{"id":15389,"date":"2025-05-01T18:14:29","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T18:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/?p=15389"},"modified":"2025-05-16T00:55:56","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T00:55:56","slug":"wheel-of-pain-lessons-audio-storytelling-julia-barton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/niemanstoryboard.org\/2025\/05\/01\/wheel-of-pain-lessons-audio-storytelling-julia-barton\/","title":{"rendered":"The ‘wheel of pain,’ and other lessons in audio storytelling from Julia Barton"},"content":{"rendered":" \n
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When editing an audio segment, Julia Barton<\/a> recommends envisioning a mood board full of emojis. These facial expressions \u2014 hysterically laughing, shedding a tear, or beaming \u2014 can help an audio editor identify their emotions at any particular point. The key to audio stories is noticing your reactions. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Barton, the founder of RadioWright<\/a>, former executive editor at Pushkin Industries<\/a>, and 2024 Nieman Fellow, has spent her career writing and developing audio stories that keep listeners engaged. Her newsletter, Continuous Wave<\/a>, dives deeper into the history of audio. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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At the recent Power of Narrative Conference at Boston University<\/a>, Barton offered tips and tricks for anyone who wants to create a compelling audio story. \u201cIf a piece is really well-done and your imagination is engaged, you’ll just remember it for years,\u201d Barton told me afterward. \u201cYou’re engaging with people in this way that is really powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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Here\u2019s a breakdown of her advice:<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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  1. You are the first listener.<\/strong> While a microphone, a quiet space, and a recording device will capture the audio, the most important tool for creating an audio story is your ears and your ability to listen. As Barton does with her mood board, you should track whether you\u2019re confused, distracted, or not laughing when revising your audio. That\u2019s a good time, Barton said, to ask yourself: \u201cWhat is happening?\u201d A good trick is to notice if you\u2019re physically leaning forward or backward. Awareness of your natural reactions will only make you a better storyteller, she said.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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    1. Avoid the \u201cWheel of Pain.\u201d<\/strong> Boredom, confusion, distraction, and impatience are an audio producer\u2019s enemies. Barton calls it the “Wheel of Pain.” Podcasting has more freedom than the down-to-the-second timing of radio broadcasting, but if a listener gets thrown onto the Wheel of Pain, \u201cit\u2019s over,\u201d Barton said. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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      1. Invite the audience in.<\/strong> Use the power of friendship. When your audience feels connected to a host, \u201cthe brain is responding to the same stimuli that you might have in a friendship,\u201d Barton said. These “parasocial relationships” can keep your listeners coming back. \u201cOver time, you start to feel like you belong in this show,\u201d Barton said. We all listen for cues, and that includes the host inviting us to listen. \u201cCautionary Tales<\/a>\u201d is a more subtle example of this relationship, with Tim Harford welcoming the audience through narrative storytelling, while \u201cThe Mel Robbins Podcast<\/a>\u201d uses a more in-your-face tactic with Robbins introducing herself as \u201cyour friend Mel.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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        1. Keep it lively<\/strong>. People crave the feeling of a live show, even if it is taped, Barton said. The audience wants their host right here, talking directly to them. It\u2019s no easy feat. The feeling takes coordination, trust within a team, and the constant question: \u201cWhat does the audience need?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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          1. Write for your<\/strong> <\/em><\/strong>host. <\/strong>Barton spends time finding her host\u2019s voice. Even when she writes a script, she prefers the host to rewrite it in their own words. \u201cDoes anyone hear ad reads that are just, like, cringe?\u201d Barton asked. That\u2019s how a host sounds when reading someone else\u2019s words. Most listeners can tell, and they lose trust in the host. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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            1. Grab onto moments of change. <\/strong>Don’t be afraid to have fun with format. \u201cThe dilemma that especially news producers face all the time is, is it bad that I’m making this fun to listen to? No, it’s not bad,\u201d Barton said. An audio story can jump from <\/strong>a host or reporter narration to an interview clip, scene-setting, a mic check, a chatty conversation, or archival speeches. Barton describes it this way: one second, the host could be talking to you, and the next second, you\u2019re eavesdropping on their conversation with someone else. \u201cOur ears are so good at picking up that stuff, it’s mind-blowing,\u201d Barton said.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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              1. Write for the ear. <\/strong>Be clear and to the point. Keep your sentences short and direct. The listener is walking their dog or doing the dishes \u2014 each thought needs to sink into their distracted brains, Barton said.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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                1. Avoid clich\u00e9s.<\/strong> \u201cThe listener starts to tune out,\u201d Barton said, if they start to hear clich\u00e9s or common phrases that feel like padded filler.  The same goes for \u201cpre-peats,\u201d or repeating an idea or phrase in the host’s initial narration that the listener will hear again just a few seconds later in the story itself.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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                  1. Be transparent and mindful about edits.\u00a0<\/strong>Edited audio stories often include polished speech. \u201cWe know listeners are distracted, and we just want to make it easier for information to get into their brains,\u201d Barton said. So filler words like \u201cums\u201d are removed and pauses can be tightened up. Sometimes it can be helpful to tell your interview subjects about the editing process and how it works.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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                    1. Sometimes you can even do “backflips” in audio.<\/strong> Barton coined the term \u201cbackflip\u201d for when the interview tape comments on the narrative. For example, in a piece Barton worked on for Radiolab called “Neither Confirm Nor Deny<\/a>,” as the host, she introduces an idea to the audience. Her interviewee responds, even though they’re not in direct conversation. Here’s how it’s scripted: <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n
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                      JULIA (NARRATOR):<\/strong> The way Walt sees it, the CIA’s job is to keep secrets, and keeping secrets keeps America safe.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n \n

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                      WALT LOGAN: <\/strong>Yes.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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                      Logan’s \u201cyes\u201d (answering her question even though she didn’t include her portion of it) is <\/strong>a way to cross the boundary between narration and reporting, and it creates a playful moment for the listener. Sometimes, you can get \u201ca little cheeky\u201d with your audio, Barton said.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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                      ***<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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                      Ava Berger<\/em><\/a> is a senior at Boston University studying journalism and Spanish. She has worked as a correspondent for <\/em>The Boston Globe\u2019s City Desk<\/em><\/a>, where she covered <\/em>crime scenes<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>fatal fires<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>court cases<\/em><\/a>,  <\/em>Salisbury Beach<\/em><\/a>, and the <\/em>Boston Celtics\u2019 2024 championship<\/em><\/a>. She now contributes to the<\/em> Globe\u2019s social media coverage<\/em><\/a>. Her byline has appeared in the Cape Cod Times, the Greenfield Recorder, <\/em>CommonWealth Beacon<\/em><\/a>, and the <\/em>Boston Business Journal<\/em><\/a>. Ava will be joining the Globe\u2019s City Desk again this summer as an intern.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n

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                      Subscribe to Storyboard<\/h2>\n \n
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                      Get insights into the craft of journalism and storytelling in your inbox, delivered on Fridays.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n \n

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                      <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      The producer and former executive editor at Pushkin Industries shares insights on how to produce stories for podcasts and radio<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":15391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[425],"topics":[],"authors":[456],"issue":[],"class_list":["post-15389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays-on-craft","tag-podcasts","authors-ava-berger"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe 'wheel of pain,' and other lessons in audio storytelling from Julia Barton - Nieman Storyboard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The producer and former executive editor at Pushkin Industries shares insights on how to produce stories for podcasts and radio\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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