Today, I took my daughter to see Disney/Pixar's UP. Man, those people know how to write a movie. They do everything right. The animation is great. The story does exactly what it's supposed to do, when it's supposed to, without falling into the no no's that befall other movies. Magic.The opening set up in UP is done almost completely without words. It moves fast enough to keep the movie from getting bogged down. Our hero achieves his goal and once he does, realizes the moment is empty. As a writer, I saw all the things we're taught to do done masterfully. And as if that's not enough, there are lots of quirky, funny moments that make the audience laugh out loud. Brilliant.
I came home humbled and inspired.
Now, you're wondering what Save The Cat is all about. Blake Synder's book on screenwriting is on my nightstand as is his sequel. I'm a huge fan of movies. That's why I took to Michael Hague's workshop. I need structure or else I don't accomplish what I need to do. Save The Cat shows me how to establish that structure in my WIP. Yes, I'm writing a book, not a screenplay, but thinking in terms of a screenplay works for me.
This morning, I dropped my WIP into Blake Synder's Save The Cat framework and came up with a few reasons why I'm stalled. Forward progress ahoy.
And speaking of ahoy, we sold our old boat. Yippee! We are now the proud owners of one boat. The god of the sea likes us, I think.
Today's goal: 2 contests entered
Yesterday's goal: Layout ATT according to Save The Cat
What I'm grateful for: Help and inspiration from the movies
Quote: "Every single character must change in the course of your story." -Blake Snyder, Save The Cat
