Writers in the movies

Jennie Yabroff in the Paris Review takes advantage of the new movie Limitless to riff a little on how Hollywood portrays the writing fraternity. It isn't a pretty picture. 'In movies, writers are only slightly less morally repugnant than serial killers (unless the writer is a serial killer)... They have monstrous egos and tiny, wizened hearts. Their moral compasses are permanently cracked; their personal relationships are cynically contrived to produce “experience,” which they feed to the insatiable maw of their craft. They are creatively constipated. They practice poor personal hygiene. They are not lovely to look at. It almost goes without saying that they are almost always male.' More...