Recently in my maker class, we’ve been exploring podcasting again! But this time we had to make it a bit more personal. I struggled a bit for finding an interesting story. I finally settled on choosing to talk about my experiences with backpack camping. But again, I’ve gone every year for the past 8 years, so I had to then chose a singular trip. It took me too long to pick, but I ended up choosing my trip in 2022.
The first part of creating our podcast, was pitching our idea. I struggled with this because I didn’t know how to quickly explain everything in my story. The entire trip that day had a lot of build up towards the climax and lots of small things that added to the story. I’m not very good at quickly getting my point across, so I had to revise my pitch a lot before finally submitting it.
Then came the scriptwriting. To be fully honest I did not finish this in the right timeline. Our maker project kind of was just forgotten in my mind because it was at the same time as DI. So the deadline came, and passed and I only had a bullet point version of my story outline. So during class, I had to “lock in” so that I could submit my script ast a reasonable time (late but reasonable). I was very surprised at how quickly I was able to write my script. Normally I’m very slow and uninspired when it comes to writing scripts or stories,but since this was about my actual experience, I just told the story the same way I would tell anyone else. I think that podcasts need to feel a bit like a conversation so that they’re more interesting to listen too, which helped a lot with my just writing down what I thought.
The good: What I thought was good about this was my script. I’m really happy with the amount of information I was able to fit in, in the amount of time I had. I still had to cut out of a lot smaller details, but creating this script gave myself more confidence in my ability to create stories and share them.
The bad: I struggled with my recording. I think I re-recorded my podcast 3 times. And I created 3 final versions and almost uploaded 2, before I decided to go back and re-record different parts. I originally sat in the corner of my closet for my audio, but I quickly learned that everyone in my house is very very loud. My mum then gave me a tip to put my duvet over myself while recording, because I think it trapped in the sound. I’m still not sure what it was supposed to do, but it didn’t work because you could still hear everyone walking around, or my dog barking. Finally I found my new favourite recording spot in the school, and made my final copy then.
The ugly: I think the bad could also count as my ugly, but I also do want to talk about my editing skills. Which don’t exist! I’m so incredibly bad at thinking of intro music and creating it. I’m really struggled with what to add and what kind of background music to have. I sat in my recording spot for almost 30 minutes trying to create my intro.
This project was able to teach me so much. I learned not only about the technical aspects of podcasting but also about the importance of storytelling and personal connection. Crafting my narrative pushed me to reflect deeply on my backpack camping experiences, allowing me to appreciate what made each trip unique. The challenges I faced, from pitching my idea to navigating recording and editing, ultimately fueled my growth in communication and creativity. Despite the frustrations, I now feel more equipped to share my adventures and insights, realizing that even imperfect audio can carry compelling stories. This journey has ignited a passion for podcasting that I can’t wait to explore further in the future, as I aim to refine my skills and find my voice in this dynamic medium.
Use this link below to listen to my podcast on Spotify!
