“We have already heard every story ever told. Like little kids who ask for the same tale over and over again, told in exactly the same way, we too respond to hidden patterns. The elements that vibrate in us like a running fork — the stories that truly resonate — are based on patterns deep in our DNA. What we’re looking for as writers, and even as listeners, is an ‘internal balance,’ a story that satisfies some pre–thinking part of our soul. And connecting to the stories we’ve told forever is key to figuring it out.
I, and my friends, call it ‘breaking the story.’
But really it’s about finding it.
I personally love working out a story. And I love knowing that I am part of a long tradition of writers who have wrestled with the very same problems. I’m glad I know ‘making it fresh’ has always been the job. But it really comes down to: Does the story work? And if not, what can I do to make it work?”
Blake Snyder
Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies
Snyder’s book Save the Cat! Goes to the Movies breaks down a few dozen films across genres to show why they work.
Kickstarter Update: Less than three weeks to go n my Kickstarter campaign so if you like to help see Screenwriting from Iowa…and Other Unlikely places become a book please click here. It’s only 16% funded so it needs a serious kick this week.
Screenwriting from Iowa 