The whole essence of writing is to tell your story, and that’s what all writers are looking to do. But something many writers probably also like, and something that’s definitely a factor in how good your own writing becomes, is hearing good stories. It can be the source of motivation that launches you into the kind of writing frenzy that wins awards. Or it can be something as simple as feeling inspired to write your own thoughts in your Instagram app. Or it can just be a great way to pass the time.
Why watch movies to gain inspiration?
However you look at it, listening to a good story is a cool thing to do. Some of the best stories can actually be found in movies, and movies have the added advantage where they combine multiple forms of media to accentuate the message they’re trying to pass on. It’s not just the words in the dialog, but the images and sounds that help us to feel the emotions expressed in the story. Also, because of the high bandwidth in terms of media, it is easier to tell a story in a matter of a couple of hours with a movie that would have perhaps taken you days to read had it been in book form, saving you time in the process.
While we’re at it, you should also seek to improve your own writing skills. There are lots of platforms to help you do this, and you can visit site to learn more. With good writing skills and plenty of inspiration, you’ll be unstoppable.
So which movies are you supposed to watch in order to gain that inspiration to write more? There are lots, of course, and the level of inspiration you get from a movie to do anything, not just write, is entirely subjective. However, I have a little list of favorites that I would like to share with you. Here are my 5 best movies that motivate me to write more. Hopefully they’ll motivate you too.
Casper
Casper is a movie about a friendly ghost and a girl who is the daughter of a paranormal psychologist. When a jilted heiress hires the psychologies to exorcise the ghosts that haunt her mansion, one of them befriends his daughter, and the resulting adventures are pretty interesting to watch.
On the surface, this is a kid’s movie, but it’s also incredibly well written and combines many different aspects of storytelling, such as action, drama, and comedy, to tell a beautiful story that will appeal to adults and children alike. It particularly has an optimistic approach to the concept of death that is meant to ease kids into it.
Good Will Hunting
This story centers on a genius who, after getting into too much trouble with the law, is forced to see a therapist. It slowly unearths from there, taking us on an interesting journey into the different aspects of tapping into our unlimited potential. Much of the movie is carried by the conversation between the boy, Will, and the therapist, Sean. It is driven by their characters and the dialogue between them as they get to know each other better. Will’s traumatic childhood has caused him to put up seemingly insurmountable walls and Sean seeks to bring them down.
The Village
This movie is more of a psychological horror, but still manages to pack in a compelling story with lots of nuggets of valuable information. The Village is about a 19th century town in Pennsylvania that is surrounded by eerie woods with a dark secret. There is a lot of intermingling story lines and concepts in this movie, and it has lots of Easter eggs than anyone will enjoy finding. It’s a great exercise in the process of writing multi-dimensional universes with different story lines.
Wonder Boys
Wonder Boys is a story about a writer and his editor who spend a lot of time trying to figure out the trajectories of their individual lives. It’s a great story because it’s about writers, and so it scores really high on the relevance scale. It gives good insight into the ways people deal with conflict and turmoil within and among themselves. It’s also a good study in building background stories for characters to make them more realistic and relatable.
You’ve Got Mail
This movie is yet another one about writing. In it two New York book store owners are competing with each other for business, while also falling in love with each other. The movie is set up right about the time when the internet really takes off, in 1999, and so it’s a great look into how writers were dealing with the digitization of the writing and publishing process. It’s also about more personal matters, like figuring out what you really want in life.
This is a small list, but hopefully it gets you as excited about writing as it does me. It’s all a beautiful process, but sometimes we can all feel a little demotivated. A little inspiration always helps in such times.
Sandra Larson is a writer and editor with a focus on entertainment, personal development, and technology. She enjoys writing about the human experience and giving her readers insights on it. When she’s not writing, she enjoys practicing yoga and going out camping.
