Save the Cat Breakdown Series - Introduction

I have a story idea, now what?

You’ve come up with a cool idea for a story, maybe even got a good idea on who the main characters and antagonists are, but then you’re stuck. You flounder around, not really knowing what to do from there to actually get this thing off the ground in a way that works. “Pantsing” it doesn’t work for you, it gets lots of scenes about nothing, but you don’t know where to even start when it comes to writing with structure and purpose.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Countless writers have struggled with the same thing, especially if they’re new to the idea of using a predefined plot structure, or a plot blueprint as I like to call it. Much like a blueprint for a house, a plot blueprint is the rough sketch of what the whole thing looks like so you can see at a glance how it will all play out.

One of the arguments against using a plot structure is that it will make your story too boring and predictable. And sometimes this can be the case. It’s seen most often with Mills and Boon romance novels; a very exacting formula is followed again and again for every novel they put out. But for all that, they are wildly successful, publishing over 80 physical print books every month (not year, month), and even more in e-book form. Why is that? Because the formula works!

Okay, not everyone wants to be a Mills and Boon author. You want to write something with a little more variety, a bit more unique. But even then, if a story doesn’t hit predetermined points or beats, then the reader often instinctively feels as though it is missing something, or dragging, or not really going anywhere. The key is to still hit these set beats, these essential story elements, while keeping your story unique through well thought out characters and how they react to each of the events in the structure. 

There are quite literally hundreds of story structure variations you could choose, from the basic three act structure you probably learned in school (beginning, middle, and end), to the Hero’s Journey (12 steps or beats), all the way to the 27 Chapter Plotting Method.

What is Save the Cat?

Save the Cat is another common story structure. It was coined by Blake Snyder and was originally created as a way to write film scripts that sold well. Despite its original conception being with screen plays in mind, it is also a useful story structure for all forms of fiction, especially novels.

Save the Cat breaks a story down into 15 story beats, or pivotal moments in your plot. Unlike the Hero’s Journey which is worded in a way that makes it easiest for fantasy or science fiction stories (Star Wars is a common example of the Hero’s Journey), Save the Cat is broad enough that it can be for any genre. It also breaks a work down by percentages so, for this the sake of this series, we will pretend our novel length is 80,000 words, which is about average.

1. Opening Image: 0 - 1% (0 - 800 words)This is the ‘before’ image of your story. It is also known as the hook, something to draw the reader in and make them want to keep reading your story, as opposed to the hundreds of similar ones out there. 

2. Setup: 1 - 10% (800 - 8,000 words)This is where the reader sees what the protagonist’s life is currently like before the events of the story occur to change things up. Their flaws are on full display. Supporting characters are introduced and what the protagonist thinks will fix their life is introduced (also known as the protagonist’s wants).

3. Theme: 5% (at approximately 4,000 words)As part of the Setup, this is where the story’s theme is hinted at, usually by a character other than the protagonist. This is where the reader is informed what the story is about beyond just the plot.

4. Catalyst: 10% (at approximately 8,000 words)Something happens to change the world as far as the protagonist is concerned. In the Hero’s Journey this is the ‘Call to Adventure’, but it doesn’t have to be something so grand. It can be losing a job, the death of a relative, or adopting a pet. 

5. Debate: 10 - 20% (8,000 - 16,000 words)The protagonist debates what they should do next and how they should respond to the Catalyst. They may be reluctant to respond to the Catalyst, or afraid of the consequences.

6. Break into Act 2: 20% (at approximately 16,000 words)The protagonist ends their debate and makes a decision. This is the bridge between Act 1 and Act 2.

7. Fun and Games: 20 - 50% (16,000 - 40,000 words)This is where the protagonist is either floundering or thriving with the decision they made and their new status quo. They either love it or hate it, but this state won’t last long.

8. B Story: 22% (at approximately 17,600)As part of the Fun and Games, this is where a side plot or new characters are introduced that will help the protagonist learn the theme of the story. It could be a love interest, a rival, a friend, etc.

9. Midpoint: 50% (at approximately 40,000 words)This is where the fun and games culminate in either a ‘false victory’ if the protagonist has been thriving in their new status quo, or a ‘false defeat’ if they are floundering. This is an uptick in the tension, a sign that things aren’t going to continue the way they were. 

10. Bad Guys Close In: 50 - 75% (40,000 - 60,000 words)This is where the story pivots. If there was a false victory, then things get progressively worse for the protagonist. If there was a false defeat, then things get progressively better. It doesn’t have to be literally the bad guys closing in (though it can be of course), but it can be an internal reckoning; the protagonist’s fear or misbelief is on full display here.

11. All is Lost: 75% (at approximately 60,000 words)The worst has happened. Something that is the last straw for the protagonist occurs and they must now deal with this.

12. Dark Night of the Soul: 75% - 80% (60,000 - 64,000 words)This is where the protagonist is completely beaten by the antagonist or antagonistic force. They have lost hope and don’t know where to turn or what to do.

13. Break Into Act 3: 80% (at approximately 64,000 words)The protagonist realises what they need to do to overcome their situation. Hope is rekindled and a plan is drafted.

14. Finale: 80 - 99% (64,000 - 79,200 words)The new plan is carried out and executed. They have learned the theme, overcome their misbelief, and taken action against the antagonist or antagonistic force.

15. Final Image: 99 - 100% (79,200 - 80,000 words)The foil to the first opening image scene. This shows what the protagonist’s new world is like and reflects how much they have changed over the course of the story.

    
    

Take the Story Beats and Align It With a Story

Now that you have an idea of what the Save the Cat structure entails, consider the story you are working on. Some parts may be obvious where they match up – many people when they think of the story will know what the Catalyst is, what the All is Lost moment is, maybe even have a few scene ideas already bouncing around in their mind for the Fun and Games section – but others beats may be blank for now. 

Over the next series of articles, we will be going into further detail on what each step entails and give examples so you can get used to matching a story to this structure. The examples we will take through from beginning to end are a little old, but I want to have the best chance that you may be familiar with them. We will be discussing Disney’s Mulan (1998) for a film example and Lynn Flewewlling’s Luck in the Shadows (1996) for a novel example.

Lynn Flewelling’s Luck in the Shadows is book 1 of the Nightrunner series. It is a fantasy mystery novel that was first published in 1996 in the US and in 2000 in Australia. According to the website [url=https://www.readinglength.com/book/BCUuNL8]Reading Length[/url], Luck in the Shadows is approximately 119,750 words, which is about average for a fantasy novel of the time.

Disney’s Mulan hit cinemas in 1998 and was successful at the Box Office (at least in Western markets, significantly less so in China). It was nominated and won several awards. It runs for 87 minutes, which is typical of Disney movies of the time. 

So stay tuned for next week’s update where we’ll take a deep dive into writing the Opening Image or the Hook! What it is, things to keep in mind, and, of course, how Mulan and Luck in the Shadows grabs you and makes you want to keep watching or reading.