Yesterday we lost screenwriter and teacher and bestselling author, Blake Snyder.

His books SAVE THE CAT! and SAVE THE CAT! GOES TO THE MOVIES had become a touchstone for countless novice and professional screenwriters around the globe, and his sold-out workshops inspired writers to make their dreams come true. If only this cat had eight more lives to share with us.

As anyone who had the good fortune to meet Blake or attend one of his workshops will attest, he was endlessly enthusiastic and inspirational. He loved writing, and more than that, he loved writers. Blake included his e-mail address in his books, and he probably responded to every single note he received and maintained a continuing correspondence with hundreds of writers, offering them encouragement and support as they struggled to get their dreams on the page.

Blake loved tinkering with the engine of story and discovering new ways to make it purr—like a cat. Through my work with movieScope I had the great gift of becoming his friend. In the past few years, I came to know him as funny, generous and giving person who never tired of his work. He found a constant sense of energy and discovery in the formation of the ideas he shared with us all.

Check out Blake’s website and read his blog posts, and the hundreds of tributes that have poured forth from all of those he touched with his gentle kindness and boundless wisdom. I had the good fortune of reading what will, sadly, be his last book, SAVE THE CAT STRIKES BACK! which I believe is his best yet. It expands on his theories in his breezy colloquial style and gives us a deeper personal insight to the relentlessly positive mindset that powered Blake to his great success and his generous spirit. He gave so much of his heart to so many, perhaps there wasn’t enough left to keep him going any longer.

Blake’s life was far, far too short, but his work and his inspiration will remain timeless.