Behind the Script: How I Research My YouTube Videos

When I published my LinkedIn post about how I research longform YouTube videos, I got a lot of messages saying—
“This is exactly what I needed.”
“Can you share more details?”

So today, I’m pulling back the curtain.

This newsletter is a step-by-step walkthrough of how I researched my script on the 1993 Mumbai Blasts—a tragedy that killed 257 people and scarred Mumbai forever.

I can’t share the script itself (I don’t own the rights).
But I can share the actual outline I created and the full research process behind it.

Think of this as a blueprint you can use to research your own videos, blog posts, or documentaries.

Why Research is the Backbone of Storytelling

Here’s a truth I’ve learned:

• Good visuals might grab attention.

• Good editing might keep people engaged.

• But a good script is what makes people stay until the end.

And a good script comes from solid research.

Research isn’t just collecting data. It’s about:

• Building context → Why did something happen?

• Adding detail → How exactly did it happen?

• Creating emotion → What did it feel like for the people living it?

Without research, you’re just skimming the surface. With it, you can tell stories that actually move people.

The 7-Step Research Process

Here’s how I went from a vague idea → to messy notes → to a structured outline → to a full script.

1. Start with a guiding question

Every project begins with one simple question.

For the Mumbai Blasts script, mine was:
What led to the blasts, and how did the day unfold?

This question acted like my compass. Whenever I got lost in too many sources, I came back to it.

2. Build the skeleton

I started with Wikipedia.
Not because it’s 100% accurate, but because it gives you the skeleton:

• Timeline of events

• Key figures (Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon, Yakub Memon)

• Main locations (BSE, Air India building, Zaveri Bazaar)

Think of Wikipedia as your “table of contents.”
It won’t give you the depth, but it shows you where to dig.

3. Go deeper with books

This is where the magic happens.

For this script, the key book was S. Hussain Zaidi’s Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts.

Zaidi’s work gave me details that changed the way I wrote:

• Secret meetings in Dubai between Dawood and Tiger Memon.

• The role of Pakistan’s ISI in providing training.

• Technical details about RDX, timers, and bomb circuits.

Books add credibility. They separate your video from someone who just Googled for two hours.

4. Verify with archives and survivor accounts

Data alone can feel cold. That’s why I dig into old newspaper archives and survivor interviews.

From Hindustan Times, NDTV, and Deccan Herald, I found human stories.

The one that stayed with me:
Santlal Maurya, a bhelpuri seller on Dalal Street, recalled how the blast at the Bombay Stock Exchange literally threw him into the air.

This detail did two things:

• It grounded the story in reality.

• It made the tragedy relatable.

257 deaths is a number. Santlal’s story makes you feel it.

5. Add multiple perspectives

I don’t stop at local sources.

For this project, I studied analyses from RUSI (UK) and Brookings (US). They explained how the blasts reshaped Indo-Pak relations and how terrorism was evolving in South Asia.

This step transforms a script from “local history” into a story with international significance.

6. Organize the chaos

By this stage, my notes are a complete mess—

• Pages from Zaidi’s book.

• Screenshots of survivor quotes.

• Links to reports.

• Handwritten thoughts scribbled at 2 a.m.

To make sense of it all, I break everything into layers:

1. Background → Babri Masjid demolition, riots, underworld buildup.

2. The Day of the Blasts → timeline, locations, technical execution.

3. Investigation → Dawood, Tiger, Yakub, and arrests.

4. Aftermath → laws, surveillance upgrades, public trauma.

5. Conclusion → lessons learned, Mumbai’s resilience.

This layered structure helps me convert chaos into a logical, story-driven flow.

7. Turn data into emotion

This is the final and hardest step.

Anyone can say:
“257 people died.”

But that’s a statistic.

A storyteller says:
“257 lives ended. Behind each number was a family, a dream, a story that never returned.”

That shift—from numbers to human lives—is what makes research meaningful.

The Actual Outline I Used

Here’s the full outline I built for this script before writing it:

1. Introduction → Set the tone of fear, chaos, resilience.

2. Background → Babri Masjid, riots, underworld plans.

3. The Day → timeline of 13 blasts, locations, technical details, survivor accounts.

4. Immediate Aftermath → casualties, financial and emotional losses.

5. Investigation → Al-Hussaini ship, Dawood & Tiger fleeing, Yakub’s surrender, court trials.

6. Aftermath & Impact → stricter laws, CCTV surveillance, public trauma, Yakub’s execution.

7. Conclusion → lessons learned, Mumbai’s resilience, legacy of hope.

References I Used

• S. Hussain Zaidi – Black Friday: The True Story of the Bombay Bomb Blasts

• 1993 Bombay Bombings – Wikipedia

• Hindustan Times archives

• NDTV survivor accounts

• Deccan Herald reports

• RUSI (UK) and Brookings Institution analyses

Why I’m Sharing This

When I Think of a YouTube channel, I thought the hard part was editing. Or thumbnails. Or retention graphs.

But the truth is—
The real battle is the script.
And the real script comes from real research.

That’s why I’m sharing these outlines with you. To show you that behind every finished video is hours of digging, reading, verifying, and organizing.

What’s Next

My actual outline of the script.