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Blake Snyder 1957-2009
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Screenwriting guru Blake Snyder.
How strange it is to be typing that as the headline. And deeply unsettling.
Blake and I had just exchanged a few emails in response to my including a shout-out to his book “Save the Cat” in my Funny People review (he returned the favor in a blog entry). He was tickled over the mention and over the course of a few days, we chatted about writing, my forthcoming book and his love of radio: “My dream is to have a screenwriting show on the air hearing pitches/talking screenplays etc. Pitch Me Your Movie -- I mean why not?”
I never had the honor of meeting Blake in person but to read his “Save the Cat!” books, you felt like you’d known him forever. And if you’re asking yourself who the heck this guy is, I guess you’d have to be a screenwriter to understand. His books not only cracked the code to how films are developed and written but did so in a way that was encouraging and relatable.
Blake’s method had become the “secret weapon” of many development executives, managers, and producers. It was precise, easy to grasp, and provided a roadmap of what made a story that resonate. He saw a few of his scripts produced and had made a nice living as a successful spec script writer, but it was his first "Save the Cat!" book that made the biggest splash.
In a brief four years, “Save the Cat!” became nothing less than a movement among writers and studios, finally changing the ways scribes approach the process of creating.
STC is not a formula or a fill-in-the-blanks system, but a schematic of what a successful film would look like on paper, and that paradigm works with $200 million blockbusters and micro-budgeted indies alike. As someone steeped in film, I can honestly say that after reading his books, I never looked at movies the same way again.
I first learned of the book in 2007 when I attended a media event and bumped into an actress I’d worked with. Her husband told me about this amazing book that changed everything for him. Having bought and read thirty other screenwriting bibles, I wasn’t expecting much. But he was right. This Snyder guy had put clever names and phrases to things that were always so academic.
He argued that “westerns” and “comedy” were not genres. His genres included “Dude with a problem,” which could mean Die Hard or Schindler’s List; or “Monster in the House,” which showed how Jaws, Alien and The Exorcist are exactly the same film.
It was a refreshingly offbeat and accurate way to categorize films. He also broke them down internally with his BS2, the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet. He illustrated the power of opposing imagery and revealed exactly how to make a character compelling. It was good stuff. You know how you know the truth when you hear it? If you’re a writer or love movies, reading his two "Cat!" books are kind of like that.
If he had simply released the formula to the masses, that would have one thing. But Blake Snyder wanted you to become successful. Simply read his blog at his website and you’ll find it’s teeming with encouragement and great advice. If my experience with him, however brief, is any indication, he leaves a world filled with admirers and friends who saw him as a mentor, a comrade and voice of reason. He was all about people sharing their gifts with each other, which is not at all what you would expect from someone in the Hollywood trenches.
Just the day before he passed away, Blake wrote on his blog: “I love writers. And I especially enjoy helping young writers who email with the big question: When? When will I sell my first script? When will I “get on the boards”? My patient reply is always the same: Don’t worry about that right now. Have fun! The most important thing to do is to love what you’re doing. That way, getting better at it isn’t a struggle, it’s a pleasure.”
Blake Snyder died from cardiac arrest August 4, 2009. His life was very private (as it should be) but he leaves behind thousands of screenwriters inspired by his lessons and kindness. A private service will be held, followed by a public memorial to be announced on his website.
Now I think I’ll honor Blake the best way I can … by writing.
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