#5 Save Your Novel!

I’ve been writing for a very long time, but only recently was I introduced to a wonderful book about writing called Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody.

For anyone who doesn’t know (I assumed I was the last one), this guide is based on screenwriter Blake Snyder’s popular 2005 book called Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need. In a nutshell, Snyder’s book became an instant classic when it was used by screenwriters, directors, producers—pretty much everyone involved in developing a film—to create a story that was tighter, more compelling, and, importantly, successful.

By back-engineering popular films, Blake was able to identify fifteen common “beats”—plot points that characterized a well-told story. In Save the Cat! (as it’s called by those in the know), Blake organizes these beats into a three-part framework that writers can use to create a better structure for their story.

A few years later, when Brody (an ex-movie studio executive) was struggling to get her novel published amidst a slew of rejection letters, a friend suggested she take a look at Blake’s book and see if the same process could work for writing a novel.

Like its predecessor, Brody’s book employs the series of fifteen beats, but tweaked just a bit to be more compatible with novel writing. Brody makes the case that these beats are present in most successful books, and by using them as a framework to structure your story, you can avoid many of the pitfalls that editors continually enumerate in their rejection letters.

Brody’s book offers a checklist of the beats and takes readers step-by-step through the process, with straightforward explanations and lots of examples to show how it’s done. Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is a book that serious writers will find themselves referring to again and again as they work at mastering their craft.

Oh, and about the cat?

One of Blake’s story-telling tips in the original Save the Cat! offered a way to deal with a main character who is coming across as rather churlish.

You simply have him save a cat—you know, like from a tree or a burning building. Voila! Your hero has shown his humanity and endeared himself to millions of cat-lovers around the world. (As a dog person, I’m obligated to point out the fatal flaw in this tip—but I get the point.)

Buy the book. It is, without a doubt, one of the best things you can do for your writing career.  And good luck!