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Book Review: ‘Save the Cat’ Will Make You a Better Storyteller · The Daily Writer

• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome everybody to the Born to Create podcast.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Kent Sanders, and I'm your host.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: I'm an author, musician, and teacher, but most importantly, I'm a husband and a dad.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Here on the show, we talk about practices, habits, and strategies that help us live out our creative calling.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: This is episode 19, and today we're going to be talking about how the book Save the Cat will make you a better storyteller.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: You can find the post that accompanies this episode, as well as all the links at KentSanders.net slash save the cat.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: Now I want to begin here with a side note.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: This is the first episode in a monthly series of book reviews.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Reading is a vital part of your creative life, and my goal in this series is to curate the most important books that will help unlock your creative potential.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: You can find an annotated list of book recommendations on my resources page, which is KentSanders.net slash resources.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: We live in a world that is creatively fragmented.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: If you put ten people in a room together, chances are pretty good that each one will have different tastes in music, art, and books.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: We have endless choices about the art we consume today because there's so much stuff available.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: However, there's one industry that still creates art for the masses, and that's Hollywood.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: You can go almost anywhere in the world and mention the Avengers, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or many, many other movies and franchises, and people will probably know what you're talking about.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Movies are the cultural currency of the twenty first century.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: They give us a common language and unite people who otherwise have nothing in common.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: We're wired to love stories, and movies tell stories more powerfully than any other art form.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: As creatives, it's important for us to understand why and how stories work.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: A great place to begin is by studying screenwriting.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Now, you may not consider yourself a writer or you may not ever plan to write a screenplay.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Even so, understanding the storytelling process can help you in a variety of ways.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: First, you come to appreciate movies more.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: A little bit of knowledge about screenwriting will give you a deeper understanding of the movies that you watch.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Second, you'll be inspired to try writing your own stories.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: I had never considered writing a story until I began to study screenwriting a bit.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: And third, screenwriting principles can help you see the arc of your own personal creative story.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: You come to see that your creative journey mirrors the classic hero's journey.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: And you can also start to see how your art helps other people live a better story.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: So you're interested in screenwriting and storytelling, but where do you turn for help?
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: My hands-down favorite book on screenwriting is Save the Cat by Blake Snyder.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: The phrase Save the Cat refers to a scene in a movie where the hero does something likable, for instance, saving a cat from a tree, so the audience will root for him or her.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: The subtitle of the book Save the Cat is The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: Now, it may not literally be the last book on screenwriting you'll ever need, but it comes pretty close.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Save the Cat helps you understand how to take a concept from an idea to a full-blown screenplay.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Blake Snyder's writing is clear, direct, and best of all, it's really, really funny.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Chapters two and four, I think, are the most valuable parts of Save the Cat.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: Chapter two goes into detail about ten movie genres and how to recognize each one.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: These aren't generic movie genres such as action or romance.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Rather, Blake Snyder takes an entirely different approach and uses categories such as Buddy Love, Out of the Bottle, Dude with a Problem, and Golden Fleece.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: When you're writing a story, it's vital to understand the rules of the genre you're using, which is why that chapter is so important.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Chapter four of Save the Cat contains an in-depth discussion of 15 key story beats found in any successful movie.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: I've gone through several movies using this system and I've been amazed how accurate it is.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Save the Cat opened my eyes to the world of storytelling and really helped me understand why we respond to great movies.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the reason is because screenwriters know how to satisfy our hunger for powerful stories.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: I am such a big fan of Save the Cat, in fact, that I'm using it as a textbook for a college class I'm teaching right now called Faith and Film.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Before he passed away a few years ago, Blake Snyder also wrote two follow-up books, both of them well worth owning.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: One is called Save the Cat Strikes Back, and the other one is called Save the Cat Goes to the Movies.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: I also recommend that you check out the Save the Cat website for sample beat sheets and all kinds of other goodies related to storytelling and screenwriting.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: In addition, the Save the Cat Podcast is another great resource.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: And by the way, there are links to all this stuff on the blog post.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: The bottom line is that Save the Cat will help you understand story structure, appreciate the movies you watch, and inspire you to create your own stories.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: So how do you think learning about screenwriting and storytelling could help you?
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to hear your thoughts.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: You can join the conversation and find the post and the links that accompany this episode at KentSanders.net slash save the cat.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: When you visit my site, you'll find all kinds of great resources to inspire your creativity.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: I'd also love to share a gift with you when you subscribe to my newsletter.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: You can check it out and learn more about my books, writing, and services at KentSanders.net.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love to connect with you and you can tweet me at Kent Sanders, or you can find me on Facebook and Instagram as Kent Sanders.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: I hope that you'll also check out our Born to Create Facebook group by visiting KentSanders.net slash Facebook group.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, remember that you were born to create and designed to make a difference.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: What will you do with the time you have left?