Episodic Writing - Written for Pen to Print's Write On! Feature
/Episodic writing has changed dramatically since the late noughties.
The reason for this is simple: writers can now, more or less, guarantee that viewers and listeners will consume their show from start to finish and in order, at their own pace, without missing anything. With streaming services and the rise of podcast drama, the need to provide incident – intrigue – resolution in every single episode has died. Instead, series-wide plot and character development has become the core of most large-scale productions.
I’m referring to both visual and audio drama here as a similar entity, and as far as viewer/listener expectations go, it is. Gone are the days when terrestrial and satellite TV stations decided which series dramas saw the light of day. Similarly, the BBC and other radio stations no longer own audio drama. Now, podcasts have arrived and the world of audio entertainment is diversifying, innovating and booming.
I’m referring to both visual and audio drama here as a similar entity, and as far as viewer/listener expectations go, it is. Gone are the days when terrestrial and satellite TV stations decided which series dramas saw the light of day. Similarly, the BBC and other radio stations no longer own audio drama. Now, podcasts have arrived and the world of audio entertainment is diversifying, innovating and booming.
In the interest of expanding my own creative horizons, I have taken full advantage of this democratisation of the audio medium. My science fiction audio drama, The Dex Legacy, produced by Alternative Stories, is performed by a full cast with high production values and an original soundtrack. Globally, it ranks in the top three per cent of audio drama, with over 150,000 downloads, which for an original indie show is highly successful…