Jonathan Ade
(2001-2002)
How would you characterize the influence of your YWW experience in your life?
It’s really difficult to estimate just how much Young Writers changed my life. I can’t even imagine the person I would be if I didn’t attend as a teenager, or return as a counselor five years later. I would carry myself differently, I would look strange, I would harbor some kind of ache that I’d yearn to even identify. I would be somebody else, someone unimaginably timid. What Young Writers taught me, ultimately, was that “artist” is not a dirty word. It taught me that to fully embrace your identity as an artist, and as a writer in particular, was not only a valid idea but a necessary step. It took a long time for that to sink in, but I can’t tell you how happy it’s made me once I fully realized it. My small part in making that experience happen for other students has made me a kinder, more thoughtful filmmaker, and I think we’re in dire need of thoughtful filmmaking.
What’s the best advice you can give a Young Writer (in general or in your specific genre)?
Don’t wait. Wherever you are, sit down, grab a pen, and look at the blank page like an invitation. When you’re ready, start writing. That’s all it ever takes.
What do you find yourself most often reading or listening to lately and why?
Beyond filmmaking, I can’t shake my enduring love for non-fiction. There’s a stack of New Yorkers next to my bed about a good six inches high, and week after week, they keep piling up. I’ve also been endlessly fascinated with historical figures who feel buoyed by near-death experiences, especially Teddy Roosevelt. Right now, I’m reading about his fateful trip down the Amazon River in River of Doubt by Candice Millard. I often find nonfiction to be a greater source of inspiration for my screenplays than fiction. Verisimilitude is baked in.