Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

by Jessica Brody

here are some common stakes-raising methods that you’ll often find in popular novels:

LOVE STORIES RAMP UP:

TIME CLOCKS APPEAR:

A MAJOR GAME-CHANGING PLOT TWIST:

BIG PARTY, CELEBRATION, OR PUBLIC “OUTING”:

To sum it up, the Midpoint changes the direction of your story, making it (yet again!) harder for the hero to go back to who they were before.

it’s exactly what you did with the Catalyst. You raised the stakes so it was more difficult for your hero to turn around and run back to the safety of their status quo Act 1 world.

10. BAD GUYS CLOSE IN

WHAT DOES IT DO? Provides a place for your hero to rebound after a false defeat Midpoint or fall down after a false victory Midpoint, all while the internal bad guys (flaws) are closing in. WHERE DOES IT GO? 50% to 75%

there is one kind of bad guy that does exist in all stories. And that’s internal bad guys. By this, I mean your hero’s flaws.

until your hero learns the theme and fixes their life the right way, those internal bad guys are going to keep wreaking havoc, pushing your hero toward that lowest-of-the-low point.

11. ALL IS LOST

WHAT DOES IT DO? Illustrates your hero’s rock bottom (lowest moment) of the story. WHERE DOES IT GO? 75%

That’s the function of the All Is Lost. It’s a single-scene beat (one scene or one chapter), approximately 75 percent of the way through the novel, in which something happens to your hero that tosses them deep, deep down into defeat.

Because the All Is Lost is where the old world/character/way of thinking finally dies so a new world/character/way of thinking can be born.

the All Is Lost will push your hero into the Dark Night of the Soul and finally into the Break Into 3.

12. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

WHAT DOES IT DO? Shows how your hero reacts to the All Is Lost and how they eventually break through to a resolution. WHERE DOES IT GO? 75% to 80% (This beat takes us to the end of Act 2.)

So even though your hero is pretty down and depressed about their life right now, something deep inside of them is working. Analyzing. Processing. They’re breaking down their life and looking at their choices; they’re thinking about everything they’ve tried thus far and failed to achieve. They’re slowly coming to an ultimate conclusion.

Therefore, inserting them back into that Act 1 world only exaggerates how much it’s altered them. They feel like a complete stranger in a place that once felt familiar.

Act 3

Who the hero was in Act 1 + What they’ve learned in Act 2 = Who they will become in Act 3

13. BREAK INTO 3

WHAT DOES IT DO? Brings the hero into the synthesis world of Act 3, where they will finally fix things the right way. WHERE DOES IT GO? 80%

It’s time to wise up and face the cold, hard truth: I am flawed. But now that I know that, I can fix it.

This is a single-scene beat. You get one scene or chapter to show this realization and the decision that comes out of it. (Although I’ve seen it done successfully in as little as one page or one paragraph.) This is the beat you will use to guide your hero (and your reader!) swiftly and surely into the third and final act.

14. FINALE

WHAT DOES IT DO? Resolves all the problems created in Act 2 and proves that your hero has learned the theme and has been transformed. WHERE DOES IT GO? 80% to 99%

Five-Point Finale,

Point 1: Gathering the Team

Your hero has to make amends and admit that they were wrong and stupid and blind. It’s just another step in the completion of their transformative arc.

This is essentially a preparation section before the hero executes the big, exciting plan they came up with in the Break Into 3 beat.

Point 2: Executing the Plan

As your hero and their team (if they have one) execute the plan, there should be a sense of impossibility in their endeavor.

This sub-beat is also where a lot of secondary characters or team members make a B Story Sacrifice, sacrificing themselves for the cause.

Because with every team member who falls away, the hero is forced to do it on their own—showing us that they really do have what it takes.

Point 3: The High Tower Surprise

the purpose of this beat is the same, regardless: to show just how overconfident and naïve the hero and their team have become.

Your hero must dig deeper than that.

Point 4: Dig Deep Down

If the High Tower Surprise was yet another Catalyst, then the Dig Deep Down is—you g...

It’s when the hero has once again seemingly failed (in the High Tower Surprise) and has nothing left. No plan. No backup. No hope. And yet, they still have something.

It’s the theme of the story. It’s the flaw they’ve overcome. It’s the proof that they’ve changed. And above all else, it’s something your hero would never have done at the start of the book.

This sub-beat is also called a touched-by-the-divine moment. No, your story doesn’t have to be spiritual or religious to have a touched-by-the-divine moment. But your story does have to have a soul. It has to speak to us on some deeper level. And here’s where the hero takes a final leap of faith.

Point 5: The Execution of the New Plan

In this final sub-beat, your hero puts their bold, innovative, new plan into action—and of course, it works!

We take our heroes to hell and back, we make them work for every last victory, we force them to search deep within themselves to find the answers, and only then do we give them the ending they now rightly deserve.

Or if your hero ultimately fails in the end, then there’s a point to the failure. There’s a human lesson to be learned from that too. It’s better to try and fail than to never try at all.

15. FINAL IMAGE

WHAT DOES IT DO? Provides an “after” snapshot of your hero and your hero’s life to show how much they’ve changed. WHERE DOES IT GO? 99% to 100% (This is the final scene or chapter of your novel.)