For the Soundscape project, we’ll use audio in addition to text as the contents for our project. Using audio allows us additional tools to consider: tone of voice, music, sound effects, pacing, narration. Let’s look at a few examples on ways to use audio, as well as a few suggestions on writing for it.
The biggest difference between writing for audio versus for page is that sentences are much shorter and more direct. The following notes are adapted from NPR Audio Training.
1. Who is your audience, and how will they listen?
In the case of news stories and podcasts, you might imagine that listeners are paying attention to big headlines and maybe not listening in for the most nuanced details. If the audience is disabled and we’re talking about writing alt text on a website, you might want to have more details communicated so that they have an equal experience. If it’s a more artistic audience in the case of a poetry reading, you can highlight more of the personality of the reader or the text.
Editing becomes really important. Let’s assume the audience is a news audience. This is an example from a printed article in The Washington Post:
👥 Review Ubu Sound Activity
📝 Introduce Soundscape Project
📓 Notes: Writing for Sound
Writing for Audio
1. Who is your audience, and how will they listen?