AUDIENCE FAVORITE WINNER:
“Heart Disease” by Caroline Way, from Hamilton, Ontario 25-DE05-W30
The story is about a cardiologist who learns about the heart from her patient.
Caroline had help from Development Executive: Alicia Schechter.
Any WP script may be produced for the 168 Film Festival's Write of Passage Spotlight. Writers and mentors (DE's) receive screen credit if their film is made.
INTERVIEW:
JDW: Tell us about yourself. What do you do for work?
CW: I work as a Technical Administrative Assistant for the university in my city.
JDW: Tell us about your family and where you live. How has your environment and family shaped your writing? What obstacles have you had to overcome in life? How have they helped your writing?
CW: I was raised in a Christian family. Not perfect, but pretty good. I was always a storyteller, and my family let me pursue that whether it was through theatre or film. I think one of the biggest obstacles was moving provinces when I was about 15. It was such a struggle. I went from being a very good student, to hating every minute of high school. I failed two English classes in one year, strange considering I’m a writer. I only went to classes because I was in the musical at school. You couldn’t go to rehearsal if you weren’t in class. I made my first friends in the musical. I think really understanding the loneliness of that time and trying to just get through it gave me the ability to understand and feel strong emotions and to know what it was to struggle internally.
JDW: What do you see as some differences between telling stories in your region vs. other places?
CW: I’m not sure there is a difference. I mean “superficially,” there are cultural differences that come with regional differences. Things like geography, faith and belief systems, even laws and rights or lack thereof, colour a person’s world view. People are different, but I think the heart of the human experience is the same. Everyone wants to love, be loved, and be seen. They want to feel safe; they want to matter, to know where they fit in the bigger picture. The heart of stories, though presented uniquely, are often the same. A good story is one that can be appreciated by everyone.
JDW: How did you learn about Write of Passage (WP) &168 Film Project?
CW: I think I found it online when doing a search for something else and mentioned it a friend of mine. She was very familiar with 168Film and said I should do the contest.
JDW: Besides the verse, what inspired you to write Heart Disease?
CW: This is my first time in WP. I have not won awards or been optioned. Besides the verse, I was inspired to write Heart Disease, after really looking at what the verse means. So many of our problems are problems of the heart. Sin is just a symptom of what is in our hearts.
JDW: How did this year’s theme hit you? Describe your journey from theme and verse?
CW: I struggled at first because I don’t usually write with a topic first. I’m usually gripped by an image or a character, but I took the instruction to look at how the verse might apply to us personally and I began to realize how easy it is to let little things in—things like resentment, or a little envy, or even judgement and pride, and that they often go unnoticed. Soon our attitude becomes one of ungratefulness in little things. It contaminates so much. I realized that I am guilty of not always guarding my heart. That, like some disease, you don’t know you’re sick until the symptoms become obvious. That’s the truth of the verse. From there I had the image of protecting the heart physically and the instruction of putting on the full Armor of God came to mind, particularly the Breastplate of Righteousness.
JDW: Describe your faith journey?
CW: It’s not a straight journey, that’s for sure. Up, down, side to side. I was saved a young teen, but one pivotal moment was when I was visiting my grandparents. I was headed out the door to counsel (kids) at summer camp and my grandmother quoted Proverbs 3:5-6 about acknowledging God in everything and He will make our paths straight. It stuck with me and it’s something I’ve always tried to do, put God first, or try to please Him with what I’m doing. I used to struggle though, because for so much of my growing up I always wanted to know what God wanted me to do so I could have that straight path, but then someone said, to me, if you are always honoring God with what you do, it doesn’t matter how round about your path may seem, it’s always straight. I don’t always succeed, because it’s definitely not easy, but it’s a choice I try to make every day. Some days are better than others.
JDW: How are you planning to shape the story going forward? Any plans to make the film?
CW: I’m not sure about shaping the story going forward. Overall, I’m happy with it the way it is. I might tweak it here and there, but we’ll see. As for making it? Maybe, if no one else does!
JDW: Tell us about your pursuit of the arts?
CW: From an early age, I remember loving the creative stuff. The first time I stepped on stage for a tap recital when I was 5 or 6 to performing and writing skits for summer camp it’s been part of me. In high school, I would always pick the creative essay assignment over the other topics. I have a B.A. in Drama and an M.A in Communication (Film).
JDW: How did your Mentor/Development Executive, help shape your story?
CW: Alicia was great! She was professional but also so open and friendly and provided great advice and encouragement. She helped me simplify my idea when I was panicking on which way to go and to focus on that. Her encouragement gave me the confidence to keep going and to feel good about what I was writing. I am very appreciative of her guidance and support.
JDW: Tell us about your writing process.
CW: I’m usually struck by an image or a character that will take up residence inside my head. When I think about it/them, my heart rate accelerates, and I get excited about the idea. I want to play with it, spend time with the characters. I generally like to ruminate on an idea for a while, let it take shape, but with WP, I had to challenge myself to work a little faster! I also write a lot of stuff that often doesn’t make it into the final project. It helps me flesh out the story more and really understand who the characters are. They become real in a sense in that I know them intimately. Also, my creative hours start at around 10:00pm and go through 4:00am. Not easy when you work a nine to five. Because of that, I struggle to find long periods to write without interruption and it’s frustrating.
JDW: How has WP helped you grow as a writer? Would you recommend it to others?
CW: I think just knowing that I can work differently than I usually do, by forcing me to put aside the initial panic and streamline my thoughts, to simplify was growth for me. I really enjoyed that discovery. I would definitely recommend WP to others. I’m going to do it again if I can.
JDW: What are your plans for the future?
CW: Plans for the future? This year I decided to really focus on writing and quit putting it off. I had a novel published a while back, but it’s not out there anymore because my publisher is no longer publishing. That’s my first priority, to get that back out there. But I’ve got a couple ideas that are works in progress, novels or screenplays, we’ll see. What I’d really like to do is develop a TV series based on these ideas.
JDW: Anything else we should know about you?
CW: I’ll take vanilla ice cream over chocolate any day.