Save the Cat!

Welcome to the Progressive Book Club. Time for my book report.

Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder

source

Loved it! So much useful information. Makes me want to write a screenplay!

Blake Snyder's voice is optimistic, energetic, and realistic. He shows we need to be able to step back and recognize, then laugh at, our silly mistakes. He encourages everyone to stick with it and gives upbeat analogies and examples to show how possible it is to write a great story. The only drawback was the section on casting - but it is written for movie makers, after all.

Here are some highlights.
Save the Cat - I had no idea what this meant and now I love it. I even have a Save the Cat scene in POP TRAVEL without trying! (my MC saves a muddy dog for an old lady, aww) Save the Cat shows the MC's inner character, making the reader like him. SHOWS.

Loglines - so necessary to have one! "...single most important element is irony." (p. 6) Irony hooks interest. It's what makes a story worth telling. That unexpected twist! Don't forget a Primal Urge - what's your MC's motivation? (p. 54) And make sure you "road test" it. (p. 12) Be brave and ask strangers, see if it hooks them. Talking about it to random people will give you a new viewpoint. My attempt at a logline for my new MS, SIMULATION - 

A well worn detective and a green FBI agent work together to prove a protected congressman is really a high tech android with a murdered man's DNA.

Top ten story types - a new look at genre by what happens in the story and not the emotion (p. 25)

The famous "Blake Snyder Beat Sheet" - he breaks down a story by pages of a screenplay, which is substantially shorter than a novel. So I converted it by percentages to compare it to a 300 page MS, so page numbers are approximate... (p. 70)

1. Opening Image (p. 1, ch 1) - first impression - you want reader to think, "This is gonna be good!" (p. 73)
2. Theme Stated (by 4.5% - p. 13, in ch 1) - know your story, it has a theme! and the theme is an arguable point
3. Set-up (pp. 1-27) - show the character traits that need to change by the end
4. Catalyst (11% - p. 33) - get to this quick or you lose the reader's interest
5. Debate (pp. 33-69) - the pros and cons of dealing with the Catalyst are debated...
6. Break into Two (23% - p. 69) - decision is made, time to go
7. B Story (27% - p. 81) - secondary story with supporting characters who will be crucial later
8. Fun & Games (pp. 81-150) - just like it sounds, the getting to know each other, honeymoon, teasing phase... it's fun!
9. Midpoint (50% - p. 150) - can be a high or a low, a turning point either way.
10. Bad Guys Close In (pp. 150-204) - coming from a high, or false low of the midpoint, the bad guys regroup and show they aren't going to give up
11. All is Lost (68% - p. 204) - do you smell that? It's the "whiff of death" necessary in every story that makes the MC ask "What will I do now?" (p. 86)
12. Dark Night of the Soul (pp. 204-231) - what the character feels and goes through in this dark time after hitting rock bottom
13. Break into Three (77% - p. 231) - the solution is discovered
14. Finale (pp. 231-300) - the solution is carried out, bad guys are thwarted
15. Final Image (100% p. 300) - the opposite of the opening image, the transformation of the MC is evident

The Board - Blake Snyder loves office supplies and wasting time. But these elements are essential for organization! The Board takes the Beats and turns them into scenes that flow. (p. 97) Add some color coding for more organization. (p. 108) And the cards even help with conflict & emotional change in each scene (p. 110)

Favorite chapter title - The Immutable Laws of Screenplay Physics. Blake Snyder's quirky rules of do's and don't's (p. 119)

The Bad Dialog Test: read some dialog without tags of who is speaking - can you tell who is who? Is there a difference in the way they talk? And sometimes it all sounds like you, the author! Each character needs his own voice. (p. 154) Each character also needs "a limp and an eye patch," something that will make him memorable. (p. 157)

Quotes:
"...the competition for our attention spans has gotten fierce." & "There are too many choices." (p. 3)

"...we must learn about characters by what they do, not by what they say." & "... be more concerned with what's happening now than what happened before the story started." (p. 148)

That's enough. Want more? Read the book! I completely recommend it! And due to the A to Z challenge, I won't be reading the next book, though I am learning a ton. Thanks so much to M. L. Swift and all the participants. This online writer's book club is just what I needed!

Read SAVE THE CAT? So glad I did! Any thoughts? 

try a little harder

So March. Yeah.
Remember in January how exciting it was to set goals for exercise and eating healthy and working on stuff? Well, I've already fallen off that wagon.

• Why does bad food taste so good? 
• Why can't there be more hours in the day so I can "waste" some at the gym? (cause you know I choose writing stuff over exercising!) What I really need is an exercise buddy. I think that would motivate me! But all my friends and I have crazy, mismatched schedules.
• And how do I tame my feisty personality?

with Vikki!

But I can Celebrate a couple of things:

• I've been reading more. And this month I'm critting, which totally counts! Plus the online book club books (which I won't be doing it in April for obvious (a to z) reasons). But this month is SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder. It's been fabulous so far!
• And I am writing a ton. Love new stories! And very excited to work on a query letter. Yes, I have come to enjoy them. If you need any help or advice on yours, feel free to leave me your email in the comments. I like working on them! They're quick and to the point, just my speed!
• But what I am very happy to celebrate is I got some encouraging news from my editor! She said my grammar and punctuation looked pretty good at first glance. That is a great first step! 
• And I'd especially like to THANK YOU! all for so many positive IWSG posts (and comments) yesterday! You all really boosted my spirits!!

How are you doing with your goals? Any advice for the fallen? Maybe we can all video conference an exercise class! and then chat about writing over a smoothie after! That would be fun!

Have a Springy weekend!

(and don't forget to change your clocks, if nec!)

play with me!

I love games!
Thank you to Jamie & Allison for letting me talk about games! And who can choose just one? I give you my top ten game list (plus a couple)

Board Games:
1. Apples to Apples - so fun with my witty family and great for all ages (just tried a new version with pictures at xmas - hilarious!)
2. Scrabble / Words with Friends - a given, right?
3. Pictionary - but I don't get to play it very often, not enough interest. I tried Draw Something for a bit, but it had too many glitches...eh
4. The Amazing Labrynth - love logic & puzzle games!
5. Blokus - my son and I challenge each other by using two colors each

Video Games:
6. Any Lego video game - challenging, funny, and revolve around my favorite movies! Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Harry Potter!

Xmas 2009

7. Rock Band - love to sing and play guitar, though it has lost its lustre for my boys...not to mention we never have time!
8. Solitaire games - Mah Jongg, Sudoku, and newer What's the Word (reminds me of one of these things is not like the other...) I was playing Candy Crush, but you have to bother other people to play farther levels - I hate that!

Action Games!
9. Table games - ping pong, air hockey and pool (see how I fit all those in!)
10. Volleyball - can't remember the last time I played, but I love that game. I'd probably break something and definitely would embarrass myself if I tried to play today - but I'm game!!!

Today is also book club day!

Thank you, ML Swift, for hosting this online group! I learned so much and it's only the first book!

BIRD BY BIRD

by Anne Lamott

Based on her voice, I'd say Ms. Lamott is a tough bird! She's offered her challenging life experiences as positive examples of how to write and live. Humor is essential in her healing and dealing process - we shouldn't take ourselves or others opinions too seriously.

Her thoughts on bearing your soul in your precious story, to someone you hope will validate this and that person tells you it still needs more work. You have to, at this point, question your assessment of this person's character...and decide whether or not you want them in your life at all. (p. 163) I love her sarcasm!

I had to stop reading several times to run over to my WIP and apply it! So here I share my favorite tips:

• Her images of letting things distract you while trying to get started reminded me of Spongebob trying to write his essay... She suggests narrowing what we start with to as much as I can see through a one-inch picture frame. (p. 17)
• Love the draft definitions: first draft is the down draft - you just get it down; second draft is the up draft - you fix it up; third draft is the dental draft - check every tooth (p. 25-26)
• Favorite chapter - Character. It is the most important piece of a book. Don't make them perfect - a person's faults are largely what make him or her likable. and perfect means shallow and unreal and fatally uninteresting... (p. 50)
• This was my biggest problem with whether to write: deciding what is interesting is about as subjective as things get. (p. 51)
• Plot concerns Characters. **Find out what each character cares most about in the world because then you will have discovered what's at stake.** (p. 55)
• Dialog has to define Characters. They should not all sound like you; each one must have a self. And good dialog gives us the sense that we are eavesdropping... and tells what is said and what is not said. (p. 66-67)
• Another perfect summation of perfection - perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor. (p. 93)
• Lastly, on jealousy of other writers doing well, historically when people do too well too quickly, they are a Greek tragedy waiting to happen. (p. 128) 

I immensely enjoyed reading this and learned a lot about what makes good writing. Now to apply. And next month we will be discussing SAVE THE CAT by Blake Snyder. I'm excited!

I leave you with my "alternative" Sensational Haiku Wednesday...

go against the flow

find a better way

im such a rebel

Never say I can't

Try alternative method

Always have options

Bands that go beyond -
Cake, Incubus, Linkin Park,
Muse, Weezer, Offspring

What do you like to play? What's your favorite craft book?

And I'm always looking for a good game of Words w/Friends - find me on facebook!

a whole new world!

Welcome to the Build a World Workshop! I mean blog hop. It's going on all week! For details, see Sharon Bayliss - instigator!

Today we are talking about Geography and Climate.

BROKEN BRANCH FALLS is a nice little town in the Southeast Sector of Land Mass Four (which is Earth in five hundred years or so, minus humans). The climate is similar to Tennessee's Blue Ridge Mountains, with October being the best time of year to visit as it is warm, but mild. The foliage and creatures have mutated and adapted due to the legend of a cataclysmic war centuries ago that used chemical and biological warfare, leaving enormous trees, dangerous birds, magical creatures, with brilliant colors usually signifying caution. A visit through this Sector is worth the trek! I have highlighted points of interest and spots to steer clear of below.

The first place you must put on your itinerary to see while visiting the Southeast Sector is The Sea of Notion, with lovely condos on the beach, many aquatic activities, and plenty of museums and a planetarium in the nearby City of Learning. If you like to hike, the most scenic range is the Iridescent Mountains with hot spring pools for relaxing in on your way up, but you must schedule a dragon fly by to really see how the range earned its name. For a white water rafting adventure, put your boat in at Broken Branch Falls on the Steddy Rolling River. Just be sure to pull out by Trickle Stream so you don't take the unfathomable drop off at Make a Wish Falls. Echo Cliffs is a hot spot for youngsters, but if the ground trembles, take cover. The giants kids like to throw their voices too. On your journeys through the Southeast Sector, you might want to avoid The Nest, Blood Lake, the Perch, Black Dog Forest, and Treasure Trees, as their inhabitants do not take kindly to strangers. But if you study up on their cultures, you might be able to survive. 

I hope you enjoyed that quick geographic summary of BROKEN BRANCH FALLS. Now for some brief news!

I hope you have your calendars marked for the Back from the Future Fest! Coming March 1, M Pax, Nicki Elson, and Suze are hosting a hop to see what we put in a time capsule sent back from the future!

Have I told you about the online book club I joined? I usually shy away from book clubs because, A) I'm a slow reader - no time to read, B) if I don't like a book, I can't finish it, and C) I don't know of any in my area... These could be lame excuses, but I couldn't think of any NOT to join THE PROGRESSIVE BOOKCLUB! This genius creation of M L Swift is for craft books - books on writing! And it's all here online, so even if you don't have time to join, you can read what we have to say about the books. I can't wait for the first "meeting" on February 20th where we discuss BIRD BY BIRD by Anne Lamott. So far, she's a hoot!

I hope you've written your submission for the Overcoming Adversity hop! That's next Monday and Tuesday! I have to get moving on it myself!

Did you get some writing done this weekend? What is the World like in your story? (and it doesn't have to be fantasy! Every setting needs building up!) Are you in a book club? Why or why not?

HaPPy MoNDaY!