Customer Reviews

Save the Cat! Strikes Back: More Trouble for Screenwriters to Get into ... and Out of

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I had my doubts about this third book in the series and expected a lot of rehashing. Plus it comes out 3 months after Blake's death, so.... But, to my pleasant surprise, this is a great book. Number one, Blake writes about his own journey and this stuff is great. The decisions we make that either get us where we want to go or not. What is more important: Doing it your way or succeeding? Secondly, there is a bunch of new stuff, I am especially happy about the five new finale beats. Very useful.

Blake Snyder's recent death is a terrible loss to the script writing community. Somehow he had the knowledge and insight to explain in simple terms the basic elements of dramatic structure. Fortunately he left this last book and it is a legacy to his memory. Again, Blake simply lays down further elements of writing a good script and deals with more advanced problems writers may get themselves into. Anyone who wants to write commercial scripts that have a chance of being sold should read all three of his books. I'm a screenwriter with 25 years experience of writing and selling scripts. Blake elucidates the techniques that many of us follow, either unconsciously or through a study of story structure. The point I'm making is that his books, and this one in particular, are not just for the beginner. Even with all my experience in writing scripts I learned a great deal from Blake's books. Every script seems to have its unique problems and Blake's books provide a guidepost for solving them. Some people may argue that he provides a formula for producing a hack script. That is untrue. Dramatic structure is just that -- structure. It's what forms the bones of every story. Yes, you can write a hack script by using a formula. But it is the writer's talent that raises an ordinary script from hackdom into art. Remember, Hamlet is based on a hack story created by some other writer. It was Shakespeare's talent that raised it from hackdom to art. Without knowledge of story structure you will end up with a mess, gauranteed. If you don't believe me watch the Sundance channel. You can see mis-conceived, poorly structured films all day long. Blake's guidlines will prevent you from creating a similar mess. I think every writer should own and use all three of his books. I do.

I just received this book directly from the publisher by ordering from their website. And it is indeed brilliant. Along with SAVE THE CAT GOES TO THE MOVIES and ANATOMY OF STORYTELLING, this ranks up there as one of the three essential screenwriting books. Throw away all the rest. This is the real deal. Read it cover to cover. Truly, one of the only screenwriting books you will ever need. What's great is that Blake Snyder gives you a simple way of 'thinking' about storytelling - it's not a formula but a well-analyzed breakdown of how to 'frame' your story to yourself and to others. It offers a simple structural guide to help you along the way when you're writing - and in this new book, Snyder offers an even more detailed breakdown of that beat-by-beat structure including a brilliant analysis of Act 3 you won't find anywhere else. FULL DISCLOSURE: My bombastic praise is real. I am in no way affiliated with the publisher or Mr. Snyder - I'm just someone who has received ridiculous acclaim for my writing in Hollywood and I felt like it was time to share THE SECRET. Along with the other two books I mentioned, here it is.

Last year, I reviewed the first in the Save the Cat! series by Blake Snyder. This time I'm reviewing the third and last book in the series called Save the Cat! Strikes Back. (I'll explain why I didn't buy the second one in a bit.)

The series was recommended by the fabulous author and writing instructor, Les Edgerton.

Years ago I took a screenwriting class, not because I wanted to write for Hollywood, but because I could see that the pace and structure of books was becoming more "movie-like." I wanted to learn how screenplays were structured. This third book, like my copy of the first, is now part yellow from all the highlighting I did. It is full of advice that you can easily apply to your writing.

For example, here is some of what Snyder said about Loglines:
The template:

On the verge of a Stasis = Death moment, a flawed protagonist Breaks into Two; but when the Midpoint happens, he/she must learn the Theme Stated, before All is Lost.

You might read that and go, huh? But Snyder goes on to explain what each bolded word or phrase means. When you finish reading his explanation and example, you go, Ah-ha.

Here's another quote that you already know, but when I read it, I paused and thought, of course.

All stories are about transformation.

Writers always talk about the dreaded Elevator Speech where you are called upon to pitch your book within a minute. If you're interviewing at a conference, you may get ten minutes. For scripts, it's called simply The Pitch. Snyder shares a Guide that came from one of his students, Betty Ryan:

1. Opening Image - A brief "who" of the hero
2. Catalyst - The thing that sets the story in motion
3. Break into Two - The essence of the story and poster
4. Midpoint - The complication that challenges the hero
5. All is Lost - How the hero loses everything
6. Break into Three - The solution to the hero's dilemma
7. Final Image - How he is transformed by this story

The book is great, in my opinion, for both scriptwriters and bookwriters. Of course, a class with Blake Snyder would be fabulous and very intense, but we won't get that opportunity since he passed away in 2009.

I devoured this book. Couldn't read it fast enough. And I know I will be reading it, and the other Cat books, again and again and again throughout my career. "Save The Cat" saved my dream of becoming a screenwriter. Blake has left a legacy: a three-part bible to take any screenwriter from idea to sale. Blake's passion and love of movies, writing, and writers is inspiring, contagious, and motivating. This book develops and expands on the ideas and advice given in the first two books, and then delves into the nitty-gritty of the business and the writing life, from Blake's perspective and experiences. Now I'm armed with every tool I need to succeed in this vastly competitive, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately rewarding career. "Stories are about transformation", says Blake. Prepare to be transformed.

A fitting finale to the trilogy, Save the Cat Strikes Back is a collection of Blake Snyder's most personal insights into merging proven fundamentals and work ethic with tapping into positive energy to find your niche in the industry.

Snyder's Save the Cat series is one of the best writing series out there. I'd recommend reading this entire series chronologically. The other screenwriting book you'd be interested is Writing for Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias.

All of these books are good for more than just screenwriting because they explain how to develop a story with resonance which is what any form should strive to do- be it short story or novel or script.

Brevity. An excellent book for beginners as well as reminders for seasoned writers on how to 'think out of the box'. Not the only book you should read on the craft but certainly one of the top ten. We'll miss Blake for his insights and guidance. Read the entire 'Save the Cat' series ... they will make you a better writer and observer.

Blake Snyder has written another winner of a book on the craft of screenwriting. I have read both Save the Cat (the original) and Save the Cat Goes to the Movies. This third title too is a "must-buy" for incredible insight into the mechanics every beginning (like me) or seasoned screenwriter needs to know. Don't think, just click and buy it!

This really expands on the holes from the first save the cat! It also dictates a clear path and attitude to working in the business. It's a rare find, and something everyone should know.