Cat outline manual#

Break Into Three : The hero realizes a truth that’s been evading them all this time.Dark Night of the Soul : Faced with defeat, the hero must reckon with their loss and how they got there.All is Lost : Things go from bad to worse.Bad Guys Close In : Things start going downhill for the hero.Fun and Games : The hero in the throes of their challenge or journey.B Story : The subplot kicks in, introducing a character who helps the hero in their transformation.Break Into Two : The hero takes up the challenge.Debate : The hero is hesitant to take action.Catalyst : Something happens that sets the story in motion.

Set Up : The hero and the 'ordinary world' are introduced.Theme Stated : We are introduced to the central theme or lesson of the story.Since Snyder’s sheet was originally created for screenwriting, the bracketed number by each beat is the page or pages that it would take up of a standard 110-page screenplay. Learn how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book. And a lot of empty script space in which to get lost, panic, and drown. “Like a swimmer in a vast ocean, there was a lot of open water between those two Act Breaks. An evolution of the classic 3-act structure, Snyder codified his 15-beat outline to better manage the second act, which screenwriters often struggle with. The beat sheet details, one by one, every beat that makes up the STC structure, outlining where and in what order each event should occur. Let’s get into how the Save the Cat beat sheet (from now on STC) is used to build stories that win over readers of all ages and literary tastes. This beat sheet has since been adapted for novelists, and the Save the Cat beat sheet has become a tried and tested tool used by storytellers across different media.

Written by screenwriter Blake Snyder, the book is perhaps best known for its beat sheet: an ordered list of moments that are common to most stories. It takes its name from a moment commonly found in stories where the protagonist does something heroic - like saving a cat - to endear them to the audience.

Cat outline manual#

Click to tweet! What is the Save the Cat Beat Sheet?įamous for more than just its quirky name, Save the Cat has come to be a well-regarded story manual for writers across media.