Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need

Just finishing ’Save the Cat Writes a Novel ‘ The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need. I don’t normally do reviews, but this book is certainly worthy of some attention. A couple of years ago I signed up for and started attending a writing course at a local college. What I had hoped to get was some specific instruction on structure, pacing, characterisation and the like. But while the course was pleasant enough, I couldn’t see any of what I really needed and dropped out. I feel that I should have read this book three years ago. It explains exactly what I, and possibly most other wannabe writers should know and do. There is a detailed breakdown into fifteen milestones, (she calls them ‘Beats’, I think in reference to the beat in music), each is explained, with reference to well-known books and one is further sub-divided into five mini-beats. She also lists ten genres which are not the traditional type of genre such as mystery, romance, sci-fi, etc. but which are much more wide-ranging and which make a lot of sense, such as Whydunit, Rites of Passage, Dude with a Problem, etc. Three points are required in each of these genres and each genre is then explored with a specific novel that is exploded using the beats. A ‘Beat-Sheet’ is given so that you can see how other authors, from JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner, have created their masterpieces and match her template. Jessica Brody, the author, writes in terms that I can understand, with multiple relevant examples, and walks the reader through the whole process of planning and creating a novel. Highly recommended.

Great book to dip in and out of. Ideal to use as a reference book ot to hone up on ones writing skills.

Excellent resource for new and experienced writers alike. I’ve just completed a beat sheet for my second novel using this book. It was a lifesaver! It helped me come up with plot points I had never considered before and really helped me add depth to my story. I haven’t outlined yet, but getting the beats worked out using this book has given me a solid, clear picture of the direction of my novel. Each beat is described in easy to understand detail that emphasizes the purpose of each beat and what it should do for your story and main character. The analyses of other books’ beats were invaluable to seeing how the beats play out in an actual piece of writing. I didn’t have this resource to use with my first book, which I’m now planning to revise (for the 7th time) using Save the Cat! Writes a Novel as I feel going through and pulling apart my beats with this guide will solve some of the issues I struggled to overcome. Highly recommended!

Brody draws on Blake Snyder’s great how-to-write-a-screenplay book ‘Save the cat!’ to offer advice on constructing a novel. I forgive that she doesn’t add a great deal to what Snyder said – she freely admits that his book was about how stories work, equally applicable to screenplays and novels. I forgive because Snyder himself drew on the insights and lessons of others, principally Christopher Vogler and Robert McKee. Snyder added some helpful titbits of his own, and Brody does likewise, offering three key ingredients in each of ten story genres and a fresh take on writing loglines and synopses. If you want to write a novel and haven’t already read McKee, Vogler or Snyder, this book will save you the trouble and offer a few bits of extra help.

I debated for the longest time whether I should get this book or not. Many years ago, I read the original Save the Cat! and loved it so much that I bought my own copy. I wasn't sure this version would be different enough to justify buying it, but I do love a book on writing. So, I eventually caved because I figured I'd learn something and, well, because I wanted it #noselfcontrol Best decision I've made this month! Not only did I learn things, I copied one of the drawings and pinned it to my desk, and it's solved several plot issues I've been having with my WIP (How Long 'til Black Future Month by NK Jemisin solved the other). I've had a pretty good structure in place before - a mixture between the original Save the Cat! beat sheet and the one suggested by KM Weiland - but I always felt there was something missing. The one in this book seems to have everything for me, but I'll see what happens when I actually use it to plot today. Right now, it feels like a WIP saver! This is now a firm favourite. I've gone through it with a highlighter, and I've marked a few pages which I know I'll be coming back to. I admit, I've skipped most of the longer examples, but I'll likely go through them when I'm stuck in my plot and need that extra inspiration. If you've been on the fence about buying this like I was, I'd say go ahead and buy it! Even if you're a pantser, I think you'll take something away from this book since she also explains the key elements a successful plot needs - no sitting down to draw up a massive outline required if that's not your thing. Personally, I'm a plotster and currently eyeing a corkboard on Amazon.

As a non-fiction writer moving into fiction, I've taken a few courses on fiction writing and read a lot of books. This is honestly the most helpful in terms of laying out a very clear path of points that your story needs to hit (the author calls them 'beats'). There is a huge range of thought about plotting and character arcs etc that can all get a bit bogged down in theory. I think that because this book was borne out of movie plotting, it cuts through a lot of that and gets to the core of how to draw readers into and through your story. Definitely a book to consider. I notice that the LivingWriter programme includes the 15 Beats model as one of its built-in plotting methods, so it must be popular!

Save the cat! Writes a Novel’ is the best self help book about writing I’ve ever read. As soon as you begin to read, there’s a feeling of excitement as this tried and trusted recipe for successful novel writing is explained by Jessica Brody. Originally an idea by the late Blake Snyder, a Hollywood screenwriter, Jessica, one of his pupils who had used and succeeded with the original method, has created a concise, straight forward, easy to use guide to creating a great novel. With very little pre-amble, the book dives straight in, asking you questions about your book idea or the WIP you’ve started (or completed.) One of the beauties of this book is that it suits plotters or pantsers. If you want to organise and plot with precision, you can use this book from the word go, or if, like me, you’d already written the book, but wanted it to be the best it could be (or wanted to see how close to the perfect book you’ve managed to get yourself), then you can use it at this point to. Having already studied another novel writing book, I managed to get the majority of the points mentioned in the book, but not necessarily in the right order or to the degree I needed to press the points home. With my newly fashioned ‘Beat Sheet’, I’m working my way through my book, crafting and sculpting to make it flow better and keep the reader hooked with every turn of the page. This book will not write your story for you. You need a good story to start with, but be assured, if you follow this ‘Beat Sheet’, you’ll have the best possible structure for your book. The book guides the writer through Beat Sheets and Story Genres, and you think ‘Wow, this is so simple when you read it like this.’ While you’re basking in the sunshine of knowing you’re onto a winner, Ms Brody gives you more! ‘Pitch it to me!’ gives you all the info you need to create fabulous, unforgettable loglines and concise, exciting synopses. …And then there’s even more! ‘Save the Author!’ is all of her FAQs, beautifully answered to give you the most detailed yet manageable ‘big picture’ you’ll ever need.

THE most helpful plotting book you'll ever read. Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, get this book. Since reading it, I have seen the roadmap it describes in so many films, books etc. To illustrate: I read the first book of a series and really enjoyed it, took a step back and thought "It's classic STC structure. That's why it works." I got the second book in the series and while it was OK, the plot dragged and was boring and unfulfilling. I didn't bother with the final book of the series. The problem? the second book had abandoned STC structure and it didn't 'work'. STC is not a formula, it's an observation of what works and you'll find the STC structure in every genre. GET. THIS. BOOK.