Fiction, She Wrote

by Christine Wells

Do you enjoy reading or watching television shows and movies about writers? Recently, I realized just how often novelists are portrayed in fictional works--which probably isn't surprising, given that writers often are told to 'write what you know'.

On the other hand, how likely is it that a writer, traditionally an observer, not a participant in life, should be interesting enough to feature as a protagonist in a story?

After all, very few writers really do hare off on adventures in between books or spend more of our time solving murders than sitting at our computers. (OK, don't shoot me but I find the premise of Castle so improbable that I can't watch it, not even for Nathan Fillion!)

However, along with a willing suspension of disbelief, here are a few of my favourites:

Joan Wilder, played by the amazing Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile. Which of us doesn't want to actually live out the romance novels we write? I'd like to be able to cast those movies myself:) Hmm, wonder if Richard Armitage has a full schedule at the moment? *G*

Elizabeth Peters' Jacqueline Kirby, who attends an historical romance writers convention and solves a murder. Yes, we all know what a lethal atmosphere those romance writers' conventions are! Plenty of potential for murder, there.

Most of the time, I identify more with Jack Nicholson's character in The Shining, or maybe another Stephen King writer protagonist, Paul Sheldon in Misery. The act of writing can be pure torture!

While many of these portrayals range from the wildly improbable to the ridiculous, there are many writers who led and lead fascinating lives, and their existences are worthy of books and movies in themselves.

Oscar Wilde, George Sand, Shakespeare, Keats and Virginia Wolf have all been written about and featured in movies. So perhaps my skepticism about Joan Wilder's adventures isn't so very warranted after all.

What about you? Do you have a favourite fictional author?

What about true stories about real authors? Is there author whose life story has captured your imagination?