How to Write a Novel with the Save the Cat Beat Sheet

[@graysontaylornyc]

Story structures like the Save the Cat beat sheet can be helpful, but used incorrectly, they can be detrimental to your story. I made a follow-up video about what writers get wrong about story structure, which you can watch here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r53ao3aeh6ygj8U

[@karlkeil07]

For all struggling with this beat sheet: Do. Not. Follow. It. Exactly. It is just a guide, and it is meant to be flexible so that you can see a beat and understand the purpose of it, but do not be attached to the guide, so many times a story is less about the structure and more about how you tell it to be meaningful, if the beat sheet is hindering your ability to tell that story, it might be better to not use it. You might write a story and it'll naturally just fall within these beats because these beats are meant to be vague and interpretive and applicable to almost anything.

[@tomlewis4748]

I could not agree more. There are tons of good stories that don't really follow this particular recipe. The value is in understanding what is being said and seeing if it makes sense to the story that you are creating. If it doesn't, try to see if that will be problematic, or not. Simply bc it does not follow the recipe does not mean there is anything wrong with it, but this is a good place to ask that question, based on these suggestions. So there is value here. The danger is following this blindly and not considering alternatives. If you don't do that, you are not thinking outside the box, and your story will be nothing more than derivative. Originality is a goal we all should quest for, and this gets directly in the way of that. This is also not really relevant to pantsers. Good pantsers don't follow recipes. They don't need to. Plotting does nothing more than limit possibilities. A story is not the creation of conscious strategy. It is the unconscious expression of the unconscious mind, which is where all creativity actually originates. So a good pantser will do what is necessary automatically, without even thinking about it, for the most part, making a recipe superfluous. That said, the best way to go about this is to draft without more than the glimmer of where you are going. Write like you're shot out of a cannon. Shoot first, ask questions later. And what that means is put on your writing hat and draft based on where your unconscious mind takes you. Then, LATER, put on your editor hat and do all the things that plotters do, but do it after the fact. This gives you all the benefits of pansting and plotting, without any of the drawbacks of either. If you want to see how much value there is here, try to fit every good story you love into these little boxes. How successful that is will reveal how much value there is here, and isn't. For instance, my favorite story is the 1974 movie Chinatown. It follows some of these suggestions in a somewhat marginal way, but it does not follow all of them. Some, not at all, and if Robert Towne had been convinced that these suggestions needed to be followed, his screenplay would have not been the classic it is, but would be more akin to hammered dog shit. So beware. Take what you can that works for your story, and be sure to leave behind what doesn't. That is what being an artist is all about.

[@captainghoul666]

best suggestion is build your own beat sheet from other examples

[@lagadema16]

I have never seen better explanation for the Save the Cat Beas Sheets. THANK YOU.

[@DanielECulbertson]

"...spawned a LITTER of sequels..." I saw what you did there, mister! A purr-fect turn of phrase. 🤣

[@OldRod99]

Everyone should follow this writing advice, starting right meow...

[@SlipsunLightOfHeaven]

@@OldRod99 Ya'll have cat to be kitten me. These puns are clawful.

[@ガムガムグミプロダクション]

Can you stop the puns fur-me (Sorry I'm so bad at puns)

[@Pancakerman3]

My friends, your story is a metal wire. To have an interesting story, you bend your wire to make spikes. The Snyder beat sheet is a template on how and where to bend your wire. If the bend doesnt fit, then bend somewhere else, dont change the wire:)(:

[@keri___]

Thank you for making this video. As someone just getting started with writing, your concise explanations and supporting visuals really helped demystify some aspects of outlining. The quality of your content deserves way more subscribers and views-keep up the great work!

[@graysontaylornyc]

Thank you! Glad the video helped.

[@Izzy-Lopez]

so happy I've finally found a video that breaks this down quickly and precisely. thank you!

[@graysontaylornyc]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@RichReportcom]

Thank you for making a video with tight pacing and momentum. Valuable.

[@Taylerwrites11]

Thank you so much, this explains it so clearly

[@AxleBoost]

Great to see you still going strong. I was there when your uploading first began!

[@graysontaylornyc]

Yes, indeed! Thanks for the support.

[@getmotivated1707]

I feel like this could be used as a deconstruction tool as well, working backwards and fitting a written novel into the beat sheet could help with analysis. I love looking at stuff from different angles, and this is probably a bit much tbh lol

[@HighSempre]

Right haha As I was watching I kept going like "waiitt... that story and that story def used this beat sheet" lol

[@vidyasagar3624]

Love the setup man! All blue lighting looks really cool!

[@nickjonesthenova5928]

Got a lot of good ideas from this video

[@graysontaylornyc]

I'm glad to hear it!

[@guidancelight57]

Great video! But it'll be nicer if u include example from famous movies or book in each section. I think that will help young writers a lot but it's good video please keep making one!

[@Gnylos]

You have incredible quality, my friend.

[@Nate-139]

Suggestion: your favourite protagonist or characters in general and what makes them your favourite

[@simpleadventureme]

Hey Grayson, it was a great video and super helpful!! I was writing along and made myself a blueprint hahaha Also the Video quality is great and the editing was really nice and not to much or to less. thank you so much!!!

[@i.wright2106]

Thank you

[@Author_SoftwareDesigner]

Your branding a visual design is unique, compelling, and cohesive. Do you design it yourself? If so, keep up the good work!

[@SlipsunLightOfHeaven]

Taking this combined with Abbie Emmons' tips, my book will be perfected in no time!🥰 Yay!

[@TimRG]

Save the Cat is a great story structure, but everyone discussing it leaves out important parts Synder covers in his book. There are three important questions you ask before you even get to the beats. Plus what comes while using the sheets. Just covering the beats doesn't help those seeking the method. It is far more than just the beats. It's a great video, covering one of the important parts of the method. I never read Jessica Brody's version, but I would recommend reading that book and even the original.

[@graysontaylornyc]

There's certainly more to the Save the Cat method than I addressed here, but I intentionally limited the scope of this video so it's not overwhelming. I consider this more of an introduction, and recommend the book(s) for anyone intrigued by it who wants to dive deeper.

[@TimRG]

@@graysontaylornyc I understand. What you covered is what people are looking for. I think it would have been good if you mentioned it all goes together. Something I was surprised when I read the original. Still a good video.

[@taofikbarakat2059]

This is nice

[@spitbleach]

Bro your background, lighting and just overall vid quality is *chef's kiss* You need more subscribers!

[@graysontaylornyc]

Thanks, I appreciate that!

[@u_MonaReads]

I really like your thumbnail!

[@graysontaylornyc]

Thanks!

[@LightspeedTutorials]

this will save you 14:51 Doctrine is the last refuge of the unimaginative. _Lieutenant Colonel Ferrando ("Godfather")_ - if you are a documentary / vlogger, avoid this canonical methodology.

[@chriswest8389]

Just in. Great idea. A step by step approach. True, it may be formalistic and somewhat predictable but it does give U a structure one can vamp off🙂

[@graysontaylornyc]

It's a great starting point for plotting a story! Like all story structures, you can take certain elements and leave others as you see fit.

[@chriswest8389]

@@graysontaylornyc I have a fun little thing I came up with that can be used as a subliment to any story structure one might prefer. ‘ Snakes and ladders’. You probably get a lot of requests but if you have time and your interested, Ask me and I’ll fill you in on the details.🙂Ta for your response.

[@stevensandersauthor]

Excellent. Thank you.

[@graysontaylornyc]

Glad it was helpful!

[@syedaomaima5890]

Heyy, loved this video, I'm writing my first novel and I've been messing around with the plot and characters and world since like 2 or 3 yrs now, I've kinda used and bended the 3 act structure, I'm still writing chapter 1 but I've decided to make the first scene the catalyst, I'm having difficulty in explaining the theme and goal and the normal life of my protagonist, since it's a fight scene where she's up against the right hand man of the villain who is much mroe powerful than the soldiers she usually sabotages since he uses magic, it's major becuz he has her under her wing young side character girl as a captive during the scene and she ends up hurting her. The theme and goal seems like my Mc wants to be a good protector, however the premise is that she wants revenge on the govt for what taking away every family she had, could you help? I don't want to change the scene but still want to make it seem like revenge is her goal

[@DEATHCHICKEN1337]

Should I use this for each book in a trilogy?

[@RyanEnrico]

Random but what’s this music in first segment? Thx!

[@graysontaylornyc]

"Der Mond" by Steven Gutheinz!

[@FlyFederalist]

What's that word processor that he's using at 0:24 that has a black background and green font?

[@graysontaylornyc]

That's Scrivener (in Composition Mode). The app is highly customizable, so you can choose the background, default text color, and other visual elements.

[@FlyFederalist]

@@graysontaylornyc Thanks!

[@PositivePowerPeter]

Show the road again because KZbin isn’t cable or grasping what a road is

[@TedMattos]

Great. Now I'm wondering about Pandora's toothpaste! :(

[@unicorntomboy9736]

I am currently working on a 50-55,000 word dark fantasy YA novel, using the seven point story structure. I start my book describing my protagonist violently interrogating one of the villain's lackeys. The main pivotal event of the book happens midway through the book. On a side note, I want to write my book in the style of a FromSoftware video game i.e Demon Souls or Elden Ring, using their methods of worldbuilding

[@ガムガムグミプロダクション]

First that sounds awsome And second what is it's name😮

[@unicorntomboy9736]

@@ガムガムグミプロダクション I came up with the title 'Obsidian Waters' Overall, think of it as The Lion King mixed with Star Wars Revenge of the Sith

[@ガムガムグミプロダクション]

@unicorntomboy9736 that is the most badass name I ever heard

[@unicorntomboy9736]

@@ガムガムグミプロダクション Do you mean that, or was that a joke. If so, what do you like about it? To my understanding, water is often thematically associated with femininity, which is fitting for my book, since the protagonist is female, an elven princess

[@ガムガムグミプロダクション]

@unicorntomboy9736 oh I do gibe back hand complements by that is honestly good, no joke also that title hits hard, I'd read it.

[@Chickenbootie0429]

So your 20?

[@graysontaylornyc]

I’m 19; I’ll be 20 next year.

[@Chickenbootie0429]

@@graysontaylornyc wow im 16 turning 17 in a few months what would you say is the most difficult part on being 19

[@Chickenbootie0429]

@@graysontaylornyc also one more question have you sold any screenplays and if you have how much did you make

[@AvianInstinct]

Do you think starting with a dream would still be a bad idea if it's short and provides some world building? Example; Dreaming of wife who died of the plague, when he sees her funeral pyre in the dream, he wakes up to his friend throwing another log on the fire. (His trauma is one of his things to overcome throughout the story, starting with thinking he needs to leave only to eventually learn to accept life the way it is and to be happy in the moment, regardless of circumstance.) I'd love any and all feedback. Cheers 🍻

[@JGirDesu]

This probably works better as a prologue instead of a dream. Show the wife sick/dying from the plague and protagonist being unable to save her and then building/lighting the pyre Then have Chapter 1 start with the log-on-the-fire scene (time skip) where clearly the protagonist is affected by his deceased wife. Food for thought with this direction: maybe start off Chapter 1 with a different (happy?) scene that eventually leads to the campfire. It’ll give the reader time to mentally breathe a bit before going back in heavily to the emotions Majority of authors say to stay far away from opening dream sequences lol

[@AvianInstinct]

@JGirDesu Thank you for your reply. I agree with you 100%. I've since revised it to him getting lost in thought while staring at the fire. After your suggestion, I may be re doing it again. Thank you kindly 🙏

[@JGirDesu]

@@AvianInstinct Of course! 😁

[@sandrareinert-n8g]

You are too full of yourself. Talking so fast as if it is ONLY important to hear yourself talk and screw the audience. You bored me almost to death.

[@Wonkyloo]

Well, that was unnecessarily rude. Who peed in your Cheerios? KZbin has speed controls, you might find .75 speed easier to digest. Personally, I found his pace refreshing; usually I have to x2 talking videos.

[@v.w.singer9638]

This seems far too character-centric for my taste. While the characters should definitely be real, I prefer the story and plot to be focused on events and practical dilemmas.

[@graysontaylornyc]

In my view, plot stems primarily from character. Events are either caused by characters or inform the development of characters (often both). Some even say that "story is character," and I'm inclined to agree. The Save the Cat beat sheet isn't just about the protagonist's internal journey, but about the external journey as well. In a well-crafted story, the plot events and character arc are inextricably linked-two sides of the same coin.

[@LiterateGoblin]

@@graysontaylornyc completely agree

[@v.w.singer9638]

@@graysontaylornyc Based only on the books I like to read (and write) it is the events, the problems, and the solutions that create and maintain the story. Examples would be Sherlock Holmes. The Richard Sharpe novels by Bernard Cornwell. The RCN novels by David Drake. The Terran Republic novels by Charles E Gannon. The Bolo novels by Keith Laumer. The Safehold novels by David Weber. The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. The Hawk and Fisher novels by Simon R Green, and others. The characters are not automatons, but it is the events and challenges of the plot that make the story in each case.

[@San-li9ml]

​@@v.w.singer9638 Sherlock Holmes is the most character-centric story out there.

[@v.w.singer9638]

@@handlenot030 I did not say there should be no characters. I said "character-centric" as in the inner life of the character. I prefer the story to focus on what the character does and says in relation to the plot, plus the events going on around him or her. Take "Crusade" by David Weber as a rough example. It is a matter of emphasis and focus.