Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

1. Craft a Story-Worthy Hero with Flaws, Wants, and Needs

Readers don’t like reading about perfect heroes who have all their sh*t together.

Flawed heroes resonate. To create a compelling hero, give them problems and flaws that make them believable and relatable. These internal issues, stemming from a "shard of glass" or psychological wound, should manifest as external problems affecting their work, home life, and relationships. The reader should immediately see the mess the hero's life is in.

Wants drive action. Your hero must want something tangible and actively pursue it. This concrete goal, whether it's a better job, more money, or solving a mystery, is what the hero thinks will fix their problems and keeps the reader engaged, wondering if they will succeed. This external goal is the core of the A Story.

Needs reveal the soul. Beneath the hero's wants lies their true need – a universal life lesson they must learn to achieve real happiness and transformation. This internal journey, often represented by the B Story and a helper character, is the "stuff" great stories are made of, providing the novel's deeper meaning and resonance.

2. Map Your Novel with the 15-Beat Save the Cat! Structure

The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet breaks down the daunting task of writing a three-hundred-, four-hundred-, or even five-hundred-page novel into bite-size, achievable goals.

A story blueprint. The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet is a map, not a rigid formula, providing fifteen key plot points ("beats") that structure a compelling narrative and character transformation. These beats represent universal storytelling patterns found across centuries of literature, guiding the hero's journey from beginning to end.

• Act 1: Setup the hero's flawed world.
• Act 2: Explore an upside-down world where the hero tries to fix things the wrong way.
• Act 3: Synthesize lessons learned and achieve transformation.

Road markers for progress. Using the beat sheet helps writers avoid getting lost or stalling, whether they are plotters or pantsers. It ensures the story maintains pace, builds tension, and moves toward a satisfying conclusion, saving weeks or months of potential rewrites by providing a clear direction.

The transformation machine. Ultimately, the beat sheet functions as a "transformation machine," taking a flawed hero and guiding them through experiences that reprogram their thinking and behavior. Each beat serves a specific purpose in this process, leading the hero to confront their flaws and emerge changed by the end.

3. Act 1: Establish the Hero's Flawed World and Incite Change

Act 1 is designed to show the reader of your novel what your hero’s life and world look like before everything starts to change.

The "before" snapshot. Act 1 introduces the hero's status quo world, highlighting their flaws and the problems that need fixing. The Opening Image provides a visual glimpse of this flawed life, setting the tone and style for the novel. The Setup expands on this, showing the hero's world at home, work, and play, and establishing their initial want or external goal.

Hinting at the journey. The Theme Stated beat subtly introduces the hero's need or life lesson, often voiced by a secondary character. The hero typically ignores this truth initially, demonstrating their resistance to change. A "stasis = death" moment in the Setup emphasizes that change is imperative, building urgency.

The disruptive force. The Catalyst is a major, life-altering event that crashes into the hero's world, making it impossible to return to the status quo. This inciting incident forces the hero to confront their situation. The Debate beat follows, showing the hero's reaction and hesitation, as they weigh their options or prepare for the inevitable journey into a new world.

4. Act 2: Enter the Upside-Down World and Fix Things the Wrong Way

Act 2 is the opposite of Act 1.

A world inverted. Act 2 is the antithesis of Act 1, presenting an upside-down world or state of being that challenges the hero's status quo. The Break Into 2 beat is the decisive moment the hero proactively steps into this new world or way of thinking, driven by their initial want, not their deeper need.

New relationships, new lessons. The B Story introduces a new character (or characters) from this Act 2 world who will ultimately help the hero learn the theme. This helper, whether a love interest, mentor, or even nemesis, embodies or brings out the hero's internal lesson.

The core promise. The Fun and Games section delivers on the novel's premise, showing the hero navigating this new world, either succeeding or floundering. This is where the story's hook plays out, often featuring a "bouncing ball" narrative of ups and downs, leading toward either a general upward or downward path culminating at the Midpoint.

Turning point and rising stakes. The Midpoint, the novel's literal center, is a pivotal beat where the Fun and Games culminates in either a false victory or a false defeat. This moment raises the stakes significantly, often through a plot twist, ticking clock, or public event, and subtly shifts the hero's focus from their wants to their needs as the A and B stories intersect.

Internal and external pressure. The Bad Guys Close In section follows the Midpoint, presenting a path opposite to the Fun and Games (downward after a false victory, upward after a false defeat). Regardless of the external events, the hero's internal bad guys—their flaws—are closing in, pushing them toward their lowest point.

Rock bottom. The All Is Lost beat is the hero's absolute lowest point, where something catastrophic happens, often involving a "whiff of death" (literal or figurative). This action beat, often the hero's fault due to their unaddressed flaws, makes returning to the old ways impossible and forces a period of reflection.

The darkest hour. The Dark Night of the Soul is a reaction beat where the hero processes the All Is Lost moment. They wallow, reflect on their choices, and are typically worse off than at the start. This period of despair is crucial, leading to a "Dark Night epiphany" where the hero finally realizes the truth about themselves and what they need to do.

5. Act 3: Synthesize Change and Achieve Transformation

Act 3 is the synthesis (the fusion of those two worlds).

The breakthrough. The Break Into 3 is the "aha!" moment where the hero, having processed the Dark Night of the Soul, realizes what they must do to fix their problems and, more importantly, themselves. This proactive decision is based on what the hero needs, marking the shift to fixing things the right way and entering the synthesis world of Act 3, which blends elements of Act 1 and Act 2.

The final test. The Finale is the longest beat in Act 3, where the hero enacts their new plan, proving they have learned the theme and overcome their flaws. This section often follows a Five-Point Finale structure:

• Gathering the Team/Tools: Assembling allies or preparing resources.
• Executing the Plan: Putting the strategy into action.
• High Tower Surprise: Encountering an unexpected obstacle or twist.
• Dig Deep Down: Finding the inner strength or realizing the theme to overcome the surprise.
• Execution of the New Plan: Using the newfound strength/lesson to achieve victory.

The "after" picture. The Final Image is the concluding scene or chapter, mirroring the Opening Image. It provides a clear "after" snapshot of the hero and their world, visually demonstrating how much they have transformed throughout the journey. The starker the contrast between the Opening and Final Images, the more impactful the hero's transformation feels.

6. Identify Your Novel's Core Archetype with 10 Story Genres

What kind of story are you setting out to tell?

Beyond tone. Save the Cat! genres categorize stories by their underlying structure, character transformation, and central theme, not just tone (like comedy or horror). Understanding your genre provides a template and reveals common elements that make these story types work, helping you craft a successful narrative.

Universal patterns. These ten genres represent fundamental story archetypes found across all eras and cultures. While no story is truly original, identifying your genre allows you to give a "fresh take" on a familiar pattern, catering to readers who want "the same thing... only different."

Genre elements are ingredients. Each genre has specific, recurring elements or "ingredients" that are crucial for its success. Examples include:

• Whydunit: Detective, Secret, Dark Turn
• Rites of Passage: Life Problem, Wrong Way, Acceptance
• Institutionalized: Group, Choice, Sacrifice
• Superhero: Power, Nemesis, Curse
• Dude with a Problem: Innocent Hero, Sudden Event, Life-or-Death Battle
• Fool Triumphant: Fool, Establishment, Transmutation
• Buddy Love: Incomplete Hero, Counterpart, Complication
• Out of the Bottle: Deserving Hero, Spell, Lesson
• Golden Fleece: Road, Team, Prize
• Monster in the House: Monster, House, Sin

Focus and inspiration. Identifying your primary genre helps focus your plotting and can break writing blockages by revealing the necessary components and common patterns. While novels can blend genres, choosing the one your story is most like provides the clearest blueprint.

7. Pitch Your Novel Powerfully with Loglines and Synopses

If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.

Hook your audience. Regardless of publishing path, you must be able to pitch your novel effectively to agents, publishers, or readers. A pitch is bait, designed to entice someone to read your book by providing just enough compelling information to leave them wanting more.

The one-sentence sell. A logline is a concise, one-sentence description of your story that captures its essence, urgency, hook, and stakes. Using a template like "On the verge of a stasis = death moment, a flawed hero Breaks Into 2; but when the Midpoint happens, they must learn the Theme Stated before the All Is Lost" can help structure a powerful logline that proves your story has all the crucial elements. Avoid being too vague or "hiding the ball," which can make your story sound unfocused.

The multi-paragraph summary. A short synopsis (jacket flap/back cover copy) is a 2-3 paragraph summary that provides more detail than a logline but still serves as a pitch. It typically covers:

• Paragraph 1: Setup, flawed hero, Catalyst.
• Paragraph 2: Break Into 2, Fun and Games (the hook).
• Paragraph 3: Theme Stated, hint at Midpoint/All Is Lost, ending on a cliffhanger.

Your selling tools. Mastering both the logline and short synopsis is vital. They are indispensable tools for communicating your novel's core concept, demonstrating its potential, and ultimately convincing others that your story is awesome and worth reading.

Last updated: July 2, 2025