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Literary analysis for podcasts: my top tips

Recently some of my analysis posts have been getting notes again and it made me think that maybe I can share some advice with those of you who are interested in writing about similar things but feel hesitant to! I'm by no means an expert but I love writing and reading media analysis, and I'm sure some of you do too. This is primarily for social media and blogging, but some of it applies to academia too!

1. Know your media

This one's pretty obvious, but useful! Definitely write notes of your thoughts the first time you listen to a podcast, but if you're able to listen multiple times you can gain insight into what piques your interest again, and also what you missed the first time/s that other people might've missed too.

2. Know your audience

Engaging with the community of said media can add even more depth and interest to your writing and theories. Look at what people are already putting out there: what are their headcanons? What's controversial? What is nobody saying? There's always something new to be found, even if you're exploring a really popular aspect of the story.

3. Write for yourself

In my experience this is the most important thing. Even if you tailor your writing in a way you think will suit everyone, somebody will still disagree with you, so it's better to write what you think and feel (in a respectful and conciontious way) than to try and make everyone like it. There's always hate, but there's also always appreciators!

4. Don't undervalue transcripts

For some reason when I first started analyzing podcast content I was really against looking in the transcripts? I'm sure you're not, but either way make sure to read them if you can, there's often extra tidbits of information in them, and they can help you understand!

5. Sometimes how it was said can be even more interesting than the sentence itself

It can be so interesting to look into a voice actors choice; podcasts present the unique challenge of an audio only word, so phrasing can really make a difference and be interesting to analyse. It's also interesting to compare notable lines to the speech pattern an actor or character usually uses.

6. Sounds effects and audio design can be just as interesting as storylines

This is something really specific to audio dramas, as again they rely only on sound. I think it's easy to underestimate the difference that the sound design can make, but as it's something everyone interprets differently I find it a really juicy topic for analysis.

7. Have a look at the producer/creator's other work

This can be another really cool topic for analysis if you're interested in the maker themself! It can uncover common links in their work, introduce you to new media, and give you new perspectives on the media you started with! Also, as all of you creators will know, there's a chance they reused cut parts of your favourite podcast in another they made...

8. Be self indulgent...

I kind of already said this but I can't say it enough... Write about what you love, share your brainrot, share the weird little things you think (as long as they're appropriate to...). Just share your joy and it'll probably make other people happy too!

Hopefully some of this will be helpful! It's not all podcast specific, but it all certainly applies. And remember, if you think this is all really obvious, you may not be the target audience, but you can share it with someone who might be! And also, as always, please feel free to add your own tips in the tags!

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To address this, I've lived, studied, and worked in London my whole life. I'll admit to exaggerating a little on the dead bodies, I've found two, and i know a lot of other people have. I'm not, however, even slightly exaggerating about the knife crime. I know this because I've seen and experienced it. If you haven't spent much time in central London, or have only spent time in nicer areas, I can understand why this would be hard to believe. But I ask you to read some specific articles on victims, statistics, and actual rates before you make a comment on this. I don't claim to be the font of all knowledge, but I do think people should be educated on this topic. I'm happy to provide links to articles if anyone would like more information.

Tips for writing London as a setting if you've never been there

London's a popular place to set a story! It's often imagined as sexy, cool, and suave. Whilst this is sometimes true, the thing that it predominantly is, is absolutely and entirely chaotic! So here are some aspects that you may not know about:

-Public transport is absolutely crucial to the infrastructure! Few people drive in London because of how well connected it is, and bus stops and train stations are often used as meeting points or details in directions.

-There's a LOT of crime, like, a lot. All cities have it, but London has a lot of variety. Stabbings are incredibly common (to the extent where it becomes a bit of a joke), almost everyone has a story where they've found or seen a dead body, and there are many money laundering/drug den fronts under the guise of highstreet shops (they're not well hidden).

-Despite it's chaos there's a strong code of etiquette most people hold themselves too. Some are actual rules (stand on the right side of escalators, don't queue jump) but some are simply social expectations (don't stop in the middle of the pavement, keep your bags close to your body, don't take up multiple seats.)

-A lot of tourists to the city are COMPLETELY FERAL and widely hated. They'll stand in the middle of the road, block up bridges, swing around cameras and selfie sticks in busy places, and completely ignore the social standards of polite society. People Do Not Like This. (also American tourists have a tendancy to just randomly start conversation with people? It's a bit weird and generally not done but it's not strictly a bad thing.)

-Rush hour is INSANE. We're talking almost static traffic, trains so packed that you're pressed into people on every side, buses that are so full they can't stop to let more people on. Some days it's better some days it's worse, but if you can avoid travelling at those times YOU DO.

-There are a lot of scam artists on the streets. Most major cities have these, they suck, they're aggressive, and they'll take your money! Some give you flowers and then force you to pay, some take photos of you and boost up the price to get them, there's always new ones, they're relentless, and you've gotta tell them to fuck off.

-Black cabs are not at all popular for normal people! They cater to tourists, rich people, and old people. They're great, the cab drivers are hard working and very knowledgeable, but they're also very expensive. Awful as it is, uber's cheaper if you're desperate, but buses go everywhere so it's just not really worth it.

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Tips for writing London as a setting if you've never been there

London's a popular place to set a story! It's often imagined as sexy, cool, and suave. Whilst this is sometimes true, the thing that it predominantly is, is absolutely and entirely chaotic! So here are some aspects that you may not know about:

-Public transport is absolutely crucial to the infrastructure! Few people drive in London because of how well connected it is, and bus stops and train stations are often used as meeting points or details in directions.

-There's a LOT of crime, like, a lot. All cities have it, but London has a lot of variety. Stabbings are incredibly common (to the extent where it becomes a bit of a joke), almost everyone has a story where they've found or seen a dead body, and there are many money laundering/drug den fronts under the guise of highstreet shops (they're not well hidden).

-Despite it's chaos there's a strong code of etiquette most people hold themselves too. Some are actual rules (stand on the right side of escalators, don't queue jump) but some are simply social expectations (don't stop in the middle of the pavement, keep your bags close to your body, don't take up multiple seats.)

-A lot of tourists to the city are COMPLETELY FERAL and widely hated. They'll stand in the middle of the road, block up bridges, swing around cameras and selfie sticks in busy places, and completely ignore the social standards of polite society. People Do Not Like This. (also American tourists have a tendancy to just randomly start conversation with people? It's a bit weird and generally not done but it's not strictly a bad thing.)

-Rush hour is INSANE. We're talking almost static traffic, trains so packed that you're pressed into people on every side, buses that are so full they can't stop to let more people on. Some days it's better some days it's worse, but if you can avoid travelling at those times YOU DO.

-There are a lot of scam artists on the streets. Most major cities have these, they suck, they're aggressive, and they'll take your money! Some give you flowers and then force you to pay, some take photos of you and boost up the price to get them, there's always new ones, they're relentless, and you've gotta tell them to fuck off.

-Black cabs are not at all popular for normal people! They cater to tourists, rich people, and old people. They're great, the cab drivers are hard working and very knowledgeable, but they're also very expensive. Awful as it is, uber's cheaper if you're desperate, but buses go everywhere so it's just not really worth it.

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The vast is so commonly associated with rain and thunderstorms, as everyone's favourite vast avatar so boldly represents it, but I think a heatwave presents it just as well.

The spanning empty skies of a truly sunny day, not a cloud in sight - nothing to protect you from the burning heat. Everything feels so much bigger when the skies are opened...

Sweeping shadows cast by tall buildings behind sprawling fences, those shaded spots are never so big, yet when they could provide some respite those fences seem taller than ever.

And the walk home, has it always been so long? Have these pavements been so wide, is there really this much space until safety? Walking forever, the heat beating down upon you, a headache forming as you wish you'd packed a water bottle. Did you? Has the walk really taken so much time that your supply has been drained?

The outside world is bigger than you could imagine when the sky is open and oh so bright, maybe there never was a way to escape it.

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Tma characters as hyperspecific non-categorised experiences. Part 2

Gertrude: The scratchy cough you get in the back of your throat after opening a book older than you are and breathing in the dust

Agnes: That moment after putting your hand on something hot when you realise you're about to get burnt but it hasn't started hurting yet

Peter Lukas: Getting your head dunked underwater and feeling the pressure in your sinus mixed with the bliss of the silence

Gerry: Licking coaldust off your lips after you've assembled a fire.

Micheal distortion: The shape of a bright neon sign burnt into your vision that becomes ever so clear when your eyes are closed

Micheal crew: The nagging insistence of brushing up against a low voltage wire but being unable to tell where it is to avoid it.

Maxwell rayner: Being handed a pamphlet for a religion that isn't yours as a child that's been convinced yours is all that's right.

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I know Jared Hopworth is supposed to be a terrifying monster with too many limbs and a body that defies any recognisable form one could relate to humanity, but I can never picture him like that. I've never been able to picture this many-limbed monstrosity, but instead something much more subtle.

A man who at a glance could be normal. From a distance. You know how sometimes if you see a large animal your brain tries to make it into a person? Like that. The shape is that of a person, but wait... It's too big, the proportions are... Off.

There's nothing more terrifying than the slow realisation that something unprovable is very, very wrong.

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Weird interviews??? 👀👀👀

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Omg Celia.... What an entrance with the little doughnuts

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I saw a couple of things about the needle guy before I listened to the episode and I did not expect just how much he'd live up to the hype. I adore him.

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"Quite stabbed!" maybe my favourite quote

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Okay Alice is growing on me in this episode for some reason...

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This guy is so gullible I'm obsessed

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"welcome to my twisted mind" was an excellent line to hear said by the twisted man himself.

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Lena commiting crimes already?? 😳😳

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Grifters bone origin story???

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Whilst I do think it's incredibly problematic to hand down a deeply cursed object, I would take that violin without hesitation.

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Far away music.....