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Fiction Writing Made Easy

#47: Save the Cat! The Beginning Beats

Fiction Writing Made Easy

Savannah Gilbo

Education, Fiction, Writing Tips, Arts, Bestseller, Writing, How To, Author, Writing Community, Books, Novel, How To Write Fiction, Writing Fiction, Writer, How To Write A Book

4.9 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 22 June 2021

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the beginning beats of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat! (STC!) beat sheet so that you can efficiently outline (or write) your novel. Here's a preview of what's included:

[01:05] The STC! method highlights 15 “beats” or plot points that each has a specific purpose and serves a particular function within your global story.
[02:25] The average novel is about 80k words, and this section is about 20k of them. If you write 1,500-word scenes, you're looking at about 14 scenes here.
[03:15] Some of the beats are single scene beats while others are multi-scene beats.
[03:55] Beat #1 is the opening image which is a single scene beat that shows a “before” snapshot of the protagonist’s life and the flawed world that he or she lives in.
[06:10] Beat #2 is the theme stated which is another single scene beat where someone hints at the theme or what the protagonist will learn by the end of the story.
[08:15] Beat #3 is the setup which is a multi-scene beat where readers get to see what the protagonist’s life and world are like–flaws and all. It’s also where important supporting characters and the protagonist’s initial goal are introduced.
[011:30] Beat #4 is the catalyst which is a single scene beat where a life-changing event happens to the protagonist and catapults him or her into a new world or a new way of thinking.
[13:50] Beat #5 is the debate which is a multi-scene beat where the protagonist debates what he or she will do next. This will take up the second half of the beginning section of your story.
[16:40] Beat #6 is the break into two which is a single scene beat that acts as the bridge between act one and act two. Here, the protagonist decides to accept the call to adventure and leave their comfort zone, or adopt a new way of thinking.
[18:15] Key points and episode recap.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Now, remember that for each scene within this multi-scene beat and for every scene in your story,

0:04.8

really, you're going to want to show how the external events of the scene impact your protagonist.

0:09.8

So how does your protagonist process what's happening around them?

0:13.6

Or what do they think and feel about what's happening?

0:16.7

This is going to help you create a nice, cause-and-effect trajectory in your story,

0:20.8

and it's what's going to give your story that sense of narrative drive,

0:24.4

or the sense that the story is going somewhere.

0:27.8

Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast.

0:30.7

My name is Savannah Gilbo, and I'm here to help you write a story that works.

0:34.8

I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming.

0:38.4

So each week, I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable,

0:42.4

and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing right away.

0:46.5

So whether you're brand new to writing or more of a seasoned author looking to improve your craft,

0:50.7

this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get started.

0:55.2

In today's episode, we're going to look at the beginning beats of Blake Snyder's Save the Cat

1:00.6

Story Structured Template. And if you aren't familiar with this method, essentially it's a template

1:05.4

that subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 beats or plot points.

1:11.2

Each of these beats has a specific purpose and serves a particular function within your global

1:15.8

story. If you want to learn more about the whole method, you can head over to SaveTheCat.com,

1:20.7

which I will link to in the show notes for easy reference. Before we dive in, I want to say that

1:25.8

if you haven't done the work to identify your story's global genre or to flesh out your protagonist,

1:31.2

I highly recommend pushing pause on this episode and listening to episode one that's all about

...

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