Today we’d like to introduce you to Katya Awar
Katya, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always loved reading and writing little stories to escape reality. I started writing a novel on Wattpad when I was 12 years old, and it garnered over 400,000 readers. This gave me the confidence to pursue writing as a career, so I went to Northeastern University to major in English. I quickly realized that writing was not built into the program, so I switched to Media and Screen Studies in the hopes of pursuing something more creative while I wrote and published my novel “Soulmate” on Amazon Kindle. There was one screenwriting course available my senior year, and I took it out of curiosity. I quickly fell in love with writing scripts, and I loved the challenged of re-programming my mind from writing novels to writing short films. By the time I graduated, I knew I needed more classes if I wanted to pursue screenwriting, so I did an independent study with my teacher and wrote a feature film to use as a sample. My teacher suggested I apply to Chapman University, and my love of television led me to the Television Writing and Producing program. I was shocked when I was accepted, given I had never written a television script before. Throughout my two years at Chapman, I have learned more about the industry than I ever thought possible, and sharpened my skills in both writing and producing thanks to my acclaimed teachers. I left with a Masters degree, three original pilots, and my filmed pilot “The Nightmare Diaries” which is entering the festival circuit. I’m currently writing a horror movie with an eminent Showrunner team while I look for industry jobs.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I think the biggest challenge for me is the lack of understanding from people outside of the industry. A lot of people belittle writers. They see you as delusional for thinking you can make it in the industry, or they act like writing doesn’t take any hard work or skill. No one really knows what goes into writing and producing a television show, even on a smaller scale at film school. I really had to learn to be proud of myself without needing external validation from family and friends in different fields. Turning my childhood hobby into a career has been a dream come true, and finding the intrinsic confidence to do that has been a scary but rewarding process.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I grew up watching every teen drama series possible, so that’s what I gravitate towards when writing. It has the perfect blend of romance, mystery, and elements of horror that I can plug in to any plot or character. I would definitely say I’m most proud of my novel just for sitting down and writing that many pages, but I also have a talent for storytelling on many different mediums like film, television, songs, and even YouTube videos. I’ve always wanted to adapt my favorite novels into shows, so to be able to adapt my own novel into a pilot script was a full circle moment. The thing I love about my stories is that I write intricate plots and storyworlds while also creating comfort characters like the ones I grew up watching. I think shows that have that recipe are timeless, which is why the 2000s dramas are still topping the streaming charts today.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that being humble will make you a better writer. Being able to accept notes and criticisms gracefully and turn them into improvements for your work is an insanely valuable skill that not everyone has. My writing has flourished throughout my time at Chapman from the endless suggestions given by my classmates and teachers, and it is also important to pay that forward and give well thought-out notes in return. At any level of success, you should always be grounded enough to realize that someone knows more than you, and it’s a privilege if they are willing to teach you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://katyaawar.wixsite.com/portfolio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katyaawar/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/katyaawar
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Soulmate-Katya-Awar/dp/B09LGNR28K
Image Credits
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