Got a Hot Screenplay? Why not turn it into a Hot Fiction Podcast?

Hi All,

As we all know, Hollywood is a risk adverse business. Which translates to loving IP. The IP that’s trending now is fiction podcasts. They are becoming the hot new source for adaptable IP.

Homecoming, Alice isn’t Dead, and 2 Dope Queens all started as fiction podcasts and either became, or are currently being developed into TV shows.

But getting the rights to existing IP can be complicated and costly. So why not write your own, or adapt an existing script you’ve already written? Give yourself your own big break.

Here are 6 tips to help you turn your hot screenplay into a hot fiction podcast script:

1. It’s About what you Hear, Not what you See

A podcast is told solely through sound. Which means all of those amazing images you’ve written into your screenplay: a terrifying haunted house, a lust-filled look from one lover to another, or a futuristic sci-fi world - won’t work in a podcast. It’s more like a play than a movie. Probably the biggest shift in thinking from writing a traditional screenplay to writing a podcast script is taking your focus off the visuals and putting it towards figuring out how to communicate that story audibly. Obviously character dialogue is one way to communicate your story to the listener, but that’s just one part of a great narrative. Think of trying to tell your story to someone who is blindfolded - what sounds or descriptions would you need to create images in their imagination? For example, let’s say you wrote a horror story about a haunted house. Instead of seeing a broken-down house on a dark and stormy night, the listener hears the wind whip against the wood siding, the hollow sound of the protagonist walking up the old porch steps, and the eerie creak of the front door opening on its own. Trust me, an audible landscape can be just as rich as a visual one. Make the most of it. 

2. Fewer Characters are your Friend

Listening to a lot of voices at once can be, well… a LOT. Sometimes I even find a podcast with two hosts confusing to listen to, let alone an audible story with a lot of characters (especially characters of the same gender or age). Keep podcast scenes to three or four characters at most, the fewer characters the easier it is to follow the story. Also, when casting voice actors for your podcast, make sure they all have distinct vocal qualities (it can help if you’ve already written characters with a distinct style and rhythm to their speech). The easier it is for the listener to distinguish between your characters, the easier it is for them to follow along, and the faster they will invest in your story.

3. Think like a TV Writer

Fiction podcasts are generally 10 to 30 minutes long - when you’re structuring each episode it can help to think about it like a season of TV: you need one major arc for the whole season, with each episode having its own smaller arc. Using episodic structure can help ensure you keep a listeners attention for not just one episode, but hopefully for the whole season to get the larger pay off. 

4. Formatting

There is no “official” industry standard for podcast script formatting, but if you’re adapting a screenplay that is already in Final Draft - great! Keep it that way. Your screenplay is already formatted so that one page equals roughly one minute of screen time (or in this case, listening time). Just remember to remove all your action lines and add in sound effects (use the special effects abbreviation, SFX, before describing the sounds).

5. Every Episode needs a Cliffhanger

Like most of your favorite TV shows, fiction podcasts need a great cliffhanger at the end of every episode to keep your audience coming back for more. Does a mysterious person from your protagonist’s past show up in the last minute of air time? Does a character suddenly do a ‘180’ and decide to sabotage their big job interview? Does the sick grandmother pull back their bonnet to reveal they’re actually a big bad wolf? The cliffhanger, or hook, is what drives your listener to click on the next episode because they just need to find out the answer to the burning narrative question you left them “hanging” with.

6. Signature Sounds

You probably know the opening soundscape or song to your favorite nonfiction podcasts. Fiction podcasts also need signature sounds to help set the tone and tell the story. Maybe you wrote a mystery, and your story has dark musical accents that help keep up the tension. Or maybe you wrote a light romantic comedy, and your soundscape is whimsical and melodic. Each time your listeners tune into your show they’ll expect to have a listening experience that’s in the same world - music can help keep that ‘sonic through-line’ alive. When you’re coming up with the signature sound for your podcast think about the tone of your entire podcast series: what sounds would quickly and easily get across your podcasts genre to an audience?

Do you have a fiction podcast? What are your best tips and tricks? Let me know @CaroleKirsch!