August 21, 2019sarahhualdethewriterEdit”Refilling the Well : Movies”

Imagining and formatting imaginary circumstances is hard work. Harder than I ever thought it would be. It doesn’t take much to drain my mental resources, especially after homeschooling, housekeeping, and completing other family-related tasks. I can run dry pretty quickly. Refilling the well on a consistent basis is vital. Below are some movies I use to refill my creative well. Please your favorite ways to refill your well in the comments. I’m always on the lookout for new creative input.

Video is probably the easiest and most dangerous way for me to refill the well.

Easy because it takes so little brain power. Dangerous because it’s too simple to waste entire seasons binging on shows with very little substance.

Here’s a small list of some favorites for times of refilling:

Wives and Daughters features a strong father daughter relationship in contrast to the haphazard relationships that surround it. It has beautiful dialogue and scenery as well as deep meaning and a happy ending. Bonus: it’s a mellow and clean love story… wholesome enough for your tween to watch with you

Christopher Robin may seem like an odd choice for a nearly 40-year-old writer. But I love love love this movie. It’s nostalgic and timely. It’s funny and sweet. It’s simple and loveable… much like Pooh himself. Bonus: my family loves it too… which means I can refill the well while hanging with the family.

I know I know… starting in the middle of a series is weird. But hear me out… I LOVE Star Wars!! Love it! But when I’m running low on creativity starting on episode 4 only pumps me up and makes me feel guilty for not writing more… Starting at #6 is just wrong. Number 5 does it for me. With its weird sloggish pace and awkward humor. It makes me laugh and cry and rejoice for SCI FI.

It’s just what I need to get my brain pumping and my creativity flowing. Plus… who doesn’t love Han Solo???!!!

Movies offer great daydream fodder.

With my well refilled I naturally begin to daydream and brainstorm new scenarios and new characters. But video does more than just add to my imagination. It also reminds me of the importance of plot points, refreshes my sense of dialogue, and generally reminds me why I love the art of storytelling.

Armed with new fervor, after a few days of purposefully pausing to refill… I find I’m primed and ready to create once again.

What movies or shows do you watch to refill your creative well?