WritingSpirit Resources

Movies About Writers

I just watched the movie, "Miss Potter," starring Renee Zellweger as famous children's author, Beatrix Potter. It's fun to watch movies about famous authors, and see how they overcame the naysayers, their own self-doubts, and any other creative obstacles they faced, which made their heroes' journey worth making a movie about.

Here are just a few of the movies that have been made about writers:

• Beloved Infidel (1959) about F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, and Tender is the Night. Starring Gregory Peck.
• All The President's Men (1976) about Bob Woodward (author or co-author of 10 #1 national bestselling non-fiction books, more than any other contemporary author) and Carl Bernstein. Starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman.
• Cross Creek (1983) about Marjorie Kinnan Rowlings, author of The Yearling. Starring Mary Steenburgen.
• Gothic (1987) about poet Lord Byron and novelist Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. Starring Gabriel Byrne and Natasha Richardson. (Directed by Ken Russell)
• Hemingway (1988) about Ernest Hemingway, author of For Whom the Bell Tolls, and The Old Man and the Sea. Starring Stacy Keach.
• Henry and June (1990) about Anais Nin (Delta of Venus) and Henry Miller (Tropic of Cancer). Starring Maria de Medeiros and Fred Ward.
• Impromptu (1991) about George Sand (Aurore Dupin), author of 80 novels and 20 plays. Starring Judy Davis as Sand.
• Kafka (1991) about Franz Kafka, author of The Metamorphosis. Starring Jeremy Irons.
• Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994) about poet and essayist Dorothy Parker and Manhattan's legendary literary cadre known as the Algonquin Round Table. Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh.
• Quills (2000) about the Marquis de Sade, author of Justine or the Misfortunes of Virtue, and Letters From Prison. Starring Geoffrey Rush.
• Iris (2001) about Iris Murdoch, author of Under the Net, and The Sacred and Profane Love Machine. Starring Judi Dench.
• The Hours (2002) about Virgina Woolf, author of Mrs. Dolloway, To the Lighthouse, Orlando, and A Room of One's Own. Starring Nicole Kidman as Woolf, along with Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep.
• Sylvia (2003) about the poet Sylvia Plath, author of the semi-biographical novel The Bell Jar. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
• Finding Neverland (2004) about J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan. Starring Johnny Depp.
• Capote (2005) about Truman Capote, author of In Cold Blood, and Breakfast at Tiffany's. Starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
• Miss Potter (2006) about Beatrix Potter, author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck, and many other children's books. Starring Renee Zellweger.
• Becoming Jane (2007) about Jane Austen, the author of Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. Starring Anne Hathaway.
• Miss Austen Regrets (2008) also about Jane Austen, the author of Sense and Sensibility, and Mansfield Park. Starring Olivia Williams.

And there are also many movies about fictional writers, and their creative trials and triumphs. Such as:

• Misery (1990) Kathy Bates as an author's worst nightmare. In this case, the author is played by James Caan.
• Deconstructing Harry (1997) Woody Allen as an author who decides to write a novel about his best friends.
  
• Finding Forrester (2000) Sean Connery portrays a famous novelist turned recluse, who helps a high school basketball star (Rob Brown) who wants to be a writer.
• Adaptation (2002) Nicolas Cage as a screenwriter, battling his own creative demons, as he works to adapt a novel (written by Meryl Streeps's character) for the screen.
• Stranger Than Fiction (2006) Emma Thompson plays a novelist struggling to kill off her main character (played by Will Ferrell), but things get out of hand.

What are your favorite movies about authors or about the creative process? Leave a comment and let me know.

Corey's Legacy

In support of my writing life, I’m learning the ins and outs of internet marketing.  It’s both a tool that I’m using to give my writing and my web sites more exposure, as well as a means of creating a “day job” that will allow me to live and write more freely.

Of the many internet “gurus” online today, I chose to study with Corey Rudl. His products are well organized, extraordinarily detailed, and reasonably priced. He doesn’t seem to hold anything back. On every page of Corey's “Insider Secrets” there’s a treasure trove of information, as well as an abundance of “aha” moments that have me completely changing the way I do things on a regular basis.

Although I’ve never met Corey personally, and have just begun to study this way of doing business, I consider him my mentor and have been attempting to follow in his footsteps.

So when I heard the news that he had been killed in a high-speed car crash at the California Speedway in Fontana, I was deeply shocked and saddened.

He was only 34. 

Since then, many have commented that he died doing what he loved--racing. They found some small comfort in that. But one man disagreed. He said that while Corey must have been aware that he could die in a racing accident, had he known that he absolutely would die, he undoubtedly would have chosen the thrill of living over the thrill of racing.

Of course, our next moment is always a mystery. Life seems predictable, but we never truly know what will happen next. At times, taking risks can stretch our boundaries and help us grow, while at others, it can end a life. And at times, playing it safe can protect us from unnecessary pain, while at others, it can box us in and cause our life to stagnate. There are no easy answers to the question, how shall I live my life?

But all this did get me thinking about how invincible we think we are. We do things that we know are risky or bad for us, because we assume we'll get away with it. And we often don’t do things that we know are good for us, for the same reason.

"I'm invincible. Nothing can harm me. I can do anything I want."

What if we absolutely knew that the consequences of what we did, for good or ill, would inevitably catch up to us?

• What habits would you change if you absolutely knew that the problems that they could cause--they would cause?
  • Would you stop smoking?
  • Would you lose weight?
  • Would you exercise more?
  • Would you let go of your anger?
  • What would you do differently?

• What would you do more of, even if it scared you, if you absolutely knew that it would be successful and bring you great joy?
  • Would you finish that novel?
  • Would you ask the person you have a crush on out on a date?
  • Would you spend less time working and more time with your family?
  • Would you be kinder to yourself and to others?
  • What would you do more of?
  • What fears would you face?
  • What dreams would you pursue?

• If you absolutely knew that you would die tomorrow, what would you do today?
  • What would you say to the people that you love?
  • How would you feel about the people you believe have wronged you?
  • Would you be forgiving, or want to exact vengeance?
  • Would you be less judgmental, or more opinionated than ever?
  • How would your inner dialogue change?
  • Would you spend the day writing?
  • What would you write?
  • If you’re not working on that project right now, would you be willing to start writing it today?

• Are you living the life of your dreams?
  • If so, spend some time in gratitude and appreciation.
  • If not, why aren’t you?
  • What do you believe is stopping you?
  • Would you be willing to face your fears and do it anyway?
  • What will it take for you to believe in yourself, and your dreams, even more than you do right now?
  • What small practical action steps can you take today, this moment, to move towards your dreams?

• What do you long to say, to write, to do, to be?

• What task, goal, or dream are you postponing that you could do, or begin, today?

• What are you holding on to that no longer serves you?

• What are you willing to risk, or let go of, in order to reach for true happiness?

• What will your legacy be?

When something like this happens, we are reminded of our own mortality. And yet, living in fear of dying is counterproductive. What we focus on expands, so focus on life, on living, on your family, on your dreams. But as you go about your day, if you could take just a bit better care of yourself, say “I love you” a little more often, face one of your fears every now and then, and make sure to work towards your dreams, even in the midst of life’s practical realities, then Corey’s legacy will be you.

Namaste,
Julie Isaac

Corey Rudl's "Insider Secrets" to Marketing Your Business on the Internet
This is fabulous. It's 1300 hundred pages of detailed, step-by-step instructions on everything you need to know about Internet Marketing. I haven't tried to read it all at once. I just read the section that covers whatever I'm working on at the moment. This has been the #1 bestselling Internet Marketing course online for seven years running and now I understand why.