Weekend Writer: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel Chapter Fifteen by Jessica Brody (AND Prompt Share)

Hey all, Sam here.

It is the end of the month…and tomorrow is the start of Camp NaNoWriMo. I think I’m all ready to go. I have my project created on the NaNoWriMo site, I have the documents created in my Google Docs, and I just went to the store and did my habitual new project = new notebook and new writing utensils routine. Plus I took advantage of a deal being offered by Panera, and finally signed up for their Unlimited Sips club so I can keep myself caffeinated for this and all future NaNo projects.

Oh…if you want to see the notebook I picked up, swing by my Instagram (@SamRushingBooks) and I have the post available there.

Okay, well since it is the end of the month, it is time to share some snippets of what I worked on over the month. But, since I had only one chapter left in our writing book breakdown, I’m combining the two together into one superpost.

I guess it would be a good idea to go over what this blog series is about…just in case you’re someone just discovering this blog. Weekend Writer is a weekly series where I talk about creative writing. On the first Friday of the month, that includes using various creativity generators to present some prompts to get those creative sparks flying. Then, on the final Friday of the month, the Weekend Writer post is about sharing some snippets from what we’ve worked on over the month. Aside from that, Weekend Writer is about doing deep dive breakdowns of books, lectures, podcasts, and videos about creative writing or just a general discussion of a topic related to creativity and writing.

Writing often feels like a solitary pursuit, but I know that it is so much nicer when we build up writing communities, whether in-person or online, and help support and uplift each other…and that’s what I try to do here.

All right, that was a pretty lengthy intro. Let’s get started.

SAVE THE CAT!® by Blake Snyder is a popular screenwriting book series and storytelling methodology used by screenwriters, directors, and studio execs across Hollywood. Now, for the first time ever, bestselling author and writing teacher, Jessica Brody, takes the beloved Save the Cat! plotting principals and applies them to the craft of novel writing in this exciting new “workshop style” guide, featuring over 20 full beat sheets from popular novels throughout time.

Whether you’re writing your first novel or your seventeenth, Save the Cat! breaks down plot in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step method so you can write stories that resonate! This book can help you with any of the following:

Outlining a new novel
Revising an existing novel
Breaking out of the dreaded “writer’s block”
Fixing a “broken” novel
Reviewing a completed novel
Fleshing out/test driving a new idea to see if it “has legs”
Implementing feedback from agents and/or editors
Helping give constructive feedback to other writers

But above all else, SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL will help you better understand the fundamentals and mechanics of plot, character transformation, and what makes a story work!

Chapter Fifteen: Save the Author! You Got Problems, I Got Solutions

This final chapter honestly reads like a letter or a conversation from Jessica Brody directly to us, the readers, the writers (at whatever stage of the writing process we might find ourselves). She acknowledges that she has put a whole bunch of information into this one book, and that it is sort of a culmination of a decade of knowledge.

So this final chapter is dedicated to some of the more frequent questions and concerns that have come up from her Save the Cat! workshops and from folks implementing the Save the Cat! methodology.

First up — Help! Where Do I Start? The Foundation Beats

With so much information thrown at us at once (although it has taken like two or three months to get through all the chapters here on the blog), it is easy to feel overwhelmed and wonder where exactly you should start.

Ideally we would all start at the beginning, write the Opening Image, then move on to the Theme Stated, and so on and so forth through the story beats…but not everyone writes linearly…and that is perfectly fine.

Brody suggests starting with what she calls the Five Foundation Beats, which are the pillars on which all the other beats rest. There’s also those single scene beats that are easy to tackle, but most need to be placed specifically before the other ones just naturally fall into place.

The Five Foundation Beats are: Catalyst, Break Into 2, Midpoint, Break Into 3, and All Is Lost.

However, before you tackle any of the beats, figure out the three components of your story-worthy hero–a problem (or what makes your hero a flawed hero), a want or goal, and a need. Only when you’ve got a good idea of who your hero is will you be able to figure out what kind of transformative journey they require.

Page 276

On page 277, Brody gives a bullet point list of how she tackles the beat sheet by using the Five Foundation Beats.

Next up: Help! I Need More Structure! Using the Save the Cat! “Board”

If you’re someone who needs structure or something a little more visual to focus on, this section is for you. The suggestion is also as simple as it is in the title of this section…get a corkboard, the biggest you can find at the store. Or there’s actually Save the Cat! software at SavetheCat.com for a virtual board.

You then fill the board with index cards, with each card having a brief description of the scene. Organizing your story beats like this gives you a visual look at the BIG PICTURE of your story.

If you use a physical board, divide it into four rows: Act I, Act 2A, Act 2B, and Act 3. Brody notes that the software is already set up this way. Then using your story beats, you can layout your cards where they belong in the story. Obviously, because of how large Act 2 is, it is split into two, so Act 2A ends with the Midpoint beat.

On pages 280-281, Brody has given a visual diagram showing what your board should sort of look like once you’ve finished outlining. By looking at this diagram, it is clear to see the overall story, and especially to see which beats are single-scene, and what beats are multi-scene.

The specific number of cards used varies by writer and by story. “But a general rule of thumb is to have approximately 30 cards for every 25,000 words or 100 pages of story,” Brody writes (Page 282).

It is also noted that whether you are creating this board during the brainstorming phase or the writing/revision phase, there will be differences. AND, you can always add or remove scenes as you go along the process.

That’s what makes the corkboard such a good option, because it is so adaptable. If a scene needs to move to an earlier or later point, then you simply move the index card to where it needs to go. This is a method I definitely plan to try in the future, because I think it might work for me, and I say that as someone who usually just ponders all the details in my mind until it is finally time to write them down. I feel like I need to transition from a pantser/percolator to more of a plantser (a planner/pantser).

Next: Help! I Might Have More Than One Main Character! A Look at Novel Narratives

It was mentioned before that even if you have multiple main characters, one of them should be your primary.

However, when it comes to the beat sheets, yes, you will need one beat sheet for each of the main characters, so you can track their transformative arcs and figure out how to weave the stories together into a compelling narrative.

On pages 285-286, Brody gives a breakdown on beat sheet count based on the narrative perspectives for your story.

Next up: Help! I’m Writing a Series! The Series Beat Sheet

If you guessed that writing a series means also coming up with multiple beat sheets…yep you’re right. Not only do you need a beat sheet for each book within the series, but you’ll also need an overarching beat sheet to cover the entire series.

Brody does make sure to note that the Series Beat Sheet doesn’t have to have all fifteen beats, but it should track the larger arc of the hero or heroes. And it should have a structure similar to a three-act structure.

Think about trilogies, for example. Each book will have three acts and fifteen beats, but the first book, as a whole, is often the setup book, depicting an Act 1 world for the series. It brings us and the hero into the story, introduces all of the players, and lets us know what’s what. Then it usually ends with a Catalyst, a Debate (or a choice for the hero), and a Break Into 2, effectively setting up the second book in the trilogy, or the Act 2 book. Then the second book in the trilogy usually ends with an All Is Lost moment, followed by a wallowing Dark Night of the Soul and finally another decision: a Break Into 3 that leads us to the final installment. And don’t third books in trilogies always feel like one giant Finale? It’s where we find the most epic battles, the most characters lost, the highest stakes, and the greatest victories!

Page 287

For a four-book series the possible Series Beat Sheet would be: Book 1 – Series Act 1, Book 2 – Series Act 2 (up until a Midpoint twist), Book 3 – Series Act 2 (up until the Break Into 3), Book 4 – Series Act 3.

And yes, while juggling all of this, you also have to contend with the character arcs for the hero, not just with each individual book, but also across the whole series.

When you plot a series, every book has to count. You can’t have a series with one or two important novels and a bunch of filler novels. Every book has to have a purpose. A why. A Theme Stated and a lesson learned for our hero. And they can’t all be the same. Related and interlinked, yes, but not the same.

Page 288

Yes, series are complex, but don’t worry…Brody believes that you can do it, and you can create a phenomenal story.

Next: Help! My Hero is Unlikeable! How to Save a Cat

Okay, so in another chapter it was discussed that the hero has to be someone with flaws, someone who needs change. So obviously, sometimes you have to start with a hero who isn’t a peach, but you still need to make sure that the reader will stick around, so how do you show off that your unlikeable hero actually has something that will make the journey worth the reader’s time?

As I mentioned in the introduction, “save the cat!” actually started as a fancy writer trick designed to take an unlikable hero and make them a little more likable. It originates from the imaginary scenario that you’ve got a douchebag of a hero, desperately in need of some de-douchebagging, walking around doing douchebaggy stuff when suddenly he sees a cat stuck up in a tree. He stops, he climbs up in the tree, and he saves the cat, at which point you, the reader, stop and go, Wait a minute; this guy can’t be all bad. He’s got a good heart. And voila! Now you’ve got a redeemable unlikable hero–instead of just an unlikable one.

Okay, so you don’t literally have to save a cat! It’s just an expression that means you need to employ some writerly sleight of hand to convince your reader there’s something worth rooting for in your hero.

Page 289

So give your hero one redeeming quality action or hobby. Give your hero a (really bad) enemy or situation in their life.

Characters are never unlikable for no reason. They don’t emerge that way from the womb. We all start as a blank slate. So what was drawn on that slate to turn the hero into the person we meet on page one of the book?

Page 292

Finally: Help! I’m Stuck! Some Parting Words of Wisdom and Inspiration

Regardless of what stage you’re at, you will get stuck in this process. I guarantee it. You will have good days and bad days. You will write scenes you love and scenes you throw away. You will change your Catalyst beat a million times until you come up with the right one. You will get to the end of the novel and realize your Fun and Games is all wrong.

It’s called a creative process for a reason.

Page 293

Give Yourself Permission to Write/Plot Badly

There’s no such thing as writer’s block or plotter’s block. There’s only perfectionist’s block. (Thank you to author Emily Hainsworth for this brilliant, brilliant phrase!) We’re terrified that what we write or plot will be horrible. Well, then, just give in to that fear and let it be horrible. Write something horrible. Plot out a dreadful, disgusting, cringe-worthy beat sheet. Let yourself SUCK!

Page 293

Be Flexible! Beats Will Change

Author Terry Pratchett says, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” In fact, some people even call the first draft “the discovery draft.” Because that’s what you’re doing. You’re discovering the story. You’re exploring the world. You’re getting to know the hero. Plotting a novel and thinking you can stick to everything you planned is about as delusional as plotting your life and thinking nothing will ever go astray.

Page 294

Be flexible and let your beats change as your story and your hero come more and more into focus.

And when you get lost, remember to come back to your wants and needs. They are your signposts on this journey. As you drive toward the Midpoint, keep your sights on what your hero wants. And then, as you drive toward the Final Image, keep your sights on what the hero needs. These two things will help guide you through the dark spots on the road.

Pages 294-295

Don’t Compare Your Work in Progress to Someone Else’s Finished Masterpiece

Novels don’t spill onto the page in finished form. Usually (at least for me!), they spill onto the page as grotesque, misshapen Rorshach test images that I have to squint and tilt my head at for hours on end to attempt to make any sense of.

And along the same lines, try not to compare your beat sheet in progress to any of the beat sheets featured in this book. Remember, those are analyses of stories that are already finished and perfected. I can guarantee you they don’t resemble anything like the outline the authors started with when they first sat down to write (if they even started with an outline!).

Page 295

This is the difference between a Before Beat Sheet and an After Beat Sheet. Before is what plotters create before they start writing, and it is basically a road map for the story ahead. Whereas an After Beat Sheet is an analysis of a finished, revised, edited novel to study patterns in the story.

Page 295

Final Image

You, my friend, are the true hero of this story. You are the reason I wrote this book. Right now, yours is the only transformation that matters to me. So, go out there and be the storytelling superhero that I know you’re destined to be.

Page 304

I honestly feel like this was an extremely useful and beneficial book…and I know I got a lot of information from it. I hope that you all found it valuable as well. So thank you for this, Jessica Brody. I look forward to picking up your YA version in the near future.

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And now we move on to the prompt share portion of today’s post. If you missed out on those prompts, you can find my June Prompt post at this link. You can always share late. It’s fine. I just give myself a schedule so I don’t slack off.

While I liked the prompts for June, and I will definitely do something with them in future, this month I dabbled a little more with my upcoming Camp NaNoWriMo projects. Harbingers of Death has two perspectives, and I shared the first of those as the March Prompt Share…so here’s a snippet from the other POV.

Battles and battlefields were nothing new to one who had lived on them for longer than anyone should reasonably remember. This one was thankfully not one that was soaked with the essence of past events, soaked in the lingering echo of all the war and death from previous generations, previous countries, previous feuds or bids for power or petty hatred. 

“Did you hear that?” It took a minute to pinpoint the question as coming from Ingrid standing about ten paces away, her sword and shield still held up in preparation for another wave, one that we both already knew was unlikely to happen…and yet we were still keyed up on adrenaline, ready to take on more foes if they chose to come our way.

“What’d you hear?” The echoing thumping of my heart was still taking up most of my focus, as I tried to calm the ecstasy of combat thrumming through my veins. 

Ingrid slowly lowered her sword, but kept her shield held high as she turned around, surveying our surroundings. “I could have sworn that I heard a scream, one like none other I’ve experienced…in this lifetime, at least.” As she spoke, she moved nearer to me while also circling around where I stood. It was clear that she was searching for something specific, though what it was I couldn’t imagine. “Are you certain you heard nothing?”

I shook my head. “We both know I’m a battlerager. I get caught up in my immediate surroundings and everything else fades to the dullest of hums. I heard nothing more than weapons clashing upon shields and armor.”

“Damn. I was afraid you would say that. It had to have been a banshee that I heard.” Ingrid let out a heavy sigh. “I’m going to die today.”

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All right, well that concludes this creative writing book deep dive. We’ll be starting a new book next week. That is all from me for today. Thank you so much for stopping by, and I’ll be back soon with more geeky content.