
Blake Snyder passed away on August 4, 2009. Here are thoughts from some of the people who loved him, along with never-before-published photos from Blake’s visit to the Beijing Film Academy. We welcome your tributes in the Comments.
I thought over time I might miss Blake less, but the odd thing is the older I get I miss him more.
He would be 62 on October 3 of this year. I am 61. I really thought we would grow old together.
The thing that happens as you age is the people you have known the longest somehow become the most important. Since there is no one in my life I have known as long as I have Blake, ten years after his death he remains the closest friend I have ever had. I so wish he were here to get old with. I have so many questions each week I want to ask him. Texting, he would be a texting fool, we would be talking all day.
I do talk to him when no one is looking. And you know what? He answers. Blake4ever.
– Tracey Jackson, writer
We sometimes fail to see someone’s presence in our lives as a gift, and come to that realization only after he is gone. I hope to think I knew upon meeting Blake in 2006 that he was such a boon. He could not help but invigorate you with his love of storytelling, his passion for the craft, and his excitement to engage with writers. Ten years after he left, his gift remains with me, a voice in my thoughts, encouraging and cheerleading, always pushing to be better, to meet the challenge of the page. Thanks, Blake. See you at the picture show. – Alvaro Rodriguez, writer
A wonderful mentor for screenwriters, Blake’s *joie de cinema* shines from every page of his Save the Cat! books. Even their title – which references a charming Hollywood trope – shows wit, compassion, and affection for the craft of writing. The ten-year anniversary of Blake’s death is bittersweet. Sweet because his inspirational legacy is still going strong, bitter that he was taken from us too soon… and because I never got to tell him how much I love him. – Caroline Lawrence, writer
Wish I’d gotten to meet Blake in person. His kindness, generosity and whimsical sense of humor came through in his books & webinars and still inspires me and my writing. I miss him every time I begin a new 15 Beat story outline. Today, storytellers take for granted that Blake’s SAVE THE CAT revolutionized the Film and TV industry. Blake created a fun & simple storytelling language which enabled everyone at every level in the business to communicate clearly with one another. – Bradford Richardson, writer
It’s natural for those of us who’ve always loved and utilized Blake’s story structure tools to praise his genius and to be grateful for the work he left behind. But, as much as I appreciate the intelligence and accessibility of the beat sheet and the many storytelling techniques he’d shared with screenwriters and novelists, Blake possessed an even greater gift. I only had the pleasure of hearing him speak in person once, but to me and to the lucky romance writers in the room, he managed to convey his infectious energy, his warm sense of humor, and — perhaps most memorably — his confidence in us. Whether through his books, his blog posts, or his presentations, Blake was always inclusive and encouraging. He assured us all that we were writers and that we were capable of being better storytellers.This remains part of his legacy — one I treasure and still carry with me. – Marilyn Brant, writer
Thanks to Blake and his cat crew, I’ve had a road map for writing books that make kids want to keep on reading – Chris Grabenstein, writer

I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since Blake passed. Because I always keep a copy of Save the Cat! in my backpack, it’s almost like he never left. He still gives me advice every day. – Matt Allen, writer
While I never had the opportunity to meet Blake, his writing has a way of making you feel like he was was an old friend, sharing his wisdom over a cup of coffee. I am forever grateful for the Save The Cat series as it helped jump-start my career and is something I continue to use every day. – Jordan Gershowitz, writer
For all his intelligence and creativity, what I appreciated the most about him was his great warmth and generosity. His books made me a better writer, his friendship made me a better person. – Rich Kaplan, writer
In 2005, I was a walking cliché: a struggling writer attempting to sell my first novel, living in a studio apartment wallpapered with rejection letters. That same year, Blake published a plotting guide called SAVE THE CAT! which was later handed to me during my own Dark Night of the Soul when I thought I would never see my author dreams realized. Now, fourteen years later, I have sold over 17 novels to major publishers that have been translated and published in over 23 countries. I’d like to take all the credit for my success, but that would simply be dishonest. I am where I am today because of Blake and his wisdom. He was my Break into 3, the answer to a question that I never thought to ask, and the transformation I never knew I needed to make. – Jessica Brody, writer
My favorite teaching by Blake is that “all stories are about transformation”. I wonder if he ever realized that he would be transforming the lives of thousands of people by empowering us with the ability to tell those stories. Thanks forever, Blake. – Salva Rubio, writer
Every project has its own dark night of the soul. Don’t give up. Don’t despair. You will prevail.” Miss him so much! – Ben Frahm, writer
The world is a sadder place without Blake, a truly lovely human being. But he left a legacy that continues to grow with every writer who finds their voice thanks to Blake’s work. – Naomi Beaty, writer
Though I never got to meet Blake in person, his work has had an enormous positive impact for writers throughout the world. I am constantly using his tools and recommending the to writers I work with and teach. He lives on brilliantly in all the lives he has touched! – Erik Bork, writer
Blake was both a client and a friend for many years. While I miss him greatly, I could not be prouder of the legacy he left behind and the impact he’s made on the thousands of writers who have been guided by his life’s work. – Andy Cohen, producer
I am flooded with cherished memories. The months Blake lived with my wife, Donna, our newborn daughter, and me. Our spec scripts and rookie pitches. Our first sale. Our joining the WGA together. So many milestones, too many to single out.
He was my friend. My writing partner.
In many ways I owe him for the longevity of my career.
And so, it made the most sense to turn to Blake: “Because liking the person we go on a journey with is the single most important element in drawing us into the story.” – Blake Snyder
Following his wisdom: liking the person we go on our career journey with is the single most important decision we can make.
Dear, sweet Blake,
Thank you for including me in your work, and your life. I miss you. I love you. – Howard Burkons, writer
Whenever Blake and I talked about how Save the Cat! was connecting with writers, he was like a giddy kid talking about a new toy. It wasn’t about money or career or ego, he was just ecstatic to be helping people, making new friends, and paying it forward. As much as Blake taught me about screenwriting, he taught me something more about how the passion for the craft could spill over into an overall passion for life. – Jamie Nash, writer
There’s a quote I love from the show Doctor Who that says, “We’re all stories in the end. Just make it a good one.” I think Blake would have liked that quote. Although he passed away 10 years ago, his impact on writers and filmmakers, and even movies themselves, continues on. It’s amazing how one person can affect so many and can have such a powerful influence on an industry, but that’s because Blake gave us a gift with his ideas. He provided a foundation, a structure, and fundamentals upon which to build stories. Because of this, the stories we tell will stand the test of time. Thank you, Blake, for all you gave us. Your legacy endures. – Cory Milles, writer
The decade that has passed since the untimely loss of our friend, Blake, has not diminished the shock of his passing. For those of us who had the gift of knowing him, it’s impossible not to remember him smiling. Not a Hollywood smile, mind you – the smile of a man who loved his work and his fellow writers. Blake’s giving and funloving spirit live on in his books and the ongoing Save the Cat! legacy. I’m sure that it would thrill him to know that 10 years later, his ideas and supportive spirit continue to inspire so many screenwriters around the globe. He will always be missed. He will never be forgotten. – Rick Drew, writer
Around 2000, I was researching for an article about gimmicks screenwriters had used to get attention for their spec scripts when I came across a personal website with a delightfully funny story that fit the bill perfectly. I wish I could tell you now what the exact gimmick was, but it was something that made me think, “I can’t believe this guy did that! And I can’t believe it worked!” Like having a delivery guy smuggle a script into a producer’s house inside a pizza box, or something along those lines. Vaguely intrusive and over the top. I sent an email to this screenwriter to ask if I could interview him about it, and heard back from Blake Snyder – who had the task of letting me know (extremely gently) that it was satire.
He was so kind about it, and although I felt pretty silly for falling for his story, he was delighted that I had read it. Apparently the site had been up for a while, just for his own amusement, and no one had commented before. He let me in on the fact that he actually was a working screenwriter, and he asked all kinds of questions about the kind of work I did. At the time, I was still trying to launch a screenwriting career (I had optioned three of my scripts and won a contest, but nothing was produced), but in the meantime, I was also writing articles for magazines and running a popular website for writers (Absolute Write). I interviewed him for the website, and he offered to write a column for it. For free.
It was a ridiculous offer. He had nothing to sell, no business incentive to do it. He was just completely genuinely interested in helping newbie writers. He had all these great ideas about writing and kept thanking me for giving him a place to share those ideas. For the next several years, we were in contact regularly to chat about writing and life and screwed-up relationships and whatnot. We emailed often and spoke on the phone every now and then. The first time we spoke, I thought, “He’s just as enthusiastic as he ‘sounds’ in email.” It was like talking to an exclamation point. (Which, by the way, he used recklessly and in multiples.) He was the brightest light. Boundlessly optimistic, even when things weren’t so great. He had good reason to look down on me – he was already a success and I was a neophyte – but he had a knack for making me feel like I was someone impressive, too. Somehow he had gotten through life and Hollywood without developing any cynicism. He always acted as if he had all the time in the world for me (and I suspect for lots of other people, too).
Blake had told me that his ex called him “the king of lumpy income,” which we agreed was stressful but exciting – many months could go by with nothing, and then, BLAM, six-figure check all at once. Problem was that I’d never seen one of those big checks, and I couldn’t keep waiting. So I switched my focus to books, where I had much more success. I write nonfiction books almost exclusively, and I must have told Blake at some point that he should, too, because somehow I got credit for inspiring him to write Save the Cat! The book was just as awesome as I knew it would be; he had a sharp, creative, analytical mind and was able to see patterns in successful storytelling. It was a hit, and I remember him calling to tell me that he was so excited that he was going to start speaking and teaching seminars about it. I thought that sounded perfect for him; you can’t let a personality like that go to waste.
Shortly after my daughter was born in 2007, I became a single mom. I gave up my website and drifted from some of my writer friends, including Blake. I still followed his career with delight, but it had been some time since we had last talked when I read the shocking news that he had died. It flattened me. You just don’t get to meet a lot of Blake Snyders in this world, and I hate that he’s gone. He was such a great source of joy, support, and love, and I will miss him for the rest of my life. It’s heartening to know that his legacy lives on. Cat or no cat, he was the most likeable hero of all. – Jenna Glatzer, writer
BJ Markel
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Here’s a podcast from August 23, 2009, hosted by Paula Berinstein, celebrating Blake in 15 beats: http://www.writingshow.com/podcasts/2009/08232009.html
Please note lots of tributes coming in on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/savethecat/
I did get to meet Blake at an RWA conference in San Francisco. I was a part of the Script Sceen RWA chapter at that time. No sure, but he may have spoken at our own special mini-conference.
At any rate, Save The Cat really changed my thinking about writing scripts. His beat sheet is always part of my advance work on a new project.
Blake was funny, kind, and his different approach really spells success for the screenwriter more times than I can count.
Thanks, Evelyn. Blake loved the RWA.
I met Blake at a book singing for Save the Cat at the Writer’s Store I think in 07.. Had the opportunity to attend 3 of his STC Beat Seminars after that..
He was one of the kindest, loving, giving man that I have known..
I still reflect on his kind words..
Speedo
Speedo, we always love hearing from you.
After several attempts at putting a story together, I came across ‘Save the Cat’ and read it again and again. Ten stories, 15 beats, main plot, subplot, recurring themes. I sat down and thought about every popular story, from The Bible, to Shakespeare, from PG Wodehouse to Brothers Grimm. And yes! Every popular story followed the same basic three-act structure.
It took me a week to block-out the story into beats and a month to write my first screenplay. It goes into production this year and this evening we shall be presenting the screenplay to some of those involved.
Thanks Blake! It would not have been possible without The Cat and The Cat Strikes Back!
Andrew! Congrats! Please keep us posted about your film. Email [email protected] any time.
I never met Blake nor even had heard of him until one fine day I read *Save the Cat!* and, in the words of P. G. Wodehouse, “the scales fell from my eyes.” Now I have all of Blake’s books in both paperback and electronic form (so I can carry them with me at all times), as well as all his blog posts . I’ve always been a story- structure nut, collecting over a dozen structure paradigms over the years and taking workshops with such story giants as Sid Field, Bob McKee, and Chris Vogler. Then a brief article somewhere (alas, can’t recall where) about Blake’s far-too-early death prompted me to read STC! No, STC! isn’t really a new paradigm, but Blake presented the 15 Beats in such an engaging and clear way that it has revolutionized my approach to story. His analysis of Genre is equally amazing. I’m primarily a writer of nonfiction who is also struggling with a few novels. STC! and the STC! software applies to nonfiction and novels as well screenwriting–in fact, there’s a lot that fiction writers can learn from the craft of screenwriting. I also highly recommend the STC! software as a guide for clear thinking aout structure and story elements–IMHO, it’s far better than Scrivener!
Suzanne, your words always mean so much to the Cat! team. Thank you.
Blake answered an email I sent after reading “Save the Cat,” and we became friends and “colleagues” of a kind, not long after. He was a patient mentor and ardent cheerleader who improved not just my writing but my life as well. All of it, not just scripts.
I miss him, and think of him, daily, as my fingers fly over the keys. He made order out of chaos, and was a guiding light snuffed out far too soon…
Love you, Cynthia.
Blake Snyder changed my life. My screenplay placed in the Top Ten in Final Draft’s Big Break in 2007. One of the prizes was Save the Cat! It helped me to rewrite my script until I finally felt it was finished. I also teach college screenwriting, and STC is my textbook. I teach that it’s the only screenwriting book they ever need. Otherwise they should just read award-winning screenplays. You shepherd me every day. Rest in Sweet Peace, Blake Snyder. You will always be my Guardian Angel of Screenwriting.
Thank you, Carol, for your beautiful thoughts.
I’ve read the Cat books many times, as in my work as a producer, I needed to address logistical issues with my writers without wrecking their structure. My understanding of writing, that I mostly got from Blake’s books enabled my suggestions to be taken seriously. I wish Blake was still alive in order to address the 5-6 ACT broadcast & Cable television structure and the new Original streaming venues. The “Originals” can be viewed, either as 10 small features or as one very long one.
R.I.P.
Blake Snyder
Thanks, Ray. We’re hoping to look into TV structure soon.
I wrote this prior to his memorial:
Decades ago, not that long after I started in the William Morris mailroom,
Blake’s and my very close late friend Hillary Wayne introduced us. He had
Just moved to Los Angeles.
We got each other. I am from Main Line Philadelphia, Blake from Santa
Barbara. I went to Connecticut College, Blake to Georgetown.
We were simpatico enough (who else knew anything about Nantucket Reds?) that
we could passionately differ about politics yet could understand where the
other was coming from. We loved to laugh. (It was always fun to tickle
Blake’s funny-bone.)
No cell-phones in those days, I would drive by Blake and Laura’s apartment
on my way home every day. So, on many of those days, frequently worn-out by
the day, I would just knock on the door and stop by their apartment for
mental (and other) libation. I felt so lucky to be able to do that.
It made being a transplant so much better. We shared a sense of humor and I
miss Blake’s laugh. I was always one to see the Sunny Side and to make
even a negative into a positive. I think Blake (who as you all commented
would do the same) appreciated that and so could share with me his
insecurities about work, career, life… We both did.
Before becoming an agent there, while I was still an assistant, Hillary
– I know Blake would have wanted me to speak of Hillary the other night –
gave me Blake and Colby Carr’s wild and to-me very funny half-hour pilot.
I loved it and laugh at it still today. I started circulating it to
producers, companies et cetera and to my colleagues who thought I was nuts
for doing so. They did not see a market. Television was not as niche as it
is now. As I became an agent, I, obviously, brought Blake in as my client
– he really was already anyway even before I got my stripes.
When young, talented Howard Burkons was sent my way by his friend and my WMA
colleague Bobbi Thompson (she figured I could help to figure out what to do
with all of his talent) one thing led to another. Howard told me one day
about a dramatic, sad incidence in his life. The darkness in it I knew
would appeal to Blake and… they became writing-partners. To make a long
story short, amongst the people to whom I introduced them was executive Mike
Cheda (I think Mike was at HBO at the time). Later, as the readers of “Save
the Cat” know, Mike and Blake became writing partners.
Mike, Blake and I had been working in recent years on several projects – we
staged script readings and were in development for a while on a darker piece
and I had just sold a lovely family script of theirs to a Canadian company
(the deal took forever and Andy had a-lot of fortitude to wade through it
time after time). The deal finally closed but sadly, Blake never got to put
his signature to a deal for a movie he really loved for its
good-spiritedness.
I miss him.
Thank you, Paul. Blake valued your friendship.
Beautiful Paul, like our dearest friend gone too soon.
I KNEW BLAKE SNYDER WHEN BLAKE WAS A YOUNG KID
One fall evening in 1969 while working on a school (ArtCenter College of Design) project, my roommate, Tom Tremont, and I got a phone call from Leonard Stobar, an ArtCenter graduate and the Technical Director for the animated TV series, “Hot Wheels.” Len asked us if we were interested in working on the highest-rated kids’ show on Saturday morning and would we take a meeting the next day. It only took us a millisecond to say, “yes.”
Len realized he needed someone who could draw modern day automobiles. Pantomime Pictures, the animation production company the show was using, had experienced animators who were drawing cartoon cars like they did in the 1940s. The young “Hot Wheels” viewers couldn’t relate to those old cartoon cars.
Tom and I met with Len and the executive producer of the show, Kenneth C. T. Snyder. Ken Snyder hired us. Back in 1969 there was only traditional, hand-drawn animation – no computer animation. My first experience with a computer was working on this show. “Hot Wheels” was the first nationally-televised series ever to use computer animation. “Hot Wheels series” was broadcast on ABC from 1969 to 1971 with the its main advertiser being Mattel Toys, the creator of the Hot Wheels die-cast model cars. This show ran one original season with seventeen episodes and had reruns. Tom and I worked on the last five episodes.
I’m an aspiring screenwriter. Many years ago as I was reading Snyder’s book, “Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need,” I found his email address listed on one of the pages. I thought, “Damn. What a mentor this guy could be, and he knows Steven Spielberg. I’ll contact Snyder.” Then, I remembered reading somewhere he had he died. I hadn’t read his bio in the back of the book, so I quickly turned to it. I was shocked when I read it.
Blake Snyder was the son of “Hot Wheels” executive producer Ken Snyder (who hired me for Hot Wheels). At the age of eight, Blake worked for his dad as a voice talent for several animated shows and was fired by his producer father when his voice changed.
Blake, as a kid, came to our studio often, and watched Tom and me draw Hot Wheels cars. After graduating from ArtCenter in 1971, I became am industrial and graphic designer and photographer. I started writing screenplays in 2010. I wished I had known about Blake’s adult life , his writing career and his books before he died. Blake and I would have a few stories to recall. RIP Blake, you were one of the best.
Thanks, Michael. Blake loved his father’s work and was especially proud of “Hot Wheels.”
I first meet Blake when he was teaching a Save The Cat master class at the Great America Pitchfest in 2007. I then registered and took his 2 day Beat Sheet class in 2008 and his 2 day Advanced Board Class in early 2009. My last time to see him alive in person was in June 2009 at the Great American Pitchfest where I took his master class again. After his class, he took 20 minutes to stop and talk to my wife (who also took his class that weekend) and son. He invited me to take another class in NYC scheduled for August 9 and followed by saying to me that since I had taken plenty of his classes, please come for free this time. On the day before he died, I sent him an e-mail asking him if I could set up a Save The Cat group in my community writers workshop in Norfolk. He responded to my e-mail in writing , of course saying yes, and then encouraged me to finish my fantasy screenplay which was then in it’s beginning stages. Blake always made you feel like your project was ready to go and only a rewrite or two away. That morning, after telling a young writer to take his August 2009 NYC workshop and that it would help her to address her structure problems, I found out a few minutes later through her that that he had died. I couldn’t believe that he had passed. We had just communicated 6 hours earlier by e-mail. Blake would answer his phone calls and e-mails immediately. He was a great mentor. And now he was dead? I called the STC office and they confirmed that he had passed. It was a very sad moment for me. But I was thankful for the time that I had face to face with him in his four workshops and correspondence with him by phone and e-mail. Those were precious mentorship moments that I will remember for the rest of my life… He was a great man and a kind and caring teacher. His work teaching, and as a humanitarian who regularly contributed a portion of his workshop profits to various charities, will be remembered for generations to come!!!
Thank you, Clyde, for your loyalty and kind remembrances.
I never met him but I’d seen save the cat in several places. Honestly it was just another screenplay structure idea, among a growing number, until I looked at it again and ended up buying the book and using it to write a screenplay. I had written others before but save the cat was really helpful in getting an outline done to make writing that much more efficient. Thank you Blake, hope you’re enjoying some quality time in the Celstial writer’s room.
Thanks, Conciere. Nice touch with that writer’s room!
Sadly, I never met Blake, but felt I knew him through his writings.
As a fledgling screenwriter, I floundered about, writing specs that stubbornly remained un-sold, un-optioned, unloved. (Sigh)
I had set aside my scripting dream until I learned about SAVE THE CAT. That one book made the mysterious world of writing movies a hell of a lot clearer and easier. The original Beat Sheet was worth the price of the entire book.
From that point forward, the Beat Sheet has been the starting point for every story I dream up. Naturally, I’ve modified the Beat Sheet to accommodate the various genres I write in… because it works!
Now, I’m a produced screenwriter with two Hallmark Christmas features that air every holiday season, and I hold options for two more. Now I have a WGA signatory agent and some bucks in the bank from my movie writing efforts.
Blake’s many suggestions and tips are the reason I can complete five to six new scripts every year. The man literally delivered to me a screenwriting career.
I just wish he was still around so I could thank him personally.
Well…just in case he comes back every 10 years to check his e-mails: Thanks, Blake. Your encouragement and instruction made all the difference.
Buddy Baron
Thank you, Buddy, and congrats on your script sales. Here’s to your continued success!
Thank you Blake for your contributions to all of us.
We read your books nodding our heads, laughing, smiling and changing our lives. You live forever.
What a great gift you are to the world.
Chris
Thank you, Chris, for your memorable comment.
I just bought my own copy of Save the Cat! today, having no idea it was the anniversary of Blake’s death. I think his spirit must be watching over me.
Thank you, Jason. Good luck with your writing!
I wrote this post about a year after Blake passed:
https://www.savethecat.com/success-stories/killers
He knew how much his work meant to me, but passed before he saw how it would profoundly change my life with the release of “Killers”. I still recommend his books to new writers and veterans alike. Blake was one-of-a-kind and I’m so happy that his wisdom and generosity live on in his work.
As Blake would say: “We at Cat! Enterprises love Bob DeRosa!”
These testaments are really incredible to read.
I took one of Blake’s last classes, and he was, of course, a live wire in the room. Brilliant in every way. Genius even, I thought in the class, as he explained how the 15 beats are present even in a detergent commercial.
I thought to myself, “Holy cow! This could easily apply to therapy as well! Take Elisabeth Kübler-Ross for example. The basis of her teaching is how we deal with change, and that’s exactly what Blake is telling us is the heart of every single story, large or small.” So imagine, I thought, of Save the Cat Therapy popping up in every Psychologist clinic with 15 steps to recovery.
It was obvious that he was destined for greatness. I didn’t know it would be the kind that lives on after you’ve left the rest of us. I made it to his life celebration in LA. It was beautiful, with not a dry eye in the room. Joe White cut a video of Blake, and I saw the shot of him after he’d sold his first script, “Critics be damned!” That was a great moment. What a testament it is that rather than what made him a million, it is his ideas and his kindness that lives on in us.
Thank you, Forrest, for always being there for us.
Thank you, BJ, for keeping Blake’s legacy so very alive.
Blake was my first cousin (my dad’s nephew). I never got to meet Blake, I suppose because of living on opposite coasts and families drifting apart. I only learned about Blake in 2016. It was synchronicity to discover him and his book Save The Cat!, as it just so happened that I was becoming interested in doing some screenwriting. I had no idea, and Blake’s words have been so inspiring to me: “You must find a life within the confines of ‘It is what it is.’ This is where your skills as a bullhead will save both you and your sanity.” His words arrived to me just when they were needed most, and I wish he could know how grateful I am and that I am so proud of him.
Thank you, David. Blake would be so happy to hear your sentiments.
I only found out about the Save the Cat method a few years after Blake’s passing.
Whilst I found it invaluable in crafting my earliest scripts without any prior formal training, I regret not having talked to him. I feel that we would’ve gotten on well.
Thank you Blake. for all your insight and creativity, to inspire generations more of filmmakers.
Thank you, Gregory, for your kind thoughts.
My encounter with was online on Facebook we chatted a few times and he was always so inspiring and gave great advice a wonderful guy his legacy will live on
Thank you, Chris.
I took his class in Los Angeles. He was such a kind, sweet man. I miss him, and am ever grateful for his books.
Thank you, Judith.
I went to LA for a screenwriting weekend intensive – and was overwhelmed. I was lost and felt I’d wasted my time and money. Then someone said I should read SaveThe Cat. It was like an epiphany and, interestingly, I realised that that course was pretty much a rip of Blake’s ideas. So yeah, Blake introduced me to structure and it is relevant every day. It’s a great legacy.
Pretty curious who gave that course.
I first met Blake through his books, and later at a Creative Writing Expo. What a generous man both with his ideology and friendship. Many email conversations then, I realized his most significant gift was loving writers, being their support, and showing us how to love life.
Because of him, I went back to school and received an MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in screenplays.
Miss him dearly.
Always great hearing your words, Bob.
I last saw Blake when we met for breakfast in London at Durrant’s Hotel. We hardly ate we were so excited to see each other and exchange ideas on a long list of new projects. (Of course Blake was always excited!)
When we were done, he said “thanks for feeding me”. I took this to mean “thanks for nourishing me with all our good ideas”.
It’s easy to tap into Blake’s energy. He’s always there when you want to check in with him. Long Live the Cat!
Love you, Michael.
Aloha BJ, Jason, Bob & the wonderful folks of the STC team: So glad you are doing this tribute to Blake — he was such a special guy — encouraging, funny, willing to talk with everyone, willing to share his thoughts, full of life & a friend to all. So glad Paula Berenstein is sharing the recording of tribute to Blake that she put together shortly after his passing. And I am so happy to know that the STC team is dedicated to keeping his wisdom, knowledge & amazing thoughts on writing alive! Thank you! xoxo kathie fong yoneda
You’re the best, Kathie!
I couldn’t contain all of my thoughts and reminiscences of Blake to just a few comments, so I wrote an entire post:
https://scriptwrecked.com/2019/08/04/remembering-blake-snyder-ten-years-later/
What an incredible legacy he left behind for screenwriters and such impactful memories for those of us who were lucky enough to know him, if only briefly.
Trevor! What a beautiful blog. Thank you so much!
Blake answered my email (a few months before he died) with advice on my logline and synopsis – FREE OF CHARGE! A humble gentleman with a pure heart. RIP, Blake.
Hi STC friends,
I was fortunate enough to conduct one of Blake’s final interviews: http://writeononline.com/2009/07/28/author-qa-blake-snyder-save-the-cat%C2%AE-series/
Sending hugs to fellow Cats thinking of Blake this time of year and always.
– Deb
Thank you SO MUCH, Deb. My favorite line: Regarding the 5-point finale, you can go back to the final act in Homer’s Odyssey when Ulysses comes back and “storms the castle.” All five points are in there. Is that formula? It seems to hold up.
I echo so much of what has already been said about Blake. He was one of the kindest and most generous and passionate persons I ever met. He so enthusiastically shared his talent and knowledge. Of course, he should and would, he was the teacher and I was a student. But Blake went so beyond being just a teacher. I really felt he was a good friend. He cared so much. I was an older student coming into the workshops with a new found passion in screenwriting. He saw me struggling and took extra time with me outside of class and was always quick to answer any texts or emails. My strongest memory was of the Saturday all nighters I pulled rewriting for the workshops in “the dark night of the soul”. They were the most terrifying and rewarding nights I have ever gone through in my life. I wanted to succeed and please Blake. I love him and miss him very much. Thank you, dear Blake. It was my privilege to know you. Thanks to the STC staff for carrying on.
I met Blake in London, where I went (from Sydney, Australia) specifically to do his Save The Cat workshop. What a wonderful human! Blake was the most gracious, cheerful, engaging, humble , funny (just a little bit goofy!) and encouraging person – and incredibly talented. We had lunch together and he was so down to earth and friendly. Even gave us his cell number, in case we needed help. He made you feel like you’d made a good friend! I was devastated to hear of his passing – which was not long after we met. STC will always been my writing bible and I will always have such fond memories of meeting him and spending time with him. Thank you, Blake, for leaving such a legacy and, thank you STC people for keeping it alive. Blake, you are very missed.
A sparkling and humane book. So full of life.
How I would have loved to meet Blake Snyder.
So very sad.
People like him make the world a better place.