For a 10–15 Minute Audio Story
Writing for audio is writing for the ear. Your audience can’t see what’s happening, so the story must come alive through dialogue, sound effects, and silence.
Use this format to write your audio drama script:
TITLE: Voices in the Dark
AUTHOR: Your Name
CHARACTERS:
- LENA – Curious, nervous, mid-20s
- MR. BARKER – Retired security guard, calm but secretive
- JO – Outspoken, doesn’t trust anyone
- EMIL – Teenager, tech-savvy but jumpy
- THE VOICE – A distorted signal from the radio
INT. APARTMENT LOBBY – NIGHT
[SFX: HEAVY RAIN, WIND HOWLING, DISTANT THUNDER]
LENA
(speaking quietly)
I don’t like this. The power’s been out for hours.
EMIL
(stammering)
It’s fine. We just wait. That’s what they said.
[SFX: SHORTWAVE RADIO STATIC, THEN A FAINT VOICE]
THE VOICE
(distorted, slow)
One of you... brought the storm.
Element | Description | Example |
Scene Heading | Where the scene happens | INT. BASEMENT – NIGHT |
Sound Effects (SFX) | For mood or actions | [SFX: FOOTSTEPS ON METAL STAIRS] |
Music Cues | To build atmosphere | [MUSIC: EERIE SYNTH TONE UNDER DIALOGUE] |
Dialogue | What characters say | LENA: What was that noise? |
Tone Notes | How the line should be said | (whispers), (angrily) |
- 1 page ≈ 1 to 1.5 minutes of audio
- 10 pages = 10–13 minutes
- 12 pages = 12–16 minutes
- 15 pages = 15–20 minutes
- Keep paragraphs short and avoid long monologues
- Show through sound: use thunder, knocking, footsteps
- Use character voices to distinguish speakers
- Avoid too many characters or location jumps
- Use silence and music to build tension
- Let the listener imagine: hint, don’t over-explain
You can write your script in any basic text editor (Google Docs, Word, etc.).
Use CAPS or brackets for sound and music cues.
No need for special software — just format it clearly.