Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

by Jessica Brody

Like it or not, since the moment that first silent film hit the big screen, novels have had to contend with movies as a source of entertainment.

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

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? And most important, what will really fix your hero’s life? What does your hero actually need?