‘Story’ by Robert McKee is an arguably a more in depth look into screenwriting than ‘Save the Cat.’
The information can be more easily transferable to pilots or novels and gives you a lot of the information you might be searching for as a writer.
Author Archives: Da_Davies
Screenwriting books…
There are so many screenwriting books out there, but which one should I buy either for myself or as a gift this Christmas? One of the most popular industry standard books is Blake Snyder’s ‘Save the Cat.’
Once you’ve read it you’ll see the devices it uses in every film. And the Blake Snyder beat sheet is worth the £10ish that it costs to buy. Link below.
My book- I Wish I had a Dinosaur – out now
What to do with your phone whilst running…
I remember leaving my mobile and keys onto of the exhaust or later on, the external spare wheel of my Peugeot 205. Everyone already had a Nokia 3310 so there was no need to secure it. But times have changed. Losing my phone now could lose days or weeks of less productive work, losing account details, and personal information. Plus I don’t use a Sony Walkman to run with anymore. Nor do I use an iPod nano. Everything comes from my phone. I’m practically a cyborg. So in the last couple of years I have used a phone holder similar to the one here. https://amzn.to/3olwpmX it’s an around the arm design suitable to use with my headphones and is small enough to leave in the glovebox.
But I’ve recently got one of these new chest design ones and so far I’m liking it. Feels more symmetrical than it being on one arm. I don’t know why that appeals to me, my OCD kicking in I guess. Aff link in below. Enjoy…. https://amzn.to/3ovEJkt and stay safe guys!!
Get out there
Sometimes running is easy. The sun is shining, you don’t have any other plans for the day, there’s no niggling injuries. And you feel good. Other days aren’t like that. Today was one of the bad days for me. My minds been a little scrambled, stressed, working a little too much, focusing on maybe too many projects. Get a grip Dave, it’s only a half hour jog. It’s not always the 5k, 10k, 42.5k that is hard part. Sometimes it’s the sitting up in bed, getting your feet on the floor, putting your trainers on and getting out of the front door. Just don’t forget your clothes as well. But once I’m out, I’m out out (cockney accent optional). And when I’m done, it doesn’t matter about what pace I ran or how far or the time. What matters is what’s happening between my ears. It’s about how I feel, how I’m coping and what I do with the rest of my day.
Blogging
To be honest, blogging was never something I planned. I haven’t even read that many. I’ve skimmed hundreds, but never read many in depth. But falling into this, I’m finding, is quite therapeutic. Probably should have done this years ago. But here we are. I doubt I’m not the only one who falls into this category of blog noobs. So, wish me luck with this with a like, and if you’re new to this too I wish you luck xx
Who do you want to be?
This week I spent an hour writing down, in detail, everything I wished I could be. What shoes I wear, the car I drive, the house I live in, the bed I sleep in, the couch I chill on, the movies I watch, the way I work out, the aftershave I smell of, the places I eat, the balance of my bank account, the companies I invest in, the crypto I buy, the books I listen to/read, the books I write, Blah, blah, blah, fucking EVERYTHING!! I had to make it feel real before I can set the short and long term goals to make it an actual possibility of becoming a reality. What do you wish for? What would you work for? But the next thing I wrote down is even more important. The very next thing I wrote down was my ‘Why!?’
Writing for Jacob…
It was 2016 and after the worst few hours of my life I found myself in Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool.
Jake looked so tiny in that bed as he slept off a concoction of anaesthetic medication leaving me with dark thoughts of blame and failure.
And then this story popped into my mind. The story of a boy who wished he had a pet dinosaur.
When Jacob woke up, I sat on the bed and I don’t know if it was this story or the biggest cherry Bakewell tart I’ve ever seen a 2 year old eat but he was smiled for the first time in 3 days.
A few years later and I’m scrolling through the notes in my phone during the boredom of a covid-19 lockdown where I come across a (very) rough draft of a story. This story.
So I finished it off and here it is. Hopefully it will bring your child as much joy as it brought Jacob – who I’m happy to say made a full recovery.
