by Erik Bork | Nov 14, 2018
What is a B Story? It’s a secondary story that has its own beginning, middle and end, and is focused on its own problem, separate from but intertwined with the A Story. And it has its own main character, who may or may not be the same as the A Story’s....
by Erik Bork | Jan 4, 2018
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” insists should happen on exactly page 12). But I haven’t yet focused on its “Debate Section” —...
by Erik Bork | Dec 22, 2017
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 to an “upside down world” of some kind, where the main character will try to confront their overall story problem/goal....
by Erik Bork | Dec 31, 2015
When I work with writers developing a half-hour pilot, whether as private clients or through my course, I often recommend Scott Sedita’s book The Eight Characters of Comedy. Written primarily for actors (Sedita is an acting coach in Los Angeles), it can also greatly...
by Erik Bork | Jun 6, 2015
If I could sum up the number one most common overall weakness in screenplays I read, it would be that the main character does not have a big enough overall problem, and a high enough level of difficulty and complications as they try to solve it. When you get the...
by Erik Bork | May 5, 2015
My UCLA Extension class on “Finding the Story in True Stories” is now taking students for Summer Quarter starting July 1. It’s an all online class that can be taken from anywhere. The 15 slots have historically filled up very quickly, so if...
by Erik Bork | May 31, 2014
Script Magazine has just published my new article where I discuss the issue of “formulaic” writing, and the use of story structure paradigms to help guide the process of crafting a screenplay. It begins thusly: Writers often rebel against the idea that a...
by Erik Bork | Jun 10, 2013
Blake Snyder’s ten “genres” and fifty “subgenres” in his Save the Cat books are my single favorite tool for screenwriters. I have long believed that studying this system of story types, and making sure each script you write clearly fits...
by Erik Bork | Nov 3, 2012
Lately I’ve been brainstorming what to write for my next feature script. And I’ve been looking for questions to ask myself which might lead to good ideas. The goal is to stimulate the flow of possibilities through the use of some sort of prompt, and then...
by Erik Bork | Sep 25, 2012
The webinar I taught for The Writers Store on “Finding the ‘Story’ in True Stories” is now available from their online store, for $79. It’s a ninety-minute powerpoint/audio program where I discuss all the key lessons I’ve learned...
