Movie Recommendations for Writers

We've all heard that to write well, you must read a lot, but in the modern age, I believe that movies can also be an excellent source of inspiration. In this post, I'll discuss five movies that are about writers. The reason I've chosen these movies in particular is because I feel they have some of the best portrayals of what it really is to be a writer.

1. Misery

I have to start with Misery because it's an adaptation of a book by the God of Writing, Stephen King. The protagonists in King's novels are often writers themselves, as is Paul Sheldon of Misery. After becoming severely injured in a car accident, Paul is taken in by a nurse, Annie Wilkes, who lives in a remote farmhouse. His writing is not the main point of the movie, but it plays a key role - Annie reads the latest installment in Paul's romance series, and she finds out that his heroine dies at the end. She becomes more and more visibly unhinged as time goes on and forces Paul to write a different manuscript, one in which the heroine is revealed to have survived. He follows orders to the best of his ability, but certain aspects of the writing process upset Annie. Once, she expresses her displeasure at Paul's use of swearing in some of his novels, which goes against her piousness. Paul says "everybody talks like that," which sends her into a rage.

His explanation of swearing is simply one example, but all throughout Misery, King's principles of realism are easily found. Paul is not a starry-eyed poet of a writer, but instead very down-to-earth and deliberate about his writing process. He always does what makes sense to him. He kills off his heroine not for drama or for the shock factor, but because he thinks the series should end and he would like to move on to something else. One of King's biggest pointers to writers is that your goal should be realism - not melodrama, not audience satisfaction, but whatever is the most real. The practical Paul Sheldon is a subtly perfect role model for writers of every level of experience and caliber.

2. Dead Poets Society

I know I often discuss how writers do not simply grab words out of thin air, as the boys in Dead Poets Society seem to do. But I recommend you give this movie a shot. Not only is it beautiful and breathtaking regardless of your dreams to put words on the page, but not all characters have it easy, coughing up poetry whenever the occasion calls for it. If you struggle with writing, and especially with sharing your work among others, pay close attention to the character Todd Anderson.

Todd is a shy student surrounded by others who are eager to participate in "sucking the marrow out of life" as their teacher, John Keating, puts it. Todd makes some attempts at writing poetry, but sharing it with others seems a fate worse than death to him. But one day, Keating exposes him to his worst fear by making him come up with poetry on the spot in front of the class. The words that flow when Todd starts speaking are beautiful, and unique, and everything a poem should be.

If you happen to be shy about sharing writing, taking the icy plunge as Todd did by just getting it out there may be exactly what you need. If you're not in a poetry class taught by Robin Williams, you could begin by sharing a poem or excerpt on social media, perhaps. The words are within you, so do whatever it takes to share them with the world.

3. The Man Who Invented Christmas

The Man Who Invented Christmas is based on a book that tells the true story of how and why Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol. It begins by explaining that Dickens was running out of inspiration and had just produced a series of flops. Around Christmastime in 1843, he was struck with the idea to write a Christmas story. The endeavor was more difficult than it sounds to modern ears though, because at that time, Christmas was barely acknowledged as a holiday.

The movie portrays the ups and downs of being a writer, and there are many relatable moments for those who take part in the craft. But my favorite line is when Charles says "The characters won't do what I want." Perfection. This is exactly what it feels like to be a writer. The main conflict in the movie is Charles's struggle to force his characters to fit the story he has in mind. By the end, though, he learns that one shouldn't force the characters to fit the story, but rather allow them to shape it.

Coming back to the idea of realism mentioned in the Misery section, sometimes what you want to happen is not what should happen or what realistically can happen. Another lesson to be learned from the film is the fact that Dickens does not discover this important principle on his own - others help him write the story by giving him input and criticism. To perfect any art (or rather, come as close as you can to perfecting any art), you must accept some amount of commentary from others. You have to be cautious, because some people miss the point of what you're going for, but letting in various trusted perspectives is the key to success.

4. Little women (2019)

Yes, I’m listing the 2019 one because it’s the best one. I said what I said. While there is a bit of over-romanticization of writing in this film (e.g. Jo laying out all her papers on the garret floor for some reason none of us can explain other than cinematography), it also shows glimpses of the frustrations of being a writer, especially dealing with the criticism of others. Mainly, it portrays the business of publishing. It’s a poignant reminder to stay true to oneself and to be a writer first and an author second.

In the movie, Jo sends her manuscript in to a publisher, who has countless critiques and tells her to cut out everything in the story she holds dear, and also to change the ending. By the end of the movie, Jo does decide to change the ending to satisfy the publisher, but stands her ground on most points. This is the first adaptation of Little Women to show a true portrayal of what the author, Louisa May Alcott, went through in the publishing process. She was told to have her heroine marry by the end of the book, despite Alcott herself not putting much stock in marriage. Unlike in a romance novel, though, this is not the focal point of the story - the theme of the story is womanhood. This is the story Alcott and her heroine Jo set out to write, and this is the story that remains an iconic piece of American literature to this day.

5. Adaptation

Adaptation captures the frustration, depression, and self-doubt of being a writer. The movie's plot is difficult to describe because of its layers upon layers of meta-ness, but I will do my best. It's kind-of-sort-of based on real people, but with vast liberties taken. Liberties so vast, in fact, that the author of the book that it's an adaptation of was upset at first with the contents of the film. The movie centers around Charlie Kaufman, a real screenwriter, and his twin brother, who does not exist in the real world. Charlie is given the opportunity to write an adaptation of the real book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean. He has no idea where to start, but eventually comes up with a masterpiece after begrudgingly accepting help from his far more talented brother.

The aspect I like most about Adaptation is the honest frustration it portrayed. Charlie would be struck with inspiration only for it to disappear as soon he begins writing. He goes through false start after false start, becoming more and more depressed with each failed attempt. The movie also reminds viewers to not be uptight or arrogant about the writing process - there's no right or wrong way to do it, and sometimes the best advice is the most generic advice.

Even if you're not a movie person, each of these movies has a good message for writers. Even if you're not a writer, these are all really good movies. If you're feeling burnt-out and uninspired, a movie with a good portrayal of a writer can be a quick, fun way to learn something about the writing process and regain inspiration.

"Your blessing in life is when you find the torture you're comfortable with."

~ Jerry Seinfeld