Here’s What I've Learnt From Making 10 Audio Dramas

I’d Rather Write About Gore Than Unicorns...

My brain naturally wanders towards the darker side of storytelling. Of course it does, it's a Millie-ism...that's me! While I love rainbows, sunshine and dancing in the rain, sinister characters, twisted secrets and gore to the extent of aliens bursting out stomachs is right up my street and style. Beneath the weirdness, I’m usually exploring something recognisably human; a grief, loss, a trauma - but it's more chaotic and exciting disguising it in a script!

Keep Going...

I’m more persistent than I give myself credit for. Pen & Paper Girl Audios may not be a bestselling series or the number-one podcast in the charts, but that has never stopped me from creating and has always been about the enjoyment of writing them. Of course, I would love the audience to grow and for them to be adapted for screen (which I’m working towards) but sometimes it's not always about the numbers. Perhaps the greatest achievement is caring enough to make the next one and staying true to yourself no matter the obstacles or what life throws at you.

Perfection Prevents You From Moving Forward...

I could edit each episode for eternity. But does perfection really exist or a non-existent standard invented by ourselves? If I kept chopping and changing things, would it ever reach my listeners? There will always be a sound effect I could adjust or a piece of music I could move slightly. At some point, I have to recognise that the story is finished. Creating audio dramas has taught me that perfection can sometimes prevent you from moving forward and means letting go and allowing art to belong to its listeners, who will experience it differently from the way you do.

Things Take Time...

Creating an audio drama takes much longer than just writing the words. Firstly, I write them as scripts, then I adapt them for audio. And thennnnnnnn...there are recordings to organise, bits and bobs to edit, music to source and an entire world to build through sound. The creation of the kingdom takes time and an audience doesn’t appear overnight. It has taught me to appreciate gradual progress.

I Learnt By Doing It...

I'm no tech expert. In fact, during my GCSE year I almost had to pay off my friend to help me with my IT coursework! I didn’t begin Pen & Paper Girl knowing exactly how to produce an audio drama. That's why they were script readings first time. I learnt by creating, gradually teaching myself how to edit dialogue, source music, use sound effects and how to make sound have the best impact possible.

If I had waited until I felt completely qualified or I'd become a textbook expert on audio production, I might never have started. Sometimes, just throwing yourself in the deep end is the best thing you can do and gives you the experience you need.

Not everybody has to understand it...

What you do isn't for everybody, that's why they're for you! I'm still learning to be comfortable with that. I think even the brand name perhaps stunts people in the first place...

'Pen & Paper Girl?'...perhaps it's about girly gossip, woes and whimsical whirls? When actually it's a bittersweet title that carries a concoction of any story and every story I'm feeling.

There was probably a time when I would have worried more about whether people understood what I was trying to create. Now, I realise that making my work appeal to absolutely everyone would mean removing many of the things that make it mine. The important thing is that I understand what I am building and that I continue without diluting the imagination that gave it an identity in the first place.

Each Episode Means Something...

For every new story, there is a fulfilling sense of achievement that arrives after I click the distribute button. That moment of fulfilment hasn’t disappeared overtime as I’ve gone on to create more productions. Each release still feels like its own achievement because every story presents a different challenge and idea about something.

It’s the Journey That Makes It...

Listeners hear the finished audio drama, but I remember everything that happened behind it. I remember spending twelve hours in my pj's editing behind my desk, fighting to find my laptop charger, messaging my narrators on WhatsApp and staying awake until midnight because I was determined to release the finished story on time.

I even remember my Wi-Fi cutting out and having to leach off my families' internet so I could press that upload button! Then there's the journey of them airing on BBC Upload. So far, they’ve reached places I never imagined they would and the individual chaotic adventures of bringing each one to life is what makes them special to me.

Taking a Chance on Myself Was Worth It...

Trusting an idea that nobody else could see in quite the same way with no guarantee that it would find an audience, receive recognition or grow beyond the first one. I made the choice that I was worth taking a chance on. Building it independently has taught me that I am capable of creating opportunities for myself instead of always waiting for others. That independence has helped me trust my decisions, become more resourceful and recognise how much I can achieve when I commit to something I genuinely care about.

It's become more than a collection of stories...

Pen & Paper Girl has become part of my identity. It is my creative freelance brand, my storytelling portfolio and something I have built entirely from scratch. It represents the entrepreneurial path I have chosen: taking an idea that began at home and gradually turning it into something with its own name, voice and growing story-verse. There is something really special about looking at Pen & Paper Girl today and knowing that it exists because I created it.

Happy Friday everyone!

The Pen & Paper Girl

XOXO