Plan Your Novel With This Method: Save the Cat
Whether you’re writing a screenplay or a novel, screenwriter Blake Snyder’s “Save the Cat” method can help you plan your story, balance your pace, and point you in the right direction as you write.
The Beat Sheet - a tool for Planners
A beat sheet is a map to plan out key moments in a story. Over time writers have created beet sheets specific to certain genres and story cycles based on how stories naturally hit certain events or points throughout the plot. The Save the Cat method takes the Hero’s Journey, a common story cycle, and lays it out into 15 plot points or beats.
It’s not for everyone
Save the Cat, and other beet sheets, have received a fair amount of criticism for encouraging writers to stay within a framework and copy popular tropes and stories. But just like with writing “codes” (or cheesy holiday romance), it’s up to each writer to decide if a mold benefits their story or is meant to be broken.
Help for the “Plantser”
If you’re a “plantser” like me, you do a bit of planning and an equal amount of writing with no idea where the story will go. For me, Save the Cat does a few things:
- confirms I have a full story concept before writing
- gives me something to go back and consult when I inevitably get stuck in the middle
- gives me something to change and rebel against when I get bored of my story
So what are the beats?
Opening Image - A snapshot of the character’s world, and problems, that sets the tone of the story, before the journey begins.
Theme Stated - the story's overall theme is stated, usually indirectly and through conversation.
Set-Up - A deeper look at the character’s life and what they’re missing. Also a good place to convey the character’s “fatal flaw”, a habit or quality that could keep them from happiness or success.
Catalyst - The “inciting incident” that shakes the character’s world and points them towards a journey they must take
Debate - The character wrestles with the necessity to take on this challenge.
Break into Two - The character chooses to take action and go on this adventure, moving the story into Act II
B Story - A subplot begins, which will usually involve a friend, love interest, or sidekick. The secondary story will intertwine with the main story.
Fun and Games - A very entertaining section where we follow along as the character explores the new world learning the rules and having experiences unique to that setting.
Midpoint - A big moment for the character. They might lose a friend, experience a false victory, or deal with crippling doubt.
Bad Guys Close In - This is where everything gets more difficult. If they experienced a false victory in the midpoint this is where they realize they failed or still have things to do.
All is Lost - Everything seems stacked against the character and there’s no way out.
Dark Night of the Soul - The character feels like they’ve hit rock bottom. This is where they learn the theme of the story.
Break into Three - Now in Act III, the hero finds inspiration to push forward, usually as a result of the subplot.
Finale - Using recently learned lessons, the character will overcome the challenge or defeat the antagonist. This is considered the climax.
Final Image - Leave the readers with a lasting image of the world and characters now changed
Ways to use the beat sheet
There are a few different ways you can utilize the beat sheet. My favorite is to use it as a plot template by briefly describing the relevant scenes for each beat. We have a Save the Cat printable and E-template that’s perfect for this method.
Another method is to compare your story to the beat sheet when you’re stuck on a point in your story to determine what you need to do next. You can also use the template just to determine if your pacing is balanced in the story.
Share your work on StoryForge
Whether or not you use beat sheets or other planning tools in your writing, there’s a whole community of writers and readers on StoryForge ready to discuss your writing process and read your story! We’ll see you there!
