Scriptwriting and Recording Techniques for Audacity

Writing Audio Scripts

Writing for narration for Audacity is really about writing words for the ear. Someone once said that audio listeners aren't one audience of thousands; they're thousands of audiences of one. You should always write with "you" in a personal style, as if your were speaking directly to the person listening. Audio narration must sound natural. If you want to know how that works, record yourself speaking about a topic you want to write a script about. Transcribe it, clean it up and record it again.

Use short sentences, but vary their length. Stick to one idea per sentence when possible. Make each new idea flow logically out of the previous one. Make sure your audio flows.

Check everything you write by reading it aloud. A sentence might look just fine on paper, but it could read awkwardly in the studio. Always check what you've written by reading to yourself aloud or preferable to someone else.

Here are some other suggestions to follow when writing your script. Remember, you're writing for the ear, not for print.

• Write conversationally as if you were speaking to the one individual listening to you.
  
  
• Use contractions and an informal tone. Don't be afraid to use fragments or end your sentences with a preposition.
  
  
• Make sure that all text can be easily understood and read aloud. The best way to test audio scripts is to read them out loud before attempting to record them.
  
  
• Write everything the way someone would say it, not the way someone would read it. Write out symbols and abbreviations so the voice over talent will know what was meant to be read.
  
  
• With numbers, write out one through nine. Use numerals for 10 through 999. Write out words like thousand and million. Use the appropriate combination of names and numerals for numbers like 22 million.
  
  
• Write out names for symbols. When recording the audio, "dollars" is easier to read than $.
  
  
• If an acronym or an abbreviation appears in a script, make sure that the full name appears first.
  
  
• Audio scripts allow injection of personality into programs. Since the narrator is an actual person, writers can use inclusive terms like "we" or "our", creating the illusion that the narrator is viewing the program along with the user. This makes the program much more alive and less dry. Such qualities always help to put the user at ease. Using the method, the narrator can act as an actual guide. 

   

   

  
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