I Am a Proud Student of YouTube University
Week 1 Update of #The100DayProject: Learning through YouTube videos, crafting characters, and more
I spent the majority of Week 1 being a student of YouTube University — soaking up everything I can about serial fiction/TV production. I learned about crafting compelling characters and structuring the pilot episode of a TV show.
Along the way, I’ve been putting what I learn into fruition — beginning to create characters and the wild world they live in.
To track my habits and how I’m spending each day, I’ve created a handy-dandy spreadsheet.
On the spreadsheet, I track the day number, date, what I did during the day, and how much time I spent on it.
Having a spreadsheet has helped me understand that I’m way more interested in the time spent than having a “perfect streak.”
Last week, I declared I would spend 30 minutes each day working on the project. After the 100 days are done, I should have 50 hours. That’s the real metric that I’m shooting for: 50 hours logged. It seems way more manageable than having a 100-day perfect streak, especially since I’ve already missed a day.
During Week 1, I’ve found a wealth of valuable, informative resources.
My Favorite Resources of Week 1
I learned a lot from the “How to Make a TV Show” playlist of videos from StudioBinder. I watched episodes 1 through 3. They’re so easy to learn from.
Their video on character production was my favorite. In the video, they offer a free character development worksheet. I used it to begin to flesh out my characters — it worked wonders.
My favorite video of the week was Lessons From the Screenplay’s “Breaking Bad — Crafting a TV Pilot.” It’s beautifully made and easy to follow. I’d recommend checking it out if you’re interested in television analysis.
One of the many pieces of advice I heard this week was to watch and analyze TV pilots. What better way to learn than to analyze a pilot that’s arguably from one of the best shows ever made?
I also analyzed the pilot of Insecure. Insecure has a similar genre to my series; so I got a lot of valuable information.
What’s Happening Next Week?
Next week, I want to work on a scene-by-scene outline of my pilot episode/episode one. I think it would be good to have a slight vision of what I’d like to write instead of pantsing the whole thing.
I also want to learn more about TV production, and hopefully serial fiction too. There are not many resources on crafting serial fiction, especially serial fiction that isn’t science fiction or fantasy.
Also, I haven’t found a resource on serial fiction from anyone who isn’t white. But, I’m going to cast my net wide during Week 2 and see what gems I can find. YouTube University continues!
I’d also like to do some fun stuff during Week 2 as well (crafting a mood board, “casting” my series, etc.)
How are things going with your 100 Day Project? Have you ever tried to write a serial fiction series/television show? I’d love to learn more about your creative projects.
Nia Simone McLeod is a writer, content creator, and pop culture enthusiast from Richmond, Virginia. She runs a weekly newsletter focused on inspiring creators of color.
