In Memory Of Blake Snyder

If you don't know who Blake Snyder is, you're probably not serious about screenwriting. His Save The Cat! books have been screenwriting bibles to folk.

I've never met Blake. I've never spoken to him. Never spotted him across a room and was too shy to speak to him. Yet I'm a product of him.

You see, my mentor, Will Akers, met Blake one day and the two formed a friendship. Out of that friendship, a book was created, but not only that, a bond between the two. Blake cheered Will on and taught him a lot of great stuff that Will, in turn, has passed on to me... and countless classes before me.

It's been one year since Blake's passing.  It's strange. I remember the tweets, the Facebook posts, all saying Rest In Peace and what not. I remember reading Tracey Jackson's tear jerker of a blog as she told why she would miss him so.

As a tribute to Blake Snyder, I have copied the following from Will's blog, Your Screenplay Sucks! It can be found at http://yourscreenplaysucks.wordpress.com/. If you'd like a great blog to follow, I highly recommend it.

Anyway, here's hearing from William M. Akers:

Blake Snyder

August 4, 2010

I miss him.

It has been a year. I’m sitting here in my office sweating because I have to turn on the air conditioning and because I worry I won’t write the right thing about Blake.

What a prince among men. That cliche certainly fits.

He is 100% responsible for the existence of this blog because he is 100% responsible for the existence of my book. When I got the idea for a book on screenwriting, he encouraged me and said he’d tell his publisher. They agreed to publish it and here we are.

Blake was long on encouragement.

I miss that a lot.

Anyway, I miss him. I miss his advice. I miss his voice. I miss his loyalty and his kind nature. I miss his smile and I desperately miss his friendship.

Boy, do I miss that.

We Miss You, Blake.