Tag Archives: Jose Siliero

Remembering Blake Snyder ~ Mr. Save The Cat!

04 Tuesday Aug 2015

Posted by in Blake Snyder, Save the Cat!, Story

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If  you’re lucky, at least once in your life you meet a teacher who explains things in way that no one else could … and you finally “get it”. Blake Snyder was that teacher for me.

Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! books and Beat Sheet Workshops on story structure transformed my writing career. He helped hundreds of other writers–screenwriters and novelists alike. Yes, hundreds. The truth is you can have the most eloquent writing style on the planet, but without a compelling story you won’t engage readers.

Blake Snyder passed away on August 4, 2009, but his spirit lives on in the stories Save The Cat! continues to influence.

Why Save The Cat?

I  rewrote my first novel three times, and still didn’t get the story right. Save The Cat!Worse, I didn’t have a clue how to fix it. A little internet intervention changed all that.

Amazon recommended “Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need” based on past books I’d ordered about (real) cats. I’d never read a book on screenwriting, but since Save the Cat! was the last book I’d ever need, I thought, “Why not?”

Save the Cat! is the term Blake uses to describe the scene–usually early in a story–where the hero does something nice that makes us sympathize with him/her…like saving a cat.

Guidelines for story structure are a lot like the principles of music theory you’d follow to compose a song or symphony. Certain patterns are intrinsically more pleasant, they resonate deeper and are more satisfying.

Save The Cat! explains the basic story types, then breaks each story into the 15 beats (plot points) that will make it satisfying. Following these story sign posts allows me more creative license when it comes to the actual writing. Who knew?

The Transformation Machine

Blake often talked about The Transformation Machine in relation to the hero’s character arc. Every satisfying story is about change, and the Transformation Machine forces the hero to do just that. On the hero’s journey, two stories are told: the external/physical and the internal/emotional. As Blake Snyder put it…

All stories are about transformation. And seeing this as a good thing is the starting point of writing a successful story of any kind. Something has to happen, change has got to occur. That’s why the opening image (the snapshot of the world BEFORE) of a movie script has to be the opposite of the final image (the snapshot of the world AFTER.)

You can hear the Blake himself talk about the Transformation Machine in the following video clip:

 

Blake – the Pigeon – in “Bolt”

Blake Snyder and Jose Silerio worked as a team, consulting on a number of Hollywood A-List movies. BOLT, the feature animation by Walt Disney Pictures, was one of those films. The following scene is a testament to their contribution. Blake, the screenwriting pigeon, and his writing partner pitch their movie idea. When I saw BOLT in the theater, I almost jumped out of my seat and yelled, “I know Blake!” Simply priceless!

Dig Deep for a Story that Resonates

10 Friday Aug 2012

Posted by in Blake Snyder, Story, Writing

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What makes a story resonate? … The truth of its theme.

Simple, huh? Maybe for the Writing Pros, but when I first started on my writing journey? Not so much.

Theme Demystified

The THEME of a story relates to what the main character needs to become whole, happy, or fix a major character flaw.

How does that work, exactly? Glad you asked. The main plot (A story) focuses on the main character’s desire, what she wants. Then the subplot (B story) facilitates her coming to realize what it is she truly needs, and that changes her life.

Sound like gobbledy-gook? Yeah, I thought so too. I needed visual examples. Which is why Blake Snyder’s “Save The Cat!” approach to story works so well for me. Let me break it down for you…

Miss Congeniality

In Miss Congeniality, Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) is a woman in a predominantly male profession. She “wants” nothing more than to excel at her job and be taken seriously (A story). So much so that she shuns her femininity. The theme of this story comes out when Gracie states that she doesn’t need to worry about being feminine because she’s a FBI agent.  But is that true?

What Gracie “needs” is to realize that she will be more successful at her job by accepting her femininity, without dumbing-down. Through her interactions with the other beauty contest contestants (B story), she comes to realize that she can be tough and feminine. And it’s that combination that wins Gracie true respect from her fellow agents, along with the professional and personal success she’s been seeking.

“Wants” versus “Needs”

I’d like to say that I “got this” the first time Blake and Jose Siliero explained it to me. But, no. It took me a few stories and as many workshops for this concept to finally sink in. I’d be struggling with how to fix the story mess I had on my hands, when Jose would ask calmly, “What does your character want? What does your character need?” And as if by magic, I’d see the solution! (Hint, hint! Jose’s Beat Sheet Workshops are awesome!) Image credits: Miss Congeniality

Dig a Little Deeper

That’s what Blake Snyder would say whenever someone was stuck on a story beat that had to do with theme: “Dig a little deeper.”

So, it’s no wonder that I had another one of those “jump out of my seat in a packed movie theater” moments when the following scene from The Princess and the Frog  (Walt Disney Pictures) played across the screen. It was like Blake and Jose were the ones who were up there singing. Seriously.

Blake Snyder and Jose Siliero were story consultants on Princess and the Frog. Once again, it’s a testament to their contributions that this song was included in the movie. Image credits: The Princess and the Frog

Mama Odie tells the two main characters (who were turned into frogs by black magic): “You all want to be human, but you’re blind to what you need.” Then bursts into song…

Dig a little deeper, to find out who you are … When you find out who your are, you find out what you need…

This scene is hilarious, because it’s so true!

The “Save The Cat!” Giveaway WINNERS Are….

…..Drum roll…..

 *****Tosses Copious Amounts of Confetti *****

  • Tami Clayton
  • Janice Heck
  • Elaine Smothers

Yes THREE, count them THREE winners! BJ Markel, a long-time friend of Blake’s, is helping to support this Giveaway in Blake’s honor.