flying wrestler
thoughts on screenwriting from writer-producer erik bork
Debate Section
I’ve written before about the first ten pages of a screenplay, and touched on the nature of the Catalyst (which the Save the Cat "beat sheet"...
Fun & Games Section
Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat books called the first half of a screenplays second act the “Fun & Games section.” This is where the action shifts...
One Problem Affecting Everyone
At the heart of a good original TV series idea is one big problematic situation. It somehow affects all the series regulars. And it leads to endless...
Who is My Antagonist?
Many writers believe their story needs a villain -- a single character who is the main source of opposition in the story, or the primary “bad...
Main Character’s Problem/Goal
The main character of a story has a problem they want to solve. The main character of a story has a goal they want to achieve. Which is it? It’s...
Out of the Bottle
I see a lot of scripts these days where the writer initially depicts the main character as kind of a selfish jerk. This is on purpose, because they...
Changing the Game
In any story, the problem gets worse in the middle for the main character. Or at least it gets more complicated, more difficult, more dangerous,...
Dude with a Problem
They’re trying to kill me! That’s what’s happening in the most misunderstood of the ten “genres” in Blake Snyder's Save the Cat books. "Dude with a...
Character Introductions
One of the most frequent notes I give on scripts is one I’ve given so often that I’ve created a macro for it on my computer. All I have to press is...
Institutionalized
When developing a screenplay (or series) idea, I’m always looking for what the main problem is. The one big problem that is really hard to solve,...
Golden Fleece
A “team” goes down a long “road” in search of an important “prize." These are the key elements of the movie genre that Blake Snyder's Save the Cat...
Rite of Passage
My favorite thing about Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat screenwriting books is his theory that successful movies tend to each fall within one of ten...
