Hello, Stage 32 family!
I’m Charmane Wedderburn, a screenwriter, published author, and storyteller based in Switzerland. I’m drawn to elevated thrillers, prestige drama, horror, science fiction, and character-driven stories—especially stories that explore what people hide, what they survive, and what happens when someone finally chooses to see them.
I’ve built a growing slate across film and television and have also published seven books. But I’m still very much a working writer—writing, rewriting, learning, networking, and finding my way through this industry one story at a time.
Outside of writing, I work with and volunteer my time with elderly people. That part of my life continually reminds me how much can be discovered simply by listening. Every person carries a story, and sometimes the smallest encounter can become the beginning of something much bigger.
Recently, I completed SHE WAS STILL HERE, a 30-episode vertical micro-series inspired by a true encounter. It begins when Mara notices an elderly woman named Elsa sitting alone while the world moves around her. What starts as a simple act of kindness develops into a story about loneliness, family, regret, forgiveness, and what it means to truly see another person.
Alongside that project, I’m continuing to develop and submit my feature and television work, and I’m grateful that one of my screenplays has previously reached finalist status here on Stage 32.
I’m not here because I think I know everything. I’m here because I’m still growing.
I’d love to connect with writers, producers, directors, actors, and other creatives who are building something of their own—especially those balancing their creative lives with jobs, families, caregiving, volunteering, and everything else life brings.
I’m grateful to be part of this community, and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with familiar faces and meeting some new ones during Introduce Yourself Weekend.
What are you working on right now?
— Charmane
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What a BEAUTIFUL and moving introduction, Charmane! You are an inspiration to pay more attention to Life and to be more present. I love the way you are weaving your work with the elderly into your writing. She Was Still Here sounds absolutely amazing, and I really love the title too!
I’m so grateful that you are part of this amazing community and that I’ve connected with you! :)
I’m currently working on my first novel, which I’ve just published in French: Si tu t’entêtes à apprendre à un poisson comment voler, ne t’étonne pas si ça merde (If You Insist on Teaching a Fish to Fly, Don’t Be Surprised If It Goes to Sh**!). It's a book inspired by my time in education, about second chances and how sometimes all we need is one person to believe in us, so we can believe in ourselves again. It's also about the power of small acts of kindness, how they ripple way further than we think. I’m really excited about it as a potential piece of IP, so I’m now looking at ways to get it in front of more people and eventually explore its potential beyond the book.
Thanks again for the reminder about Introduce Yourself Weekend Charmane! I’m always looking forward to hearing about what you’re working on, you always surprise me! :)
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Hi Charmane Wedderburn - I would love to hear more about your path to published author!!
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Hi, Charmane Wedderburn, taking care of erderly people is such a noble mission. Every person has a life story and also carries lots of family stories ready to be told. Thank you for sharing them. Happy IYW.
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Always amazing to see what you are up to @charmane - you never give up. I love it!
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Hi, Charmane Wedderburn. Happy Introduce Yourself Weekend! Congratulations on finishing SHE WAS STILL HERE and making progress on your film and TV projects!
I'm rewriting a Faith-based Sports Action feature script and writing a Faith-based Crime Action feature.
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You’re an author, so I’m used to working with people like you. Everything is negotiable except your stories, which should never be touched, haha.
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Happy Women’s Day, you elegant Swiss woman.
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Judith Marie-Ange Edmorin
Thank you so much, Judith! That means a lot to me. And congratulations on publishing your first novel in French! I love the idea at the heart of it—especially the connection between second chances, education, and what can happen when one person chooses to believe in someone. I can absolutely understand why you’re thinking about its potential beyond the book. I’m really glad we connected too, and I’m looking forward to seeing where you take it!
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Darrell A Pennington
Thank you, Darrell! My path to becoming a published author has definitely been a journey of learning by doing—writing, revising, publishing, making mistakes, and getting better with each book. I’d be happy to share more about the experience and what I’ve learned along the way.
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Maria Caeiro
Thank you so much, Maria. I completely agree—there are extraordinary stories, memories, and pieces of family history carried by people we sometimes don’t take enough time to listen to. Working with elderly people has taught me a great deal about that. Happy IYW to you too!
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Lauren Hackney
Thank you, Lauren! That means a lot, especially coming from someone who has seen me keep showing up here. I’m definitely still going—and still learning along the way!
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Maurice Vaughan
Thank you, Maurice, and Happy IYW! And congratulations on the projects you’re developing. A Faith-based Sports Action feature and a Faith-based Crime Action feature sound like two interesting ways of working within action while bringing your own perspective to the genre. Wishing you a productive rewrite and writing process!
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Hani Hannachi
Haha, thank you, Hani! I definitely believe in protecting the heart of a story while also staying open to the collaboration that helps make it stronger.
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Thank you for recognizing my hard work and creativity in adapting your novels into screenplays. Thank you as well for trusting me.
https://www.stage32.com/post/4159931309621259328
https://www.stage32.com/post/4113142523101194928
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Hello, Charmane! Thank you so much for everything you do, and I really appreciate your volunteering works. We're excited to hear more on what you learned by listening to other people's stories.
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You're welcome, @Charmane. Thanks. I got a lot of work done on the Sports script rewrite. I break up the rewrite into categories. I'm looking forward to watching SHE WAS STILL HERE!
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Thank you so much, James! Listening to people has definitely reminded me that some of the most powerful stories can begin with very small, ordinary moments. I’m looking forward to exploring more of that in my writing. Wishing you a wonderful IYW!
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That’s great to hear, Maurice! Breaking the rewrite into categories sounds like a smart way to keep the process manageable. And thank you—I really appreciate your interest in SHE WAS STILL HERE. Wishing you continued momentum with the Sports script!
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You're welcome, Charmane Wedderburn. Thanks. Breaking the rewrite into categories makes it easier to rewrite the script instead of rewriting everything at once. Have a great rest of the week and weekend!
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Hi Charmane! It's so great to have you on the platform - we are all ever learning. With all of your experience as a writer, do you have one piece of advice you wish you had when you were early on in your writing career? Or just one piece of advice in general?
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Hi Delenn! Thank you so much. One thing I wish I had understood earlier is that you don’t have to get everything right in the first draft. Give yourself permission to discover the story before you try to perfect it. Some of my biggest breakthroughs have come through rewriting—when I stopped protecting what I had written and started asking what the story actually needed.
And maybe one more thing: keep writing. Not every project will open the door you hoped it would, but every project teaches you something you can carry into the next one. I’m still learning that myself. What’s one lesson writing has taught you so far?
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Great introduction, Charmane. SHE WAS STILL HERE sounds especially interesting sometimes the most powerful stories really do begin with a very small human encounter. Wishing you the best with the series and your other projects!
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Thank you so much, Zoltán. That means a lot. SHE WAS STILL HERE really did begin with a small human moment, and that’s part of what made the story stay with me. I appreciate the kind words and support!
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Hi Janet, thank you so much — I really appreciate that. You’re absolutely right that one of the biggest challenges now is deciding which projects are best positioned to move forward rather than trying to push everything at once.
At the moment, I’m focusing on a smaller group of completed projects across elevated thriller, prestige drama, horror and high-concept genre, while continuing to develop SHE WAS STILL HERE as a more intimate character-driven piece. I’m especially interested in finding the right producing and representation relationships for the projects that have the clearest next step.
Thank you again for reaching out — I’m glad we’ve connected, and I look forward to continuing the conversation.