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Save the Cat Screenwriting SoftwareBy Maryan Pelland
Save the Cat is an indispensable tool for screenwriters of any level. Priced at $89.95 from BlakeSnyder.com it's compatible with Mac OS 10.3.9 and higher or Win Vista and XP. The upbeat tutorials teach valuable skills.
There is enough information and teaching here to equal a college course. Work it, baby, and it will work for you--you'll write a screenplay. Snyder's organizing, outlining and visualizing result in a fleshed-out project.
Save the Cat quickly gets you up and running. The program is well structured and easy to follow, using SpiderMan 2 to illustrate concepts. It's a snap to read about Spidey and contemplate your own work.
The bo
ard, which Snyder calls, "the fabled device seen in executive offices all over Hollywood," teaches tons about movie pacing and lays your play in front of you before you write a page.Save the Cat is fun, with movable parts you shuffle and arrange--never risking a paper cut. The software makes you define settings, plotlines, characters, directions, set ups and payoffs. You'll consider emotional changes and character development.
There are definite rules for successful screenwriting. Save the Cat makes you understand and internalize them. If you're stuck trying to get ideas out of your head and into a manuscript, this should shake you loose. If you can't do it with Save the Cat, you might not be ready yet.
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Maryan Pelland (http://www.womendaybyday.com) is a working writer specializing in baby boomers, women and writers' issues. Her byline has appeared more than 400 times in major publications in print and online. You can contact her at: maryan[at]ontext[dot]com.
Wow! Why weren't there cool things like this around when I was a working TV-movie writer? It looks like something I really could have used.
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