Intro from Jay Allison: The thing about “Serial” is that it seemed so easy. That first season had such a simple narrative elegance in its tone and structure that it felt almost inevitable. It made you think: Hey, I could do that. I should produce a podcast like “Serial”! Then, if you did, you found out: Not so easy after all.
In her long-awaited Transom Manifesto, Sarah Koenig breaks down just how tricky it can be to tell a story in sound. By deconstructing the Leakin Park episode, by explaining all the things her team was unable to get to create the story, she reveals exactly how they did create it. This, fundamentally, is how non-fiction narrative works. You try to get what you want, but ultimately, you work with what you get. Sometimes the obstacles make you jump even higher. Sometimes they’re just obstacles.
Sarah has given us an incredibly detailed map of the challenges of the documentary process. She even includes ACTUAL maps. And lots of audio. After…
