Soph's beginner's guide to audio fiction wooooo
some basic stuff for people new to audio fiction or who want to get into it :P
(side note audio fiction is just a fancy way I say fiction podcast that makes people who don't listen to them not associate them with like the joe rogan experience or other stupid talk show stuff like that)(not that they're all bad but theres def been a rise in people with bad opinions starting podcasts)(anyway onto the actual tips)
Read the transcripts!!!! If there is a transcript follow along while you are listening for a number of reasons. It ensures you know what's being said, but also if it has stage direction and whatnot they're great for understanding what is going on, the sound scaping, and also are just a lot of fun (extended sounds of brutal pipe murder gang where u at). If you have trouble paying attention to multiple things at once, it's also very helpful. I'm ADHD, and at the beginning I would always play a game or something while listening because I couldn't focus but that led me to paying more attention to the game rather than the podcast and just not absorbing any of it. I've learned that I am able to pay attention better if I follow along with the transcript. Oh also it's helpful if you need to tell who's speaking, if two voices sound really similar to you, whatever. Last thing, paying attention to what's going on is ESPECIALLY important for one specific type of podcast: anthology. The stories in anthology podcasts really start to mix together when you've listened to a few, and if you're not paying attention you can totally forget where that one specific story you like is from and have a lot of trouble tracking it down again. It's like trying to remember a childhood dream.
2. Don't be afraid of dropping a podcast you've lost interest in because you've already spent so much time on it. I spent like a ton of time listening to this one pretty popular one and went, 'surely if it's this popular eventually I'll like it' but nope, it just wasn't my thing. being a decent chunk through something doesn't matter it's literally chill. Make sure you have it written down somewhere or something tho- I've found many of my now-favorites didn't initially catch my interest but upon further investigation a year or so later I quickly realize I now am enjoying it a ton more. idk why it could just be a me thing but still.
3. If you are a person who likes keeping track of things, like who keeps a list of books they've read and when or runs their letterboxd meticulous or something like that, you're probably going to want to do that from the beginning because it gets messy very fast. Also, if you are fan of red string murder boards, you might also want to start with that it's a bunch of fun. and lastly, recommendations tend to pile up so that as well
4. Be flexible with genre and style! step outta your comfort zone! that's how you find the best ones. Also, keep in mind that the vast majority of fiction podcasts are indie- there are a lot that aren't able to get the highest tech mics and equipment and whatever but that doesn't mean they're not good. also, you're going to have to be okay with smaller fandoms. The good part about them, though, is they encourage you to create your own fanwork, and it's more intimate and less full of discourse. And like a bunch of pods have official tumblr accounts w the creators on tumblr as well so that's pretty cool
5. What shows should you start with? In my personal opinion, the best place for anyone to start is Welcome to Night Vale (although I may be biased because it was the first one I listened to). Welcome to Night Vale is like the mother of all audio fiction to me. It's been going since 2012, and I feel like it's one of the most iconic podcasts. WTNV is like the gateway drug into audio fiction for a whole bunch of people, I totally recommend it. Some other shows you can start with:
The Magnus Archives - one of the most well-know fiction podcasts probably of all time, really the only one people might have heard of if they're not in the audio fiction sphere. great show, and great if you want to stay with larger fandoms for a bit. looking at popular shows, I think the only other one that's up there is The Adventure Zone, which I have not listened to, but have heard is good. It's an actual play pod I think, which actually side note-
-What is an actual play podcast or rpg or various other names? they're like dnd basically I don't listen to a lot of them personally because they feel less like fiction shows to me but there are a lot of them that a lot of people like- The Adventure Zone and DnDads are the first that come to mind
Wolf 359 - Also an iconic sci fi show I very much recommend and another one that is a lot of people's earliest ones.... I feel like there's not a lot of like, audio drama celebrities, the closest we have is creators/actors like Gabriel Urbina (who made w359), Lauren Shippen, and Alex J Newall / Jonathan Sims, who are a part of a ton of great shows on the more popular side, and then people like Tim and Ben Meredith, David Ault, and Karim Kronfli who are just like in All Of The Things. You Will Not Escape Them. Also another great sci fi podcast is Red Valley.
Looking for representation in, like, Everything? I am giving Hello from the Hallowoods the prize for most diverse cast of characters. We got LGBTQIA+ rep and lots of it, we got disabled rep, we got bipoc rep, I could literally go on and on. Plus there's lots of variety in the types of creature and character design. Mx Wellman A+++ job. My only warning is if you are triggered by religion, religious trauma, and themes of discrimination, I would be cautious with this show and read the episode warnings.
Malevolent - excellent for people who like horror movies, somehow able to put great jump scares and scary stuff like that in a medium with no visuals. Bad for people looking for representation, it is like 99% made of male characters and I don't know how many characters have a canonical race but I think it's pretty white
Kalidatrope - this one is excellent for people who like the classic romcom, very cute, very short and sweet
My two favorite pods in the comedy genre: Midnight Burger and Wooden Overcoats. Midnight burger btw has some of my favorite characters of all time. also: DO NOT BE DISUADED BY THE LENGTHS OF THE EPISODES. You will see what I mean when you listen to it, I promise it's not what it seems. Wooden Overcoats is just classic and sitcom and it's great, super super funny
any of the other shows linked on my pinned post I promise you I have great taste fam
Also, remember how I mentioned Alex J Newall and Jonathan Sims earlier? they created the Rusty Quill Network, which is a great place to find shows as well. there's also a bunch of podcast blogs on tumblr that review pods, recommend them, talk about them a bunch, that you can find pods to listen to at. lastly, you can check out the tag #Audio drama sunday where people talk about the shows they've listened to that week.
podcast blogs I follow to check out in your search for new podcasts to listen to:
@fiction-pod-recs, @starplanes, @fyeahaudiodrama, @skyfullofpods, @boombox-fuckboy, @audiodrama, @audiodramahub, @haveyoulistenedtothispodcast, @podcake
alright that's all I got for you feel free to put questions in my ask box :)
other podcast connoisseurs rb with any tips or whatever you got
