Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

A quick note about the writing aspects of the movie “Julie and Julia.”

I took my wife to see the movie Julie and Julia this past weekend. My wife is an avid cook, so this movie attracted her (the last movie we saw was the action-packed District 9 – she didn’t like that one).

Julie and Julia is about cooking celebrity Julia Child and blogger Julie Powell. My wife liked the cooking and the relationships. I liked the movie as both central characters were struggling with writing books. Common obstacles that both characters encountered:

• How long is long enough for a book?
• When do you stop writing?
• Are you a “writer” if you are not “published?”
• How do you keep your blog from interfering with your day job?
• What should the title of a book be?
• When do you say “no” to a publisher and start all over looking for another one?
• What do you do when a co-author doesn’t contribute much?
• How do you manage to stay married in all this?

Again, I liked the movie. The food looked good, the couples were funny, and it was about writing – not cooking (at least in my humble opinion).

Now one day we will discuss the merits of District 9.