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How to Be a Journalist, According to Unrealistic Rom-Coms and Chick Flicks

A silly listicle

By Marina Caitlin WattsPublished 7 years ago 4 min read
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Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

I think we all can agree that writing, whether it’s as a novelist, a journalist or a blogger (or professional live tweeter...is that a real job yet?), is the sexiest profession out there. Just kidding, I think olympic swimmer takes the cake there.

Many (i.e., the half of the population that scoff at romantic comedies and chick flicks) do not realize that there are certain unspoken requirements to be a writer. Aside from the grueling task of writing all day and all night, there are other bases that need to be covered if you want to be taken seriously.

According to these cinematic criteria, this is what you need if you want to consider yourself ONE OF THEM. I am working on it, especially the unattainable apartment goal. I like to think that I'm almost ready for my own film to come out with Scarlett Johansson starring as me. Can we please get on that Jon Favreau? (I may or may not have thought this through extensively).

Knowing no limits

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Ambition is key in order to go after a great story and be able to write about it accurately. In How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, Andie (Kate Hudson) goes after her story, which is basically what not to do when dating someone. Everything she does to Ben (Matthew McConaughey) is cringeworthy. Who could ever forget Meryl Streep’s performance as the relentless Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada? It’s one thing to be writing for an elite magazine, but as Miranda’s personal assistant, Andie (Anne Hathaway) does anything and everything in order to get a good reputation working under such an esteemed editor. In Scoop, journalism student Sondra (Scarlett Johansson) even puts her one life at risk in order to unravel the story behind mysterious tarot card murders by having an affair with the alleged killer (Hugh Jackman).

Granted, this goes for any strong protagonist in a film. characters are uninteresting to their audience if they lack passion and obsession over something. So when these characters love their job, it's inspiring. And what better job is there than the art of storytelling?

Amazing style

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

They say you should dress for the job you want...Carrie Bradshaw is iconic for a reason! She's a successful writer with a killer wardrobe. But she's not alone.

Despite her clueless behavior, Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) of Confessions of a Shopaholic is tres chic. Even though she spends her salary on clothes, shoes and jewelry more than what is probably her rent, she looks phenomenal whenever she does try to impress Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy). Besides, it’s hard to sit through that film and not want everything she owns. You would also want to have lots of dresses like (Katherine Heigl) in 27 Dresses, even if they are the results of being a bridesmaid at 27 weddings.

AND DO NOT even get me started on style as far as The Devil Wears Prada is concerned. Every time I see that movie, I become so hyperaware of what I choose to wear (cerulean? florals in spring? groundbreaking).

A positive attitude

Courtesy of Revolution Studios

Despite the challenges of being a writer, it is important to keep your chin up and your pencil at hand. It can be stressful working with deadlines, editors, and balancing your passion between your personal life. In Julie and Julia, though distressed Julia Powell (Amy Adams) cooks her way through Julia Child’s cookbook and writes about all the things that go on during the painful moments called "between lunch and dinner".

In 13 Going on 30, (Jennifer Garner) experiences the gravity of what it is like to be an adult, with only thirteen years of life experience under her belt. Despite this, she makes the best of her situation and brings her young-at-heart ways into the “real world” and uses it to her advantage working at a fashion magazine.

An unrealistic apartment

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

What black hole of the internet are all these writers finding their gorgeous apartments in? COME ON. Don't even get me started.

A beautiful backdrop

Courtesy of Sony Picture Classics

What better place to sit at a cafe and write with a cappuccino by your side than Paris? In Midnight in Paris, the hopeless romantic screenwriter Gil (Owen Wilson), takes a trip to the city of lights with his fiance. One night, when wandering through the streets of Paris, he gets transported into the 1920s. Meeting writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald in twentieth century Paris is an amazing place for inspiration. Besides, director Woody Allen knows exactly how to make a city look romantic. Or what about Verona, Italy in Letters to Juliet? London in Scoop? The South in The Help? New York in One Fine Day? You’re basically hopeless unless you have a picture-perfect backdrop.

Mostly, though, it's New York. What better place could there be aside from the city that doesn't sleep to pursue your wildest dreams?

And, most importantly...

A handsome and irresistible romantic interest

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

A nice hunk of man-candy is the perfect accessory. Mark Ruffalo in 13 Going on Thirty. Hugh Dancy in Confessions of a Shopaholic. James Marsden in 27 Dresses. Hugh Jackman in Scoop. George Clooney in One Fine Day. (And some people ask me WHY I want to be a writer. This better be a package deal).

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About the Creator

Marina Caitlin Watts

Marina loves Frank Sinatra and hates decaf coffee. The native New Yorker and Cornell grad knows every word to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and thinks Shakespeare is cool. If you need her, she's waiting for Godot. Twitter: @marina_caitlin

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