Screenwriting : To Save a Cat by Stephanie McNutt

I've studied so many templates over the years (Save the Cat, Syd Field, Dan Harmon, etc.), and they follow the same patterns of storytelling. I try not to hold myself to following every rule, but they're a helpful guide.

They all come from “The hero with a thousand faces” which was an academic study to see if humanity had a collective story similar to the Collective Unconscious.

I myself don’t use them. But as you say, they can be educational. Lately I have found myself writing nearly as much background as I have screenplay (I don’t do TV). I have begun writing small short histories of characters and relationships. I find once I have lived a small part of their lives. Telling this current story about them is much easier.

Craig D Griffiths, I couldn't for the life of me remember the title of Joseph Campbell's book, thank you!

I use parts of the "Save the Cat" template in my scripts, Stephanie McNutt. When I was a young writer, I used the book so much it fell apart. Haha

It is interesting because Save the Cat was adapted for the novel, but I don't really use it for that, but I think structurally it works well in the planning aspects of the screenplay with the breakdown of scene, beats, Acts. I think the best use I've found is bench marking my pacing in the story. I still write the story I want, but then I know how to hit the mark for genre and inciting incidents. I guess it's the thing I am not really thinking about when I am actually writing the story, so it's useful because I don't really have to think about it. I just have to check against. Am I making any sense? I am a panster who likes the tools of a plotter.

I just ordered this webinar about the Hero's Journey, Craig D Griffiths: "An Oscar-Nominated Writer Teaches You The Hero's Journey" https://www.stage32.com/webinars/The-Heros-Journey-Your-Writing-Roadmap

I drowned the cat, but I saved a few kittens.

Phillip E. Hardy, Prolifique Hahaha, good one.

The second book is also a fun read, especially if you like learning about patterns in genres

Save the Cat is the ideal templet for turning out those every-day-ho-hum factory film scripts.

I philosophically hate the idea of save the cat. it's a formula cop-out - why should I force my audience to like my character? that's cheating. but save the cat writes a novel is supposed to be good. so I'm of two minds on the matter.

B.D. Reid, hmm, I may have to look into it. I like patterns. @DougNelson and @PoludinaFlint, while I commiserate with the triteness of formula for success over art, foundational to every story is a formula understood as early as Greek Tragedies and Comedies. Even Shakespeare was known as a screenwriter of fan fiction as the basis for his work. It's what you do with the form that makes it art versus formulaic. That said, I think one thing I hate is when someone says, after reading someones work, "I could do that?" And then they proceed to mimic the formula without understanding the time and effort it takes to go into the work of art they created. There is a narrow audience for a the truest of art forms.

yes I agree with some of that. I just try to champion form over formula - formula implies a rigid magic recipe for manufacturing content, whereas form implies a solid study of the making of the thing. The craft and the art are to be respected each for what they offer. structure, principles, and style/tone, intensive thought/rewriting are to me the foundations of form. whereas the art is the work, like A Beautiful Mind to create a truly original algorithm. I do love McKee's Story though, a championing of the study of form.

@PolydinaFlynt I do love Story too. I need to re-read it. I think McKee is retiring from the speaking circuit, and this year is the last year to see share his content in person. I am not a fan of the magic recipe either, or those who think that's all there is to it. Especially as neurotic as I seem to be about every decision I am making while writing. Bon Chance with your work.

I used Save the Cat as a guide before but only as a guide and it doesn’t work for every story.

Save The Cat, Screenplay by Syd Field, or any other book you can read on screenwriting, usually deal with the 3 Act Paradigm, with slightly nuanced variations in approach.

Understanding screenplay form and format is essential.

The things that are not covered in great detail in screenplay books, are the elements that a reader connects with: emotion (the emotions a reader experiences voyeuristically, vicariously and viscerally) character and Theme.

You need to read and study great screenplay to see how screenwriters have done this.

Writing For Emotional Impact by Karl Iglesias is a book every screenwriter should study.

They do say drown your darlings. Thanks Stephanie yes I'm gutted i missed seeing him when he came to New Zealand. I love how he expands on the classic structure and makes form principles so vital. I consumed his book about six times and its still pride of place on my shelf. That would have been a cool autograph to get. I have a few.

Eoin - emotional plot is something i need to work on that is why i was prescribed save the cat writes a novel and the emotion thesaurus/emotional wound thesaurus

I'm like Dan G. "I used Save the Cat as a guide before but only as a guide and it doesn’t work for every story."

If you (anyone) want to read a great book on screenwriting and structure, check out a book by CJ Walley (https://www.stage32.com/cjwalley). "Turn & Burn: The Scriptwriter's Guide to Writing Better Screenplays Faster" https://www.scriptrevolution.com/guide/turn-and-burn

Eoin, yes, completely. The structure supports the building, but the stories and emotions live within and make the building it like living breathing thing. It is interesting how some screenplays, like Grand Budapest are sometimes stripped of the essential factor, which is an Actor's delivery. The emotions rely on the actors skill more than the written line. And I wonder if this is more true for comedy than other genres. As some say, comedy is more difficult to act than drama.

Polydina, I need to write this down as my mantra, especially for my novel, "Drown your darlings." I think he's going to be in LA on October, which would be my only chance, but unfortunately the timing won't work for me. I wonder if he will record more webinars, with everything moving more online.

Maurice Vaughan yeah, it doesn't really work for my novel. And I like to hybrid and cross genres, I think lately I've been using it as a measuring tool so I know where to end up. I think it's a good stepping stone for learning about a genre, or just new to the structure of writing. So far the best advise I've ever received it "Just write." Writing as a practice will be the best practice to get better at the art. And read, anything and everything you can that you enjoy.

Stephanie McNutt Sounds like you are using STC very wisely! As a guide to help but not to let it derail your writing if you aren't checking off every single box.

Mileage may vary but like Stephanie McNutt I too find that having page targets for my major plot turns is very helpful. I think this is because I write my first drafts using the Talking Draft Method and if I'm a flowstate, eyes closed, if left to my own devices I'll ramble too much and character conversations tend to get long in the tooth. The beatsheet generator that comes with https://scriptoutliner.com is really helpful for this.

I use "To Save the Cat" for outlining.

I knew Blake back in the '70s. He was working on his book then and we discussed it over lunch at the old Roosevelt patio. I told him that what he was writing would be taken as a 'how to write a screenplay. He swore up-n-down that it was a reference guide only. We agreed to disagree and left it at that.

I always enjoy insights of Doug Nelson. I have Save The Cat, but don't really employ it.

That's great advice to follow, Stephanie McNutt ("So far the best advise I've ever received it "Just write." Writing as a practice will be the best practice to get better at the art. And read, anything and everything you can that you enjoy.").

It's always useful to know your craft rules and tricks but don't forget that those books, even if some of them are very good, are being used by channel executives to decide what is good or not. These past ten years we've seen so many features that follow the commonly used structures of those books that each time I see one I can bet it does. Watching it, you can feel like a home buyer visiting houses with the exact same layout but with different color painting. Still learning the craft, I often confronted cinema master pieces that didn't follow page targets or the 3 acts structure to those. Hope I didn't bored you with my thoughts about the topic (I'm French). Best book I ever red about screenwriting is "writing for emotional Impact" written by Karl Iglesias.

"Just write" is great advice. I even keep a writing diary where I record my daily progress.

Yes, I feel the "judges" as competitions nowadays have a checklist fabricated from several books -- that they use to check off your work regardless of subject or meaning.

@FredGooltz You ramble also? Thank goodness, I am not alone. And so true. I also use it as a way to celebrate finishing sections. It motivates me to keep going with the end in mind.

@Jean-MichelFages, I wondered if this is true, employing the model for a reason to say no to a script. I guess in some ways I cannot fault the studios for wanting to guarantee their financial success, especially at the price paid to make a film. However, how then to we forage ahead and be brave with our art. I am starting to think that I want my reason to be that I make my best for me, and if others can appreciate it, gravy. I think I need that book too. It sounds like a perfect addition to my writing library.

Martin, I do that too. I have a log on my computer that I update as I write. As I mentioned to Fred, I am also a rambler. It keeps me encouraged to see real progress.

Rosemary, It has to be some formula employed, especially to weed out the initial scripts. However, I would hope that if something is really good it would still stand out. At least in the first few pages. Who knows though.

I would just like to say how impressed I am by the answers to Stephanie's question. It once again shows me why I value this forum so much. Everyone realizes that there's more to art than formula. And that it isn't so simple as a template. Indeed, should we not be wary of any book written by someone who's Magnum Opus is "Stop or My Mom Will Shoot?"

Say what you want about Max Landis now but he was the golden child of young Hollywood screenwriters. His movie writing advice is 100% opposite of book theorists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnbmOU9nYy8

@MichaelDavid I think it is great. More than theory we need to write. And also, here we can struggle with the concepts and nuances. And if we become master's of the craft, is it then to say we've really become true students. I like that I can walk a razor line between the rooted knowledge of craft, while writing into the unknown. Cheers.

Landis also allegedly physically and/or psychologically abused eight women. He's a real sweetheart in that regard - despite any writing talent.

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/06/max-landis-accused-sexual-abuse-eight-...

You know what, I realize that I I have Brody's version, which was adapted for the Novel. I think I've only seen the Landis version online. Also, what a dark web there is in the human life.

It's a clean, commonly shared system of reference, so I find it valuable in that way at the very least; my rec to anyone is to take it all in and use whatever works for you.

(the Blake Snyder original book and follow-ups, can't vouch for the apparent Landis offshoot of which I was unaware until this thread.)

Brendan, good, I though I was the only one. And I was using the Jessica Brody version for novels, which is working better for my script. I do think it's important to sift through and use the best tools that aid the work without getting hooked on creating a gospel truth out of any one method.

I just put writing for emotional impact on my shopping list for before december. I have a bunch of homework to get in January as well. books are so bloody expensive! I know amazon is evil, but I like smile - gives me an opportunity to support charities (I know that's part of the scam tho, but this is the world we live in - I say if you don't like it, change it.) Michael David yea Tango and Cash, Suburban Commando, Escape from LA, Over the Top and The Last Action Hero/True Lies were way better - Baction (can't forget Blind Fury)

My favourite screenplays to read are Aliens, Twelve Monkeys, Spaceballs, House of 1000 Corpses, I'm reading the fisher king at the moment, it's brilliant but I hated the chick flick he also wrote horse whisperer? or maybe bridges of madison county? I'd love to get my hands on some Korine, Hartley, Assayas, Cronenberg, Park Chan-wook, Jeunet, Carruth, Chiodo, Ed Albee and Schnabel scripts. And Oleanna - though I'm not a fan of the fact that Mamet holds to three act structure. He's a brilliant writer, filmmaker though. Redbelt was awesome!

Yes, Stephanie you have to have balance. I think the key is to make your own choices and don't forget that nobody knows anything as Goldman said.

Craig D Griffiths I do that too! I find it especially good at breaking writer's block.

Stephanie - 1) when he came to nz I was deeply involved in healing from past trauma and recovering from a history of weed. I developed social phobia and ptsd (also depression, chronic anxiety, insomnia, recovering from psychosis) and it took a few years for me to get to a better place. I am still working on going to the movies/theatre and social meetups. Much of my creative projects have been hard to push because I've been devoting what feels like a full-time job to getting better at adulting and life-ing. 2) when I was at university (my second - of 3, successful uni) I majored in screenwriting (creative writing degree) and one of the most valuable things I took away from my time was free writing every morning in a classroom, there were about six of us. and we would take turns bringing in an object. Free writing was twenty to thirty minutes of no-edit writing - first thing in the morning, never let the pen come off the page inspired by the object. fiction was mandatory, medium was whatever you like. optional to share after, but most of us did, because it was so exciting. This was key to helping me transition from a writer of long hauls when inspired, to an every day writer - which is what you almost have to be to turn pro. and I totally agree with the reading thing, sometimes you get out of practise with reading as life is want to do to you, so I've started again at 5pgs/day. to build back up to a regular reader. Stephen King, Card, Greg Egan, F. Paul Wilson, Terry Pratchett, Justina Robson (a very kind human), Douglas Coupland, Harry Harrison, Dale A. Dye, Skinner, Glen Duncan, Lorenzo Carcaterra, Patrick McGrath, Nabokov, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sergei Lukyanenko, Sudhir Venkatesh, Chris Rodley, A. L. Barabasi, Eric S. Raymond (gun nut), Roald Dahl, Andy Weir, Alan Duff, Tracy Fullerton, Brian Sibley, Alan Glynn, Spike Milligan, R. L. Stine, Doug Adams and Stephen Laws are my favourites. Though I'm also fond of Craig Marriner and Stoker's Dracula.

"...and one of the most valuable things I took away from my time was free writing every morning in a classroom, there were about six of us. and we would take turns bringing in an object. Free writing was twenty to thirty minutes of no-edit writing..." Polydina Flynt, if you're still looking to do that, there's a free Writing Accountability Room on Clubhouse (https://www.clubhouse.com/room/m7y4vqgX?utm_medium=ch_room_tec&utm_campa...). There are writing accountability events (Writers' Cafes) in the Stage 32 Writers' Room also, but there's a $39.00 monthly fee for the Room (https://www.stage32.com/writers-room).