creates a false tension that merely annoys most audiences.

Make sure you use good (by which I mean attention-grabbing, visual, and specific) nouns and adjectives when describing a character’s physical appearance. 

Different characters will notice different things from one another and express them differently.  Where an unimaginative character might notice that the judge is “fat and has a double chin”, another, more literary, character might notice that the judge is “corpulent and has chins which flow down to his chest without bothering with the inconvenience of a neck”.  One description is far more evocative (if less efficient) than the other.

Clothes also have a generic placeholder in most people’s minds.  The average person will give a character a basic set of generic clothes suitable to the setting.  A business suit, or a casual and generic jeans and t-shirt combo would be common in most situations.  Color, etc. remains unimportant unless particularly striking.  The more details deviate from this base norm, the more description is needed for the audience.

People are less prickly about comments regarding their clothing than their physique, so to mention the red button with the gold trim that decorates a business executive’s lapel might not be as unusual in casual conversation and dialog as mentioning the size of someone’s nose.

Avoiding clichés

Often our first thoughts regarding our protagonists and other characters are superficial and cliched.  The lantern-jawed hero has been done to death.  As has the raven-haired heroine.  Brainstorm alternatives and variations to your characters.  Look for ways to make them unique and memorable.  What is it that makes your character stand out and depart from the template.  We have already discussed how to communicate these signature features when they arise in an audio play.  It is also important to seek them out and include them in order to make your characters unique.

Interior life and backstory

So far, we have limited this discussion to the exterior appearance of a character, but what about the interior.  The interior of a character is revealed in action.  It can’t be described like the exterior of an individual.  Instead it is revealed as characters interact with their goals.  In fact, description is the death knell of character because character’s never directly reveal their inner landscape so that if it appears that a character is doing so, the audience generally feels the behaviour is inauthentic, or the character is being deceitful.

The bare minimum of backstory needed, when it comes to the interior of characters, is the reason behind the desire and the wound.  The desire is what the character wants – the primary thing which they are willing to work for and gamble to get.  The wound is a flaw that they are desperate to hide and protect.  Why does the character have this desire – what, in the character’s past, has led to its pre-eminence?  Why does the character have this flaw – what hurt them or drove them to protect themselves in this way?  The desire and the flaw are both born of crisis.  Perhaps the character grew up poor and has a deep drive to achieve financial security (desire).  Perhaps the character grew up poor and feels the need to protect what they have, hiding their resources and refusing to share them (flaw).  The desire and flaw need not be born of the same crisis, but they are often closely related – for example, a need for recognition (desire) and a secret belief that they are unworthy of love (flaw).

It is important to understand that our experiences provide the motivations for our actions.  This is why many writer’s guides suggest we plan out ahead of time the love-life, family-life, friends, work-life, goals and ambitions, most significant conflict, strongest desire, strongest fear, strongest value, deep dark secret/secret shame, etc. of our characters.  A character can act any way we wish, so long as the behaviour is properly motivated.  I am toying, at the moment, with inventing the backstory/motivation of my characters on the fly, but it isn’t going terribly smoothly.  Once I discover that my character behaves a certain way in response to an event in the story, I need to go back and establish the behaviour as part of the character’s emotional repertoire at an earlier point.  Pre-planning the character more fully would make this a less onerous requirement. 

Expression of character

Characters express their interior desires and flaws through action, and action is expressed as a product of their traits and emotions.  If a character is loud (trait) and angry (emotion), she will express herself quite differently to a character who is shy (trait) and angry (emotion).

Actions are motivated in the first instance by a character’s desire or flaw.  They act to achieve an outcome or protect some hurt.  But all action provokes reaction, and the first action must necessarily provoke a reaction from the forces of antagonism within the story that in turn causes a reaction from the protagonist and so on.  Each action and reaction is an expression of the interior life of the character, expressed through trait and emotion, as an attempt to achieve some specific end, but what it tells us about the character’s emotion must be oblique, read in the subtext.

In a drama, a wife must never say to her husband “I am angry because you failed to wash the dishes last night”.  Instead a constellation of elements – her secret fear that the members of the family do not truly love her, her desire to run the house like a museum, her sense of personal pride, and her sense of hurt, all need to be expressed as subtext.

1. KAREN: (WHISTLING HAPPILY AT A DISTANCE)
2. SOUND: DOOR OPENS, FOOTSTEPS ENTER AND STOP.  WHISTLING STOPS ABRUPTLY.
3. KAREN: Dan?
4. DAN: Oh, hi honey.  I’m just fixing a couple of sandwiches.
5. KAREN: But…? (ALMOST IN TEARS) But you knew I was having the ladies’ auxiliary over to tea this morning.  (BEAT) Look at the state of things…  oh, how could you?
6. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS RUSH OUT.  DOOR SLAMS.
7. DAN: But Karen…?

This clearly isn’t enough to establish the character of Karen in its fulness.  The subtext needs to be built up over a variety of scenes and moments within the story.  But to establish the subtext and sell it to the audience effectively, the character must be well known and understood by the writer; personal history, financial history, medical history, how the character feels about his/her traits and experiences, how he/she reacts to things and what tends him/her towards conflict, etc.

Conflict and character expression

Stories are about the interactions/clashes between characters; their fears, hopes, rivalries, jealousy, feelings, etc.

To give characters the room to express their inner drives and hurts, the writer needs to maximise the opportunity for conflict.  All characters within a story, even those who are friends (and especially those who are family) must be in conflict with one another.  These conflicts needn’t all be on the level of the primary conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist.  They can be relatively minor, but they must be present.

Further every conflict should be attended by complex and conflicted feelings between the characters.  Bill and Mary, a married couple, have won a cash prize.  Bill wants to take a holiday.  Mary wants to spend the money helping out their adult kids.  Mary knows Bill really needs a holiday, the first real vacation they will have had in years, and Bill knows how much the kids could really use the money.  As a result, both sides of the conflict are internally conflicted.  The outcome of the conflict could genuinely go either way.  Such a conflict is far more interesting than if the two characters simply wanted what they wanted and there were no extenuating (or complicating) factors at work in the debate.

Character roles

Characters within a story have a number of functions and roles.  A given character can inhabit more than one role.  It can be helpful to inventory the characters in the story we have developed to make sure that all the story functions are covered.

The first essential role is that of the Protagonist.  The protagonist is the primary viewpoint character of the story and the character with whom the audience is expected to identify and root for.

The Antagonist is the protagonist’s polar opposite.  He or she is everything that the protagonist isn’t.  He or she is an older, more powerful, more experienced, center of power.  This individual wants something that conflicts with what the protagonist wants.  The protagonist happens to be in the antagonist’s way and draws the antagonist’s ire as a result.  Like every character, the antagonist must be fully motivated in their actions.

The Guide is an older, more experienced teacher, mentor, wizard, scholar, and friend to the protagonist.  He or she may reject the student at first.  This mentor may, in some cases, be in competition with a number of potential guide.  The protagonist may reject his or her guide at first also.  Conflict arises when a protagonist and his/her guide reject each other.

The Contagonist is an individual who is an underling to the antagonist (with an agenda of their own) and the opposite number to the Guide.  This individual often tries to recruit the protagonist.  The protagonist is in danger of becoming a contagonist (and vice versa; the contagonist is quite capable of betraying the antagonist and switching sides too).

Sidekicks support the protagonist through thick and thin.  These individuals believe in, are loyal to, and devoted to the character (though this devotion is not necessarily that rational).

Minions (there are usually a minimum of three) exist to expose the weaknesses of the protagonist; they are hecklers who tell the protagonist what is wrong with them.  Sidekicks and hecklers can switch sides.  The antagonist rarely sees others as equals and so has minions rather than sidekicks.

The true love character can combine characteristics of other character types (offering wisdom, loyalty, love, etc.).  The true love functions to reward the protagonist for making the right choices. This character need not be a real person, but can rather be an abstract personification of places or ideals.

The Temptation character can combine characteristics of other character types (offering the worldview of the contagonist, loyalty, love, etc.).  They function to reward the protagonist for  wrong choices. Like the true love, the temptation character need not necessarily be a real person, but can be an abstract personfication of desire, power, etc.

Characters within a story can change roles.  The contagonist can become an ally or guide to the protagonist.  A sidekick can betray the protagonist and become a minion of the antagonist, etc.

Family structure as a model for protagonist relationships

The characters you group around your protagonist often take the form of an artificial family of about six members.  A father character, a mother, three sibling rivals, and a supportive uncle or aunt.  They do not need to be related by blood, but they take on the relational characteristics of such a group.  For example, a military team might be formed by a tough but fair captain and supportive lieutenant.  Three squad members, competing for attention, head strong and wet behind the ears, take the role of the siblings, while a gunnery sergeant acts as the uncle or aunt to the group.

Protagonists and likeability

It is essential to make the protagonist in a story likeable.  The audience must want to hear this character’s story and they will not do so if there is nothing likeable about the character.  Create curiosity.  Create conflict. And find a way to get the audience on the character’s side (if only a little bit).  Some things are known to assist in promoting likeability in characters…

• Sympathy is created when you put your character in pain.
• Likeability is promoted where you weigh your protagonist down with conflicts and obstacles (creating an underdog vibe).
• Likeability increases where the protagonist engages in a kindness to the helpless; patting a dog, rescuing a cat from a tree, donating to charity.
• Likeability increases when a protagonist is made to care about others.  Even if they don’t care at first, they must learn to care.
• Give your protagonist an attractive personality; attractive people have fun and are interested in others.
• A character increases in likeability if they are liked by others.  Give your protagonist a crowd of loyal friends and they will appear more likeable.         
• Make the character admirable.  Give them an ability or superpower – something or a couple of things that they do really well that brings admiration.

Number of characters

You must have at least one protagonist that functions as the point of view character.  Point of view characters may be added to a story, but they increase the length of the story by about double.   A 32 page script becomes a 64 page script with two point of view characters to explore.  It becomes a 96 page script if three point of view characters are present, etc.  Be aware that the more characters you, the more pages you will need.

Copyright Philip Craig Robotham © 2022 

The post The Design of Characters appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

Conversation is research

I’m a shy person and fairly introspective.  I need people, but I don’t spend a lot of time seeking them out – I live with the constant fear that if I pursue them, I will bore them (and I REALLY don’t want to be “that friend” that everyone avoids).  And, worse, I’m appalling at small-talk.  I try,  but I’m clumsy at it.  Over the years I’ve developed some tools and guidelines to help me out in social situations.

For example, there is a phrase that, when I hear it, sends a tight prickle of fear and despair shooting along my spine.  “Hey Craig, we’ve been invited to a party”.

For me, parties are the worst.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE being invited.  I just hate being in attendance at one.  I don’t know what to do with my hands, for a start.  And I’m painfully aware that I’m lousy at small-talk and that small-talk is what everyone in the room is practicing.  I desperately want to find a corner somewhere that I can sit in and talk with someone about Schopenhaur or Christology or books or movies or writing – uninterrupted for a minimum of half an hour.  And then I want to go home.

As an introvert, my batteries will have been flattened by the first fifteen minutes of interaction and I desperately want somewhere quiet to be, preferably with a bookshelf (or dvd or music shelf) that I can quietly browse while I try to recharge.  As a result, I know more about the reading tastes of some of my acquaintances than I do about them personally.

Anyway, I’ve learned a few tricks and insights that help me at parties.  The first is that I’ve learned that deep and meaningful conversation is largely unwanted at a party (unless I am lucky enough to stumble on a fellow introverted nerd who shares my tragic passions).  Instead, a party exists to help people meet each other and feel out who might be interesting to get to know more fully.  The whole point is to circulate, find out what people are into, and arrange to catch up over coffee if it looks like the person is interesting enough, and there’s enough common ground, to try to build a friendship.

This, by the way, is why introverts find the experience so hellish.  We’re not samplers.  Neither are we any good at delayed gratification.  If we meet someone interesting, we want to dive deep, right then and there.  But that’s not what parties are for, and so we feel awkward and like a fish out of water and don’t know what to say.

The second thing I’ve learned to do, is to grab a plate or a cup to hide behind.  It solves the problem of what to do with my hands.  I have no intention of eating what’s on the plate or drinking what’s in the cup (because an empty plate or cup has to be put away to be washed, leaving me without any armor) so I carry it around and my hands are kept busy.

The third thing I’ve learned is a conversation trick called the “conversation stack”.  It’s a list of pre-prepared conversation topics that I carry around in my head – I’m not kidding, I really do this.  First, I find out your name, your family, who you live with and where (not specifics, I’m not a stalker) and whether you have a pet or pets.  Next, I ask about your work and your hobbies/sports/interests.  Lastly, I ask about travel – have you been anywhere or done anything interesting?  At this point, I’m out of topics and I know it’s time to move on to the next poor soul.

The final thing I’ve learned about parties, is to treat them as research opportunities.  I’m a writer and I’ve learned to ask the kind of questions that help me find out if someone is or isn’t interesting – and by the way, everyone is interesting if you can find the right topic or ask the right question.

I’ve learned to avoid the kinds of questions that can be answered with a yes or no.  “Do you like fish?” is a conversation stopper.  “What’s your favourite place to encounter a fish?” is much more conducive to holding a conversation (generating lots of follow-up questions), but even then, it can be answered with a single word or short phrase (“fishing”, or “at James’ seafood restaurant”.  “Why?” isn’t a great question, since it tends to make people defensive so that they feel like they’re being interrogated by their parents.

The best kinds of questions are about action.  “What do you think about…?” is not nearly as interesting as “What did you do when…?”.  It’s been my experience that people will tell you about themselves in terms of how they want to appear, but their actions reveal who they are.  In fact, I’m sure we all know people whose public self-representations and private actions differ markedly.  When we encounter someone who can eloquently extoll the virtues of kindness to animals, but goes home and kicks their dog, we inevitably choose to believe the behaviour over the words.

For this reason, “what did you do then?” is a phenomenal question to ask. 

“How did you cope when your husband passed away?” leads to answers like “oh, I bore up and carried on as best I could”.  But “What did you do when your husband passed away?” leads to answers like “I locked myself in the bedroom for two days, pulled the blankets up around my head, and left the kids to fend for themselves”.

Character is best revealed in drama through action

Drama and the writing of drama is all about capturing the actions that demonstrate character rather than the words that a person says about their own motivations.  In audio drama, we have to find a way to “show” those behaviours through dialogue.  We can demonstrate a conflict through an argument, but how do we “show” grief?  Our grieving wife, locking herself in the bedroom with the covers around her head, works great in a screenplay or stage play, but isn’t quite so well suited to audio drama.

In audio drama, action is made visible through interaction.  Characters who are alone, need to give us access to their inner thoughts via monologue – and for many audience members this, while useful in small doses, isn’t as helpful as an exchange between characters.

Compare…

1. SOUND: DOORBELL RINGS – DOOR OPENS – LET IT FINISH
2. JANE: I just looked at the well-wishers on the doorstep.  I already had acres of quiche – enough to survive a Russian winter.  They stood there with carefully arranged sympathetic looks on their faces and casserole dishes in their hands and all I could think was how much they looked like they’d signed up for the grieving widow package tour.  “See the woman whose husband died in her natural habitat.  Feeding time at 2.00 pm”.  I just couldn’t take it anymore.  I shut the door in their faces.
3. SOUND: DOOR CLOSES – LET IT FINISH

With

1. SOUND: DOORBELL RINGS – DOOR OPENS – LET IT FINISH
2. MARY: (SICKLY SWEET) Good morning Jane, Keith and I were passing and we thought we’d drop in to share our condolences… Isn’t that right, Keith?
3. KEITH: Er… yes. Of course.  How are you, Jane?
4. MARY: I’ll just put this down over here, shall I?  Just some quiche I knocked up.  Nothing special.  (BEAT) Oh.  Well, I’m sure you’ll find some room… somewhere.
5. JANE: Mary, er… thanks, but, this isn’t…
6. MARY: Oh, it’s fine Jane.  No need to put on airs for us.  We can’t expect the house to be in its usual state now, can we?  My, but you have let things go, haven’t you?
7. KEITH: Now, Mary…
8. MARY: Oh, it’s all right, Keith.  Jane isn’t embarrassed, are you dear?
9. JANE: (FLUSTERED) I’m sorry, but I just wasn’t expecting…
10. MARY:  Perfectly, understandable dear.  And how are you feeling?  You know I was just saying to Keith, that I always felt that John was a little fragile.  But even so, suicide?  I mean, it’s a messy business, isn’t it?
11. (BEAT)
12. KEITH: I’m sorry, Jane,  I think we’d better—
13. MARY: Oh, do stop fussing, Keith.  Jane’s fine.  And did you say they found him in the kitchen, dear?  I couldn’t just have a quick—
14. JANE: (COLDLY) I think you should leave, Mary. 
15. MARY: What?
16. JANE: Now.  And you, too, Keith.
17. KEITH: (EMBARASSED) Of course, Jane.  Let me…
18. MARY: Well!  (OFFENDED) I guess we can tell when we’re not wanted.
19. JANE: Yes, I guess you can.
20. MARY: Come on, Keith.
21. KEITH: (TO JANE) I’m so sorry for your loss…
22. MARY: … And I’m taking the quiche.
23. DOOR CLOSES – LET IT FINISH.
24. JANE: (SOBS) – FADE OUT.

Both approaches work to an extent.  The second, I think, demonstrates the action of the first more effectively and communicates the difference between a person’s words and actions.  Interaction between characters allows for greater drama than simple narration – though each is effective in its own way.

Internal conflict is also revealed through action

Action is also the means by which internal conflict is revealed without resort to monologue.

Compare…

1. CLARKE: I didn’t know which way to turn.  The boss needed the plans, and was demanding I put in for overtime, but Anne was ready to walk out.  The anniversary dinner was my last chance to show her that I really cared.

With

1. BOSS: How are those plans coming along, Clarke? 
2. CLARKE: They’re coming.  We’ve had a cancellation.  Our supplier has run out of the double glazing we ordered.
3. BOSS: Then find another source.  I don’t care how long it takes.  Overtime is approved.
4. CLARKE: I’m on it.
5. SOUND: BOSS WALKS AWAY – FADE.
6. JIM (CO-WORKER):  But weren’t you meeting Anne for your anniversary tonight.
7. CLARKE: Oh, hell.  I forgot.  I’m supposed to confirm our reservation.
8. SOUND: PHONE NUMBER BEING ENTERED – BRIEF PAUSE
9. CLARKE: Carlitos’?  Yes, I’m confirming a booking for Masters.  (BEAT) Yes, 8.00 PM.  (BEAT) Thanks.
10. JIM: You’ll never make it.
11. CLARKE: I have to.  Anne’ll do something drastic if I miss another anniversary.

Here we have an internal conflict.  Clarke wants to meet his work responsibilities and attend a wedding anniversary dinner with his wife.  He takes action in both directions, but the audience knows that, barring a miracle, one or the other of these two objectives can’t be met.  By observing Clarke’s action we get an insight into the state of his mind and the internal conflict is “dramatized” for the audience.

In scriptwriting we use dialog to demonstrate action, not merely by telling, but by showing, through interaction, how characters respond to situations. These responses reveal character to the audience.

Copyright Philip Craig Robotham © 2022 

The post Characters are what they do, not what they say appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

EPISODE #5 – The Bunker

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover Illustration by Miyukiko

Unedited Draft

Copyright 2013 Philip Craig Robotham

Creative Commons Attritubution Non Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition .

This play is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) International license. This play may not be commercially reproduced, performed, or sold.   Non-commercial production, performance, and reproduction is allowed under this license so long as attribution is maintained.  No derivative content or use is allowed.  It can be freely shared in its current form (without change) under this license.  If you would like to purchase one or more copies of this work (for your own personal non-commercial use, or to help financially support the author) then please return to http://www.weirdworlstudios.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Episode 5: The Bunker

A toothache turns terrifying when the dentist chooses to enact his revenge upon the drunk driver responsible for his daughter’s death.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

CAST LIST

NARRATOR: The Narrator

BILL: The Survivalist

JEAN: Bill’s Wife

NEWS READER: Radio News Reader

ELSIE WHARTEN: Journalist

VICE ADMIRAL STANLEY WAITCHEK: Pentagon Spokesman

VOICE: Messenger

SFX ARTIST: Minimum one required

Act 1

SCENE 1: INT – BILL AND JEAN’S KITCHEN – AFTERNOON  (JEAN, BILL, NEWS READER, ELSIE WHARTEN)

1. MUSIC: OPENING THEME – LET IT FINISH.
2. SOUND: (WALLA) RADIO BEING TUNED IN – UNDER.
3. NARRATOR: (SPOOKY VOICE) “Be prepared”. That’s a great principle to live by. The cold war is gone, but it could come back. And there’s no point taking any chances. How prepared are you for the day when fiery death rains from the sky? In this story we visit with a couple who have made being prepared into something of their own personal creed.
4. JEAN: Bill, what are you doing? Bill?
5. BILL: (AT A DISTANCE) I’m in the nursery, assembling my new mini-gun.
6. JEAN: Bill, I really wish you wouldn’t call it the nursery. It’s your shed.
7. BILL: (AT A DISTANCE) Well, Jean, I didn’t nickname it that. Your sister did.
8. JEAN: Yes I know. She made that joke one time, fifteen years ago. Just because she said I was married to a toddler you’ve never let her back in the house.
9. BILL: (AT A DISTANCE) Darn straight. A pinko, commo, leftie like that doesn’t deserve to keep company with decent people like us.
10. JEAN: She’s the president of her chapter of the libertarian society.
11. BILL: (AT A DISTANCE) Yeah, well… that’s only a couple of letters short of being a liberal and I won’t have one in this house.
12. JEAN: (SIGHS) I don’t want to argue with you right now. Come and listen to this. Things seem to be hotting up in the pacific.
13. BILL: (AT A DISTANCE) Well hot darn! That’s great news.
14. JEAN: (SHOCKED) Bill!
15. SOUND: DOOR OPENS. – LET IT FINISH.
16. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS APPROACH – UNDER DIALOG
17. BILL: (APPROACHING) You know what I mean. We’ve gotta stand up to those Reds. First it’s those islands in the pacific, then they’ll be marching down Pennsylvania Avenue.
18. JEAN: Well, things are starting to sound serious, listen.
19. NEWS READER: We interrupt our usual musical presentation to bring you breaking news that talks between Washington and China over the disputed Pinnacle Islands have broken down. We cross now live to our Washington Correspondent, Elsie Wharten. Are you there Elsie? What’s happening on the ground?
20. ELSIE WHARTEN: Well Chuck, the Pentagon’s spokesman Vice Admiral Stanley Waitchek, has just informed the press corps that approximately one hour ago, Chinese officials walked out of talks with Washington negotiators.
21. Under normal circumstances this would not raise a great deal of concern. Walking out of negotiations has been a standard bargaining chip employed by Chinese diplomats over many years.
22. READER: So what’s different this time?
23. ELSIE: The Vice Admiral went on to explain that, without notifying anyone, the Chinese negotiators departed Washington and have been in the air, returning home to China, for some forty five minutes.
24. READER: That would be unprecedented wouldn’t it?
25. ELSIE: Yes, Chuck. Nothing like this has happened before and seems to mark a new low in Sino-U.S relations.
26. READER: And what is the Pentagon making of it?
27. ELSIE: Officially, Vice Admiral Waitcheck is confidently passing this off as a new form of negotiating tactic designed to delay a settlement regarding the islands, but sources of my own within the Pentagon are telling me that there are a lot of furrowed brows engaging in a lot of flurried diplomatic activity.
28. READER: Thanks Elsie. (BEAT) That was Elsie Wharten reporting live from the Pentagon Press room on the latest developments in the fraught negotiations with China over the disputed Pinnacle Islands.
29. SOUND: CLICK RADIO OFF – LET IT FINISH.
30. JEAN: Well, what do you think?
31. BILL: I think things are definitely heating up. We’d best check that we have everything in the bunker and make sure all the services are working; water filtration, air filtration, fuel and generators, etc. I’ll check we’ve got adequate food, guns and ammo.
32. JEAN: You really think it might come to that?
33. BILL: It’s better to be safe than sorry. And while we’ve got one of those lilly-livered limp-wristed bleeding heart liberals in the White House I reckon anything’s possible. Why, in my daddy’s day…
34. JEAN: Alright, alright. We don’t have time for another one of your rants. I’ve got the checklist right here. (BEAT) Do you think I should call my mother?
35. BILL: Heck no. No use scaring people. Besides, she’s on a pension.
36. JEAN: What’s that got to do with it?
37. BILL: So, I’m just saying she’s one of them lazy scroungers – if she’d planned for retirement when she was younger, if she’d been prepared…
38. JEAN: She worked her fingers to the bone her whole life, and always voted Republican. I’m not going to stand here and listen to you call her some kind of lazy “liberal” just because she’s collecting an entitlement.
39. BILL: (MUTTERING) Hmpf… (BEAT) It’s still an “entitlement”.
40. JEAN: What was that?
41. BILL: I said “turn the radio back on”.
42. JEAN: Sure.
43. SOUND: CLICK – LET IT FINISH
44. NEWS READER: And in further news, we’ve just received confirmation that a Chinese’ diplomatic aircraft, returning home from tense negotiations in Washington regarding the sovereignty of the Pinnacle Islands, has accidentally been shot down after straying into the no-fly zone created by the U.S. blockade around the islands themselves. The Pentagon has confirmed that the small passenger plane was destroyed by an F-14 Tomcat fighter after it repeatedly failed to respond to attempts to hail it and redirect its course.
45. JEAN: Oh goodness.
46. NEWS READER: Any moment now we expect Vice Admiral Waitcheck to address the press room about the Chinese response to this international incident. We cross now live to Elsie Wharten at the Pentagon for this report.
47. SOUND: (WALLA) EXCITED BACKGROUND CHATTER – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
48. ELSIE: Thanks Chuck. Behind me, Vice Admiral Stanley Waitcheck is about to address the gathered press corp. You can tell by the noise that numbers have swollen to the point where they can barely be contained by the venue.
49. SOUND: TAPPING ON MICROPHONE – LET IT FINISH.
50. VICE ADMIRAL WAITCHECK: (AHEM) Ladies and gentlemen. We are currently endeavouring to re-establish contact with the government of mainland China. As yet we have received no word on their response. We hope very shortly to bring you… (BEAT) Ladies and gentleman, I have just received word that… is this right?
51. VOICE: Yes sir.
52. WAITCHECK: And it’s been cleared for release?
53. VOICE: Yes sir.
54. WAITCHECK: (AHEM) I have just received word that mainland China has responded with a massive military mobilisation and launch of missiles. We can confirm that some hundreds of missiles are heading towards the continental United States even as we speak… they were launched… ago…this threat… response… forces deployed…
55. SOUND: STATIC AND STOP – LET IT FINISH.
56. BILL: (PANICKED) What? What just happened?
57. JEAN: Oh no, Bill. The batteries died in the radio. What’ll we do?
58. BILL: (ANGRY) Darn it Jean, how many times have I told you? You’ve got to be prepared. The batteries should be replaced after every 12 hours of continuous use.
59. JEAN: Oh, who can keep track of it all? I think there are some more in the cupboard… no wait, I think we ran out last week.
60. BILL: (ANGRIER) I can’t believe you sometimes. But there’s no time for that now. Grab the radio and let’s get down to the bunker.
61. JEAN: But surely if they’ve just launched we have time to…
62. BILL: No, we may have no time at all. The radio cut out just as they were telling us how long those birds have been in the air.
63. JEAN: What about the neighbours?
64. BILL: There’s no time. They’ll just have to fend for themselves.
65. JEAN: But…
66. BILL: There’s no time. They should have been prepared.
67. MUSIC: DRAMATIC SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.

SCENE 2: INT – THE BUNKER – LATER (BILL, JEAN, NEW READER)

68. SOUND: TWO SETS OF FEET HURRIEDLY DESCENDING METAL STAIRS – LET IT FINISH.
69. SOUND: HEAVY METAL DOOR CLOSING – LET IT FINISH.
70. SOUND: SWITCH BEING THROWN AND HUM OF ELECTRICITY – ESTABLISH AND UNER.
71. BILL: (OUT OF BREATH) There, we’re in the bunker. The batteries for the radio are on the shelf.
72. JEAN: Got them. What’s that big button you’ve added to the door.
73. BILL: Something new. It’s a magnetic time lock. Once we know the bombs are falling we can seal ourselves in here for the next twenty five years. No-one will be able to get in or out until the surface is safe again.
74. JEAN: Isn’t that a bit drastic? Oh wait… here’s the news.
75. NEWS READER – (NEAR TEARS) … and we can confirm we’ve lost Washington, Seattle, Chicago, and New York. At least one, possibly more missiles will strike us here in the next five minutes. Now is the time to gather with your loved ones and…
76. BILL: That’s it. I’m sealing us in.
77. SOUND: BEEP AND HISS OF COMPRESSION – UNDER.
78. BILL: There.
79. NEWSREADER: (UNDER BILL ABOVE (LINES 409-411)) …say your goodbyes. There is no time for evacuation and all the major highways are jammed. I’m sorry, this is the end… this is the…
80. SOUND: STATIC (UNDER)
81. JEAN: (CRYING) Oh no. Bill…
82. BILL: (CONFUSED) But there’s no boom. There should have been an earth shattering boom…
83. NEWSREADER: And so dear listeners we come to the end of this week’s modern dramatic adaptation of that famous end-of-the-world story by Neville Shute, “On the Beach”. Be sure to tune in next week for our next exciting episode.
84. MUSIC: TINNY RADIO SHOW THEME MUSIC – FADE OUT.
85. NARRATOR: I guess anyone can make a mistake, can’t they? But a twenty five year time-lock is going to take some getting used to. Ah well, we can only hope Bill and Jean enjoy each other’s company. Mwahahahahaha.
86. MUSIC: CLOSING THEME – LET IT FINISH.

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

NARRATOR: Hello, I am your spooky voiced narrator. I introduce the cold stormy nights on which our stories take place, the dark alleys, and darker personalities who inhabit the lonely city. It is my job to set the scene and establish the serious tone of suspense and intrigue that will carry the story forwards. I do this with a creepy laugh and ghoulish enthusiasm for the misery that is about to be unleashed upon the characters.

BILL: I know you think I’m nuts, but there are threats everywhere and I ain’t gonna be caught napping like them folks sitting around waiting for the “gummint” to give ’em their next welfare check.  I worked hard for what I got, and I ain’t afraid to protect it.  But if you think I’m gonna give you a helping hand when the time comes, you got another thing comin’.  I’m prepared.  I know better’n to think our enemies are gonna beat their guns into plowshares just ’cause lazy folks wants to make believe the world is full of hugs ‘n puppies.

JEAN: I’m tired of being scared all the tie, but I don’t think I know any other way.  Bill tells me we gotta be prepared.  Prepared to fight the commies.  Prepared to fend off our neighbours.  Prepared to protect what’s ours.  If I’m honest, I’m not sure people are as bad as he thinks.   Not everyone’s a communist in waiting, are they?  And most of my neighbours are pretty nice when I meet them down the street.  Liz’s boy at number 12 helped me get the sugar down off a high shelf at the grocery store last week and didn’t seem so bad… even if does have an ear-ring and wear those “death metal” t-shirts.  But if a war is declared, then I guess all this preparation will show that Bill’s been right all along.

NEWS READER: I’m the calm, thoughtful, reassuring voice of the daily news.  No matter how bad things get, I’m here to keep everyone calm and informed.

ELSIE WHARTEN: I’m a responsible journalist.  It’s my job to ferret out the news and follow a story to it’s finish.  It’s my job to make sure people know the truth.  Though, if I’ve got to bend the rules a little to get at the truth, then I’ll do that as well.  My job takes courage, but you’ve got to “speak truth to power” if the news is going to serve the public interest.

VICE ADMIRAL STANLEY WAITCHEK: I’m career military.  I did my time serving on some of the finest ships, and with some of the finest men an women on earth.  Now I’m stuck behind a desk, working in the white house.  Well, I do my duty wherever it leads ,and if that means fronting for mealy mouthed politicians, that’s what I do.  They still represent the people I swore to protect.

VOICE: I just deliver messages.  But now they’ve got me interrupting press-conferences.  All those cameras and recorders!  I just hope I don’t throw up all over my shoes.

###

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philip Craig Robotham grew up in a house full of books and has held numerous jobs as a teacher, computer programmer, graphic and web designer, e-learning consultant and, most recently, writer. He currently lives in Victoria, Australia with his wife and two sons. When he was younger and fitter he enjoyed martial arts, but in recent years his hobbies have tended towards more sedate fare (board games, movies, books, and role-playing games).

He is extremely grateful for the encouragement he receives from his biggest fans — his wife and two boys — all of whom read and enjoy his scripts and, in general, make his life worth living.

You can contact the author regarding performance rights (or simply to say hello) through his website: http://www.weirdworldstudios.com.

THE END

###

Don’t forget to check out the free sample portions of our titles at http://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/ .

This post and all its content is copyright © 2013 Philip Craig Robotham and has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. This play cannot be reproduced, shared, or performed commercially without the written permission of the author.  The production of derivative content, merchandise, or creative works and materials is expressly forbidden under this agreement. However you may share, reproduce, and perform this play freely so long as authorship is acknowledged, no money changes hands, and the play is not modified in any way.

The post Another Twist of the Tale – Episode 5 – The Bunker appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

EPISODE #4 – By Appointment

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover Illustration by Miyukiko

Unedited Draft

Copyright 2013 Philip Craig Robotham

Creative Commons Attritubution Non Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition .

This play is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) International license. This play may not be commercially reproduced, performed, or sold.   Non-commercial production, performance, and reproduction is allowed under this license so long as attribution is maintained.  No derivative content or use is allowed.  It can be freely shared in its current form (without change) under this license.  If you would like to purchase one or more copies of this work (for your own personal non-commercial use, or to help financially support the author) then please return to http://www.weirdworlstudios.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other works by this author can be found at the author’s website: http://www.weirdworldstudios.com or through select, online book retailers.

Episode 4: By Appointment

A toothache turns terrifying when the dentist chooses to enact his revenge upon the drunk driver responsible for his daughter’s death.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

CAST LIST

NARRATOR: The Narrator

DENTIST: Mr Summerville

PATIENT: Dental Patient

ASSISTANT: Dental Assistant

SFX ARTIST: Minimum one required

Act 1

SCENE 1: INT – DENTIST’S OFFICE (DENTIST, ASSISTANT, PATIENT)

1. MUSIC: OPENING THEME – LET IT FINISH.
2. SOUND: BUZZ OF DENTAL DRILL – LET IT FINISH
3. NARRATOR: (SPOOKY VOICE) Many of us experience a shudder when we hear the buzz of the dentist’s drill – a visceral and, dare I say it, primal surge of terror. I suppose it has something to do with the antiseptic surrounds, the smell, the bitter tang on the tongue and the helpless feeling while under the influence of the anaesthetic. Of course it may just be the noise itself; the vibration against the teeth. But mostly, I suspect, it’s the pain or its promise. Having once felt the touch of a nerve within a tooth, there are few who will ever again relish a trip to (BEAT) the Dentist.
4. SOUND: DRAMATIC CHORD – LET IT FINISH.
5. ASSISTANT: Mr Summerville, your 2:30 appointment is here.
6. DENTIST: Ah, thank you Miss Matchessky, I’ll take it from here.
7. ASSISTANT: But Mr Summerville, don’t you want me to assist?
8. DENTIST: No, no. That’s fine my dear. We’ve had patients right through your usual lunch break. Go and get a bite to eat. I’ll be fine.
9. ASSISTANT: Oh, thank you sir.
10. DENTIST: Not at all. (TO PATIENT) Now, you’re my 2:30 appointment, yes?
11. PATIENT: Yes, I’m…
12. DENTIST: Yes, yes. I know who you are. Come and take a seat in the chair and let’s get a look at your teeth.
13. PATIENT: Alright.
14. DENTIST: Comfortable?
15. PATIENT: Ahuh.
16. DENTIST: I’ll just adjust these straps over your wrists.
17. PATIENT: Um… is that necessary?
18. SOUND: STRAPS BEING TIGHTENED – UNDER.
19. DENTIST: It’s just a precaution. Some patient’s reflexes are such that probing areas of decay is quite risky to the practitioner. I once got a black eye that lasted two weeks from one of my patients. The poor man was terribly apologetic afterwards, but these days I prefer to take precautions.
20. PATIENT: Understandable of course, but…
21. DENTIST: Now tip your jaw back and let me have a look.
22. PATIENT: (MUFFLED – INDISTINCT) How’s that?
23. DENTIST: There we go. Now these braces will help keep your mouth open while we work. Let me know if they start to feel uncomfortable at all.
24. PATIENT: (MUFFLED – INDISTINCT) All right.
25. SOUND: PLINK OF PROBE PICKING AT TEETH – LET IT FINISH.
26. DENTIST: Oh dear. This doesn’t look good. I can see why you made the appointment.
27. PATIENT: (MUFFLED – INDISTINCT) Yeah.
28. DENTIST: I need to probe the tooth a moment… and it may hurt a bit. Ready?
29. PATIENT: (MUFFLED SHRIEK)
30. DENTIST: Yes, that’s a lot of decay. I’m going to have to give you a filling. Possibly more than one. But don’t worry the worst is over, for now.
31. PATIENT: (MUFFLED – INDISTINCT) For now?
32. DENTIST: I’ll give you some anaesthetic. You’ll be perfectly comfortable. Here comes the needle.
33. PATIENT: (MUFFLED – INDISTINCT) Whoah.
34. DENTIST: There you go. How does that feel?
35. PATIENT: (MUFFLED – INDISTINCT AND SLURRING) Okay.
36. DENTIST: Good. You know, dentists have to be careful about using anaesthetic on our clients, one slight slip with the needle and we could kill a nerve, or leave the face totally paralysed.
37. PATIENT: (MUFFLED – FRIGHTENED) What??
38. DENTIST: Oh, you needn’t be alarmed. Ending up paralysed is the least of your worries.
39. PATIENT: (MUFFLED – FRIGHTENED) But???
40. DENTIST: I’ve given you a larger dose than usual. It will keep the pain to a minimum. Better than what they did to my daughter.
41. PATIENT: (MUFFLED, SLURRING – CONFUSED) Your daughter?
42. DENTIST: Yes. She was in a car accident recently. A drunk driver ran a red light.
43. PATIENT: (MUFFLED, SLURRING – SYMPATHETIC) I’m sorry.
44. DENTIST: No. Don’t try to speak. (BEAT) Oh dear. I think this tooth is a little far gone. I’m going to have to take it out.
45. PATIENT: (MUFFLED – OBJECTING) No, I don’t…
46. DENTIST: I’m sorry. Hold still. (GRUNTS) Umph.
47. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
48. DENTIST: There we are. Hmmm. Your tongue is getting in the way a little. Let me just shift it a bit.
49. SOUND: SLICING SOUND – LET IT FINISH.
50. SOUND: SLAP OF SOMETHING WET LANDING IN TRAY.
51. PATIENT: (GURGLING SOUND) Arghle.
52. DENTIST: There that gives me a bit more room. Yes, as I was saying, my daughter was hit by a drunk driver. You may have heard of her, Jennifer McArdle? (BEAT) Yes, I know. McArdle is her married name. I’m not surprised you didn’t realise she was my daughter.
53. PATIENT: (GURGLING SOUND) Arghle. Ack.
54. DENTIST: It looks like you’ve got another couple of teeth that need removal, Mr Jefferies. Hold still. (GRUNTS) Ungh.
55. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
56. PATIENT: (PANICKED GURGLE) Argh. Aaaargh.
57. DENTIST: There. She died very slowly Mr Jefferies. Very painfully. They couldn’t even give her anaesthetic. (GRUNTS) Ungh.
58. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
59. PATIENT: (PLEADING WHIMPER)
60. DENTIST: It’s interesting that you have the same last name as the driver, don’t you think? (BEAT) I should probably tell you about him. He’s a very wealthy man. Expensive car. Expensive house. (GRUNTS) Ungh.
61. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
62. PATIENT: (PLEADING WHIMPER)
63. DENTIST: He could pay for a very good lawyer. Walked away with just a fine. (GRUNTS) Ungh.
64. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
65. PATIENT: (PLEADING WHIMPER)
66. DENTIST: (GRUNTS) Ungh.
67. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
68. DENTIST: (GRUNTS) Ungh.
69. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
70. DENTIST: You can imagine how angry that made me feel, can’t you Mr Jefferies?
71. PATIENT: (SHRIEK OF TERROR – MUFFLED)
72. DENTIST: Oh dear, it looks like your lips are getting in the way.
73. PATIENT: (SHRIEK OF TERROR – MUFFLED)
74. SOUND: BRIEF FRANTIC STRAINING AT STRAPS – LET IT FINISH.
75. DENTIST: Now, now. Mr Jeffries you don’t want to strain so hard. You’ll do yourself an injury. Now hold still while I cut away…
76. PATIENT: (SHRIEKS – MUFFLED)
77. SOUND: SLICING SOUND – UNDER SHRIEK – LET IT FINISH.
78. PATIENT: (SHRIEKS AGAIN – MUFFLED)
79. SOUND: SLICING SOUND – UNDER SHRIEK – LET IT FINISH.
80. SOUND: TWO SPLATS IN TRAY – LET THEM FINISH.
81. DENTIST: Dear, dear. You are something of a bleeder, aren’t you Mr Jeffries? I’ll just apply some suction.
82. SOUND: DENTAL SUCTION BEING APPLIED – LET IT FINISH.
83. DENTIST: Ah that’s better. I can see your remaining teeth much more clearly now.
84. PATIENT: (BRIEF WET COUGHING)
85. DENTIST: Looks like there’s still a bit of blood in your throat. A bit more suction’s needed I think.
86. PATIENT: (CHOKING AS SUCTION APPLIED)
87. SOUND: SUCTION – UNDER CHOKING.
88. DENTIST: There, I’d hate for you to die in my chair.
89. PATIENT: (TERRIFIED WHIMPER)
90. DENTIST: You see… (GRUNTS) Ungh…
91. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
92. DENTIST: (GRUNTS) Ungh…
93. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
94. DENTIST: I want you to live a long life, Mr Jefferies, disfigured, and a horror to everyone who sees you. (BEAT) The time I spend in jail (GRUNTS) Ungh…
95. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
96. DENTIST: Will be more than compensated for by the knowledge you will never speak again, never chew solid food, and never present people with a smile. (GRUNTS) Ungh.
97. SOUND: TINK OF TOOTH GOING INTO TRAY – LET IT FINISH.
98. DENTIST: A fitting revenge upon my daughter’s killer, don’t you think?
99. SOUND: (FROM A DISTANCE) DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES – LET IT FINISH.
100. ASSISTANT: (FROM A DISTANCE) Mr Summerville, I’m back.
101. SOUND: MISC. ARRIVAL SOUNDS FROM NEXT ROOM
102. ASSISTANT: I forgot to mention this earlier. Mr Jefferies rescheduled his appointment for tomorrow, but I managed to give the appointment to Mr Wentworth. (APPROACHING) It was a lucky thing he called for an emergency… Oh my… (SCREAMS) Aaargh.
103. MUSIC: DRAMATIC CHORD – LET IT FINISH.
104. NARRATOR: (SPOOKY VOICE) And so our story ends… but don’t let our creepy little fiction frighten you too much. The Dentist is there for your health, not your horror, however helpless you may feel in the chair. In fact you may have need of him very soon or was that twinge in your teeth simply a figment of your imagination? Mwahahahahaha…
105. MUSIC: CLOSING THEME – LET IT FINISH.

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

NARRATOR: Hello, I am your spooky voiced narrator. I introduce the cold stormy nights on which our stories take place, the dark alleys, and darker personalities who inhabit the lonely city. It is my job to set the scene and establish the serious tone of suspense and intrigue that will carry the story forwards. I do this with a creepy laugh and ghoulish enthusiasm for the misery that is about to be unleashed upon the characters.

DENTIST: I’m your friendly family dentist.  I am warm and caring, careful to help the kids relax, fully aware of how awful a trip to the dentist can be.  But I want you to come back and protect your teeth, so I try to make it as lacking in trauma as possible.  Sadly, I recently lost my daughter to a drunk driver.   We’re recovering, but what I wouldn’t like to do to the person responsible!

PATIENT: I’m in pain.  I have a terrible toothache and I’m just so happy that this emergency appointment came up.  I just hope the dentist isn’t the talkative type.  I hate trying to answer questions with someone fingers in my mouth.

ASSISTANT: I’m a little forgetful and always in a bit of a rush.  I’ve got a good boss though, and he happily overlooks it when a detail or two regarding our patients happens to slip my mind.

###

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philip Craig Robotham grew up in a house full of books and has held numerous jobs as a teacher, computer programmer, graphic and web designer, e-learning consultant and, most recently, writer. He currently lives in Victoria, Australia with his wife and two sons. When he was younger and fitter he enjoyed martial arts, but in recent years his hobbies have tended towards more sedate fare (board games, movies, books, and role-playing games).

He is extremely grateful for the encouragement he receives from his biggest fans — his wife and two boys — all of whom read and enjoy his scripts and, in general, make his life worth living.

You can contact the author regarding performance rights (or simply to say hello) through his website: http://www.weirdworldstudios.com.

THE END

###

Don’t forget to check out the free sample portions of our titles at http://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/ .

This post and all its content is copyright © 2013 Philip Craig Robotham and has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. This play cannot be reproduced, shared, or performed commercially without the written permission of the author.  The production of derivative content, merchandise, or creative works and materials is expressly forbidden under this agreement. However you may share, reproduce, and perform this play freely so long as authorship is acknowledged, no money changes hands, and the play is not modified in any way.

The post Another Twist of the Tale – Episode 4 – By Apointment appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

EPISODE #3 – Eye of the Beholder

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover Illustration by Miyukiko

Unedited Draft

Copyright 2013 Philip Craig Robotham

Creative Commons Attritubution Non Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition .

This play is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) International license. This play may not be commercially reproduced, performed, or sold.   Non-commercial production, performance, and reproduction is allowed under this license so long as attribution is maintained.  No derivative content or use is allowed.  It can be freely shared in its current form (without change) under this license.  If you would like to purchase one or more copies of this work (for your own personal non-commercial use, or to help financially support the author) then please return to http://www.weirdworlstudios.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other works by this author can be found at the author’s website: http://www.weirdworldstudios.com or through select, online book retailers.

Episode 3: Eye of the Beholder

Peter, a man struggling to cope with reality, visits his psychiatrist, blissfully unaware of the reality that is being kept hidden from him by these trusted health professionals.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

CAST LIST

NARRATOR: The Narrator

PETER: A man struggling to cope with reality

DR HARVESTER: A psychiatrist

DR SLAUGHTER: Dr Harvester’s supervisor

SFX ARTIST: Minimum one required

Act 1

SCENE 1: INT – DR HARVESTER’S OFFICE (PETER, DR HARVESTER)

1. MUSIC: OPENING THEME – LET IT FINISH.
2. SOUND: SOFT CLASSICAL MUSIC – ESTABLISH AND UNDER.
3. NARRATOR: (SPOOKY VOICE) The brain is an amazing organ. It contains untold millions of cells making millions of connections, constantly renewing itself and interpreting the world for us. But the line between sanity and madness is very thin and even the healthiest brain sometimes has reason to question its experiences…
4. PETER: Hi, Dr Harvester. Thanks for seeing me at such short notice.
5. DR. HARVESTER: Not at all Peter. Come in. Please sit on the couch.
6. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS. CREAK OF COUCH – LET IT FINISH.
7. DR HARVESTER: What can I do for you today, Peter?
8. PETER: Well, it’s going to sound a little strange.
9. DR HARVESTER: I’m a psychiatrist, Peter. I promise you that there is nothing you can say that will seem strange.
10. PETER: Well, it’s like this. It’s a feeling that’s been growing on my mind. A sense that the world is vaguely wrong. As if nothing in it is real except me. I keep expecting to turn around and find everything has disappeared. As if the world only exists while I’m looking at it.
11. DR HARVESTER: Oh, Peter, you have nothing to worry about. Everybody feels like this from time to time. Usually at times of high stress.
12. PETER: So I’m not going mad?
13. DR HARVESTER: No, I don’t think so. Let me ask you a few questions. How are you sleeping at the moment?
14. PETER: I’ve had a few restless nights, why?
15. DR HARVESTER: Any major deadlines at work?
16. PETER: Of course. We’ve been very busy with the Sallinger Account. The new software is almost ready to go into production.
17. DR HARVESTER: And I’m guessing you’re working a lot of late nights?
18. PETER: Yes.
19. DR HARVESTER: Which would also mean you’ve been tempted to skip meals, eat at odd hours, and miss out on your usual amount of exercise?
20. PETER: Well, when you put it like that…
21. DR HARVESTER: Don’t be embarrassed Peter, it’s a perfectly normal reaction to stress during a busy time.
22. PETER: But… it feels so strange – as if I’m disconnected from things.
23. DR HARVESTER: How’s your imagination, Peter?
24. PETER: I’m sorry?
25. DR HARVESTER: Your imagination? How is it?
26. PETER: It’s fine, obviously, but what’s that got to do with…?
27. DR HARVESTER: Peter, you are obviously concerned that you are going mad. Some people think that imagination is the heart of delusion, but I am personally of the opinion that a healthy imagination is a key indicator of sanity.
28. PETER: How so?
29. DR HARVESTER: Imagination lets you see beyond yourself. The healthy person can put themselves into the shoes of others by exercising their imaginative faculties. They can see possibilities beyond themselves. The sick individual draws a narrow circle of possibilities around themselves and locks him or herself within it.
30. PETER: I’m not sure I understand your point.
31. DR HARVESTER: Let me give you an example. Take, for instance, the man who thinks he is persecuted. It does no good to try and persuade him that you are not his enemy. After all, that would be just the kind of thing a real enemy might say in order to get past one’s guard. Do you see what I mean?
32. PETER: Ummm?
33. DR HARVESTER: Alright, let me put it this way… The sick person is chained up by certainty. For example, the paranoid man is convinced people are out to get him, every conclusion he reaches is perfectly logical within the assumptions he allows himself. But he is trapped. Trapped by his inability to imagine a broader world. One in which everyone he meets is not his enemy.
34. PETER: Ah. I think I start to see it.
35. DR HARVESTER: Your concerns arise out of uncertainty. If you were mad, you would be certain the world around you is not real. Instead of opening yourself to wider possibilities you would close the door on a healthy understanding of reality. Do you see?
36. PETER: Why yes, Dr. I think I do.
37. DR HARVESTER: So, Peter. Are you feeling a bit happier about things?
38. PETER: Yes, Dr. Harvester. It’s a weight off my mind.
39. DR HARVESTER: I’m glad to hear it. How much longer will your current work situation last?
40. PETER: I’m not sure. The deadline for the Sallinger account is next week. After that, I’m not sure how the next project will look.
41. DR HARVESTER: Then, Peter, I suggest you give yourself a little rest. Go for a run. Get some sleep. Take a short break. It will do you a world of good.
42. PETER: Yes, Dr. That’s good advice. You’ve been a real help.
43. DR HARVESTER: Think nothing of it. Be sure to see my secretary on your way out to set another appointment.
44. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE TRANSITION – LET IT FINISH

SCENE 2 – INT – CONFERENCE ROOM (DR HARVESTER, DR SLAUGHTER)

45. SOUND: HOSPITAL HUM – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
46. SOUND: DOOR SLIDES OPEN AND SKITTERING FOOTSTEPS ENTER – LET IT FINISH.
47. DR SLAUGHTER: (CHITTERING ALIEN VOICE) Ah, Dr Harvester. How did it go?
48. DR HARVESTER: (CHITTERING ALIEN VOICE) Good evening Dr Slaughter. I think it went very well thank you. Peter no longer believes the world we have constructed for him is artificial. I would suggest we reduce the level of adrenaline we are feeding into his body though.
49. DR SLAUGHTER: Was that the reason he nearly woke up?
50. DR HARVESTER: Yes. The fantasy world we created for him was starting to fracture under the strain we were placing on his body. I think a slightly lower dose will reduce the risk of him coming out of the coma while keeping his body in the condition we need it to remain.
51. DR SLAUGHTER: Agreed. (BEAT) It never ceases to amaze me how well adapted to our purposes these humans are.
52. DR HARVESTER: Yes, I know. All their senses are mediated through their brains. Create a signal in their brains and they believe it is reality. Of all the races we’ve invaded, these have been the easiest to conquer. They are so easy to breed and they make such perfect hosts. It’s almost as if they were custom made to serve us.
53. DR SLAUGHTER: Speaking of which, how is Patient XV37’s batch of eggs?
54. DR HARVESTER: You don’t like the designation “Peter”?
55. DR SLAUGHTER: I find it easier to use the numbers. It minimises the chance that I will form any unnecessary attachments to them.
56. DR HARVESTER: I quite understand. The eggs we implanted in his comatose body are growing well. We should get a crop of some one hundred hatchlings from him.
57. DR SLAUGHTER: And the humans make such a fine source of food for each new brood. It’s such a pity they all wake up during the hatching.
58. DR HARVESTER: Why is that?
59. DR SLAUGHTER: Oh, don’t get me wrong. I’m not concerned for their pain. It’s just that the rush of chemicals that results when they wake up and realise what is happening to them has a tendency to spoil the flavour of the meat.
60. DR HARVESTER: Really? I rather like the taste myself.
61. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINSIH.
62. NARRATOR: (SPOOKY VOICE) Ah well. Poor Peter. Trapped in a dream until the hatching when he at last, however briefly, will awake from the perfectly crafted world in which he currently slumbers. Take comfort, dear listener in the certainty that you, at least, know what is real. There is no chance that the things you hear, and feel, and see, smell, and taste, are just the result of the signals passing through your brain. Is there? Mwahahahaha.
63. MUSIC: CLOSING THEME – LET IT FINISH

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

NARRATOR: Hello, I am your spooky voiced narrator. I introduce the cold stormy nights on which our stories take place, the dark alleys, and darker personalities who inhabit the lonely city. It is my job to set the scene and establish the serious tone of suspense and intrigue that will carry the story forwards. I do this with a creepy laugh and ghoulish enthusiasm for the misery that is about to be unleashed upon the characters.

PETER: I just can’t shake this feeling that there’s something wrong with the world.  Maybe it’s just natural paranoia, but I can’t quite shake it.  It’s a good thing I’ve got Dr Harvester to turn to.  He’s always been so supportive and able to talk me through things when I start feeling like this.

DR HARVESTER: I’m cold and analytical (sociopathic even, at least by human standards) but I can fake warmth when dealing with my “clients”.  It’s my job to keep the calm, happy (docile even).  They must never be allowed to suspect the truth.

DR SLAUGHTER: I’m also cold and analytical (and just as alien as Dr Harvester).  It’s my job to surpervise Dr Havester’s work and make sure everything is going to schedule.  I never have to fake any warmth, so I don’t.

###

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philip Craig Robotham grew up in a house full of books and has held numerous jobs as a teacher, computer programmer, graphic and web designer, e-learning consultant and, most recently, writer. He currently lives in Victoria, Australia with his wife and two sons. When he was younger and fitter he enjoyed martial arts, but in recent years his hobbies have tended towards more sedate fare (board games, movies, books, and role-playing games).

He is extremely grateful for the encouragement he receives from his biggest fans — his wife and two boys — all of whom read and enjoy his scripts and, in general, make his life worth living.

You can contact the author regarding performance rights (or simply to say hello) through his website: http://www.weirdworldstudios.com.

THE END

###

Don’t forget to check out the free sample portions of our titles at http://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/ .

This post and all its content is copyright © 2013 Philip Craig Robotham and has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. This play cannot be reproduced, shared, or performed commercially without the written permission of the author.  The production of derivative content, merchandise, or creative works and materials is expressly forbidden under this agreement. However you may share, reproduce, and perform this play freely so long as authorship is acknowledged, no money changes hands, and the play is not modified in any way.

The post Another Twist of the Tale – Episode 3 – Eye of the Beholder appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

EPISODE #2 – The Elixir

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover Illustration by Miyukiko

Unedited Draft

Copyright 2013 Philip Craig Robotham

Creative Commons Attritubution Non Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition .

This play is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) International license. This play may not be commercially reproduced, performed, or sold.   Non-commercial production, performance, and reproduction is allowed under this license so long as attribution is maintained.  No derivative content or use is allowed.  It can be freely shared in its current form (without change) under this license.  If you would like to purchase one or more copies of this work (for your own personal non-commercial use, or to help financially support the author) then please return to http://www.weirdworlstudios.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other works by this author can be found at the author’s website: http://www.weirdworldstudios.com or through select, online book retailers.

Episode 2: The Elixir

Young gun, Jimmy Saturn, has heard of Dr Lemuel, the old man camped just outside of town who has, among his wares, a special elixir to sell.  He’s heard it can make you the fastest gun in the west and intends to make a name for himself by going up against Kid Marvin, the current holder of that title.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

CAST LIST

NARRATOR: The Narrator

DR LEMUEL: A snake oil salesman with a dark secret

JIMMY SATURN: A young sociopath looking to make a name for himself as a gunfighter.

SFX ARTIST: Minimum one required

ACT 1

SCENE 1: EXT – DR LEMUEL’S CAMP BESIDE HIS ALL-PURPOSE ELIXIR AND HEALTH TONIC WAGON – NIGHT (NARRATOR, DR LEMUEL, JIMMY SATURN)

1. MUSIC: OPENING THEME – LET IT FINISH.
2. NARRATOR: (SPOOKY VOICE) In the Old West of the 1890s a hard breed of man developed. These men called themselves shootists, though today we’d call them gunslingers. They were men for whom life was cheap and the skills that mattered most were quickness on the draw and a steady aim. They were killers for hire and they became legends. Their stories, however, were often embroidered and far more fanciful than reality would allow. This story begins at a campfire a mile or two outside Prospect Gulch.
3. SOUND: (BACKGROUND) CRICKETS, CAMPFIRE, OCCASIONAL OWL – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
4. JIMMY SATURN: Hey Mister? Hey, are you Dr Lemuel, the travelling health tonic salesman?
5. DR LEMUEL: That’s me. You sound kinda young, son. Maybe you should come into the firelight where I can see you and we can talk.
6. JIMMY: Uh, yes sir. Sorry Mister.
7. SOUND: JIMMY APPROACHES – LET IT FINISH.
8. DR LEMUEL: Now, what can I do for you son?
9. JIMMY: I saw your wagon roll into town this morning and I was down at the saloon when I overheard some folks say you had some elixir to sell.
10. DR LEMUEL: That’s right son, I do; Dr Lemuel’s all-purpose elixir and health tonic.
11. JIMMY: Well actually… well…
12. DR LEMUEL: Spit it out son.
13. JIMMY : Well sir, you see… I heard that…
14. DR LEMUEL: Yes…
15. JIMMY: I heard that you had something else in your wagon. Something special.
16. DR LEMUEL: I see.
17. JIMMY: Yes sir.
18. DR LEMUEL: You heard Kid Marvin was coming to town, didn’t you?
19. JIMMY: That’s right.
20. DR LEMUEL: And you plan on going up against him with a gun? Making a name for yourself as a shootist?
21. JIMMY: (EXCITED) Yes, sir. You’ve got it.
22. DR LEMUEL: And just what do you think I can do to assist you Mr… uh?
23. JIMMY: Saturn. My name’s Jimmy Saturn.
24. DR LEMUEL: That ain’t your real name though, now is it?
25. JIMMY: (EMBARRASSED) No sir. But it’s the one I chose. I reckon it’s a good name and it’ll look mighty fine on the cover of them dime novels.
26. DR LEMUEL: So it’s fame you want, is it? And you think I can help you get it?
27. JIMMY: Well, back at the saloon, I heard some of the fellas talking. They said that, if a man had a mind to make a name for himself when Kid Marvin came to town… well… that you sold a special elixir, one that would turn a man into the fastest gun in the west.
28. DR LEMUEL: That’s true, but there’s no way I’d sell it to the likes of you.
29. JIMMY: Why not?
30. DR LEMUEL: That elixir will make a man fast and accurate, the fastest and most accurate in the entire west (if only for a day), but it won’t turn a man into a killer. It takes something more than speed and accuracy to kill a man in cold blood. I’d just be sending you to your death.
31. JIMMY: But I can do it. I’m a stone cold killer.
32. DR LEMUEL: (UNCONVINCED LAUGHER) Heh. Are you son? You’re little more than a boy with stars in his eyes from reading too many dime novels. A killer has to look a man in the eyes, has to spill his blood without hesitating, without worrying about the right or wrong of it. A killer has to be able to walk away and sleep at night without being troubled by the things he’s done. Is that you son?
33. JIMMY: How about if I tell you a secret? Something nobody knows?
34. DR LEMUEL: Alright son.
35. JIMMY: You can’t tell anybody. You have to swear it.
36. DR LEMUEL: Alright, I swear.
37. JIMMY: Well mister, when I was young, me and Bessy-May would play out near the prairie’s edge. She was the store keeper’s daughter and he thought of himself as an important man in town. He wouldn’t let Bessy play with the likes of me so we used to keep it secret.
38. DR LEMUEL: Ahuh.
39. JIMMY: Anyways, one day we was out, just fooling around like, when we came upon an old burned out stage coach. Probably hit by bandits or some such. Inside were some skeletons and a big old iron trunk. I was real curious but Bessy was scared. She wanted to go home.
40. I bet her she’d be too afraid to get inside the trunk with the skeleton’s so close, and she was, but I kept teasing her and eventually she wanted to prove me wrong. At the last second she tried to back out of it and I pushed her inside and jammed the lid shut. It was only meant to be for a minute or so, but as I sat there listening to her shriek and scream I got to thinking. If I let her out, she was pretty sure to tell her pappy what I’d done. She’d tell him and then there’d be heck to pay.
41. DR LEMUEL: So you left her there, Jimmy? In that burned out stage amidst the skeletons? You left her stuck in that trunk?
42. JIMMY: I surely did, Dr Lemuel. And I never lost a lick of sleep over it. So you see, I can be a killer, because I already am one.
43. DR LEMUEL: You know Jimmy, I believe you’re right. I’ll sell you that elixir. But you remember my warning. You have to be fast, and you have to be accurate, but more than that you have to be willing to kill; Kid Marvin is all those things. This tonic will make you faster and more accurate than him, but you’ll have to do the rest on your own.
44. JIMMY: I understand. Here’s a silver dollar. Is that enough?
45. DR LEMUEL: More than enough. Here, you’ll want to drink it right away. I hear Kid Marvin will be arriving in town tonight.
46. JIMMY: (GULPNG ELIXIR) How long does it last?
47. DR LEMUEL: Maybe twenty four hours so you won’t want to wait too long. You’ll start feeling the difference in a minute.
48. JIMMY: Hey, yeah. I do feel… something. I feel like it’s getting harder to… URK (COUGHING AND CHOKING). What have you done old man…? (MORE CHOKING) I’m gonna…
49. SOUND: BODY DROP – LET IT FINISH.
50. DR LEMUEL: No son, you’re not gonna do anything. Not ever again. You see, those dime novels, like me, never quite tell the truth.
    I should probably introduce myself properly. My name’s Lemuel Marvin, also known as Kid Marvin (though no-one calls me by that name any more; these days I’m Doctor Lemuel) and I’ve been travelling from town to town for years, and everywhere I go I spread the story of Kid Marvin and the secret elixir. Sometimes I don’t find anyone worthy of it. In that case I just play on the local’s stupidity and sell a load of my all-purpose elixir. But occasionally, on a night like tonight, someone comes looking for the secret elixir. If they turn out to just be some dumb kid looking for a name, I talk ‘em out of it. But if they turn out to be someone like you. A killer. Do you know what I do? (BEAT) I let ‘em have the elixir. It’s full of arsenic and some special ingredients of my own. It does the job nice and quick. Then you know what I do? I put a gun in their hands and, taking my own gun, I shoot em between the eyes like this.
51. SOUND: GUNSHOT – LET IT FINISH.
52. DR LEMUEL: And then…? Well. then I tell the local Sheriff about how I saw Kid Marvin ride through, and how I saw you draw on him. “Darnedest thing I ever saw”, I tell him.
53. You were fast, real fast. But Kid Marvin was faster.
54. And then I tell the Sheriff how I saw Marvin ride on out, his legend just that little bit bigger. You’ll be famous, like you wanted after all… as one of the many who tried to kill Kid Marvin, and failed.
55. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE ENDER – LET IT FINISH.
56. NARRATOR: (SPOOKY VOICE) And so our story comes to its close. Don’t believe what you read in the pages of those adventure stories of old, they were rarely exactly what they seemed. And don’t go hunting for fame and fortune without a conscience. You just might find it. Mwahahaha.
57. MUSIC: CLOSING THEME – LET IT FINISH.

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

NARRATOR: Hello, I am your spooky voiced narrator. I introduce the cold stormy nights on which our stories take place, the dark alleys, and darker personalities who inhabit the lonely city. It is my job to set the scene and establish the serious tone of suspense and intrigue that will carry the story forwards. I do this with a creepy laugh and ghoulish enthusiasm for the misery that is about to be unleashed upon the characters.

DR LEMUEL: I’m an old man selling snake-oil remedies in the old west.  I travel from town to town, sell my remedies where I can, and swap stories of Kid Marvin, the fastest gun in the west.  Everywhere I go, there’s always someone who wants to buy my “special” elixir – an elixir that will make you the fastest gun in the west.

JIMMY SATURN: I’m gonna be famous.  I’ve got the heart of stone cold killer, and I reckon, with the help of some elixir, I’ll make my name gunning down Kid Marvin.  That is, I’ll do it if’n I can get the old man to part with his elixir.

###

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philip Craig Robotham grew up in a house full of books and has held numerous jobs as a teacher, computer programmer, graphic and web designer, e-learning consultant and, most recently, writer. He currently lives in Victoria, Australia with his wife and two sons. When he was younger and fitter he enjoyed martial arts, but in recent years his hobbies have tended towards more sedate fare (board games, movies, books, and role-playing games).

He is extremely grateful for the encouragement he receives from his biggest fans — his wife and two boys — all of whom read and enjoy his scripts and, in general, make his life worth living.

You can contact the author regarding performance rights (or simply to say hello) through his website: http://www.weirdworldstudios.com.

THE END

###

Don’t forget to check out the free sample portions of our titles at http://weirdworldstudios.com/product-category/our-products/ .

This post and all its content is copyright © 2013 Philip Craig Robotham and has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. This play cannot be reproduced, shared, or performed commercially without the written permission of the author.  The production of derivative content, merchandise, or creative works and materials is expressly forbidden under this agreement. However you may share, reproduce, and perform this play freely so long as authorship is acknowledged, no money changes hands, and the play is not modified in any way.

The post Another Twist of the Tale – Episode 2 – The Elixir appeared first on Host Your Own Old Time Radio Drama.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

EPISODE #1 – I HATE YOU FRANK!

by Philip Craig Robotham

Cover Illustration by Miyukiko

Unedited Draft

Copyright 2013 Philip Craig Robotham

Creative Commons Attritubution Non Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) Edition .

This play is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) International license. This play may not be commercially reproduced, performed, or sold.   Non-commercial production, performance, and reproduction is allowed under this license so long as attribution is maintained.  No derivative content or use is allowed.  It can be freely shared in its current form (without change) under this license.  If you would like to purchase one or more copies of this work (for your own personal non-commercial use, or to help financially support the author) then please return to http://www.weirdworlstudios.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Other works by this author can be found at the author’s website: http://www.weirdworldstudios.com or through select, online book retailers.

Episode 1: I hate you Frank!

World weary Detective, Joe Wilson, finds his world turned upside down on discovering the ghost of his good for nothing brother-in-law, Frank, sitting in his car waiting to ask for his help in solving his own murder.

ANOTHER TWIST OF THE TALE

CAST LIST

NARRATOR: The Narrator

JOE: World weary hard-boiled detective

FRANK: Homicidal killer hiding in the woods (only one line).

KILLER: Our heroine and reporter

SFX ARTIST: Minimum one required

ACT 1

SCENE 1: INT – JOE’S CAR DRIVING ON ROAD (FRANK THE GHOST, JOE THE HARDBOILED DETECTIVE)

1. MUSIC: OPENING THEME – LET IT FINISH.
2. SOUND: (WALLA) CAR ENGINE IN BACKGROUND – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
3. NARRATOR: (SPOOKY VOICE) A Police Detective is called upon to deal with many strange occurrences in the line of duty. But for Joe Birkus, this evening’s work is strange by any stretch of the imagination… for beside him in his car sits the ghost of his deceased brother in law, Frank.
4. JOE: (RESIGNED AND WORLD WEARY) I hate you, Frank.
5. FRANK: But Joey, buddy. I’m your pal, your boon companion.
6. JOE: No. You were my sister’s husband. In all the time I knew you there wasn’t one single bad situation that you didn’t make worse just by showing up. Kerry loved you (God only knows why). She married you, and I put up with you for her sake, but now even that doesn’t matter.
7. FRANK: Is that a nice thing to say? We made vows.
8. JOE: Your vows to Kerry were until death do you part. You died. She’s well shot of you.
9. FRANK: I thought you said you didn’t believe in ghosts.
10. JOE: Yeah, well… that was until I found one sitting in my car. It’s kind of changed my perspective.
11. FRANK: Yeah, I can see how that might happen. Hey Joey, you might want to take a left up ahead.
12. JOE: Okay.
13. FRANK: So… How was the funeral? Lots of people, were there?
14. JOE: There were three.
15. FRANK: Three? What about all my pals?
16. JOE: Pals? You don’t have any pals. Just creditors and marks.
17. FRANK: Well that might be true but you probably shouldn’t say it. It’s not good to speak ill of the dead.
18. JOE: I hate you.
19. FRANK: Come on Joey, who was came to see me off?
20. JOE: I was there, Kerry was there, and some big guy in a suit. That’s all.
21. FRANK: Hat jammed down low? Face kind of squashed in… like he’d been hit in the puss with a steam train?
22. JOE: Yeah, that’s the one. Who was he?
23. FRANK: (SIGHS) Creditor.
24. JOE: Figures. He didn’t represent any bank though, did he?
25. FRANK: Nah. But at least he didn’t put the hard word on Kerry.
26. JOE: Yeah, just as well. (BEAT) So… how’d it happen?
27. FRANK: What?
28. JOE: Your death?
29. FRANK: I told you before. There are rules about these things. I can’t tell you who killed me, I can only show you.
30. JOE: Who makes these rules? You haven’t stopped talking since we got in the car. In your entire life I can’t remember a single time you kept a secret. It was like every thought that passed through your head had to come out your mouth.
31. FRANK: Again, it’s probably true but you really shouldn’t say it.
32. JOE: You’ve been blathering on about everything else, so, why can’t you tell me this?
33. FRANK: I ain’t allowed. I don’t know why. It’s just one of those cosmic laws you hear about… and I can’t break it… kind of like a union thing.
34. JOE: A union thing? (BEAT) Being dead hasn’t made you any smarter.
35. FRANK: Hey!
36. JOE: Come on, you said it wasn’t that far and I’m getting dangerously low on juice. Let’s just solve your murder so I can go home.
37. FRANK: That’s the spirit (metaphorically speaking). Stay on the highway for about another twenty minutes and then we’ll hit a turn.
38. JOE: Twenty minutes? We’ll be out of fuel before then.
39. FRANK: You’ll be fine until we make the turn and there’s a gas station on the corner. Trust me…
40. MUSIC: NEUTRAL SCENE TRANSITION – LET IT FINISH

SCENE 2 – EXT – IN FRONT OF GAS STATION
(JOE, FRANK)

41. SOUND: NIGHT NOISES – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
42. SOUND: CAR DOORS CLOSE – LET IT FINISH.
43. JOE: I hate you, Frank. (BEAT) “A gas station”, you said!
44. FRANK: Yeah, well, it is a gas station. See the sign. “Gas station”.
45. JOE: This gas station has been closed for twenty years. It’s the middle of the night and now, thanks to you, I’m in the middle of nowhere and I’ve run out of gas.
46. FRANK: Don’t be like that. It was an honest mistake. I remembered the station. I just remembered wrong about it being open is all.
47. JOE: And to think for a minute there I almost believed you might have a half-useful idea in that coconut of yours.
48. FRANK: What? You thought I might have some special mystical insight or something?
49. JOE: Yeah, something like that.
50. FRANK: If I didn’t understand much when I was alive, what makes you think I’d understand things any better now I’m dead?
51. JOE: More fool me.
52. FRANK: (BEAT)Hey, Joey?
53. JOE: Yeah.
54. FRANK: We gonna keep going or what?
55. JOE: Like I’ve got a choice.
56. FRANK: Thanks Joey, you’re a pal.
57. JOE: I’m a cop. It’s got nothing to do with you. I just want to get this killer so no-one else gets hurt.
58. FRANK: Yeah, Okay, whatever you say.
59. SOUND: FOOTSTEPS ON GRAVEL – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
60. FRANK: Hey? Hey Joey?
61. JOE: What?
62. FRANK: I was just thinking.
63. JOE: Don’t strain yourself.
64. FRANK: No, seriously. I was just thinking, what would the boys downtown say if they could see you talking with a ghost?
65. JOE: That isn’t ever going to happen.
66. FRANK: Why not? After this is all over I could work for the police force, become like a psychic consultant. We could be partners.
67. JOE: You and I aren’t even friends. You think I’d want us to be partners? Besides, one word about this and I’d be on psychiatric leave without pay. And anyway, I thought this was all about laying your soul to rest. If everything goes right, you won’t even be around anymore.
68. FRANK: Yeah, sure. I kind of forgot for a minute. I bet you’ll miss me when I’m gone.
69. JOE: With every darned bullet.
70. FRANK: Don’t be like that. I died you know. Have some respect.
71. JOE: What was that like? Dying?
72. FRANK: It hurt. A lot.
73. JOE: Yeah, your body was found chopped into pieces.
74. FRANK: Yeah, I don’t even want to think about that.
75. JOE: Alright. What about afterwards? What’s on the other side?
76. FRANK: I don’t know. One minute I’m alive and screaming and the next I’m just screaming.
77. JOE: What? Being dead hurt?
78. FRANK: Nah. It’s just, for a few seconds there, I didn’t realise I was dead. I was looking at my killer and I could feel…
79. JOE: Yeah?
80. FRANK: …something. Judgment? Heaven? Hell? I don’t know. But something was waiting for me and I wasn’t ready to go. There was something I had to do.
81. JOE: You mean besides turning my night upside down? (TO SELF) I need to get my head examined.
82. FRANK: Yeah, I guess. But I didn’t know what it was at first. It took a while to come clear. You’ve got to avenge me Joey. Give me my chance to move on.
83. JOE: I’m here aren’t I? Where’re we headed? Into those woods?
84. FRANK: Yeah, in there.
85. JOE: Looks dark and I don’t have a flashlight.
86. FRANK: Don’t worry I’ll keep you safe.
87. JOE: Yeah… I hate you, Frank.
88. MUSIC: SCENE TRANSITION – LET IT FINISH

SCENE 3 – EXT – THE WOODS (JOE, FRANK, KILLER)

89. SOUND: NIGHT NOISES – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
90. JOE: Alright, you’ve brought me to the place you were killed. A clearing in the woods twenty miles out of town. In the middle of the night. What am I supposed to see?
91. FRANK: My killer of course.
92. JOE: What? Now you can talk about him? Alright, who is he and where?
93. FRANK: He’s that big guy… behind you… with the axe.
94. JOE: Oh, I hate you, Frank.
95. SOUND: AXE FALLING – LET IT FINISH
96. KILLER: (MANIACAL LAUGHTER) Mwhahahahaha
97. FRANK: (BEAT) Oops!
98. MUSIC: SCENE TRANSITION – LET IT FINISH

SCENE 4 – EXT – THE WOODS (FRANK, JOE)

99. SOUND: NIGHT NOISES – ESTABLISH AND UNDER
100. SOUND: MAGICAL CHIMES – FADE IN AND FINISH.
101. FRANK: Joey, buddy. You didn’t move on.
102. JOE: No, Frank. Looks like I didn’t.
103. FRANK: So, um, what’s keeping you? Couldn’t stand to leave your old buddy Frank behind?
104. JOE: Something like that. Turns out I’ve got some unfinished business.
105. FRANK: Yeah? Gotta catch that big guy too, huh? I told you we’d make good partners.
106. JOE: No Frank, it isn’t that.
107. FRANK: What? You don’t wanna be avenged for your death?
108. JOE: No, I’m here for vengeance alright, just not on him.
109. FRANK: Uh, Joey? I’m not sure I like that look in your eye. Joey? Joey?
110. JOE: I hate you, Frank.
111. NARRATOR: And so our tired Detective’s investigation comes to an end and a new chapter begins. Now Joe has all the time in the world to exact his… revenge. Mwahahahaha.
112. MUSIC: CLOSING THEME

CASTING SHEETS — MAJOR CHARACTERS

NARRATOR: Hello, I am your spooky voiced narrator. I introduce the cold stormy nights on which our stories take place, the dark alleys, and darker personalities who inhabit the lonely city. It is my job to set the scene and establish the serious tone of suspense and intrigue that will carry the story forwards. I do this with a creepy laugh and ghoulish enthusiasm for the misery that is about to be unleashed upon the characters.

JOE WILSON: I’m a detective in a city full of liars, cheats, killers, and con-men. You’d think that would have made me a cynic. And I guess it has a little. But underneath the hard-boiled exterior I actually give a damn. I do this job because I want to keep people safe from the animals and predators who roam the dark side of the city. I believe in people, or at least I want to believe in them. Unfortunately, life keeps proving me wrong.

FRANK: Hiya. I’m a good guy, beloved by all, and, yeah, my legitimate business opportunities have occasionally crossed over into the gray area that exists just beyond the line that keeps law-abiding citizens, well, law-abiding. But I’d never hurt a soul and no-one would want to hurt me… except that, yeah, I’m a ghost. And I did go and get myself murdered. But Joe will fix it for me. He’s a good egg, Joe.

KILLER: There’s a sack full of eels squirming where my brain should be. So I kill. You would too, if you was me!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Philip Craig Robotham grew up in a house full of books and has held numerous jobs as a teacher, computer programmer, graphic and web designer, e-learning consultant and, most recently, writer. He currently lives in Victoria, Australia with his wife and two sons. When he was younger and fitter he enjoyed martial arts, but in recent years his hobbies have tended towards more sedate fare (board games, movies, books, and role-playing games).

He is extremely grateful for the encouragement he receives from his biggest fans — his wife and two boys — all of whom read and enjoy his scripts and, in general, make his life worth living.

You can contact the author regarding performance rights (or simply to say hello) through his website: http://www.weirdworldstudios.com.

THE END

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This post and all its content is copyright © 2013 Philip Craig Robotham and has been released under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license. This play cannot be reproduced, shared, or performed commercially without the written permission of the author.  The production of derivative content, merchandise, or creative works and materials is expressly forbidden under this agreement. However you may share, reproduce, and perform this play freely so long as authorship is acknowledged, no money changes hands, and the play is not modified in any way.

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