Short story for podcasting - could yours be a winner?
Audio drama and scripted fiction with no visual aspect can accomplish things that no other media can. The sound of words provides a special link with the audience, a greater sense of intimacy with the storey, where the primary characters' journeys become sharper, horror becomes more terrible, and otherworldly vistas may be conjured up in the mind's eye. People can tell stories that wouldn't work in a film or novel by writing for sound. If you're used to writing for text only, you might want to give it a shot.
That is why we thought we would inspire you by making a mini competition:
To write a short story for our podcast
Anchor.fm/happyLDNpress
The best five winners will get 'Podded" - where you can be shared with all you friends and you can show it off to any influential people you know.
Heres something about podcasting - that will help you write a better story;
Podcast Mania - Audio on Tap
The rise of the podcast and how you can get involved
Podcasts have become a staple in everyday life and a favourite companion to many. Whilst the rise of social media and the digital age have certainly helped propel podcasts into the forefront of our lives, it must also be acknowledged that podcasts fit perfectly into a busy modern lifestyle. Gone are the days when the only audio options on your iPod or Iphone were audiobooks, music or radio. Now there are also the joys of listening to informative, entertaining and even educational series, all via audio. Plug in your air pods, your ear phones, turn on your stereo or ask Alexa: You have, via Podcast platforms and directories, a huge choice of conversations covering a vast majority of themes and topics. What’s best - you can sign up for your favourites and they then automatically download so you never miss an episode.
But, first of all, let’s dive into the early days of podcasts and how they have developed over time.
What is a podcast and what’s the history of the podcast?
A podcast is a series of audible files that listeners can subscribe to (but they don’t have to). Subscribing to a podcast means that every time the podcast has a new episode, it will be automatically downloaded and subscribers can listen to it. It has been claimed that the first podcast or audio file in the style of a modern podcast was released in the 1980s, in the style of software that was supplied to radio stations in digital format. In the mid-90s, some email providers, such as AOL, made it possible for its users to download talk shows. In the early 2000s, Replay Radio was introduced in the US, which worked a bit like the modern TiVo recording system.
2004 saw the emergence of the podcast as we mainly know it today. Various sources claim different people for the invention of the podcast. Eric Rice and Randy Dryburgh launched Audioblog.com which was the first commercial podcasting hosting service. Audioblog eventually became Hipcast.com two years later. However, it is AdamCurry and Dave Winer who are said to have invented podcasting and really pushed it into the public eye (or ear).
Where does the name come from?
In early 2004, a journalist called Ben Hammersley wrote a piece on audioblogs for The Guardian and mentioned the name Podcast there for the first time. He writes about Christopher Lyden, who is credited to be a pioneer in the field of audio blogs. As a former ex-New York Times and National Public Radio journalist, he knew something big had happened. Although he called it an experiment, he also noted how everything, from podcasting equipment to audio tools were affordable and that launching an audio blog was also straightforward.
Why did podcasts become popular?
One of the main reasons podcasts became so popular was not only that they were easy to download. Once downloaded, the episodes could be listened to on an MP3 Player or iPod anywhere and everywhere. Convenience and ease of use are the staples of modern, fast-paced life. Moreover, listeners could choose from such a wide variety of topics, that there was something for everyone. However, the benefits for the listeners were mainly down to the huge advantages podcasters, creators and journalists who podcasted experienced. Hammersley (2004) found, by speaking with Lyden that, “with no publisher to appease, no editor to report to, and an abundance of cheap tools, [...]” podcasters can work directly with their audiences.
This, he says, is "something that newspapers can only dream about... they all have an institutional envy (of this)".
Hammersley also found that “by combining the intimacy of voice, the interactivity of a weblog, and the convenience and portability of an MP3 download, Lydon's work seems to take the best of all worlds, and not just for the listener. The ability to broadcast out, and have the internet talk back to them, Lydon says, is very appealing to journalists: professional hack and weblogger alike. "It's an approach to a different kind of radio. My feeling is that traditional media in America is stuck. Let's think of a new kind of media," he says.”
A delight for listeners
It wasn’t just the broadcasters and journalists that thrived under their newfound freedom and the joys of talking freely and without publishers and editors. Listeners were overjoyed to find that they were able to listen to unfiltered audios on almost any topic. As mentioned above, they could do this anywhere and anytime. Time and space were no longer an issue, and neither was censorship. Hammersley noted that, because podcasts and their platforms and directories were responsible for their own programs, without limits on topic or time, some programmes would have never made it into the public ear, had it not been for podcasts. He points out that “Susie Bright, the American sex writer, has a downloadable weekly show, In Bed with Susie Bright, currently on its 145th episode and very popular, despite never having been traditionally broadcast or promoted. "Her show is, in essence, unbroad castable," understates Korzen, "because of her frank language." Happily, being distributed via the internet, downloadable radio is not subject to any programming regulations. Nor is there a shortage of airtime, previously a major constraint on aspiring radio journalists.”
This shows the revolutionary nature of podcasts - people can broadcast any topic in any length and listeners can listen to their hearts’ desires.
Examples of most downloaded podcasts
So what are the most famous and most-downloaded podcasts of 2021? With the world still very much in the middle of the pandemic, podcasts became a very soothing staple in people’s lives. Some get millions of downloads and the five most downloaded podcasts for 2021 were:
The Joe Rogan Experience
Call her daddy
Crime Junkie
TED Talks Daily
The Daily
There are further podcasts, selected by The Guardian (see links below) which have gained in popularity in 2021.
However, you don’t have to look too far for writer’s inspiration and listener’s delight.
Happy London Press Podcast
Happy London Press launched a podcast in 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic, and has since published a variety of audio stories on it. From Adult Scary Stories, Adult Romance Stories, to Children’s Bedtime Stories and Writing Tips and Trips - there is something for every writer and listener to indulge in. We didn’t stop there though. We had authors read their first chapters of a work in progress, and in lockdown, one of our writers read from her lockdown diary she had started. Some others continued this diary, bringing listeners and writers closer together.
What we love most about our podcast is that we can feature established and brand new writers and give them a platform to share their work. Stories that otherwise wouldn't make it into the world are suddenly there for an interested audience to listen to. This kind of supportive platform is exactly what we need.
Podcasting stories
I want to tell you a little about my own podcasting history and experience with Happy London Press, to give you an insight into what it’s like to press record and read out loud.
I remember 2020 well, the lockdown, the strange days that all seemed to mould into one. One of the biggest achievements was to write more and start a lockdown diary, which I posted on my own blog. After posting on Instagram about this, Happy London Press asked if I was interested in selecting three blog posts and recording them as part of a Podcast mini series. Of course, I said yes and excitedly got to work. Having seen how celebs like Fearne Cotton recorded their podcasts, sitting under a duvet to maximise sound quality, I got to work. On a hot summer’s evening, once both kids were in bed and asleep, I sent my partner with the puppy in the garden, got the clothes airer from the cupboard and got our king-sized duvet, hanging it over it. Underneath, I set up my laptop on a footstool, got my phone and started reading.
It took me numerous attempts the first time, stumbling over my own words a few times, and with every take I got hotter under the covers.
I repeated the procedure for Podcast episodes two and three, getting better and more efficient at reading out loud and becoming more comfortable with my own voice when I listened back. On a particularly stuffy and warm evening, huddled under my makeshift recording studio, I was nearly at the end of my blog post, when my partner plus an excited puppy came back in. Infuriated, I glared at them from my den, hissed at them and sent them back outside. I had to start the recording all over again. I laugh about it now but I was very grumpy at the time.
Once the episodes got uploaded, I was so excited and proud that something I had written had made it onto a podcast. What is more, it inspired others to record an episode of their experiences of lockdown, and share it with listeners from Happy London Press and beyond.
Tips for recording your own podcast with us
We recently started a short story competition, asking for writers and authors to submit short stories of up to about 2,500 words. The feedback so far has been wonderful, and we are excited to read our way through the submissions. The best five stories will be invited to be read out loud by their authors and then uploaded onto our podcast.
It’s easy to get involved. Just write and submit your short story to us via email:
HappyLDNPress (at) gmail dot com
and if selected, we will contact you to record your story for us. Don’t worry. You won’t need any fancy or expensive equipment for this. You also don’t have to sit under a duvet, although it does help improve the sound quality.
All you need is a room with plenty of soft furnishings, maybe your lounge, bedroom or study. Get set up with your script, your phone and select the recording app. For extra sound-cushioning we would recommend to draw curtains or close blinds and maybe place some pillows next to you. This makes sure that the sound doesn’t bounce around the room you are in. You may want to read through your story out loud a couple of times to get familiar with it and to make sure you are happy with intonations and the speed of your reading. Don’t read too fast. Slow down, even if it feels weird at first. Enunciate clearly and put life into your story as if you were reading it to a child. Once you come to record it, just press the button on your phone and enjoy the experience. After, send the sound file to us and we’ll do the rest.
…and finally…
If you are in two minds about sending your story and recording a podcast episode with us, then we have everything for you to calm your nerves. We are a super-friendly team and here to reassure you. Don’t like your voice? Don’t worry, most people don’t like their own voice, but everyone will love yours when you tell your story. Remember, you can record and re-record and have as many takes as you like. It’s not a live reading. And finally, isn’t it a wonderful thing to jump out of your comfort zone and try something new? Especially when you will be able to say that you have your own podcast episode, reading your very own short story.
We immensely look forward to your submissions, so don’t wait any longer and get writing. Everyone is going to be all ears on the podcast.
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