The Thrill of the Creative!

You don't need to be a screenwriter to find Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat! Strikes Back" informative. As a matter of fact, it's downright essential for anyone crafting a meaningful story. I skipped a bit of the formula: the forty scenes, for example, but everything else is golden for a writer of fiction.
You start with getting the essence down with the pitch and the logline, translation: What's your story about so you can hone in on it and not waste time, energy, and scatter your thoughts. Think about the 180 that your hero is going to be doing, first and last scene, how s/he's going to be growing, follow the spine of the story and don't deviate from it.
Blake gives pithy terminology that just sticks with you, and it's so helpful, not to mention thrilling as he's so positive and exciting as he relays the information to you. He really believes and has followed all that he says. It's all structure, but is still so creative, it just makes you want to get out there and write your own story. And it's not about plugging in this piece here, that piece there. It's about developing your character and watching him transform into something different, something brilliant.
The best thing about the book? When you're stuck is when the magic can really happen. Snyder actually made made me relax with what I had been viewing as insurmountable roadblocks. He made me see the fun that can be had with questions; some hard, most simple and off the wall, opening new worlds of thought and possibilities.
MacLeod Andrews narrates this with a lively intensity and much good humor; he's a joy to listen to. He's very familiar with the material, and he reads it as though he wrote it himself. I'm so happy I used a credit on this.
Inspiring!

26 people found this helpful

A great addition to my library

Where does Save the Cat! Strikes Back rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Blake Snyder of course knew his stuff and Macleod Andrews is the man when it comes to the narration. I just hope that the other two books are in production.

Have you listened to any of MacLeod Andrews’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have and he's top notch with everything that he does. I especially love the reckoning series.

Any additional comments?

This is a great way to learn or be refreshed with the STC method. It continues to surprise me how accurate it is.

7 people found this helpful

Fantastic

Great ending to an awesome series, it is incredibly helpful and inspirational. Loved it. Blake Snyder has once again hit it out of the park.

6 people found this helpful

Perfection

Very easy to listen to and follow along with, and the information in the book is invaluable for anyone hoping to pursue a career as a screenwriter. The tone of the author along with the enthusiasm of the reader made it a very enjoyable listen. Would highly recommend!

5 people found this helpful

I love it

I feel like not only did I learn specifics, but I was also inspired to never give up.

JOSH ROGERS

5 people found this helpful

A great book and a great performance

Loved it. I'm a screenwriter with a film in the can and there was still plenty to learn here.

4 people found this helpful

Defaults the hero and the writer to male

Very practical and useful book for anyone wanting to tell a good story. Energetic narrator made it even more interesting.

If only the author didn't always assume the hero and the writers are all guys. Ex: "how will the hero redeem himself", "what do we want him to be", "how a writer pitches his story." Although there are some good examples of female heroes and writers the use of male language in every other case made it seem like those were rare exceptions. We need stories of all people for all people and hearing bias in a training course is not a great way to start.

3 people found this helpful

70 % FILLER!! This book has so much filler.

the actual hard points in the book can fit into just a few pages, the rest is all anecdotes and tired jokes.
thank God I got this book for free.

3 people found this helpful

Meh

Would you try another book from Blake Snyder and/or MacLeod Andrews?

I love Save the Cat, and this version is helpful too, but not as an audio book. Perhaps it's just me, but books like these really need to be read to get the message across. Lines must he highlighted and gone back to to properly understand.

Any additional comments?

This book in the Save the Cat series is NOT a necessity, as others are.

3 people found this helpful

It's a lot to take

Would you try another book from Blake Snyder and/or MacLeod Andrews?

:'-(

Would you recommend Save the Cat! Strikes Back to your friends? Why or why not?

At the point Blake Snyder wrote this he hadn't gotten anything made in 15 years. He died with only two IMDB credits and they were both before the mid-90s. But, he tells you over and over that his advice applies to any screenplay, and if you follow it you will succeed. Most of his tips are good general advice, so you could just take it for what it was worth were it not for the truly darning thing. He's a jerk. He protests every few pages about all of the young people who have told him his advice is outdated or not universally applicable, and wants you to understand how he shot those students down and made them realize they needed his help. He talks as though he's an old timer who's made deal after deal. It's all just a lot to take.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator captured the author's voice perfectly. He was loud, bossy, prideful and his jokes fell flat.

Do you think Save the Cat! Strikes Back needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. The author's dead.

3 people found this helpful