What I Learned From Save the Cat! Writes A Novel

Years ago, when I first heard about Save the Cat, I understood that saving the cat meant once you slash slash slash all the fluff out of your manuscript … make sure you save the cat.

Make sure you don’t throw out the guts of the story.

from

Jessica Brody

website

Ummmm. Boy did I get it wrong.

According to author Jessica Brody in Save the Cat! Writes a Book, the originator of Save the Cat! Blake Synder suggests (and I paraphrase here) if your protagonist is a bit of a douch-bag make them do something admirable so that readers will root for them, e.g. save a cat from peril.

What else did I learn from Jessica Brody in Save the Cat! Writes a Book?

But first, why did I pick it up?

My writing group wants to discuss it early in the new year. Egad! Guess what I read all Boxing Day?

In short, Save the Cat! Writes a Book is broken out in three sections:

1) It explains the guideposts that every story should have, and in most cases, does have and why, and encourages you to ask questions of your story as you move through its Acts. For example, what does my hero need? What is at risk if my hero fails, and everything goes tits up? Jessica calls these beats and lays them out like a road map to your…