Sometimes a writer will pitch a promising idea but you can see that he is not entirely confident with it when he begins “Spidering.” Spidering occurs when a writer doesn’t stick to his premise. He has a story, but is afraid he won’t be able to find enough story in it, so he starts writing a soap opera. Suddenly all kinds of secondary tales take hold of his imagination. He begins taking the plot from the hero and giving it to minor players we don’t care about. He spins webs that lead us away from the main event. If you find yourself Spidering, re-focus on your hero and make sure he is driving the plot. (From Chapter 2 of Blake Snyder’s third book, Save the Cat! Strikes Back)
Next Beat Sheet Workshops: New York City – November 9-10; Los Angeles – December 6-7. See Calendar for all upcoming workshops.
