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My favorite movies about writing


There are a number of movies about writing out there that are still on my list to see. All you have to do is conduct a quick Google search to find that out. But out of the ones that I have seen, the list below is my favorite.


Goosebumps - This is more about the Goosebumps books, but it does force R.L. Stine out of retirement to write one last Goosebumps book to save the town from mayhem. It shows the creative process behind writing a book under deadline and I like how he uses the simplest of tools - a typewriter to accomplish this feat.


Freedom Writers - I wrote about this movie in my favorite movies about education post, but this is also one of my favorite films that pertains to writing. When Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) has her students keeps a journal about their daily lives, she not only finds out more about them, but it turns them into better writers. This tells us an important lesson about writing: that it shouldn't always be so structured. Students especially should be free to express their ideas without judgment and from there, their writing skills will improve.


Midnight in Paris - This began as an ordinary Rom Com until Gil (Owen Wilson) discovered Paris as it was in the Jazz Age on a late night stroll. He finds such literary greats as Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway. This is such a beautiful experience for both him and any writer watching the film.


The Shining - This is not only a quintessential horror flick, but it tells of the horror of writer's block. For those who have experienced the dreaded writer's block, the famous "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" scene can hit true to home.


Misery - Keeping with the horror genre, this Stephen King thriller shows what can happen when a crazed fan kidnaps her favorite author. From a writing perspective, this takes us into a world of a writer's head who tries to separate fact from fiction in order to save his life.


All the President's Men - This is one of my favorite films. It pretty accurately follows Woodward and Bernstein as they cover the Watergate scandal, and shows the hard work of investigative journalism. It gives us insight into how good journalism takes persistence, digging and lots of lots of revision.


Dead Poets Society - This was another one of my favorite educational flicks, but it also dovetales as one of my favorite movies about writing. When Mr. Keating (Robin Williams) teaches in his unorthodox ways to get students at the all-boys Welton Academy school, they begin to love poetry and they learn to let go of their thinking to free their minds. It teaches students to follow their hearts and seize the day, a most important rule in writing poems.


Shattered Glass - Based on a true story, this one tells of what can happen when a journalist makes up his stories and gets away with it. It shows how truth and fiction can often be blurry, but in the end the truth always comes out, especially in the journalism field.


Almost Famous - This tells the story based on a young teenage Cameron Crowe writing for Rolling Stone magazine back in the early 1970s when he covered a wide array of rock bands. In the movie, the rock band Stillwater represents a mixture of those groups. It tells about the importance of staying objective as a journalist whilst a young reporter builds friendships with the band.


Sunset Boulevard - This classic film tells us about how there is a story in everyone, even faded Hollywood stars. When a screenwriter decides to help set up a silent film star's comeback, he finds out he's in more than he bargained for. He needs to adapt his writing on the fly from there.




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