This is the fourth edition of the Empik Go STORY competition for the most interesting audio series script. There are no thematic restrictions. You write about what is closest to your artistic heart. “Do you have an idea for an exciting thriller or a heart-warming romance? Or maybe you feel better in a comedy or crime story? If your imagination is full of fantastic characters and your desk is bursting at the seams with mysterious stories – let the world He’ll hear about it!” – encourage the organizers. You can be a complete beginner when it comes to scriptwriting, all you need is enthusiasm, imagination and the right skills. We can’t help with the first two issues, but when it comes to how to prepare the series, we have something to tell you.
But first, some more important information about the Empik Go STORY competition. The works, sent by December 31 this year, will be assessed by a jury composed of: Szczepan Twardoch, an outstanding writer; publisher and initiating editor of W.AB. Maria Tengowska; WAB editor Maciej Makselon; the deputy editor-in-chief of the Filmweb website, which is a partner of the competition, i.e. £ukasz Muszyñski and Tomasz Friedrich, the winner of the Empik Go STORY competition in 2021. There is something to fight for.
What to do to win?
“I don’t have any tips “how to write” for anyone, because I am a literary self-taught. I intuitively feel that a good text will always defend itself in audio form – when I edit my own literature, I usually read it aloud to myself “to hear whether the text “flows” – says Szczepan Twardoch, author of such literary hits as “Morfina” and “The King”. The writer is the winner of many awards, including: Nike readers and “Paszport Polityka”.
Twardoch advises to listen to your intuition and this is the first tip. The next ones we will share with you are the advice of Maria Tengowska from WAB, one of the most valued publishing brands on the market, which publishes books by many famous authors.
Promotional material
Maria Tengowska has prepared five commandments that the author of an audio series should follow.
1. Form counts – an audio series is not a short story or novel, your idea should be written down formally as a script. Get inspired by what movie or TV series scripts look like, subtracting only the visual layer. Don’t exaggerate with the volume, try to estimate and adjust the length of sections to market realities. 30-45 minutes is really enough, there can only be five episodes.
2. Story is king – sounds trivial, but what can you do – the recipes for these best things are usually simple, because what matters most is the quality of the ingredients and the creator’s involvement.
It is the story you want to tell that is supposed to attract, intrigue and persuade the jurors, and then the listeners, to watch your series. Look for topics that you can honestly and confidently describe, don’t try to be original if you can’t cover it in all episodes. Make in-depth research, but don’t overwhelm your audience with its effects. The plot must be specific and coherent, but the mechanisms of development and the directions of its events are not so obvious. Remember: you are the one who feeds the listener’s curiosity and fights for their attention, so something has to happen, what matters is the rhythm and pace!
The universal dimension of your story is also of great importance; you are not writing just for yourself. Although you will probably write about yourself often.
If you want to learn more about storytelling, read, for example, the classic book: “Save the Kitty!” Blake Snyder. There is a chance that it will explain a lot.
3. Hey, call me please, i.e. remember that you are writing a script for a radio play.
Just like the radio, an audio series cannot tolerate silence – its core and total basis are the dialogues of the characters. Construct them taking into account how we naturally address each other every day and what our unforced reactions are. In an audio series, each false note will sound even more painful than in a purely written text, because it will have to undergo a severe test of collision with the actors’ performance.
Sure, the role of the narrator is very important and can contribute a lot to the script, but don’t let him be the narrator of the stage directions. Don’t put all the responsibility for describing the world on him. This is not the way, it’s not “The Doll” by Prus (although it is a wonderful novel!).
4. Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Honor, this is our hero – so look for your prof. Rafał Wilczur – not literally, of course! Create a character (and/or characters) whose fate will not be indifferent to the audience, who intrigues, moves, irritates, is interesting, and is multidimensional. Her feelings, motivations and choices must have their own temperature, but do not escalate conflicts, including internal ones, to the max – we are not in an opera after all. Be close to your main character, take care of his credibility, don’t condemn him to a life that would never happen.
Lyricism and logic combine surprisingly closely. The psychological portrait of the main character must make sense, his emotions should be consistent and understandable even in a situation where the tension is enormous. We are all complicated, we are often irrational, but it cannot be hidden: as humanity, we keep making the same mistakes. Use it in a creative way.
5. Write, read, correct, write, read, shorten… Painful, tedious, but there is no other option. Every text, to be good, requires work, reflection and time. There is no one that cannot be shortened. Declare war on lengths, repetitions and epithetosis – get rid of unnecessary adjectives. Look for your style, not linguistic mannerisms. And read what you wrote aloud, because this is the best test of the quality of your script.
Promotional material
They have already won
The Empik Go STORY competition has already been held three times. There are three winners. The first edition, in 2020, was won by Anna Robak-Reczek and her “Luizy’s Game”. She defeated 500 competitors. The title character of this thriller is a woman with psychopathic tendencies who treats people as pawns on her chessboard. The main roles in the radio play were played by Bogus³aw Linda, Aleksandra Linda and Dawid Ogrodnik. There was also a novel called “Luizy’s Game”, which was published by WAB. The radio play “Luizy’s Game” was nominated for Empik’s Bestsellers 2021.
Promotional material
In 2021, the winner was Tomasz Friedrich, who now sits on the jury. His radio play entitled “Hell Is Still Burning” is a contemporary political thriller, and the hero was called the Polish Jack Reacher. His work was selected from among 1.7 thousand. reports. The action takes place in November 2021. Helena, the former wife of the BOR commander, Lieutenant Konstanty Barañski, disappears under mysterious circumstances, and, supported by his friend – Commissioner Tomasz Wolañski, sets out to look for her. Konstanty was played by Paweł Deląg, and his partners included: Przemys³aw Bluszcz, Aleksandra Nowicka and Tomek Borkowski. “Hell is still burning” remained in the TOP 3 most frequently listened to Empik audiobooks in 2023 for a long time.
Promotional material
Last year’s Empik Go STORY competition was won by Karolina Ludwikowska with the script for the radio play “Mimikra”. The audio series is scheduled to premiere in April 2024.
Winning Empik Go STORY is like hitting the lottery. Empik takes care of the winner of the competition, produces a radio play, selects stars for the cast and director, and then promotes it. This is an extraordinary opportunity for the author of the script. Specialists also help develop the story and provide substantive and editorial support.
What should the Empik Go STORY competition entry contain?
Prepare a short outline of the plot, i.e. the so-called a synopsis of about five sentences telling what your story is about. The next elements of the submission are the script for the first episode of the audio series. You must also send summaries of all episodes and a description of the main characters. Then we fill out the form on . And then you have to wait a while for the results. They will be announced on April 15, 2024.
Become a fairy tale writer!
Empik Go SHORT 2023 is a short story competition for children. It may be fairy-tale, it may be fantastic or realistic. It is important that it is interesting and attention-grabbing. Anyone can take part, regardless of writing experience. The slogan of the competition is: “Fairy tales have power.”
As the organizers emphasize: “Each of us has told someone a bedtime story at least once.” You can win 5,000. PLN. The jury, consisting of: Justyna Kozłowska, Ewa ¦wier¿ewska, Marta Cyzio, Patrycja Klempas, Ma³gorzata, is waiting for short prose forms until December 31, 2023. The competition results will be announced on April 15, 2024. In the case of a short story, it is enough write and then report them via the website.
Promotional material
Promotional material for the Empik brand.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
