Screenwriting Quote of the Day #82 (Blake Snyder)

Blake Snyder, screenwriter and author of the popular screenwriting book Save the Cat, was recently Interviewed by Demetria Dixon and this was one of her questions followed by Blake’s answer:

You’ve talked about the “touched by the divine” moment . Would you expand on that?

Blake: I think we write stories and listen to stories looking for the “touched by the divine” moment. All stories are about transformation, and that change comes with a crushing truth about ourselves. That “all is lost” beat forces us to look at the “shard of glass” that’s been buried deep in us, and that this story pulls out and forces us to look at, but then what? Is there nowhere else to turn when human solution falls short? However we “dig, deep down” to find the next step in our evolution, we must! And whether it’s a “happy ending” or a “sad ending” we like stories about enlightenment, that moment where we get it, and either use what we’ve learned to win, or find a moment before we die that tells us we are not alone in the universe, we are part of it. The ironic thing about all this is: you find these moments in the Oscar winning dramas, as well as silly rom-coms[romantic comedies], and high concept poster movies! A good story must address this no matter what type of film… it’s why we tell stories and need to hear them.

Scott W. Smith