Januari
30-12-24
Today, I kick-started my final exam project.
The assignment asks: "With Pro You, you can present your ultimate calling card after four years at Cibap." And that’s exactly what I intend to do.
For the past four years, I’ve been walking around with the idea for a book. In my first year, I started sketching a little, and in the years that followed, I began writing some rough drafts. Now, four years later, I still haven’t made much progress with the actual writing. So when I heard in phase 3 that this assignment was coming up, I saw an opportunity.
I’ve always found it difficult to set a deadline for myself, but now that there’s a real deadline in May, I’m challenging myself to actually get it done! I think it’s doable—I already know many of the story beats and how the characters work. It’s still a short amount of time to write an entire book, but hey, I do love a challenge!
A month ago, I asked Simone whether this idea would be approved for the assignment (I need all the time I can get, so I wanted to start early). Simone told me it was allowed, but reminded me that I’m doing a media design course—not a writing course. I had a feeling she might say that, but luckily, I had already come up with a plan for how to approach the assignment in a practical way.
The Plan!
I’m going to write—that much is clear—but I’m also going to create videos about my process. Think TikToks and Instagram Reels. That way, I can both document the process for school and start promoting my book! I also want to create a daily sketch related to the book—think of a scene from a chapter, for example. A cover design also still needs to be made, and I already have a solid idea for it.
To-Do List!
There’s still a lot I need to do before I can fully start, and it all begins with research. For example, today I started looking into how other people make videos about their creative process and what they include in those videos. I also need to rent equipment from school, create a clear schedule for myself (and eventually for my teachers once school starts), and set some daily rules and goals for myself.
There’s a ton of work ahead, and I hope to document all of it here alongside the videos!
3-1-25
Over the past few days, I’ve been steadily continuing my research for this assignment, and today I’m diving a little deeper.
As I mentioned in my previous note, I use Obsidian as the base program for all my research and notes about everything within my fantasy world. Obsidian is a note-taking and writing tool that works with local Markdown files. You can link notes together, creating a network of ideas. Key features include Linked Notes, Graph View (a visual map of your connections), and full customization through plugins. It’s ideal for writers, students, and creatives who want to organize complex ideas. Everything is stored locally, so you remain in full control of your data.
First, I looked at two YouTubers who are also writers. Both of them are working on books, but they’re doing two very different challenges. I watched their videos to learn how best to film “challenges” and keep the viewer engaged throughout the process. I took notes on the points that stuck with me the most and felt worth mentioning.
From that, I created a short and clear daily schedule I want to stick to. I know there will be days when I deviate from it, but January is still relatively open, so I can use this time to get used to the routine.
I also briefly mapped out the style of my videos. It’s just a small start, but it gives me some direction. Obsidian has a few limitations when it comes to embedding video, so I’ll work around that where needed.
Finally, I listed the social media platforms where I plan to upload my videos. I believe that by using multiple platforms, I’ll be able to reach a broader audience.
That’s it for this phase of my research. I’m still looking into how others go about it. One common trend is that people mostly show their creative process, rather than the actual writing itself. I’d like to do both—without spoiling my story, of course.
I think I’m off to a good start! Next Monday, school opens again and I’ll be able to rent the equipment I need for the upcoming period. Then, I can truly begin this journey.
I’m excited!
6-1-25
Today I went to school to pick up equipment and print out drawings of my characters. Only one of the two tasks was successful.
Printing at the print shop was pretty easy—I just asked if I could quickly slip in to print and cut my prints. The ICT part, however, was more of a struggle. I had asked Danny to approve my request for equipment: a camera, microphone, and tripod. Once the request was approved, I quickly received an email saying I could only borrow the camera for a maximum of one week. Annoying—but maybe if I explain it’s for my final exam, they’ll be able to make an exception?
I made my way to the ICT desk, only to find out they wouldn’t be back until 15:10... and it was 10:30. Just great.
So, I’ll drive back there on Wednesday and try to work something out. If not... I guess I’ll have to film everything on my phone?
I also started doing research on copyright. It suddenly occurred to me—if I make a video and share my book’s name and title, someone could technically steal it. Since I’m waiting on filming gear anyway, I figured I might as well dive into this now.
Turns out, you can’t copyright a book title, which is frustrating—but it’s something to be mindful of when sharing parts of the story.
I ended up at the BOIP—the Benelux Office for Intellectual Property—and sent them an email. They say they typically respond within two working days, so hopefully I’ll hear back soon!
10-1-25
Yesterday and today I’ve been busy again working on my assignment.
Yesterday, I took the opportunity to buy a new desk lamp. “It’s really a dark corner over there,” Levi said, and I had to agree. On camera—and in real life—it’s just a very dim spot. Sure, the screen gives off some light, but let me tell you, staring into a bright white screen at 2:00 AM isn’t exactly fun.
So, I went to five different thrift shops and ended up in REDACTED(I live in REDACTED, which is next to REDACTED). And this is the end result:
The atmosphere is so much warmer now—something that was really missing before. Honestly, it’s a big improvement compared to the black void that corner used to be.
Later that afternoon, I also took the chance to design a logo for my social media. I chose a self-caricature that I made a while ago during one of our experimentation classes.
That was it for Thursday—on to Friday!
Today was just as productive as yesterday.
I wanted to prepare myself for color grading my videos once I really get started (I’m thinking Monday—though Sunday might work too?). So I made three test versions and sent them to Levi—he’s got a trained eye for this kind of thing.
I’ve just realized I can’t upload them here...
If you’re curious, just shoot me a message! 😉
Anyway—here’s the proof!
After messing around with DaVinci Resolve, I ended up with a version where the color feels nicely balanced. I can use this as a base and apply it to all my future videos.
Over the past few days I’ve also been working on side view sketches of all my characters. I want to use these for my book cover. The idea is that everyone is facing from right to left except the main character. I’m not in a rush to finish the cover yet, but I’ve been sketching and outlining it bit by bit throughout the week. I’m really curious to see what it looks like once I throw everything into Photoshop!
13-1-25
Today was my first day of filming! And honestly… I may have underestimated it a little.
Writing-wise, I really felt back in my element. It’s been a long time since I last wrote like this, but it still feels like home. I thought I had written 2,130 words—but it turns out it wasn’t that much. Still, it’s a solid start.
But the filming and editing part? That was a real challenge.
Instagram and TikTok love short videos, and I might’ve made my story a bit too long-winded. I even recorded a whole segment about how I begin a book, but yeah… there’s barely room for it now. The video is about 1.5 minutes long, which is still pretty bulky for social media standards. But I do explain why I started this journey—and I think that’s something I can really lean on for strength and connection.
Anyway—here’s the video!
The audio is a little out of sync, and I’ll still need to fix that.
It’s not online yet because I’m still making some small tweaks.
15-1-25
Today I filmed my second video, this time about the synopsis of my book.
I didn’t want to spoil too much, so I kept it short and to the point. I was still waiting for feedback from Levi on Monday’s video, so I was able to upload that one today instead. That’s absolutely fine—I’m now working one day ahead, and if I skip a day, it’s not a big deal.
This is my second video.
It’s already a bit quicker than video 1, but I just have a lot of info to share—I don’t think I can cut it down to under a minute. That said, tomorrow I’m aiming for a 30-second video!
As for writing—it went well today!
Chapter 1 is now finished, so I can move on to Chapter 2, where the main conflict will start to emerge. Let’s hope tomorrow turns out to be just as productive!
16-1-25
Today was an incredibly fun editing day—but a bit of a rough writing day.
To start off, I had a dentist appointment in the morning and had to work in the evening, so that’s already a –2 hour hit.
My idea for today was to introduce my main character in a short video—and in my opinion, I pulled it off quite nicely. With a little help from ChatGPT, I shortened the text I wanted to say to fit the 30-second limit.
I really like how the video turned out, especially thanks to the animations I added. It’s fast-paced, attention-grabbing, and funny—everything you want in a short video. I started around 3 PM and had to leave for work at 4:30, so I wanted to get ahead early. That worked out well, and I managed to put something great together in just under three hours.
Writing, on the other hand, was a bit of a struggle.
I managed to get the beginning of Chapter 2 done, but I kept tripping over my words and had to rewrite things several times. Still, it’s a decent start—now I just need to keep the momentum going next time I sit down to write.
17-1-25
Today I did some drawing.
I was supposed to go ice skating with friends today, so I wanted to post something that wasn’t a video. This drawing shows a scene from Chapter 2—or at least, what’s about to happen there—and I really wanted to create something fun around that idea. I’m honestly super happy with how it turned out! Especially the bird-like monster above Ambrose—those speed lines really bring it to life!
On social media, it also seems like this is getting more traction than the videos. I think it’s a great way to mix things up and give my accounts a bit more character, in my opinion.
Anyway—it’s 9:08 PM now, and I’m going to do a bit more writing with a cup of tea. Talk soon!
20-1-25
Sometimes it’s hard to get the words down in Word.
Writing was a real struggle today—the scenes I had in mind were hard to describe, and I just couldn’t seem to focus. Maybe it’s the weekend catching up with me. On Saturday I worked all day and then went straight to a birthday party, which ended with a night out in the city. Sunday I slept in and went to another birthday party… in short, a packed weekend.
I think part of it is that I haven’t had much time to read lately. Since starting this project, I’ve barely picked up a book. I’m sketching, writing, filming, and editing all in the same day—and by the end of it, all I want is to kick back and play a game. It’s only been a week, so maybe I’m being dramatic, but I do believe it’s easier to stay in a writing flow when you’re also reading something inspiring before or after writing.
Anyway, I messaged a friend who works at Van der Velde in Zwolle to ask if she could recommend a good book. I’ll be in Zwolle on Thursday for an appointment, so it’s perfect timing.
For now, I just need to push through a little longer—write a bit more, edit a quick video for socials, and get to bed nice and early. Only 100 days left from today—I’ve got this.
Late-night update 😊 (11:00 PM):
I’ve just posted another video—this time a calm, “day in the life”-style one with still shots.
22-1-25
Today I wrote 1,000 words.
Not a massive word count, but chapter 2 practically poured out of my head and into Word—it felt great! I also edited today’s video, where I explain who Dynjall is. Go check it out! I’m getting so much energy from writing and editing in one day. I’m totally in the zone right now!
The next two days are going to be pretty busy, so I’ll have to figure out a smart way to plan around that.
I’ve also started experimenting with upload times. If I can, I usually post around 20:15, which works well for the evening crowd. Today I tried posting at 22:00, and you can definitely feel the drop in engagement. Yesterday I posted something at 15:15, and it performed really well—432 views! Though, to be fair, that was a drawing I shared, not a video, and it had a bit of humor, which seemed to click with people.
I’m also thinking about testing subtitles. I tend to mumble a bit when I talk, so I want to see if adding subtitles improves engagement.
28-1-25
It’s been a little while since I last wrote something!
I noticed writing started to feel a bit tougher, so last Thursday I picked up two new books. The first one, The Door-to-Door Bookstore (highly recommend!), I finished in just two days. It was fantastic, and I could immediately tell my grammar was improving! I’ve now started Babel, an epic fantasy—definitely heavier than the last one, but it reads really smoothly.
Since Thursday, life’s been a bit busy with other appointments and some much-needed me-time. So yesterday, the 27th, I jumped back in. I made this drawing of Ambrose with a little goat—cute, right? Writing went surprisingly well too. The week kicked off strong—love that for me!
I’m also experimenting with different editing styles. This new video is more of a brief-through or explainer. I’ve started adding subtitles as well, because I tend to slur sometimes—and honestly, it just looks more professional. For this one, I also kept only myself in the frame, and get this: 83% of viewers watched the whole thing! So that’s working well.
Oh! And I just got the idea to make stickers for my project—how fun would that be?
Today, though, I didn’t get around to writing. That’s because I’ve got an intake interview at ArtEZ on Wednesday the 12th, and they’ve asked for some at-home assignments. Perfect timing, right? 😅 Still, I managed to finish one of the tasks and shoot another video. Go check it out!
30-1-25
We're back at it!
Today was a great writing day—I'm nearly done with Chapter 4 and aiming to wrap it up tomorrow! I also posted a new video where I talk about the books that have inspired me most. It’s a bit longer than usual, and I know that doesn’t always vibe well with TikTok and Instagram’s algorithms… but honestly, if I have to keep worrying about that every time, the content just never gets made, right?
Anyway, here’s the video!
Tomorrow I’ll probably do a drawing again—feels like a good switch-up.
31-1-25
Unfortunately, I didn't manage to finish the chapter today...
BUT — I did finish designing the sticker!
I'm planning to print it at 10 x 7 cm, which feels like a good size to me. Next week I’ll do a test print, and if all goes well, I’m thinking about getting 100 copies made!
