Next up in our onscreen authors series is Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster) from Nim’s Island.
Seems like most people weren’t overly thrilled with this movie, but I loved her character in it. She plays a terrified, hypochondriac author who’s literally afraid to leave her house…and she writes adventure novels!
Across the world, a young girl who adores the novels writes to Alex thinking she’s the novel’s main character, who is first-of-all a guy and second-of-all a very Indiana Jones-esque guy portrayed by Gerard Butler. Not at all what Alexandra is in real life.
Alexandra wants to help but really, really doesn’t want to leave her house.
Enter, her main character.
She imagines him teasing her and chiding her to get out there and have a real adventure. Their imagined arguments are hilarious, because as authors, I think we've all had these conversations with characters.
It’s really fun to see this writing dynamic onscreen. And it supports my belief that, by creating our characters, we’re pushing ourselves to be better people in the real world too.
Showing posts with label onscreen authors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label onscreen authors. Show all posts
Onscreen Authors We Love: Alex Sheldon
Today’s onscreen author is the hapless and lovable Alex Sheldon, as portrayed by Luke Wilson in Alex & Emma.
I really love how his muse changes with the wind. He imagines his main female character—and coincidentally his love interest, Emma—as everything from a Russian school marm to a French nanny.
Emma (Kate Hudson) is also hilarious as the reader/stenographer who is constantly second-guessing Alex’s initial ideas. She makes the story better in the process, and it’s so fun to see their creative process and the “imagined” world of their actual characters.
Onscreen Authors We Love: Rick Castle
Nathan Fillion. Need I say more?
Castle is an absolutely fabulous show for many reasons, and its own writers are definitely folks to be admired. What makes it doubly fun is the number of ways Castle’s authorly expertise comes into play.
He has literally helped the NYPD solve crimes by using the phrase: That’s not how I would write it.
Plus, he has an awesome writing space, and the show did a very cool promo where they actually published "Castle's" book Heat Wave and stocked it in major bookstores.
Richard Castle is one of the most nuanced writers on TV and every week it’s like a little boost of encouragement, inspiration and motivation to keep writing.
Also, season finale anyone? It is going to be a long, hot summer for Castle and Beckett!
Onscreen Authors We Love: Joan Wilder
I figured I’d start this series with the reigning queen of onscreen authors.
Joan Wilder, romance novelist.
My Dad likes to joke that I’m a little like Joan Wilder, and what’s not to love? She’s got an adventurous imagination and a determined spirit that she weaves into her stories. I mean, c’mon, the opening scenes from her writing? So great!
Plus, I can totally relate to the Post-it notes scattered around her house at the beginning of Romancing the Stone to remind her to buy important household items like Kleenex and toilet paper, which she has ignored for days because she’s been too busy writing. Ha!
I love her defiantly optimistic belief that she’ll find her “Jesse.” And the feeling of tearful delight as she types the last words of her novel. Yeah…we’ve all been there (or hope to be there), right?
In Jewel of the Nile, we see her get frustrated with her writing (again, who hasn’t been there!), but she buckles down and comes out on top. She’s also got some hilarious quips about her writing.
As she’s trying to break out of a jail cell with a crowbar:
The Jewel: What are you doing?
Joan: In my last novel, Angelina and the Savage Secret, Angelina used a nail file to chip away at the bars of her cell to remove them and escape to freedom.
The Jewel: How long did this take?
Joan: Two pages.
As she and leading man Jack Colton are hanging over an endless pit, in the clutches of the bad guy. Acid is dripping on Joan’s rope and rats are eating away at Jack’s rope:
Jack (to the bad guy): What kind of sick, twisted mind would even come up with something like this?
*Bad guy looks at Joan*
Joan: …The Savage Secret, Jack…it was my best seller.
*A few minutes later*
Jack: So how'd they get out?
Joan: What?
Jack: In The Savage Secret.
Joan: Oh. Um... Jesse had a knife hidden in his boot. You wouldn't happen to have a knife, would you?
Jack: I'm not even wearing underwear.
Also check out Joan's wisdom on pirates.
I’ve got quite a few of these “onscreen author” posts up my sleeve. Add your own faves in the comments trail.
Joan Wilder, romance novelist.
My Dad likes to joke that I’m a little like Joan Wilder, and what’s not to love? She’s got an adventurous imagination and a determined spirit that she weaves into her stories. I mean, c’mon, the opening scenes from her writing? So great!
Plus, I can totally relate to the Post-it notes scattered around her house at the beginning of Romancing the Stone to remind her to buy important household items like Kleenex and toilet paper, which she has ignored for days because she’s been too busy writing. Ha!
I love her defiantly optimistic belief that she’ll find her “Jesse.” And the feeling of tearful delight as she types the last words of her novel. Yeah…we’ve all been there (or hope to be there), right?
In Jewel of the Nile, we see her get frustrated with her writing (again, who hasn’t been there!), but she buckles down and comes out on top. She’s also got some hilarious quips about her writing.
As she’s trying to break out of a jail cell with a crowbar:
The Jewel: What are you doing?
Joan: In my last novel, Angelina and the Savage Secret, Angelina used a nail file to chip away at the bars of her cell to remove them and escape to freedom.
The Jewel: How long did this take?
Joan: Two pages.
As she and leading man Jack Colton are hanging over an endless pit, in the clutches of the bad guy. Acid is dripping on Joan’s rope and rats are eating away at Jack’s rope:
Jack (to the bad guy): What kind of sick, twisted mind would even come up with something like this?
*Bad guy looks at Joan*
Joan: …The Savage Secret, Jack…it was my best seller.
*A few minutes later*
Jack: So how'd they get out?
Joan: What?
Jack: In The Savage Secret.
Joan: Oh. Um... Jesse had a knife hidden in his boot. You wouldn't happen to have a knife, would you?
Jack: I'm not even wearing underwear.
Also check out Joan's wisdom on pirates.
I’ve got quite a few of these “onscreen author” posts up my sleeve. Add your own faves in the comments trail.
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