Plotting With the Save the Cat Beat Sheet Structure

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

If you write the "movies" in your head, this story structure might be the one for you.

I love story structure, and I've studied so many different templates and concepts since I first started writing. Even if the structure isn't for me, I almost always find something useful in it I can add to my process. I think it's also important for writers to understand how story structure works so they better understand what goes into crafting a strong story.

I've discussed the Three-Act Structure and the Hero’s Journey,, Hague's Six Stage Plotting Structure and Joyce Sweeney's Plot Clock. Now it's time for screenwriter Blake Snyder's ever-so-popular Save the Cat Beat Sheet.

While Snyder's format was designed for movie screenplays, writers have adapted it to the larger novel format with great success. You'll notice how this also fits into the same basic story structure as what we looked at so far.

If this structure appeals to you, I recommend buying the Save the Cat book, which goes into more detail that I can do here. (ya know, those copyright laws and everything). It's a great book to have on your shelf no matter what your process is, actually. There's also a novel version, with Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.

All Is Lost: 4 Kinds of Death in Fiction

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Death comes in many forms, especially when you’re writing a novel.

With the popularity of Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat beat sheet, the “Whiff of Death” moment has many writers asking, “Do I need to kill someone every book?” 

Of course not. You also shouldn’t do it just because a popular story structure format says you should. But for stories that will benefit from a “death” for emotional or storytelling impact, the All Is Lost moment is a great opportunity to grab a reader by the feels.

While the death part of “whiff of death” suggests we actually kill someone, it’s not recommending an actual death every time. Death refers to a loss, usually profound, for the protagonist. That can mean a character bites the dust, but it can also mean the loss of hope, or the loss something once held dear.