It has been a very busy but productive two weeks since my last post. At school, quarter two came to an end and I received a new schedule for quarter three. This quarter, I have English/Socials with Mr. Gosselin, my mentor, so I can regularly check in with him more easily now. 

As I mentioned in my previous update, I wanted to research the more technical components of running a podcast. I identified options for editing software, sound effect sources, and microphones. 

I have also begun phase two of my In-Depth project. Phase two includes planning and developing characters, as well as the overall details of my story. Over the last two weeks, I wrote episode one of my podcast. I have developed a backstory for some of my characters as well as further developed setting, plot, and devices. After I had drafted episode one, I contacted my mentor, Mr. Gosselin for his feedback. I had asked Mr. Gosselin whether we could record our session, however I was so excited to share my work with him that I forgot to press record. I will try to remember going forward. 

Overall, Mr. Gosselin seemed pleased with my first draft but also had a few valuable suggestions. During our meeting, he read my script aloud to check for flow and vocabulary. At the beginning of episode one, I had originally envisioned a fast forward montage that would preview future episodes as a teaser. Mr. Gosselin recommended that I should keep future scenes a surprise, as well as the montage could be confusing for listeners. Also, in some areas of the script, we noticed that the flow between the narrator and one of the characters was not smooth and could be improved. Mr. Gosselin advised to use sound effects as a key indicator of a new scene or speaker. His recommendations opened up more possibilities in my mind of how my podcast would be shaped. These better transitions will also keep the listener entertained and curious for more. Plus, there is a benefit in having a variety of speakers and sound effects. Finally, we discussed the last scene of episode one. Basically, Mr. Gosselin was not a big fan of my ending. I made a real effort to listen to his criticism and after our meeting, I decided that he was right. I started a rewrite and will continue revising episode one to incorporate more of Mr. Gosselin’s suggestions before moving onto episode two. 

In the next two weeks, I hope to revise episode one and complete the first draft of episode two.