Discover5AM StoryTalkDon't Save the Cat...Put It in the Blender! (Or: Why 'Save the Cat' Ruined Screenwriting)
Don't Save the Cat...Put It in the Blender! (Or: Why 'Save the Cat' Ruined Screenwriting)

Don't Save the Cat...Put It in the Blender! (Or: Why 'Save the Cat' Ruined Screenwriting)

Update: 2025-11-13
Share

Description

'Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need' has done catastrophic damage to Hollywood storytelling and the moviegoing experience in the 21st century - but I have a solution that might just help with your next script. I want you to 'PUT THE CAT IN THE BLENDER' instead. By the time we're finished, maybe you'll have a better understanding why some spec scripts - and some films, such as Ryan Coogler's 'Sinners', which I'll discuss in some detail - make a splash and others get nothing but bored shrugs.

SUBSCRIBE TO THE '5AM STORYTALK NEWSLETTER'

https://colehaddon.substack.com/

A free subscription the 5AM StoryTalk newsletter gets you access to hundreds of arts, screenwriting, and writing articles. A paid subscription gets you access to all episodes of this podcast – including exclusive bonus episodes in which my guests discuss seminal pieces of art from their lives. Ask questions in the comments section there, too!

SUBSCRIBE TO THE '5AM STORYTALK PODCAST' AT APPLE

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/5am-storytalk/id1807437928

A paid subscription at Apple will get you access to all of my bonus episodes in which my guests return to break down a seminal artwork from their lives.

TIP JAR

Not up for a paid subscription but appreciate the work that’s gone into making this podcast happen? You can “buy me a coffee” ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/colehaddon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

LINKS

  • 'How Do You Like Them Apples?! (or: Why Screenwriting Books Can Be Harmful)' from 5AM StoryTalk: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/how-do-you-like-them-apples-or-why?utm_source=publication-search
  • 'The Problem with How We Write (and Think) About Location' from 5AM StoryTalk: https://colehaddon.substack.com/p/the-problem-with-how-we-write-about?utm_source=publication-search
  • 'How to Write Better Dialogue (While Becoming a Better Person)': https://open.spotify.com/episode/0aUtTqqofUtfvTwJ0le29g?si=e655a82f415c4d9f

SOCIAL MEDIA

Follow Cole/5AM StoryTalk at…

⁠⁠5AM StoryTalk @ Instagram⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/5amstorytalkpodcast/⁠

Cole Haddon @ Instagram⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/colehaddonwashere/⁠

⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/colehaddon.bsky.social⁠

⁠⁠Threads⁠⁠: ⁠https://www.threads.com/@colehaddonwashere⁠

EMAIL

⁠5AMStoryTalk@gmail.com

-

5AM StoryTalk would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which this podcast is recorded, the Djarra people of the Kulin Nation and pay respects to Elders past and present.

This podcast's music is by ⁠⁠Cary Brothers⁠⁠.

Comments 
loading
In Channel
loading
00:00
00:00
1.0x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Don't Save the Cat...Put It in the Blender! (Or: Why 'Save the Cat' Ruined Screenwriting)

Don't Save the Cat...Put It in the Blender! (Or: Why 'Save the Cat' Ruined Screenwriting)

Cole Haddon