Do You Feel Lucky... Punk?

Let's go earlier than Dirty Harry. To the Old West, say.

In the first few seconds of the Clint Eastwood flick "Hang 'Em High," we see a beautiful example of a dramatic tool Blake Snyder calls a "save the cat" scene. This connects the viewer emotionally to the main character, and makes us care about and enjoy the story.

This tool can work for screenwriters and novelists. It's simple and quick, and can transform your story from something dull into something undeniably compelling.



I recorded this vid in April 2009, and Blake Snyder passed away in August. I would have met him at Write on the Sound. We miss you, Blake.