Hi there!

I just want to share some types and tricks on writing for podcasts / just writing in general.

Writing for podcasts is as elementary as it gets. You don’t want too many 50-cent words; you don’t have long-winded paragraphs. But, you definitely want to be engaging (and grammatically correct!) so it doesn’t sound like a load of mush coming out of your mouth.

If I could leave you with only one piece of advice it's this:

ALWAYS READ YOUR WRITING OUT LOUD! THIS IS AUDIO!

Ok that’s all. Love you!!!

Sam xoxoxoxo

Writing for Podcast:

Preparation Is Key: Preparation is a critical part of producing high quality podcast episodes. Writing a podcast script is a key way to ensure your audio is clear, tight, and valuable for your listeners. You don’t have to write out every word you intend to say, but it’s important to have notes for each episode to keep you on track, especially if you’re new to podcasting.

Keep it conversational: The biggest challenge of writing a podcast script is keeping it conversational. If you aren’t careful, reading a podcast script can lead to a flat, monotone delivery.

Arts, Interrupted (to me, at least) is an interesting mix of conversational/colloquial language with some really introspective analysis. Maybe we do a silly bit as the intro, perhaps we’ll play a game, or maybe we’ll dive head first into the heavy stuff. It’s very dependent on the type of episode we’re doing. Really, what would you want to listen to? How would you describe a new film or song to your friend? Keep it simple, but don’t lose your edge.

Allow for some riffing: Just because you write a podcast script before your recording doesn’t mean you are bound to it. It’s quite alright to go off script during your recording if you think of something important or valuable on the spot. If you decide you don’t like it, you can always edit it out later.

That said, be mindful about going off on irrelevant tangents. If you add a bunch of fluff content to your recording, you’re just a waste of time in front of the microphone and you’re editing software later.

We usually “riff” when we do roundtables. Arguably, these episodes are the most fun. Plus, they require minimal preparation. But, as it is with any episode, we still want a cohesive outline that helps us direct the conversation.

Describe the scene: Podcasting is an audio medium, which means our audience doesn’t have any visual cues. If you refer to something, like an image, person, or video, make sure to describe it well so your listeners can picture it in their mind. Your descriptions should be detailed and vibrant.

It sounds easy, but this is a hard skill to master. You may find it is odd to speak to people who aren’t in the room who can’t see what you see. It may help to think of recording a podcast like talking to someone on the phone.

This doesn’t mean you need to give a detailed description of everything you say, but you’ll want to be aware of any concepts, images, or topics that need extra description for your listeners who are effectively blind.

So, say you’re reporting on a gig. Use your five senses; put us there. Who was there? What did you see? Did it smell? And of course, the critical component: describe the SOUND. Maybe look up the set list prior to recording. Familiarize yourself with the musician/band a little.

Maintain a reasonable pace: The best podcast episodes maintain a consistent pace that keeps listeners engaged. A good pace is not too fast and not too slow. There shouldn’t be any long, unexplained pauses. And there shouldn’t be any moments where you talk too fast to be understood.

Use segments and transitions to keep your podcast script organized (we like to use music to indicate this) and help listeners understand where they are in your episode. For instance, you might divide your episode into chapters with their own titles, or turn your lessons into numbered steps or tips.

Write transition phrases into your podcast script to move between segments. For example, you might say this after your intro, “Now, let’s get to the interview with Kanye West.”

Do your research: It’s hard to talk about a subject (say, directorial techniques) that you’re not an expert in. You don’t have to be to get your point across, but you do want to do a *little* bit of research before diving in. Use some context to support an argument, much like you would in academic writing. What have other people said about the topic you’re writing about? We live and breathe by nuance!

Be yourself: You are a unique person with your own personality. It’s much easier and more natural to be yourself than to try to be someone else. We hired you because you can bring something to the team that someone else couldn’t. Write how you speak. A really good editor (like … idk Sam Small) will help take what you got to another level. But, you got to give me something. So, give me your own voice.

Consider your audience: You might have only considered this in regards to academic writing, but our podcast (hopefully) has a bigger audience than whoever’s grading your essay, and you should keep this in mind when writing.

What kind of person do you think/do you want to listen to our podcast? This might vary based on the subject of an episode, but try to keep it fairly consistent because, well, we want a consistent audience right!

When writing, make sure to establish a tone and provide definitions and examples to provide necessary context. Also, try to avoid subjects that are super niche or that probably wouldn’t strike a chord with anyone outside of your own social group.

Speaking on a Podcast: by Emily <3

Sloooowwwww dooowwwn: It’s perfectly understandable to get nervous before speaking, but this can sometimes lead to speech that is too quick and is unenjoyable and distracting to listen to. Try to have some awareness of your pace, and make sure to treat every comma, period, colon, etc. as a pause. And don’t forget to breathe!!

You sound how you look: If you’re speaking with a bored or tired expression on your face, that’s going to translate to how you sound. Be sure to sit up tall and with confidence, and maybe even smile a little. Imagine that the audience is sitting in front of you, try to look as confident and energetic as you want to sound.

Be aware of your movements: Any thud, thunk or fart will be heard on the mic. So make sure you know what you’re doing with your hands. I know it’s hard to not play with the clamp (it spins!) but a little part of my soul leaves everytime I hear that noise post-recording.

Your mouth should be empty: No gum, no ice cubes (@Max ;*), no cough drops, nothing. Having something in your mouth is super distracting and gross for a listener.

Respect your audio producer/engineer: We’re all guilty of this, but please do not make unnecessarily loud or gross sounds during recording. It’s rude and disrespectful to the people that just want to make you sound good!

Writing Guide:

Sam Note: So this was obviously made for writing reviews, but it wouldn’t hurt to know.

The Basics: Album titles in italics (same with titles of films, books, comic books, DVDs, video games, TV shows, etc.). Song titles in quotes. If a band name starts with a “The” then the “T” should be capitalized (The Beatles, not the Beatles). Fact check!

Decades: Decades should be written out in number form and the quote mark should be facing out, not in. So ’80s not ‘80s. See full list below for more info.

Em dashes: Don’t be afraid to use em dashes (which look like this: —). But please use real em dashes (not two hyphens and not a dash with spaces around it). See full list below for more info.

Ellipses: Ellipses should be used if you cut out part of a quote. Three if it’s in the middle of a sentence, or four and then a space if it’s at the end of a sentence. See full list below for more info.

Indents: Every paragraph should be indented five space marks (not one tab mark), except for the first paragraph of a review. There should be no extra line between paragraphs.

Inch Symbol: When referring to 7 inches or 12 inches, do not use a quote mark (“), please use an inch mark (").

Laughs in Interviews/Quotes: If, in the middle of a quote or in a Q&A, you want to indicate that someone has laughed, then the word “laughs” should be in brackets and in italics. If it is written in the middle of a sentence then the “l” in “laughs” should be lowercase, but if it is in between two sentences or after a period then the “L” in “Laughs” should be uppercase. So generally: [Laughs]

Numbers: Numbers 10 and up should be written in number form, but numbers under 10 should be written out as words.

Quoting Lyrics: Different lines should be separated by a slash, not a comma, and there should be space either side of the slash mark. “This is a song lyric/This is the next part of the song lyric/And now the song continues.”

Such as instead of Like: Please use “such as” instead of “like” whenever possible. See full list below for more info.

Full List of Common Mistakes:

The Basics: Album titles in italics (same with titles of films, books, comic books, DVDs, video games, TV shows, etc.). Song titles in quotes. If a band name starts with a “The” then the “T” should be capitalized (The Beatles, not the Beatles). Fact check!

Em dashes: Most of you either don’t use em dashes or don’t use them properly. Copy-editor Rachel Venuti explains: “Em dashes are Emily Dickensonstyle interruptions in thought. That's two dashes with no space after. If you are using Word, it will close up the dashes for you if you just keep typing.” So in Word if you want to insert an em dash then just type two dashes in between the two words where you want the em dash, make sure there is no spaces on either side of the two dashes or in between the two dashes, and then when you hit return after the second word then the Word program should automatically convert the two dashes to an em dash.

This sentence displays the correct way to write out em dashes: “The instruments are all ambitious—vocals included—but never quite break out of fairly predictable patterns.”

These are incorrect: “are all ambitious -- vocals included -- but never quite” or “are all ambitious - vocals included - but never quite” or “are all ambitious — vocals included — but never quite”

Ellipses: Ellipses should be used if you cut out part of a quote. Three ellipses should be used if the part that’s cut out falls in the middle of a sentence. Four should be used if the part that’s cut out is at the end of a sentence and a new sentence starts after the ellipses. If you use four ellipses then you need to add a space after the last ellipse, but if you’re using three ellipses then there are no spaces. For example: “Gerry had a lot to say...and he said it all at once.” or “Gerry had a lot of say.... Then he went into the recording studio to record it all.” Try to not use four ellipses if possible, three are preferred.

Number/verb agreement: You cannot say “the band are” as the band is singular, as are band names, so it should be “the band is.” If a band’s name ends in an “s” then it should be “are.” So “Doves are going on stage” but “Elbow is releasing a new album.” Bands should be referred to as “it” whenever possible, rather than “they.” Often a band is referred to as both plural and singular at different points in an article. As copy-editor Rachel Venuti says: “When the writer can't make up his or her mind as to whether he or she wants to refer to the band as singular or plural it takes A LONG time to untangle the mess.”

aka: It’s “aka” not “AKA” or “a.k.a.” or “A.K.A.”

à la accent mark: When using the phrase à la, make sure it has an accent mark over the “à”.

a.m. and p.m.: “a.m.” and “p.m.” not “AM” and “PM” or “am” and “pm” or “A.M.” and “P.M.” Copy-editor Zee Burns says: “I prefer a.m. and p.m. to distinguish from AM radio since we don't use small caps and music is sometimes described as such.”

B-sides: It’s B-sides, not b-sides. The “B” is uppercase.

Capitalizing After the Colon: The first letter after a colon is capitalized if the word is the beginning of a complete sentence.

Commonly Confused/Misused Words: Such as mixing up “effect” and “affect” or “compliment” and “complement.” Copy-editor Zee Burns has a list: “There/they're/their, it's/its, too/to, loose vs. lose, your/you're, vice/vise, advice/advise, discreet/discrete, defuse/diffuse, insure/ensure; "all right" not alright; the incorrect use of "comprised of" when "composed of" is meant; altogether vs. all together; every day vs. everyday; faze/phase; improper use of "I" as an object ("between you and I"); e.g. and i.e. should have a comma after them (in British English, they don't); overuse of moniker.” Copy-editor Rachel Venuti adds: “I always change ‘whilst’ to ‘while.’"

Dates/the Future in Articles: When submitting an article/review for the print mag, please be aware of when the issue hits stands when referring to any dates or the future. For example, our Fall Issue hits stands in late September/early October and will be on stands until early December, so you can’t refer to something that happens in September, October, or November as taking place in the future, such as a release date or a tour/show, because it will be the present or past for someone reading the magazine in October or November.

Decades: Decades should be written out in number form, not as words, and the quote mark should be facing out, not in. So it should be ’80s not ‘80s or eighties.

Endless Sentences: As copy-editor Matthew Giles says: “My biggest problem is the Endless Sentence. This is when the writer feels compelled to cram tons of information into one jacked-up sentence, using wonky punctuation, multiple sentence fragments, parentheticals, em dashes, etc. Break up those sentences, writers!”

EP, in italics or not italics: When reviewing EPs, only put the word “EP” in italics if “EP” is part of the official title. If it’s an EP, but the official title on the cover art does not include the word “EP” then “EP” should not be in italics, as it’s not officially part of the title. All EP reviews should indicate after the title that it’s a EP, even if “EP” is not included in the title.

File Names of Reviews: When saving a review, if it’s a band then just use their name. If the band starts with a “The” then don’t include the “The”. So it would be “Dead Weather.doc” not “The Dead Weather.doc”. If it’s a solo artist, then it should be last name, first name. So it should be “Cocker, Jarvis.doc” not “Jarvis Cocker.doc” If it’s a book review, then it should be saved by the author’s last name, then first name. Comic book reviews should be saved by the title. It may seem like a little thing, but in order for us to make sure the reviews section is in alphabetical order the files need to be saved this way.

First Person: Copy-editor Zee Burns says: “The sudden insertion of the first person ‘I’ (the writer) into an article or review when it's not done consistently over the course of the article. It's jarring and inappropriate most of the time, unless that's how the whole article is written.”

Frontman: Frontman is one word in our style.

Gender Bias: Copy-editor Zee Burns says: “(And most writers have gotten better about this, but): male writers' tendency to refer to female artists/actresses by their first names (and dudes by their last names).... Alongside this is male writers' tendency to describe the female members of a band extensively but not the male members.”

Genres: Britpop not Brit-pop or Brit Pop. New Wave not new wave. It’s hip-hop not Hip Hop. It’s indie rock, with no hyphen. See also hyphens for more on genres.

Hyphens: “Self-Portrait” is hyphened. With “line-up” and “follow-up” they are hyphened when used as a noun and an adjective, but when they are used as a verb they are two separate words with no hyphen. Indie rock is not hyphenated. Most genres that seem to use hyphens actually generally aren’t written with a hyphen, such as indie pop, dream pop, freak folk, psych rock, etc.

Indents: With print magazine reviews, the first paragraph shouldn’t be indented and every other paragraph should be indented five space marks, not one tab mark. With articles every paragraph should be indented five space marks, excpet the first one. With website copy, no paragraphs should be indented at all and there should be an extra line separating each paragraph.

Inch Symbol: When referring to 7 inches or 12 inches, do not use a quote mark (“), please use an inch mark ("). So it should be 7" single not 7” single. The inch mark is straight up and down.

Laughs in Interviews/Quotes: If, in the middle of a quote or in a Q&A, you want to indicate that someone has laughed, then the word “laughs” should be in brackets and in italics. If it is written in the middle of a sentence then the “l” in “laughs” should be lowercase, but if it is in between two sentences or after a period then the “L” in “Laughs” should be uppercase. For example: “I don’t know how else to say it [laughs], that’s just how I feel.” Or: “So I actually jumped off the stage. [Laughs] Once I started to jump I realized that the stage was much higher than I thought it was.”

Montréal should have an accent: Montréal should have an accent over the “é”.

Numbers: Numbers 10 and up should be written in number form, but numbers under 10 should be written out as words.

Quoting Lyrics: Different lines should be separated by a slash, not a comma. “This is a song lyric/This is the next part of the song lyric/And now the song continues.” Consult the lyric booklet for where lyrics should be broken and when the next line should be capitalized.

Ratings Formatting: Ratings can now be written simply as such: “6/10” rather than “6 Blips out of 10.” Ratings should be in bold.

Record Labels: When writing our record label names, please don’t include the word “Records.” It should be “Sub Pop” not “Sub Pop Records.” Also, ANTI- is all caps with a hyphen and it should be Warner Bros. not Warner Brothers.

Says not Said: When quoting someone use “says” not “said”.

Singer/Songwriter: It’s singer/songwriter, not singer-songwriter.

Singles: When reviewing singles, put the word “single” in lowercase and in parentheses, but not in italics, after the title of the single. For example: Doves: There Goes the Fear (single) (Capitol)

Single Quotes within Double Quotes: If you need to quote something within another quote, such as when you quote an artist and he mentions a song title, then you need to use single quotes. For example: “My favorite song is ‘Yellow Submarine’ right now,” says Michele Yamamoto.

Such As vs. Like: “Such as” should be used in place of “like” whenever possible. As line-editor Chris Tinkham says: “Writers will cite a couple song titles when describing an artist or album, and I'll see “like” when “such as” is appropriate. Example: “Songs like 'Marry Me' and 'Human Racing' showcase Clark's songwriting strength.” Like means similar to, which makes its use in this example inappropriate. Such as would be better in this case. “Songs such as 'Marry Me' and 'Human Racing'” would be the correct way.”

U.S. and U.K.: The abbreviations of United States and United Kingdom should have periods. So it’s U.S. and U.K., not US and UK.

Other things that Zee Burns points out: “Massive, endless sentences and too-long intro paragraphs (which looks bad in layout because of how we treat intro paragraphs), overuse of clichés, and misuse of 50-cent words. Many of the writers constantly begin sentences with descriptive phrases that are dangling participles (missing subjects); they are often impossible to fix. For example:

"Whether writing about cutting his hand while fixing his car or his favorite gardener, his songs are loaded with the whimsy of someone who spends too much time living in his own head."

Here, the first phrase modifies "his songs"—songs aren't writing about cutting [someone's] hand.

"A pensive and tentative woman, it’s Costa’s brutality that enlivens crowds when on tour."

Neither "it" nor "brutality," which are the possible subjects of this sentence, are "a pensive and tentative woman."

Extra Fun Stuff:

OK… now that’s out of the way. HOW do you describe music? “It sounds good” may be true, but we can do so much better than that. Listen to music as a writer. Why is a riff placed there? How does the bridge differ from the regular melody? How do the harmonies in a certain area make you feel? Are the lyrics dysfunctional? At its core, your job as a music writer (or film writer) is to show something (whatever that might be) that your average listener might miss.

Here are some music terms that are easy to use:

TIMBRE (tam-bur): The character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity.

wet, resonant - Used for sounds that resonate for a long time, meaning it takes a long time for the sound to die away, even after the instrument has been silenced. For example, playing the piano with the pedal held down. Also, standard instruments will sound wet if they play in a very resonant, echo-y space, such as a cave, or tile bathroom. Usually used for the entire sound of a musical work (i.e. all instruments put together, not just a single instrument). When discussing instruments, those which produce "wet" sounds are those which ring or resonate for a long time, such as bells, gongs, vibraphone, guitar (esp. electric guitar), etc.	dry - A dry sound or space is one that has no resonance, echo, or reverberation in the sound. Standard instruments will sound dry if they are played in a "dry space", such as outside in a field, in a tent (or some other space where all the walls are covered with fabric), or an "anechoic chamber", like a recording studio. Similarly, with instruments, dry sounds are those which do not resonate much. Examples include wood block, violin pizzicato, ratchet, snare drum, etc.
dark - Dark sounds are those which are more woody and mellow. Examples of instruments which are especially dark include double-bass, viola, bass voice, bassoon, French horn. Most instruments will sound darker as they play lower and lower pitches. For example, flute, clarinet, and alto voice all sound wonderfully dark when they produce low notes.	bright - Bright sounds are more sharp, piercing and metallic (imagine a metal plate being dropped on the ground) Examples include trumpet, violin, glockenspiel (in fact, most mallet instruments), bells, and oboe. Most instruments will sound brighter as they play higher and higher pitches. For example, violoncello and French horn can both sound very bright when they play high notes.
warm - Very similar to "dark", used for mellow, comforting sounds.	cool, icy - Often high-pitched, crystalline, and metallic.
lush - Rich and warm sonorities, often flowing music with many instruments, full sounds, and sweet harmonies.	spare - Very few instruments playing simultaneously, dry sounds, lots of silence.
sweet - Can be used for female voices that are light and innocent, or for music which is harmonious, consonant, and generally soothing.	harsh, grating - Abrasive music with lots of dissonance and scratchy ugly sounds.

muddy - when "lush" goes too far it becomes muddy, too many instruments playing legato music at the same time and in the same pitch range.

clear, clean - used when the music can be perceived and understood quickly and when the major lines and important points are clearly highlighted to the ear. Music without extraneous sounds, instruments, and melodies is usually very clean.

Some other common timbre descriptions:

nasal, pinched - Hold your nose and sing. Like that. Often used for oboe, English horn, and muted brass instruments (a mute is a cone that is stuck into the end of the instrument to make the sound more pinched and nasal).

brassy - Like brass instruments. Also used for very strong female voices in the middle register (like Ethel Merman or Liza Minnelli).

woody - Used for instruments that are made of wood, like clarinets, oboes, wood flutes, marimba, etc.

velvety, soft, breathy - Anything with lots of "h" and "s" in the sound, such as flute, soft whistling, very soft strings, etc.

dirty, scratchy, raspy - Anything with lots of noise (i.e. static, scratches, etc.) in the sound, such as very loud and harsh string playing, and some older singers who have had too many cigarettes.

A variety of other qualitative descriptions: Use these whenever appropriate.

clangy, glistening, bell-like, crystalline, buzzy, incisive, piercing, brushy, shriek, growly, honk