Useful and concrete advice for writing a podcast, of fairy tales and more!

Working as a commissioned writer is the most amazing thing there can be: based on requests, I had the opportunity to work in very different fields.

In front of a new activity, in recent years I have experienced the most disparate feelings: curiosity, enthusiasm, interest, but also embarrassment and bewilderment (especially because sometimes I get made absurd requests… but maybe I'll tell you about it in another article).

When the contacts of an agency with which I have been collaborating for some time (or Paolo Stefi and Rossella Piccini of TOAD) they called me to ask me if I wanted to participate in writing some episodes of the podcast “Once upon a time – the fairy tales of Benedetta Rossi“, the main emotion was… the wonder!

I knew Benedetta Rossi as a fan, because I love his friendliness and above all his simple and creative recipes. If I learned how to make a decent pastry, after years of failed experiments, it's only thanks to her and his Homemade by Benedetta. Having the opportunity to write stories – even fairy tales! – for his voice it was therefore a great honor.

Learn to write podcasts with The fairy tales of Benedetta Rossi

If the territory of fairy tales and fairy tales was my natural habitat (the one from which my editorial training began), the podcast field was new to me.

Fortunately, in addition to the TOAD professionals, I received excellent advice from an exceptional teacher: Dodo Occhipinti, who has collaborated with Benedetta Rossi for a long time. In addition to giving me indications in the preliminary phase, he also dealt with review each of my subjects, and this helped me a lot to improve myself.

Ecco, Therefore, how I went about writing the episodes I was commissioned to do.

Study of the material

First things first, I studied all the podcasts already published, since my assignment started from the third season.

Not only did I analyze the fairy tale script for check the tone of voice and length, but I also listened to the episodes one by one. In this way, I understood how the written word transforms when it is recited, how sound effects can create a particular atmosphere and how many to put in each fairy tale (in this case, no more than three or four).

Short sentences

One of the first indications I received was to use periods that were not too long: not just for the genre itself, but also because acting needs more breaks than reading in your head.

The challenge, Therefore, was to create simple and immediate sentences, without however impoverishing the construction too much. It's about give movement to the text in a creative way, for example by addressing the listeners directly as I did at various points in the tale A special ice cream.

Clear dialogues

In a fairy tale recited aloud, you always need to know who is talking. So dialogues are banned “talking heads”, that is, back and forth without context.

But you don't even have to let a character's joke take over “to surprise”, without specifying who is speaking, (unless there is the possibility of immediately clarifying to the listeners who that voice belongs to), to avoid creating ambiguity and confusion.

Writing grid

Starting to write podcasts, I had to adapt to completely different formatting on my usual Word page. It's about respecting one grid divided into blocks, which allows the actor to better understand the division of the various sections of the story. At first it was a while’ difficile, but I must say that over time I have become familiar with this new structure.

Multisensory style

Illustrated fairy tales, you are, they have the great advantage of making children dream with their images, often colorful and rich in detail. with a podcast, Instead, we have to “PAINT” the scenes before the eyes of the children without the aid of tempera and brushes!

Because of this, one of the first indications I received was to use a vivid and almost painterly style, rich in colours. Which was quite simple for me, since I love colors!

I've put a lot of them in my stories, such as the shades of spring flowers in the fairy tale The tulip elves and the shades of tastes within A special ice cream.

The human senses, But, they are not just limited to sight, as I always write to my authors in evaluation sheets that are entrusted to me. I therefore try to transmit perfumes, tastes and tactile sensations to those who are listening, in order to offer a multisensory experience.

Action

A mistake I made in the first subjects was to get carried away by the setting and the emotions I wanted to convey, neglecting the moments of action.

We must keep in mind that this is a product intended for children, in a historical era that sees the threshold of attention (of adults and children in general) very low. We need to keep interest high, both with notable stylistic panache and lively narrative twists. So, make way for adventures!

Creativity

I was very lucky, because I had the opportunity to express my creativity to the fullest. Right, I received indications on the topics to be covered and on the preferred settings, but otherwise I had great freedom.

I searched, Therefore, not to replicate the situations already covered in the other episodes, Of be original and make little listeners dream, arousing in them a sense of wonder.

Messages

The underlying theme is always the beating heart of every story (On writing of King teaches it), but for content intended for children it is even more so. The fairy tales of Benedetta Rossi they convey messages that are good for the heart, such as the importance of friendship and inclusiveness, love for nature and animals, the desire to be genuine and live an existence full of stimuli. I like the idea that these reflections echo in the minds of young listeners, once you've finished listening.

Some stories are light and ironic, others deeper, but they all have their own solid underlying teaching. As far as I'm concerned, I am particularly attached to the fairy tale The spring of thorn hedgehog, dedicated to the acceptance of one's body, unique and special even when it is different from all the others.

The power of podcasts

A podcast goes beyond written words or images: it becomes a voice that enters the listeners' daily lives, capable of conveying the identifying messages of a brand and creating a unique bond with the public. If you are thinking of making your business known in an original and up-to-date way, this media could be an excellent opportunity.

For any questions or curiosities about the world of podcasting, contact me as well: I will be happy to share my experience!