Why We Write: Jeane Phan Wong
Read reflections from one of our 2016 Episodic Lab alums...
Why We Write is back with another new essay from Jeane Phan Wong, an alum of our 2016 Episodic Lab with WIF. Jeane has worked on series like ARROW, SANDOKAN and AZNBBYGRL since participating in the Episodic Lab.
Take it away, Jeane!
In a world that feels more polarized by the minute, it can feel like hellfire at times. No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, empathy feels in short supply on either side. What do we do in a world that feels more divisive than ever? I don’t have the answer for you, but I know the answer for me: writing. I write to understand people. Writing is my empathy superpower. I don’t believe in writing what you know; I believe in writing what you feel. I believe writing can move mountains when it’s done right. In a world of rising censorship, that feels more important than ever.
GET OUT ripped open the fabric of subtle institutionalized racism during a time of social reckoning, leading up to George Floyd’s death. PARASITE influenced the South Korean government to improve housing and fund renovations for 1,500 households living in subpar underground or semi-underground spaces. Sometimes the change doesn’t have to tackle a heavy issue. It can be simple joy, like the queer joy in HEATED RIVALRY. If anyone denies the impact of writing, I ask: What did you do during the pandemic’s stay-at-home orders? Raise your hand if you didn’t read a book or watch something for entertainment. I have a feeling no one reading this is raising their hand.
The first time I realized my writing had an impact was in high school with my AP Spanish teacher, Ms. Tortomasi. She had a unique way of teaching Spanish outside the textbook. She used pop culture and media to teach us the language. For instance, she created worksheets with lyrics from a Spanish-language song by Shakira, with certain words missing, so we had to listen and fill them in. We learned verb conjugation and vocabulary this way through Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, and many other artists.
When the Hollywood Bowl announced an essay contest about how your teacher incorporates music into teaching, offering free box seats to see Josh Groban perform, it was a no-brainer for me to write about Ms. Tortomasi. It was the first time I had written anything outside of a school assignment. The Hollywood Bowl chose my essay from hundreds, and I won free box seats for us to attend the Bowl. The honor deeply touched Ms. Tortomasi. I was a teenager at the time and didn’t yet have the emotional vocabulary to articulate how moved she felt, but I could feel it. She felt seen as an educator.
Looking back, I’m proud of what I did. It was also the first time I felt my words had done something tangible. I walked a red carpet for the first time and spoke to Josh Groban, who told me my essay moved him and helped him see how versatile music can be when used the way Ms. Tortomasi used it in class. I was floored. That was the moment I realized my writing could make an impression, could help someone see something differently.
This is why I write. Storytelling is my empathy superpower. Stories heal and move us in all their forms: from smutty romance to prestige fare. I may never change legislation, but if I can shift something in one person, help them feel seen, understood, or less alone, that’s enough for me. Getting paid for it doesn’t hurt either.
If you’re reading this and feeling unmoored in the midst of the contraction in Hollywood, ask yourself why you write. One of the best things about being a writer is that you don’t need anyone’s permission to begin once you know your why, and put pen to paper.
A child of Vietnam War immigrants, Jeane is Vietnamese-Chinese. She was raised in the San Gabriel Valley, with stints in Orange County and a Mormon town in Nevada. Growing up, she developed a sweet tooth working at her parents’ bakery and was raised on a steady diet of Asian folklore, SAILOR MOON, and weekly comic books. Jeane has lived many lives outside of writing: working in politics and medicine, and considered a switch to criminal law because of her criminal dad, as one does. But ultimately, she chose to live by her favorite Han Solo line: “Never tell me the odds,” and pursue Hollywood. She has written on ARROW, SANDOKAN and a roundtable for an untitled Mattel project. She also consulted on Freeform’s pilot AZNBBYGRL. Jeane has sold multiple pilots, a feature, and a signatory vertical, and has experience producing television. She is a current Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing Fellow, where she is working on her debut novel. Outside of writing, Jeane is a breakfast burrito sommelier, and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their cat, Gabby Soprano.
Thanks for contributing, Jeane!
More Why We Write:
Jainaba M. Seckan on writing through loss and finding new purpose
Brandon Carbaugh on writing for his beloved brother
Kryzz Gautier on the tremendous power of genre storytelling
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See you in the comments.