Carolina Cynovich, a student in the Bachelor’s Degree Program in Communication with a Focus on Audiovisual Media, won first place in the 2014 Sigmar-Mosca Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature for her book *The Man Who Winds Up the World*.
In an interview with In situ, Cynovich explained how he created the story that will be published in the Telaraña collection by Sigmar Publishing.
How long have you been writing?
It’s something I’ve done my whole life. I’ve always read a lot, and I’ve kept almost all the notebooks full of stories and poems I’ve written since I was six—throughout my childhood and adolescence and up to the present day.
Over the past year, I've been reading a lot of children's novels in particular, which is why I ended up wanting to enter this contest for stories aimed at young readers.
Similarly, when and why did you realize you wanted to be a journalist?
I never really knew; I was just curious about everything, so I started out studying Psychomotor Development. Later, I realized I’d enjoy studying Communication more because it was closer to what I ended up doing in my free time: reading, writing, and exploring. I chose Audiovisual Studies because I liked the idea of learning new ways to tell stories—beyond just words.
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
I think the biggest challenge in writing this “long story” or “short novel” for children was being able to finish the project I’d started and, in this case, working up the courage to submit it to the contest.
Finally, what does winning the award—and, of course, seeing it published—mean to you?
Of course, I’m thrilled and eager to keep going! One of the most wonderful things was seeing Valentina Echeverría’s illustrations—seeing how she so sweetly interpreted the story that had been in my head.
A massive snowstorm breaks out, and Erik’s family finds themselves trapped in their house for several weeks, unable to go outside. Suddenly, a strange signal catches the boy’s attention, and he decides to follow it to find a way to stop the snow—unaware that this will be the start of an adventure that will change his life forever.
Back cover of *The Man Who Winds Up the World*.