Writing a script... For one?

One the outlines and alter ego were in place, it was time for the meat and potatoes of the whole project; the script.  Most of my experience in writing has been in short stories or the occasional play-style script, and radio turned out to be a different monster entirely.

The first of many requirements of the script was that it had to sound natural.  Radio hosts are seldom scripted in what they say, and generally go with the flow of the conversation, or talk about points of interest.  At most, they have guidelines or a schedule to follow, but never read anything verbatim, other than a direct quote.  The use of pauses (sometimes awkward) or slang gives the script a natural feel, and will hopefully keep the listener from thinking that everything has been pre-written.

The bulk of my research for the script was essentially a part of my daily routine.  I'm a bit of a radio addict, especially talk shows.  101.5 Bob Rocks is by far my favorite, and the easy and somewhat comical style that they interact with each other and more importantly the audience (more on that later) inspired my own Rick Nelson character, and his laid back attitude.

By far the most difficult part about writing the script was doing how the dialogue would flow without another person in the room.  Other than a couple phone calls and an interview, the vast majority of the radio show will be Rick talking to the unseen and unheard audience.  I had to write in such a way to keep things interesting, and involve the listener in what's going on.  Using phrases like "you guys" and other ways of addressing the audience directly will (hopefully) do the trick.