Writing for Radio: Movies in the Mind

Radio is Imagination

Radio is a medium of endless possibilities. The only limit is your own imagination.

Stories in sound

Radio can engage the audience more fully than any other medium.

You hear a voice, a sound effect, a pause, another voice; perhaps some music.

Just a few sounds coming out of a small speaker.

But those sounds can have immense impact and power, because you participate in what they create: you complete the picture; you visualize the scene; you are in the story.

For the writer, radio can be the most creative medium of all.

This course covers nearly every aspect of writing for radio: comedy gags, sketches and shows; radio sitcoms and series; short drama; full-length drama; radio ads - and beyond, to explore all the possibilities of work in the medium.

About the course

On the course you'll learn:

• How to use voices and words to create effective characters.
• How to write distinctive radio dialogue, for comedy and drama.
• How to write and use monologue - including internal monologue.
• How and when to use sound effects and music.
• How to create settings and locations...
• ... and how to take the listener there.
• How to keep the listener listening.
• What to leave out, and how to use the sound of silence.
• How much information the listener can handle.
• Which programmes can make the transition from radio to TV or film...
• ...and which can't, and will never be as good in any other medium - and why.
• How to write radio ads and what they can teach you.