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literary Writing Radio Dramas that Snap, Crackle and Pop by Oregon-J. Hobb proiliiLlmiis lor u-c on the national network. This impacts on B.C. playwrights in two ways: 1 > good radio drama scripts have a better chance of being distributed nationally, but 2) the national network is less inclined to lake ariskon more unorthodox scripts Writers whose scripts are chosen for production by ihc CBC can expect the following pay rates, as per the CBC's and the sk\ n North Vancouver by Russell Thornton The clouds touching the mountains o my shoulder arc bodies of semi-solid moonlight. The inlet is melted solder, but cold. s and the vaulting bridge :w. almost blinding metal, [lowing descrt-bluc clarity lloKk, .inJ sound as action. Sounds simple, but it isn't. You can make a good start by consulting the type ol programs which are currently on the air. As Alex Mair says, ' i f you want to find out what the CBC is buying, listen to whal the CBC is using." The producer and director of CBC Radio Drama concurs. John Juliani suggests that you begin b\ listening to current radio dramas. Then submit ideas for 30- to 60minutc radio play s to > our regional CBC affiliate and be patient. Recent cutbacks at the corporation have reduced the number of staff script readers from four to one: Juliani .Inn rsponds in fivi .. h o w . be :). S4940(60-minute: > . S3979 (60-minutc) Bui here (here is slender, slowly-swaying ram ushering light along the lanes of light's colours. One sudden stilled raindrop on a leaf "People don't write the way they talk. For radio they should. It's more than important; it's vital." --Alex Mair O I think of as a magnifying glass, and through the lens I see a book's burning pageGregory J. Robb is a Vancouver writer and it tells of this place, where the sun lies out producer of a weekly radio show for over the water writers, A Wave wilh Words, on C/SF. This article originally appeared in Wordworks, like afisherman'stinted glass float, and ihc cast crisscrossed rays the newsletter of the B.C. Federation of Writers, and has been reprinted with their net the world like an unknown, unknowable fish. generous permission. Russell Thomton lives in North Vancouver. He has had four books of poetry published, including Frame of Darkness and The Ska of a Song. His latest book. With Our Bodies We Write the Name of Light is forthcoming in early 1994. The only absolute requirement for radio play writing is an ultimate respect for sound. The ear is the switch on the mind' eye. Consequently, Juliani says, the relationship between sounds and words i crucial: "You are playing for the don't have the visualization. So I think silence is often as important as the sound. Of course, the harmony between sound effects and the word--the verbal and the non-verbal--aspects arc important. It's a simple question of knowing what's possible, what isn't possible.'" In radio drama, it is difficult to imagine what you cannot hear, and vice versa. As with plays generally, characterization is key. But since listeners visualize by radio's aural element, radio drama writers rely heavily on the power of dialogue--a method of expression which John Juliani says may not translate cleanly from our heads to the airwaves. He adds, "it isn't a reflection on the production team or the performers. It's something to do with.-.what happens when you fashion something so beautifully in your head and then put it on paper." Believable dialogue makes the listener believe the character's sincerity. Interaction becomes true. Format and length are also very important. Juliani says that most scripts he examines are too long. If so, the producer (in a writer's absence) may have to cut as much as 12 minutes from a play. Juliani suggests thai writers mark expendable sections in the initial submission; this expedites the producer's decisions. The traditional "oneminute- per- scriptcd-page" rule may not accurately reflect timing in plays with monologues and heavy narration. The lime CBC Radio Script Style Sample Scene One: Spacious reception area I. RECEPTIONIST: Thank you. I will deliver these immediately lo the appropriale script editors. 7. RECEPTIONIST: (Internal) It'll be a frosty day in hell when they gel their acknowledgement letters out that fast! Scene Two: A cramped office i SOUND: WORD PROCESSORS TAPPING. CONTINUE UNDER. 9. DAVE: Isn't it odd how this writer keepsreferringto the heroine's gold lame evening gown? What does he think gold lame sounds like? II. DAVE: Personally. I think he's thinking visually, not aurally. 1 » SOUND: DOOR OPENING. 13. RECEPTIONIST: Twenty unsolicited scripts have come in today's mail! The CBC produces very little local or regional radio drama in Vancouver. Funds for local drama production vary throughout the country wilh most of the work being done in Toronto. Curiously. CBC Vancouver concentrates more on 6 A M . A « . . . J.o-F.b 1994 14. ANN: Thank you Carmcta. We'll send out letters of acknowledgement immediate!)'