Movie/music Monday
There are a few movies that I’ll watch over and over because they make me feel a certain way. For example, initially, I watched “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Working Girl”, not just because they’re good movies but because they motivated me to do school work. I usually watched them while I was writing lesson plans or grading papers or something else related to my job. The main characters in each movie both worked exceptionally hard at their jobs and it was motivating for me to also work hard. Granted, “The Devil Wears Prada” turned into a movie that hit me in the feels repeatedly when I watched the end and Andy turned and walked away.
Here lately, the movie that has motivated me in a different way is “Julie & Julia”. I believe I’ve written about that one before. Two summers ago it was a movie that inspired me because both of the main characters were figuring out what they wanted to do with their lives. At the time, I didn’t know what I wanted to do either. Lately I have found inspiration in it because each of the characters find success with writing and publishing a book. Both ambitions of mine.
Yesterday though, a movie I chose for my laundry folding chore was “The Help”. Another movie that inspires me to write.
Granted, there are much deeper issues and topics explored in the movie. And from what I have read, Viola Davis did not like the movie because of the “white savior” element to it. Which, I agree. I can see that. But at the heart of it, it’s about a young woman wanting to make a difference through her writing. Writing that she had to do anonymously because of how controversial it was. My own writing is not necessarily controversial, but I think it’s what needs to be said. And I think we all know by now, I’m not doing anything anonymously anymore. I will put my name in big letters across the top every time.
I have continued to have the spark to write my book. And I assure you, I have been working on it. It’s a painfully slow process transcribing my journals. I am typing only the entries that I marked with a sticky flag on my initial re-reading of them. I know not all of these entries will make it into the final version because there are simply too many and especially in the high school entries, the topics are redundant, which get annoying to read after a while. But, I am trusting the process and transcribing them all. I am very eager to move on to the next stage. Where I get to be creative and put them together and do the writing that goes in between. I’m particularly excited about my latest idea that I’m going to incorporate. But I refuse to move on to the creative part until I’m done transcribing. Again, I’m trusting my vision and the process I have established for myself. In the meantime, I am going to continue transcribing a little each night. While there may not be all that many entries flagged, the ones that I’ve marked are LONG! Teenage Sarah, and really, Sarah of all ages, had a lot to say and she didn’t leave out any details! Which is good now because I find that I am easily transporting myself back to the time these were written. Not always a good thing. But, all of the emotions related to this process are only going to help me when I get to the creative part.
So, I’m going to keep watching “The Help” and “Julie & Julia”—my favorite part being when Julia Child describes the book she and the others are working on by saying it “has become a magnum opus”. I had to Google that term to make sure I have the correct definition in my head, and I do. My book may very well fit that description. At least in my mind. Who cares that it’ll be my debut piece? I don’t think there’s a rule that says someone’s magnum opus can’t be the very first thing they produce. Right?
Want to help me accomplish my dream of being a paid writer? Buy me a coffee!
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