So you've finished your audio drama. Great! Now you've released it, and you're grateful—exhausted, but grateful. But what happens when the critics come? And the trolls? When you're emotionally invested in your creation, it's easy to let one bad review or one nasty troll haunt you forever. But you don't have to give them that power. You should embrace the fans who make it all worth it, listen to the critics who can help you make your next production better, and ignore the trolls screaming into a vast, empty void. Just don't forget that someone out there is going to like it. And if your audio drama makes just one person laugh, cry, or smile, then I promise you — I PROMISE YOU — it was worth it. Thank those fans alongside the ones who help you across the finish line.

Lessons Between the Pauses

Introducing Part 12 of 13 parts in my Between the Pauses mini-series that explores my thoughts while making my first audio drama: PAUSE for Dramatic Effect! If you're interested in the complete first season of PAUSE for Dramatic Effect, you can download and listen to it for free at PAUSEforDramaticEffect.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

Listen to PAUSE for Dramatic Effect

I would love for you to tell me how you think the story of Pause for Dramatic Effect turned out by giving it a rating and review or sending a Boost using one of the latest Podcast 2.0 apps, which you can find at Podcasting2.org. If you don't have a Podcast 2.0 app, I would highly recommend Podcastguru.io or Truefans.fm to get all the new podcast features you didn't know you were missing!

Does Your Podcast Need a Rescue?

Your podcast isn’t broken, it’s just stuck. Howdy! I’m Kyle Bondo, host of Not Easily Squished, podcast producer, US Navy veteran, and the guy people call when their show needs a tune-up. If you haven’t published in months or even years, but still love your show? I built this podcast for you. However, if this podcast is not enough, then you need my Podcast Rescue: A 7-Day Tune-Up for Stalled Shows. In just 7 days, I’ll help you figure out what’s working, what’s not, and how to hit record again with confidence. You’ll get a full diagnostic, a personalized rescue plan, two coaching sessions, and even a review of your next episode. No fluff. No overwhelm. Just results. Spots are limited, so please don’t wait to join the waitlist now at PodcastWorthy.com. Let’s get your rescue underway today!

About Not Easily Squished

Not Easily Squished is the official podcast of Oncetold, a scrappy podcasting 2.0 education and technology company just outside Fort Worth, Texas. Follow your host, Kyle M. Bondo, as he takes fragile podcast ideas and transforms them into fierce audio concepts that are Not Easily Squished!

The Fine Print

This episode of Not Easily Squished includes a PAUSE for Dramatic Effect bonus episode originally published by Gagglepod on December 9th, 2019. Copyright © 2025. Not Easily Squished, PAUSE for Dramatic Effect, Gagglepod, and Oncetold. All Rights Reserved. No ideas were harmed during the making of this podcast.

Storytelling systems help you write your audio dramas so that you know what has to come next. It is your own, personalized process that makes sure you tell your story in the way you intended to tell it, without forgetting any of the details along the way. You could call this your style, philosophy, or even your approach to telling stories using the audio format. But whatever you choose to use or call it, your storytelling system has to make sense to both you and your audience. Today, I'm going to talk about a few story systems, which story systems I decided to use, and how they can help you tell stories too.

Philosophy Between the Pauses

Introducing Part 10 of 13 parts in my Between the Pauses mini-series that explores my thoughts while making my first audio drama: PAUSE for Dramatic Effect! If you're interested in the complete first season of Pause for Dramatic Effect, you can download and listen to it for free at PAUSEforDramaticEffect.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

Listen to PAUSE for Dramatic Effect

I would love for you to tell me how you think the story of Pause for Dramatic Effect turned out by giving it a rating and review or sending a Boost using one of the latest Podcast 2.0 apps, which you can find at Podcasting2.org. If you don't have a Podcast 2.0 app, I would highly recommend Podcastguru.io or Truefans.fm to get all the new podcast features you didn't know you were missing!

Does Your Podcast Need a Rescue?

Your podcast isn’t broken, it’s just stuck. Howdy! I’m Kyle Bondo, host of Not Easily Squished, podcast producer, US Navy veteran, and the guy people call when their show needs a tune-up. If you haven’t published in months or even years, but still love your show? I built this podcast for you. However, if this podcast is not enough, then you need my Podcast Rescue: A 7-Day Tune-Up for Stalled Shows. In just 7 days, I’ll help you figure out what’s working, what’s not, and how to hit record again with confidence. You’ll get a full diagnostic, a personalized rescue plan, two coaching sessions, and even a review of your next episode. No fluff. No overwhelm. Just results. Spots are limited, so please don’t wait to join the waitlist now at PodcastWorthy.com. Let’s get your rescue underway today!

About Not Easily Squished

Not Easily Squished is the official podcast of Oncetold, a scrappy podcasting 2.0 education and technology company just outside Fort Worth, Texas. Follow your host, Kyle M. Bondo, as he takes fragile podcast ideas and transforms them into fierce audio concepts that are Not Easily Squished!

The Fine Print

This episode of Not Easily Squished includes a PAUSE for Dramatic Effect bonus episode originally published by Gagglepod on November 27th, 2019. Copyright © 2025. Not Easily Squished, PAUSE for Dramatic Effect, Gagglepod, and Oncetold. All Rights Reserved. No ideas were harmed during the making of this podcast.