Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

by Jessica Brody

You simply give them: A problem (or flaw that needs fixing) A want (or goal that the hero is pursuing) A need (or life lesson to be learned)

And that brings us to a great tip for writing flawed heroes: Don’t let the problem stay contained to just one area of your hero’s life. Let the problem(s) manifest and spread and infect! Your hero’s problem(s) should be affecting their entire world: their work, their home life, and their relationships.

The most effective character goals or wants are concrete and tangible.

Because in the end, the want is only half the story. Heroes aren’t complete until they also have a need.

We call that real problem the shard of glass. It’s a psychological wound that has been festering beneath the surface of your hero for a long time. The skin has grown over it, leaving behind an unsightly scar that causes your hero to act the way they act and make the mistakes that they do (flaws!). You, as the author and creator of this world, have to decide how that shard of glass got there. Why is your hero so flawed? What happened to them to make them the way they are?

Your hero’s want or goal is an integral part of what’s called the A Story. The A Story is the external story. It’s the stuff that happens on the surface. Car chases; wars; fights in the school hallway; new jobs; casting magic spells; taking on an evil, dystopian government; poisoning the king. Essentially, it’s the exciting stuff. The “cool” stuff. Or what’s also referred to as the premise.

On the other hand, the B Story is the internal story. It’s the story that’s intricately linked to what your hero needs to learn in order to change their life, complete their transformation, and enter the hall of fame of story-worthiness. The B Story/internal story/need is what your novel is really about.

The life lesson is the inner journey that your hero didn’t even know they were on, that will eventually lead them to the answer they never expected.

Forgiveness: of self or of others Love: includes self-love, family love, romantic love Acceptance: of self, of circumstances, of reality Faith: in oneself, in others, in the world, in God Fear: overcoming it, conquering it, finding courage Trust: in oneself, in others, in the unknown Survival: including the will to live Selflessness: including sacrifice, altruism, heroism, and overcoming greed Responsibility: including duty, standing up for a cause, accepting one’s destiny Redemption: including atonement, accepting blame, remorse, and salvation

If you’re writing a story with multiple main characters and/or multiple points of view and you’re still having problems figuring out who the hero is, or whose arc is the biggest, try asking yourself, Which of my main characters is most like my reader?

ACT 1

1. OPENING IMAGE (0 TO 1%): A “before” snapshot of your hero and their world.

2. THEME STATED (5%): A statement made by a character (typically not the hero) that hints at what the hero’s arc will be (that is, what the hero must learn/discover before the end of the book). Also referred to as a life lesson.

3. SETUP (1% TO 10%): An exploration of the hero’s status quo life and all its flaws, where we learn what the hero’s life looks like before its epic transformation. Here we also introduce other supporting characters and the hero’s primary goal. But most important, we show the hero’s reluctance to change (aka learn the theme) while also hinting at the stakes at risk should the hero not change.

4. CATALYST (10%): An inciting incident (or life-changing event) that happens to the hero, which will catapult them into a new world or new way of thinking. An action beat that should be big enough to prevent the hero from being able to return to their status quo Setup world.

5. DEBATE (10% TO 20%): A reaction sequence in which the hero debates what they will do next. It’s usually presented in the form of a question (such as “Should I go?”). The purpose of this beat is to show the hero’s reluctance to change.

ACT 2

6. BREAK INTO 2 (20%): The moment the hero decides to accept the call to action, leave their comfort zone, try something new, or venture into a new world or new way of thinking. It’s a decisive action beat that separates the status quo world of Act 1 from the new “upside-down” world of Act 2.

7. B STORY (22%): The introduction of a new character or characters who will ultimately serve to help the hero learn the theme. Also referred to as a helper character, this can be a love interest, a nemesis, a mentor, a family member, or a friend.

8. FUN AND GAMES (20% TO 50%): This is where we see the hero in their new world. They’re either loving it or hating it. Succeeding or floundering. Also called the promise of the premise, this section represents the “hook” of the story (why the reader picked up the novel in the first place).

9. MIDPOINT (50%): Literally the middle of the novel, where the Fun and Games culminates in either a false victory (the hero has thus far been succeeding) or a false defeat (the hero has thus far been floundering). Something should happe...

10. BAD GUYS CLOSE IN (50% TO 75%): If the Midpoint was a false victory, this section will be a downward path where things get progressively worse for the hero. If the Midpoint was a false defeat, this section will be an upward path where things seem to get progressively better for the hero. But regardl...

11. ALL IS LOST (75%): The lowest point of the novel. An action beat where something happens to the hero that, combined with the internal ba...

12. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL (75% TO 80%): A reaction beat where the hero takes time to process everything that’s happened thus far. The hero should be worse off than at the start of the novel. The darkest hour—just before the dawn—is the moment right before the hero figures o...

ACT 3

13. BREAK INTO 3 (80%): The “aha!” moment. The hero realizes what they must do to not only fix all of the problems created in Act 2, but more important, fix themselves. The arc is nearly complete.

14. FINALE (80% TO 99%): The hero proves they have truly learned the theme and enacts the plan they came up with in the Break Into 3. Bad guys are destroyed, flaws are conquered, lovers are reunited. Not only is the hero’s world saved, but it’s a better place than it was before.

15. FINAL IMAGE (99% TO 100%): A mirror to the Opening Image, this is the “after” snapshot of who the hero is after going through this epic and satisfying transformation.

Basically, by having a character subtly state the theme of the novel, you are giving the reader a subconscious hint as to what your story is really going to be about.

Your hero is essentially presented with the answer to all of their problems right there at the beginning of the book. But do they listen? Of course not!

First and foremost, you need to set up your hero. What kind of person are they? What kind of character tics do they have? What do they want? It’s very important that your hero have a goal.

Your hero has to be actively pursuing something when the book begins.

If you’ve done your job well, you’ve already been hinting at the need for change. And your reader is already getting the sense that if something doesn’t happen soon to bring about that change, this hero is pretty much doomed.

This is called the stasis = death moment. It’s the moment that comes somewhere in the Setup beat that shows the reader that change is imperative; otherwise, things are going south. Fast.

The Catalyst should be BIG. Don’t wimp out on me with a weak little Catalyst.

It is a reaction beat, and it usually comes in the form of a question. Like What do I do? Should I go? Should I stay? How will I survive? What happens next?

Act 2 is the opposite of Act 1.

Act 2 needs to be as different as possible from Act 1. So, let’s see what we’re dealing with in this upside-down world.

It’s important to note that heroes don’t have to physically go anywhere in order to Break Into 2. But they do have to try something new.

They must be proactive about it. The decision can be put before them by someone else, but the actual choice to act must be theirs and theirs alone.

If you’ve set up your wants and needs correctly, your hero’s external goal (want) is not what will inevitably fix their life.

by the end of the novel, it won’t matter, because they’ll have gotten what they need. They’ll have learned their life lesson. They’ll have learned the theme.

in Act 2 they might be slaying dragons and solving clues and kissing boys and flying spaceships in intergalactic wars, but these things, while übercool, are not the answer. They won’t fix what needs to be fixed in the long run.

There are only two criteria for being a successful B Story character (others need not apply): They must in some way represent the upside-down Act 2 world. They must in some way help guide the hero toward their life lesson or theme.

of these B Story characters are, in some way, products of the Act 2 world.

But if you’re going to have more than one B Story character, make sure both characters are fulfilling their duties in this role. And make sure they’re fulfilling it in different ways. Otherwise, why do we need both?

The key to figuring out the Fun and Games beat is realizing that this part of the story might be fun only for the reader. Not necessarily for the hero.

It’s an Act 1 hero living in an Act 2 world. And if you’ve built your Act 1 and Act 2 worlds to be as different as possible (like I told you to do!), this is automatically fun.

So what exactly is the Midpoint? Basically it’s a single-scene beat in which three very essential things happen: The hero experiences either a false victory or a false defeat. The stakes of the story are raised. The A and B stories intersect in some way.

The Midpoint is the culmination of whatever path you chose for your Fun and Games.