Top 10 Movies for Writers

10. Funny Farm with Chevy Chase depicts painful aspects of writing in a comedic way. Chevy Chase's character struggles with writer's block, procrastination, the curse of liking his writing better than anyone else, and all of this leads ultimately to a desperate and nearly unforgivable act.

9. The Hours goes to other extreme, with a look into the darkness, and a focus on suicide. Nicole Kidman is compelling as Virginia Woolf, and her segments make the entire film worth watching.

8. Quills with Geoffrey Rush is not for everyone. It is about the imprisoned Marquis de Sade, and is as smart as it is dark. It does an accurate job of capturing that absolute dire need of writers to get their words written down.

7. Deathtrap feeds into every writer's paranoia that exists on some level: if I show someone my work, will they steal it? Deathtrap is about a talented playwright and his practically washed by teacher.

6. Finding Forrester is a film about inspiration, courage, and above all mentoring. Sean Connery is an amazing mentor, who had not intention of taking on the mentoring role.

5. The Big Picture with Kevin Bacon is about an award-winning film student and his foray into trying to make a big-time film. While there are a number of films about screenwriting and making it in Hollywood, including the dark Barton Fink, this movie is included here because it deals with an important subject: compromise.

Writers trying to sell a property, whether it be a novel, a children's book, or a screenplay will have to at some point deal with an editor's suggested or forced changes. This film explores the compromises a writer or artist may have to consider in order to achieve financial success. The film takes some examples to the extreme, with comic results.

4. Henry & June is about life, writing and a writer's struggles, and will appeal to any writer who longs for Paris in the '30s. The lives of writers Henry Miller and Anais Nin intermingle in more than one way in this film. Do not be fooled by the NC-17 rating, which it received for a scene between Anais Nin and June Miller.

3. Shakespeare in Love is the ultimate romantic comedy for the poet and playwright in us all. If your writing is reliant on the sometimes elusive muse, you willrelate to this cinematic tale focusing on the one and only Shakespeare. This film will also make any procrastinator feel good!

2. All The President's Men with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman is a compelling tale of the story that almost wasn't: Watergate. Anyoneinterested in government responsibility, investigative reporting, the internal struggle between reporters and editors will enjoy this classic.

1. The Absence of Malice starring Paul Newman and Sally Field is an absolute must-see film for any journalist, reporter or non-fiction writer who likes to write profiles or conduct interviews.

The Absence of Malice is an incredible film about the often neglected topic of ethics in journalism, and the responsibility of the writer, not only to the public, but to the people about whom we write. This film reminds writers of the power of the written word, and how harm can be caused, even when unintentional.

The Absence of Malice is about responsibility to the truth, not what we perceive as reality. Even when our intentions as reporters and journalists are "good" we can let our own writing and reporting egos get in the way of truth-telling.