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Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio
Go behind the scenes of seven of today's most popular narrative radio shows and podcasts, including This American Life and RadioLab, in graphic narrative. Every week, millions of devoted fans tune in to or download This American Life, The Moth, Radiolab, Planet Money, Snap Judgment, Serial, Invisibilia and other narrative radio shows. Using personal stories to breathe life into complex ideas and issues, these beloved programs help us to understand ourselves and our world a little bit better. Each has a distinct style, but every one delivers stories that are brilliantly told and produced. Out on the Wire offers an unexpected window into this new kind of storytelling-one that literally illustrates the making of a purely auditory medium. With the help of This American Life's Ira Glass, Jessica Abel, a cartoonist and devotee of narrative radio, uncovers just how radio producers construct narrative, spilling some juicy insider details. Jad Abumrad of RadioLab talks about chasing moments of awe with scientists, while Planet Money's Robert Smith lets us in on his slightly goofy strategy for putting interviewees at ease. And Abel reveals how mad-really mad-Ira Glass becomes when he receives edits from his colleagues. Informative and engaging, Out on the Wire demonstrates that narrative radio and podcasts are creating some of the most exciting and innovative storytelling available today. From the Trade Paperback edition.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 25, 2015
244 people are currently reading
2683 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Abel
55 books159 followersAuthor and coach Jessica Abel is the author of Growing Gills, Out on the Wire, La Perdida, and two textbooks about making comics, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures and Mastering Comics. Abel’s latest work of fiction is the Eisner-nominated Trish Trash: Rollergirl of Mars.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 310 reviews
September 15, 2017
Since I didn't read Jessica Abel's previous book on radio, Radio: An Illustrated Guide, I had no idea this would be in graphic novel format. That took a while to get used to and at first I wasn't sure it needed the graphics or even worked in that format, but I quickly changed my mind. I soon realized that Jessica was identifying an element of radio storytelling and then also illustrating it in graphical form. But not like a diagram, kind of like a meta graphic, with the radio hosts she is interviewing performing the element well. It's hard to explain. Like she says in her epilogue, you need the book to understand the book.
I'm always looking for ways to be a better podcaster, and the answers must lie in the secrets of successful radio producers. Jessica worked extensively with people from This American Life (not just Ira but also Ira), RadioLab, Snap Judgment, The Moth, and more.
I learned about signposts and realized how much podcasters and radio people use them! I liked learning the controversy between giving the listener a conclusion vs. letting them form their own. I have a lot more to say about it and will probably talk about it on the podcast soon. Meta meta meta. It can't be helped.
And since a speech that Jad Abumrad gave a few years ago helped me keep going on my podcast, I was so pleased to encounter his German forest story again.
This is a book I need to own. It also makes me want to go back to teaching my storytelling class, armed with new ideas and strategies.
I'm always looking for ways to be a better podcaster, and the answers must lie in the secrets of successful radio producers. Jessica worked extensively with people from This American Life (not just Ira but also Ira), RadioLab, Snap Judgment, The Moth, and more.
I learned about signposts and realized how much podcasters and radio people use them! I liked learning the controversy between giving the listener a conclusion vs. letting them form their own. I have a lot more to say about it and will probably talk about it on the podcast soon. Meta meta meta. It can't be helped.
And since a speech that Jad Abumrad gave a few years ago helped me keep going on my podcast, I was so pleased to encounter his German forest story again.
This is a book I need to own. It also makes me want to go back to teaching my storytelling class, armed with new ideas and strategies.
June 23, 2015
Back in 1999, cartoonist and writer Jessica Abel wrote a slim but very interesting graphic novel-like book--maybe you’d call it a nonfiction comic book--about how the radio show This American Life creates its often irresistible stories, stories that lead to “driveway moments” where you’ve arrived home but can’t get out of the car because you must hear how those stories end. I’ve treasured my copy of Radio: An Illustrated Guide for years and now Abel has written a greatly expanded update.
At 200+ pages Abel’s new book, Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio, includes other American radio shows with high quality narrative nonfiction, shows like Snap Judgement, Radio Lab, Planet Money, The Moth, 99% Invisible, and Radio Diaries. The people who work on these shows are characters in the “story” of how they put together their various radio pieces, and Abel uses graphic images in ways that I didn’t expect but that really work well on several levels.
She shows herself interacting and in conversations with many of the radio people she interviewed for the book, creating dialog and pictures that give a sense of the personalities involved while also conveying information about the sometimes varied story processes the shows use--Snap Judgement and This American Life have very different philosophies for instance. Some of the picture panels are set in radio offices, meeting rooms, or broadcast areas, but Abel also puts her characters in a myriad of other more dramatic locations, including wandering around lost in a dense “German forest” and scaling a treacherously steep a rock cliff, images that vividly and charmingly illustrate the creative steps the characters are struggling through.
It’s both amazing and fascinating how much goes into making these shows as compelling as they are--it might take hours or even a whole workday to get 20 seconds right. I’m a big fan of radio, I think it’s natural for a bibliophile to treasure a medium where words play such a key role, so I already loved many of the radio shows in the book but I’m listening now with a lot more alertness and insight into the techniques behind the finished products.
The book is broken into chapters that explore how to: come up with story ideas that will work, find the right characters and voice, structure the story’s components, use sound and music to create images and scene breaks, and edit hours of tape (they still call it that, even in the digital age) into a tight radio segment. I think anyone interested in radio, the creative process, or what it is that makes stories riveting will find this book as fascinating as I did.
I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through the website LibraryThing. Review opinions are mine.
At 200+ pages Abel’s new book, Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio, includes other American radio shows with high quality narrative nonfiction, shows like Snap Judgement, Radio Lab, Planet Money, The Moth, 99% Invisible, and Radio Diaries. The people who work on these shows are characters in the “story” of how they put together their various radio pieces, and Abel uses graphic images in ways that I didn’t expect but that really work well on several levels.
She shows herself interacting and in conversations with many of the radio people she interviewed for the book, creating dialog and pictures that give a sense of the personalities involved while also conveying information about the sometimes varied story processes the shows use--Snap Judgement and This American Life have very different philosophies for instance. Some of the picture panels are set in radio offices, meeting rooms, or broadcast areas, but Abel also puts her characters in a myriad of other more dramatic locations, including wandering around lost in a dense “German forest” and scaling a treacherously steep a rock cliff, images that vividly and charmingly illustrate the creative steps the characters are struggling through.
It’s both amazing and fascinating how much goes into making these shows as compelling as they are--it might take hours or even a whole workday to get 20 seconds right. I’m a big fan of radio, I think it’s natural for a bibliophile to treasure a medium where words play such a key role, so I already loved many of the radio shows in the book but I’m listening now with a lot more alertness and insight into the techniques behind the finished products.
The book is broken into chapters that explore how to: come up with story ideas that will work, find the right characters and voice, structure the story’s components, use sound and music to create images and scene breaks, and edit hours of tape (they still call it that, even in the digital age) into a tight radio segment. I think anyone interested in radio, the creative process, or what it is that makes stories riveting will find this book as fascinating as I did.
I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through the website LibraryThing. Review opinions are mine.
June 27, 2017
Reading this book felt like going to a Storytelling workshop. There is SO MUCH information packed into each panel. It's all very fascinating, but it is dense and cannot be read lightly, like many other graphic works.
Abel uses her graphic medium to detail the ins and outs of radio storytelling. The book itself uses Abel and Ira Glass as omniscient narrators of the process of creating a radio narrative/documentary, in the vein of TAL, Radiolab, The Moth, Planet Money, etc. The book is structured as a dialogue and running conversation with producers from these and other programs and podcasts about The Idea, the Characters and Voice, Story Structure, Sound, and The Edit.
As a general fan and supporter of public radio, there was a lot to love here. This book provided a whole new appreciation for the incredible work that goes into production, both creative and technical. It was a fascinating read. There's a lot here for writers, storytellers, performers, and artists to glean, and apply directly to their craft.
Abel uses her graphic medium to detail the ins and outs of radio storytelling. The book itself uses Abel and Ira Glass as omniscient narrators of the process of creating a radio narrative/documentary, in the vein of TAL, Radiolab, The Moth, Planet Money, etc. The book is structured as a dialogue and running conversation with producers from these and other programs and podcasts about The Idea, the Characters and Voice, Story Structure, Sound, and The Edit.
As a general fan and supporter of public radio, there was a lot to love here. This book provided a whole new appreciation for the incredible work that goes into production, both creative and technical. It was a fascinating read. There's a lot here for writers, storytellers, performers, and artists to glean, and apply directly to their craft.
March 15, 2019
I have a temporary rating on this book because I could not read it in kindle format. I will try to find it on shelf at library tomorrow. I used to listen regularly to Ira Glass and his NPR podcast This American Life. That was when I spent more time in my car. Nevertheless...I am open to going back to radio listening some day.
This book looks like a great primer for podcasting.
I did try again to read it with magnifying glass after I finished my taxes and got them submitted.
March 15 Update: I was able to sit down with the large and hefty comic book style paperback today at the library and found it impressive. One of the main themes is just how very much work is put into telling stories. For myself I discovered I don't cotton to getting information through comic books so three stars for me.
This book looks like a great primer for podcasting.
I did try again to read it with magnifying glass after I finished my taxes and got them submitted.
March 15 Update: I was able to sit down with the large and hefty comic book style paperback today at the library and found it impressive. One of the main themes is just how very much work is put into telling stories. For myself I discovered I don't cotton to getting information through comic books so three stars for me.
October 20, 2015
This review is brought to you by MailChimp. No, wait, by Audible. Use offer code "DumbReviewer69" to get some kind of discount that's not really a discount, but who cares? Just click on some shit.
The book itself. Pretty good. Definitely a guide to telling stories in a very next-gen NPR way. Most of the shows profiled were NPR or NPR-adjacent (such as RadioLab), which isn't a slam, but does mean that you're getting a picture through that lens.
Lots of good advice in here for all mediums, really. Especially the second half. Lots of talk about grinding down to the core of a story, being tough in a workshop situation, stuff like that.
But because this book was focused primarily on highly-produced, edited, thoughtful radio, I thought I could give some pointers on doing low-production, thoughtless, barely-edited radio. Of which I am not only a fan, but a creator. And a HUGE fan.
I think this is a necessary thing. Because anymore, it's not like you need a staff and and office and fancy shit like shirts with buttons to do your own radio show and have it distributed in essentially the same way as any of the big guys.
Let's go!
1. Just Start.
You have to start making shows. You can plan this to death, but I'd advise against it. Start, and then see what comes of it. It could be garbage. But then you've got experience. If you make a ton of plans and don't follow through, then all you've got is a bunch of unfulfilled plans. Which you can stuff in a sack with your sorry's, mister.
2. Set yourself a budget ceiling for the first 100 hours.
You don't need to spend a couple thousand to make a show that sounds great. But you could probably stand to spend a little. Anyone who tells you that an iPhone's built-in microphone will suffice is a liar. That person just wants to sabotage you. Don't trust them. Punch them. My advice, set yourself a budget ceiling, and stick to it until you've recorded over a hundred hours of shows. If you hit that mark, then it might be worth investing in more. Or you can spend that hundo on a bus ticket to punch that person with the iPhone advice again.
3. It's okay to talk smack.
I used to be so worried about talking smack about other shows or people that I liked. Don't worry about it. Nobody is going to listen to your show. I've made my new signoff "Fuck Serial" and nobody has said a word. Go forward with that freedom.
4. Invite your friends.
The best part of doing an unscripted chat show is talking to your friends. That's why I got into it. When you hit your mid-20's, everyone gets married and buys houses in dumb other cities and has babies and all that stuff, and all your friends just kind of disappear. A radio show is a great reason to invite over a friend to talk for an hour. You and your friend surely have at least one good story between the two of you. If not, my god, get some new friends. Possibly punch the old friends. Most of my advice involves a punch at some stage.
5. Get good at talking, not at editing.
Edits take forever, and they're a pain in the ass. Get used to talking in such a way that you don't feel like you have to make a lot of cuts. Get used to maintaining forward momentum. I say this as a relentless editor when it comes to writing, so maybe part of the problem is that I've shot my editing wad by the time I get in front of a microphone. But listen to me, you'll thank me later.
6. Keep a notebook in your pocket.
Write down things that you want to talk about all day every day. I'd advise you to do this no matter what. I find it fucking mindblowing that adults don't carry pens. Who are you people? Who let you sign a lease for an apartment to live on your own? If I was a landlord, that would be my only requirement. If you had a pen to sign the lease, then you've got your shit together at least THAT MUCH. Your brain functions enough to at least recognize that there is a future on the horizon, and that future is probably going to require writing down some shit.
7. The biggest benefit.
The best part of having a radio show is that, when something bad happens to you, you think, "Man, this sucks. But this is going to be some great content." When I got an infection and I thought my testicles were going to explode, I had to make a hospital trip, and I kinda thought I was headed for some surgery. But the whole time, I was thinking how, regardless, it would be pretty awesome to talk about how they put an ultrasound on my balls. Is it the same one they use for pregnant moms? Probably. That thing on your stomach, it was probably on my balls. I apologize, and let's blame the cheap-ass hospital.
The point is, my balls were all up in a hospital.
No, wait.
The point is, the worst moments of your life will be a lot better because you'll already be making them into a story. A narrative. And then you'll lay it down on tape, and maybe your balls will still ache for WEEKS (REALLY!), but you'll feel like you got something out of the deal, salvaged the lousy hand life dealt you.
The book itself. Pretty good. Definitely a guide to telling stories in a very next-gen NPR way. Most of the shows profiled were NPR or NPR-adjacent (such as RadioLab), which isn't a slam, but does mean that you're getting a picture through that lens.
Lots of good advice in here for all mediums, really. Especially the second half. Lots of talk about grinding down to the core of a story, being tough in a workshop situation, stuff like that.
But because this book was focused primarily on highly-produced, edited, thoughtful radio, I thought I could give some pointers on doing low-production, thoughtless, barely-edited radio. Of which I am not only a fan, but a creator. And a HUGE fan.
I think this is a necessary thing. Because anymore, it's not like you need a staff and and office and fancy shit like shirts with buttons to do your own radio show and have it distributed in essentially the same way as any of the big guys.
Let's go!
1. Just Start.
You have to start making shows. You can plan this to death, but I'd advise against it. Start, and then see what comes of it. It could be garbage. But then you've got experience. If you make a ton of plans and don't follow through, then all you've got is a bunch of unfulfilled plans. Which you can stuff in a sack with your sorry's, mister.
2. Set yourself a budget ceiling for the first 100 hours.
You don't need to spend a couple thousand to make a show that sounds great. But you could probably stand to spend a little. Anyone who tells you that an iPhone's built-in microphone will suffice is a liar. That person just wants to sabotage you. Don't trust them. Punch them. My advice, set yourself a budget ceiling, and stick to it until you've recorded over a hundred hours of shows. If you hit that mark, then it might be worth investing in more. Or you can spend that hundo on a bus ticket to punch that person with the iPhone advice again.
3. It's okay to talk smack.
I used to be so worried about talking smack about other shows or people that I liked. Don't worry about it. Nobody is going to listen to your show. I've made my new signoff "Fuck Serial" and nobody has said a word. Go forward with that freedom.
4. Invite your friends.
The best part of doing an unscripted chat show is talking to your friends. That's why I got into it. When you hit your mid-20's, everyone gets married and buys houses in dumb other cities and has babies and all that stuff, and all your friends just kind of disappear. A radio show is a great reason to invite over a friend to talk for an hour. You and your friend surely have at least one good story between the two of you. If not, my god, get some new friends. Possibly punch the old friends. Most of my advice involves a punch at some stage.
5. Get good at talking, not at editing.
Edits take forever, and they're a pain in the ass. Get used to talking in such a way that you don't feel like you have to make a lot of cuts. Get used to maintaining forward momentum. I say this as a relentless editor when it comes to writing, so maybe part of the problem is that I've shot my editing wad by the time I get in front of a microphone. But listen to me, you'll thank me later.
6. Keep a notebook in your pocket.
Write down things that you want to talk about all day every day. I'd advise you to do this no matter what. I find it fucking mindblowing that adults don't carry pens. Who are you people? Who let you sign a lease for an apartment to live on your own? If I was a landlord, that would be my only requirement. If you had a pen to sign the lease, then you've got your shit together at least THAT MUCH. Your brain functions enough to at least recognize that there is a future on the horizon, and that future is probably going to require writing down some shit.
7. The biggest benefit.
The best part of having a radio show is that, when something bad happens to you, you think, "Man, this sucks. But this is going to be some great content." When I got an infection and I thought my testicles were going to explode, I had to make a hospital trip, and I kinda thought I was headed for some surgery. But the whole time, I was thinking how, regardless, it would be pretty awesome to talk about how they put an ultrasound on my balls. Is it the same one they use for pregnant moms? Probably. That thing on your stomach, it was probably on my balls. I apologize, and let's blame the cheap-ass hospital.
The point is, my balls were all up in a hospital.
No, wait.
The point is, the worst moments of your life will be a lot better because you'll already be making them into a story. A narrative. And then you'll lay it down on tape, and maybe your balls will still ache for WEEKS (REALLY!), but you'll feel like you got something out of the deal, salvaged the lousy hand life dealt you.
June 13, 2016
I love that good radio can paint a picture and that good graphic novels can he you hear sounds. And I'll read anything that helps me understand creative process, especially when it comes to storytelling.
October 3, 2015
This is a fascinating book, made all the most notable for its unlikely subject matter. On the surface, a book on how they do story-based radio is a little unusual, but then again, Abel has a history translating the workings of public radio into comics form. The closest thing Out on the Wire reminds me of is Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, complete with autobiographic narrator figure who is self-aware of what she's doing as a cartoonist, and (although to a lesser degree than McCloud), playing with the form in a metafictional way. The early parts of the book are the best, and Abel's handing of storytelling and voice are chapters I'd consider using in a future course on narrative theory. The last sections, particularly the ones on sound and edits, went a little slow for me. I'm not sure if it was my psychological context or if the style/content was less compelling. Still, for anyone interested in public radio -- the book also foregrounds podcasting, but it's a kind of "professional" podcasting that is radio first and foremost -- this book is the perfect complement.
October 14, 2015
This is really fantastic. Gonna use it as a textbook on narrative/storytelling next semester.
September 28, 2022
This was interesting as a graphic novel. The read was easy but so many times when they were talking about story development, I wanted to know the entire story! Good book if you are interested in the industry.
February 18, 2016
I definitely squeed - out loud - verbally - in my (not-so-quiet) library - when I saw this book was coming out.
It's right up my (elective reading) alley: A graphic novel about the storytelling methods of This American Life and other narrative nonfiction radio shows. By Jessica Abel. Who's kind of a monster in and of herself.
The book expands on a 32-page work Abel created for This American Life, entitled Radio: An Illustrated Guide. She interviews radio professionals from TAL, Snap Judgement, Planet Money, Radiolab, and The Moth Radio Hour, among others.
She describes the bond between the cartoonist life and public radio - in all of those hours of drawing in a room by yourself, many comic artists listen to these programs.
It is definitely a lot of talking heads, but as a fan of many of these works, I loved getting a behind-the-scenes look. I also appreciated the work because of its uniqueness. Abel shows that this kind of radio storytelling is a pretty modern phenomenon. And this book captures a moment in history in a special way.
Abel puts the focus on why these methods are so successful, deconstructing the storytelling process. I am a storyteller myself - in fact, I read this book while I was preparing to "booktalk" in area middle schoolers - giving brief, storytelling windows into a variety of books. So, the discussion of how to make a story exciting to listen to has real relevance on my work.
It also makes me feel slightly validated about the amount of anal editing work I put into the interview videos I create for my library. Editing is SO important for storytelling power.
Specific standout moments:
Page 5 -
Abel writes, "[These radio hosts] speak to us with recognizable voices, and sound like real human beings, allowing us to connect to their stories through the passion that we hear. This feels so right to us today, when authority comes from directness and authenticity, not distance and formality."
This is such a profound observation for me. It really speaks to how power dynamics have changed in our world during my lifetime.
Page 28 -
Ira Glass says, "Radio is a peculiarly didactic medium, unlike, for example, theater, or comics, where something can kind of happen, and you're in a setting where people will infer the meaning."
I was a theatre major in college, so I have a high level of intimate familiarity with all three of these mediums he's talking about. And this statement rings really true, in my observation. And, although many of my audience members compare what I do booktalking to theatre, in this way, I believe it has much more in common with radio. I have to make things much more explicit.
Page 30 -
"In a narrative, you have to keep raising a series of broader questions, woven into the storytelling. Hopefully people hear this and want to know what happened. Moments like this create suspense. Suspense, after all, is simply an unanswered question."
Perhaps this is obvious to many. But I liked this way of putting it. And I definitely use suspense heavily in my booktalks.
I might need to own this one.
Read with:
Photobooth: A Biography
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me
Syncopated: An Anthology of Nonfiction Picto-Essays
It's right up my (elective reading) alley: A graphic novel about the storytelling methods of This American Life and other narrative nonfiction radio shows. By Jessica Abel. Who's kind of a monster in and of herself.
The book expands on a 32-page work Abel created for This American Life, entitled Radio: An Illustrated Guide. She interviews radio professionals from TAL, Snap Judgement, Planet Money, Radiolab, and The Moth Radio Hour, among others.
She describes the bond between the cartoonist life and public radio - in all of those hours of drawing in a room by yourself, many comic artists listen to these programs.
It is definitely a lot of talking heads, but as a fan of many of these works, I loved getting a behind-the-scenes look. I also appreciated the work because of its uniqueness. Abel shows that this kind of radio storytelling is a pretty modern phenomenon. And this book captures a moment in history in a special way.
Abel puts the focus on why these methods are so successful, deconstructing the storytelling process. I am a storyteller myself - in fact, I read this book while I was preparing to "booktalk" in area middle schoolers - giving brief, storytelling windows into a variety of books. So, the discussion of how to make a story exciting to listen to has real relevance on my work.
It also makes me feel slightly validated about the amount of anal editing work I put into the interview videos I create for my library. Editing is SO important for storytelling power.
Specific standout moments:
Page 5 -
Abel writes, "[These radio hosts] speak to us with recognizable voices, and sound like real human beings, allowing us to connect to their stories through the passion that we hear. This feels so right to us today, when authority comes from directness and authenticity, not distance and formality."
This is such a profound observation for me. It really speaks to how power dynamics have changed in our world during my lifetime.
Page 28 -
Ira Glass says, "Radio is a peculiarly didactic medium, unlike, for example, theater, or comics, where something can kind of happen, and you're in a setting where people will infer the meaning."
I was a theatre major in college, so I have a high level of intimate familiarity with all three of these mediums he's talking about. And this statement rings really true, in my observation. And, although many of my audience members compare what I do booktalking to theatre, in this way, I believe it has much more in common with radio. I have to make things much more explicit.
Page 30 -
"In a narrative, you have to keep raising a series of broader questions, woven into the storytelling. Hopefully people hear this and want to know what happened. Moments like this create suspense. Suspense, after all, is simply an unanswered question."
Perhaps this is obvious to many. But I liked this way of putting it. And I definitely use suspense heavily in my booktalks.
I might need to own this one.
Read with:
Photobooth: A Biography
Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me
Syncopated: An Anthology of Nonfiction Picto-Essays
February 2, 2016
I can't recommend this enough for those who are looking for the tips and secrets of great radio storytelling. It's incredibly full of content, and a pleasure to browse and read. It was one of those books where I wanted to write notes in the margins (but then decided not to, because the drawings in it are so beautiful!) - so I kept my notebook near by whenever I was reading, and frequently scribbled in it. It's very thorough in its overview of what makes a good story - from ideas, all the way up to editing and sound.
I'm also a big fan of the accompanying podcast, which encourages readers to become storytellers, through a structured, step by step process. I'm mid-way through the podcast currently, but thoroughly enjoying it.
The book is a little hard to get hold of outside the States unfortunately (with delivery costs to Europe almost as high as the book itself!) - so fingers crossed for other publishers to pick it up, too.
I'm also a big fan of the accompanying podcast, which encourages readers to become storytellers, through a structured, step by step process. I'm mid-way through the podcast currently, but thoroughly enjoying it.
The book is a little hard to get hold of outside the States unfortunately (with delivery costs to Europe almost as high as the book itself!) - so fingers crossed for other publishers to pick it up, too.
April 23, 2015
"You have to Develop a Thicker Skin -- You Just Have to"
OUT ON THE WIRE is one of the most creative books I have read in recent times. Plus, it's just flat-out fun to read. The author, Jessica Abel, combines her love for radio with her expertise in design of comics. The artwork and illustrations are really well done. (Of course, one would expect this from an author with it with extensive experience in in explaining how to write comics.)
One of the fun things I learned from this book was the existence of several radio studios that happen to be located near me. I actually looked up two of the studios: "99 Percent Invisible" and Snap Judgment." They both happen to be located in Oakland, very close to where I live. It turns out, they produce some really innovative programs; glad I found out about them!
On the practical side, the author discusses the importance of audio quality in conducting interviews. It never occurred to me that the microphone was all that important, but the author explains why that is so. I did not know, for example, that one must always use an external microphone--not one of the cheap microphones built into your smartphone. Oops! Honestly, I had never thought of that. As another example of the practical takeaways from this book, Jessica explains the fine details of microphone placement. I did not know for example, that in order to avoid the "pops" from a microphone you have to place the microphone below the interviewee's mouth. Another great tip.
Jessica takes the reader behind the scenes to a number of different radio studios. You get to see what actually happens in the "edits" (i.e., editing sessions) as they are called. It turns out that a tremendous amount of time and energy goes on behind the scenes for even a short radio broadcast. One must be able to absorb a LOT of criticism.
The author interviews producers of radio shows, in order to understand the \ important parts of a good radio show. For example, one producer explains how important it is to hook the listener immediately. To see if you're on the right track, use this little test: Explain two things: "I'm doing a story about X. And what's interesting about it is Y."
√ All in all, OUT ON THE WIRE is a delightful, fun read--fully of interesting stories and adventures about what really happens behind the scenes in the world of radio. I actually found the book to be inspirational. I especially enjoyed hearing about the studios near where I live. At the end of the book, the author includes an extensive "Notes" section, in which she provides references for the main body of the book.
Highly recommend!
Advance copy provided for impartial review courtesy of the LibraryThing
OUT ON THE WIRE is one of the most creative books I have read in recent times. Plus, it's just flat-out fun to read. The author, Jessica Abel, combines her love for radio with her expertise in design of comics. The artwork and illustrations are really well done. (Of course, one would expect this from an author with it with extensive experience in in explaining how to write comics.)
One of the fun things I learned from this book was the existence of several radio studios that happen to be located near me. I actually looked up two of the studios: "99 Percent Invisible" and Snap Judgment." They both happen to be located in Oakland, very close to where I live. It turns out, they produce some really innovative programs; glad I found out about them!
On the practical side, the author discusses the importance of audio quality in conducting interviews. It never occurred to me that the microphone was all that important, but the author explains why that is so. I did not know, for example, that one must always use an external microphone--not one of the cheap microphones built into your smartphone. Oops! Honestly, I had never thought of that. As another example of the practical takeaways from this book, Jessica explains the fine details of microphone placement. I did not know for example, that in order to avoid the "pops" from a microphone you have to place the microphone below the interviewee's mouth. Another great tip.
Jessica takes the reader behind the scenes to a number of different radio studios. You get to see what actually happens in the "edits" (i.e., editing sessions) as they are called. It turns out that a tremendous amount of time and energy goes on behind the scenes for even a short radio broadcast. One must be able to absorb a LOT of criticism.
The author interviews producers of radio shows, in order to understand the \ important parts of a good radio show. For example, one producer explains how important it is to hook the listener immediately. To see if you're on the right track, use this little test: Explain two things: "I'm doing a story about X. And what's interesting about it is Y."
√ All in all, OUT ON THE WIRE is a delightful, fun read--fully of interesting stories and adventures about what really happens behind the scenes in the world of radio. I actually found the book to be inspirational. I especially enjoyed hearing about the studios near where I live. At the end of the book, the author includes an extensive "Notes" section, in which she provides references for the main body of the book.
Highly recommend!
Advance copy provided for impartial review courtesy of the LibraryThing
June 25, 2022
Unless you’re fascinated by every tedious detail of how radio stories are put together, you won’t be drawn to this graphic how-to of the inner workings of NPR’s greatest hits.
October 25, 2015
ARC for review.
***Note - this was presented as a excerpt of this graphic novel and since there's no real summation I'm assuming that is true. I e-mailed the publisher asking for more information (are there 10 pages missing? Or 100? My rating would likely change based on that answer.) but didn't hear back, so this is a review of the first 106 pages of this graphic novel....if asked I'm happy to remove this review until I have a chance to finish the book.
*****
Graphic novels aren't usually my thing, but it was a great way to take a look at narrative radio as practiced by the wonderful "This American Life," "The Moth," "Planet Money," "Radiolab" and other programs - we actually see the producers and editors at work and the use of the graphic format mirrors what the creators of these programs are trying to do - create vivid pictures in the mind of the listeners.
Each show has its own style, its own way of creating and telling these stories that make us sit in the driveway for a few minutes listening to the end, and many people in the arts could take lessons from some of the tools used by these creative individuals (loved the different "questions" used by the shows....for one "Someone does something for _______________, but ________________" or "I'm doing a story about X. And what's interesting about it is Y" or the big 'at this point I was engaged and then here I was thinking about what I was going to have for dinner".
The books dives deeply into the weeds about creating these programs, but I found even the smallest aspects fascinating. The goal of all these broadcasters is to allow listeners to walk in the shoes of the subjects and though each show does it a bit differently, the differences just reinforce how difficult and rewarding it is to create this type of experience.
***Note - this was presented as a excerpt of this graphic novel and since there's no real summation I'm assuming that is true. I e-mailed the publisher asking for more information (are there 10 pages missing? Or 100? My rating would likely change based on that answer.) but didn't hear back, so this is a review of the first 106 pages of this graphic novel....if asked I'm happy to remove this review until I have a chance to finish the book.
*****
Graphic novels aren't usually my thing, but it was a great way to take a look at narrative radio as practiced by the wonderful "This American Life," "The Moth," "Planet Money," "Radiolab" and other programs - we actually see the producers and editors at work and the use of the graphic format mirrors what the creators of these programs are trying to do - create vivid pictures in the mind of the listeners.
Each show has its own style, its own way of creating and telling these stories that make us sit in the driveway for a few minutes listening to the end, and many people in the arts could take lessons from some of the tools used by these creative individuals (loved the different "questions" used by the shows....for one "Someone does something for _______________, but ________________" or "I'm doing a story about X. And what's interesting about it is Y" or the big 'at this point I was engaged and then here I was thinking about what I was going to have for dinner".
The books dives deeply into the weeds about creating these programs, but I found even the smallest aspects fascinating. The goal of all these broadcasters is to allow listeners to walk in the shoes of the subjects and though each show does it a bit differently, the differences just reinforce how difficult and rewarding it is to create this type of experience.
August 16, 2015
It's no secret that I am a devotee of public radio. NPR, PRI, APR, are a large part of my daily life, as are other public radio offerings in the forms of podcasts and music. (We're also big radio drama fans, old and new, but that's another story.) Book+favorite subject+creative format=Big Win for me, and thanks to Blogging for books, I was able to snag a copy of such a book, Out on a Wire, which is a graphic/comic documentary about narrative radio shows.
Being familiar with all but one of the shows that are explored in this book by Jessica Abel really helped. I dare anyone who is a "This American Life" fan to absorb the squares with Ira Glass in them and not hear his distinct voice. I found the details behind the scenes fascinating. However, the take-home message for me was that this is a great book about writing.
I live in a world surrounded by creative minds, absorbed in the worlds of writing, film, and art. The goal of all these endeavors is to share an image, tell a story. What is documented in this book are the approaches used on radio to tell stories, how to craft your message so you have a hook, explore the adventure, and wrap it up. Using techniques like the focus sentence to create the story, Abel shares the knowledge of folks who make their living this way via radio. There are chapters on creating a voice, sharing the visual image through words, editing, adding sound, and a kick-ass forward by Ira Glass.
All in all, for me, this book is a keeper and is going on my books on writing shelf for inspiration and aide when I do get back to editing my novel.
Being familiar with all but one of the shows that are explored in this book by Jessica Abel really helped. I dare anyone who is a "This American Life" fan to absorb the squares with Ira Glass in them and not hear his distinct voice. I found the details behind the scenes fascinating. However, the take-home message for me was that this is a great book about writing.
I live in a world surrounded by creative minds, absorbed in the worlds of writing, film, and art. The goal of all these endeavors is to share an image, tell a story. What is documented in this book are the approaches used on radio to tell stories, how to craft your message so you have a hook, explore the adventure, and wrap it up. Using techniques like the focus sentence to create the story, Abel shares the knowledge of folks who make their living this way via radio. There are chapters on creating a voice, sharing the visual image through words, editing, adding sound, and a kick-ass forward by Ira Glass.
All in all, for me, this book is a keeper and is going on my books on writing shelf for inspiration and aide when I do get back to editing my novel.
January 2, 2021
What a beautiful graphic novel that captures the intricate processes of radio storytelling. I loved the comic illustrations and resonated with the descriptions of creative processes and good story structures. Recommend to anyone obsessed with the making of a good story.
September 20, 2015
"Out on the Wire" is a graphic book that looks at how narrative nonfiction radio shows are created. The author assumed the reader has a certain familiarity with narrative nonfiction radio, and she used examples from shows that have aired. Narrative nonfiction is basically taking a series of interviews and/or narration by an individual and piecing bits together to tell a story--like how a T-shirt is made.
The author interviewed various people involved in producing the five radio shows. She drew this book like she was piecing together bits of video interviews. The person's clothing, hairstyle, and background would change since she mixed together interviews done at different times. Unfortunately, many of the people looked very similar as drawn characters and she'd jump back and forth between people as well as in time. I found it difficult to keep track of who was from what show and what they did. Also, without audio clues, the frequent "ha ha" text sometimes felt out of place as it's not clear why they are laughing.
The book mainly focused on storytelling aspects like coming up with the idea and the focus, getting engaging interviews, how to put the interviews together to form a story, and edits/critiquing. It also talked about sound cues (music, sound effects, ambient sounds) and editing the actual audio of the interviews. But it's not a how-to on the technical aspects of radio shows; it's a collection of useful tips about forming an engaging story.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
The author interviewed various people involved in producing the five radio shows. She drew this book like she was piecing together bits of video interviews. The person's clothing, hairstyle, and background would change since she mixed together interviews done at different times. Unfortunately, many of the people looked very similar as drawn characters and she'd jump back and forth between people as well as in time. I found it difficult to keep track of who was from what show and what they did. Also, without audio clues, the frequent "ha ha" text sometimes felt out of place as it's not clear why they are laughing.
The book mainly focused on storytelling aspects like coming up with the idea and the focus, getting engaging interviews, how to put the interviews together to form a story, and edits/critiquing. It also talked about sound cues (music, sound effects, ambient sounds) and editing the actual audio of the interviews. But it's not a how-to on the technical aspects of radio shows; it's a collection of useful tips about forming an engaging story.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
November 14, 2017
What's great about Out on the Wire is that it is a book that keeps on giving.
While I have enjoyed most all of Abel's comics, Out on the Wire has more in common with my most well read of all her works, Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, her textbook collab with her partner Matt Madden.
While not a textbook, Out on the Wire is filled with truly valuable storytelling lessons that work, both in the context of its own narrative- Abel's personal investment in and investigation of contemporary narrative journalism, and as a guide for anyone else interested in telling stories.
This book has the dubious honor of living in by backpack for a summer. It is banged up and rabbit eared, and sections of it have been re-read and passed along to my MFA students, because while they may not give a hoot about This American Life or Radiolab, they care about telling compelling stiries, and whether they knew it or not, Out on the Wire has something to say to them.
I also can't let go without giving due credit to Abel's drawing, which is clean and economical, yet still playful at times. Her lines provide the same personal touch to its characters and stories as the best podcast narrators.
While I have enjoyed most all of Abel's comics, Out on the Wire has more in common with my most well read of all her works, Drawing Words and Writing Pictures, her textbook collab with her partner Matt Madden.
While not a textbook, Out on the Wire is filled with truly valuable storytelling lessons that work, both in the context of its own narrative- Abel's personal investment in and investigation of contemporary narrative journalism, and as a guide for anyone else interested in telling stories.
This book has the dubious honor of living in by backpack for a summer. It is banged up and rabbit eared, and sections of it have been re-read and passed along to my MFA students, because while they may not give a hoot about This American Life or Radiolab, they care about telling compelling stiries, and whether they knew it or not, Out on the Wire has something to say to them.
I also can't let go without giving due credit to Abel's drawing, which is clean and economical, yet still playful at times. Her lines provide the same personal touch to its characters and stories as the best podcast narrators.
February 11, 2017
Probably a great set of advice for people just starting out in radio/podcast production, but I found that a lot of the advice you would pick up along the way of actually doing radio/podcast production, actually making stories. I also found the graphic novel format distracting; I wanted to learn new things but largely didn't, and the panels were all panels of people making radio. Spoiler: that's not visually exciting, at least in this context. It was 99% panels of people sitting around in story meetings. Also the name-dropping. Oy, the name-dropping.
tldr; Make radio instead of reading this book.
tldr; Make radio instead of reading this book.
September 1, 2020
This was such, such, such a good book. I loved the details that went into describing the process, makes me value the podcasts I love even more. I would totally, totally recommend this. I would say this would be great as an audiobook, but the graphic novel part of it is beautiful.
Also, the point about getting a lot of critical feedback in such a short amount of time? I loved it. It's so good to see that that transcends multiple industries.
Also, the point about getting a lot of critical feedback in such a short amount of time? I loved it. It's so good to see that that transcends multiple industries.
Read
August 7, 2015GREAT comic about podcasts & storytelling. I'm kind of obsessed with it.
I think anyone who likes Austin Kleon's Show Your Work! would like this.
I think anyone who likes Austin Kleon's Show Your Work! would like this.
June 18, 2016
Amazing book about the writing/storytelling process. I hope this has made its way onto j-school syllabi. Read for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge: Read a non-superhero comic that debuted in the past 3 years.
March 26, 2018
A library find that will soon be making its way home to live with me permanently.
The docu-comic-guide format is incredible, like a fly-on-the wall documentary with the depth and authority of a text book and all the joy and cinematic verve of comics.
The docu-comic-guide format is incredible, like a fly-on-the wall documentary with the depth and authority of a text book and all the joy and cinematic verve of comics.
Read
February 4, 2019Really insightful and informative, journalistic and narrative techniques that can be applied to many other mediums and styles. I feel like I've learned something about writing fiction and filming paranormal videos even. Highly recommend it. Note that it is a graphic novel.
October 4, 2019
This is a wonderful graphic narrative. If you are into narrative nonfiction and/or NPR podcasts check this out. It is a cool behind the scenes look at storytelling and some awesome podcast favs. Great work, absolutely loved it.
August 16, 2020
“The German forest” gives word and description to something I’m so familiar with!!!! Relieved and comforted to hear/remember that it’s a universal experience for creators— very comforting. Many tools added to my tool kit. I loved this book.
November 13, 2019
Ótimo para quem quer uma base sobre narrativa em rádio/áudio. É um documentário didático em quadrinhos que mostra entrevistas com responsáveis por alguns podcasts americanos reconhecidos para ensinar bem objetivamente o que se deve levar em conta ao produzir histórias em áudio. Faz bastante uso de exemplos reais para demonstrar as técnicas expostas, o que também ajuda muito. Tem algumas boas dicas até da parte de montagem, mas a maior parte é mesmo sobre a estruturação da história. Muito bom o Brasil passar para um nova fase em podcasts.
May 14, 2022
So entstehen Beiträge für's Radio. Und für hochwertig produzierte Podcasts, die Geschichten erzählen. Wer selber Podcast macht, findet die in dem Comic die eine oder andere Anregung. Wer nur Podcast hört, versteht danach, was es an Zutaten (und Zeit) brauchen kann, bis eine einzelne Episode fertig ist.
Leseempfehlung für alle, die sich in irgendeiner Form beschäftigen mit "Geschichten erzählen für Radio und Podcast". Das Englisch in dem Buch ist nicht besonders schwer.
Leseempfehlung für alle, die sich in irgendeiner Form beschäftigen mit "Geschichten erzählen für Radio und Podcast". Das Englisch in dem Buch ist nicht besonders schwer.
December 7, 2024
Using this as a text for the first-year seminar I teach. A nice supplement to the podcast. While intended to teach podcasting, it can help you think about how you tell your story in engaging ways more broadly.
Read
January 8, 2025There is so much gold in here about storytelling. Children’s books, sermons, comedy bits, academic papers - it felt fun to try to expand the ideas beyond the realms of radio (and comics).
The flow felt tricky at some points, like, “Why have we just changed topics or scene again?” But I am glad Jessica Abel made it and that I read it.
The flow felt tricky at some points, like, “Why have we just changed topics or scene again?” But I am glad Jessica Abel made it and that I read it.
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