'Save the Cat' plotting

[QuercusMalus]

Is anyone here familiar with this outlining method? I hadn't heard of it until I saw it referenced in a reddit post yesterday.

It breaks down the story outline into fifteen 'beats' that span the three acts. Each 'beat' is a plot point meant to address/accomplish a certain thing in the story.
It breaks out each act into scenes based on word count, and from there puts blocks of scenes to address each 'beat'. Act 1 and 3 each account for 25% of the length.

The beats are as follows:

Opening Image – 0% to 1%
Theme Stated – 5%
Setup – 1% to 10%
Catalyst – 10%
Debate – 10% to 20%
Break Into Two – 20%
B Story – 22%
Fun and Games – 20% to 50%
Midpoint – 50%
Bad Guys Close In – 50% to 75%
All is Lost – 75%
Dark Night of the Soul – 75% to 80%
Break Into Three – 80%
Finale – 80% to 99%
Final Image – 99% to 100%

The site had a pretty good high level explanation of it so I'm not going to subject you to my regurgitated understanding of it. She also has 4 additional posts doing a more thorough explanation of the beats.

Overview:

How to Outline Your Novel with the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet

Want to write a story that works? Learn how to plot your novel using the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet in this post! (Free worksheet included!) #writingtips

www.savannahgilbo.com

Act 1:

How to Outline a Book - Save the Cat! Beat Sheet: Act 1 Beats

Need help outlining your novel? The Save the Cat! beat sheet subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 beats or plot points...

www.savannahgilbo.com

Act 2:

How to Outline a Book - Save the Cat! Beat Sheet: Act 2 Beats (Part 1)

Need help outlining your novel? The Save the Cat! beat sheet subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 beats or plot points...

www.savannahgilbo.com

Save the Cat! Beat Sheet: The Act Two Beats (Part 2)

Need help outlining your novel? The Save the Cat! beat sheet subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 beats or plot points...

www.savannahgilbo.com

Act 3:

How to Outline a Book - Save the Cat! Beat Sheet: Act Three Beats

Need help outlining your novel? The Save the Cat! beat sheet subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 beats or plot points...

www.savannahgilbo.com

If you've tried it, how did it work for you?

 

[Dieter]

Outline like that you'll only finish your story as an outline.

 

[SainS]

Tried it and realized it wasn't for me.

I much prefer just making characters, setting, figuring out the story I wanna tell, deciding on the ending(s) (usually 1st arc an final ending at least), then write as I collect ideas and plot beats under a very loose 'outline of ideas to use' that I then yoink stuff from as I go.

 

[Deleted member 146224]

I've been using this method as a very vague frame, to help me know where things are more or less. It is really good if you're uncertain when things should happen. It requires a lot of work up front, but also makes it a lot easier later on. It won't work for everybody either, just depends on a person.

 

[Fang_Yuan]

Is anyone here familiar with this outlining method? I hadn't heard of it until I saw it referenced in a reddit post yesterday.

It breaks down the story outline into fifteen 'beats' that span the three acts. Each 'beat' is a plot point meant to address/accomplish a certain thing in the story.
It breaks out each act into scenes based on word count, and from there puts blocks of scenes to address each 'beat'. Act 1 and 3 each account for 25% of the length.

The beats are as follows:

Opening Image – 0% to 1%
Theme Stated – 5%
Setup – 1% to 10%
Catalyst – 10%
Debate – 10% to 20%
Break Into Two – 20%
B Story – 22%
Fun and Games – 20% to 50%
Midpoint – 50%
Bad Guys Close In – 50% to 75%
All is Lost – 75%
Dark Night of the Soul – 75% to 80%
Break Into Three – 80%
Finale – 80% to 99%
Final Image – 99% to 100%

The site had a pretty good high level explanation of it so I'm not going to subject you to my regurgitated understanding of it. She also has 4 additional posts doing a more thorough explanation of the beats.

Overview:

How to Outline Your Novel with the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet

Want to write a story that works? Learn how to plot your novel using the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet in this post! (Free worksheet included!) #writingtips

www.savannahgilbo.com

Act 1:

How to Outline a Book - Save the Cat! Beat Sheet: Act 1 Beats

Need help outlining your novel? The Save the Cat! beat sheet subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 beats or plot points...

www.savannahgilbo.com

Act 2:

How to Outline a Book - Save the Cat! Beat Sheet: Act 2 Beats (Part 1)

Need help outlining your novel? The Save the Cat! beat sheet subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 beats or plot points...

www.savannahgilbo.com

Save the Cat! Beat Sheet: The Act Two Beats (Part 2)

Need help outlining your novel? The Save the Cat! beat sheet subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 beats or plot points...

www.savannahgilbo.com

Act 3:

How to Outline a Book - Save the Cat! Beat Sheet: Act Three Beats

Need help outlining your novel? The Save the Cat! beat sheet subdivides the beginning, middle, and end of a story into 15 beats or plot points...

www.savannahgilbo.com

If you've tried it, how did it work for you?

This is just for me but that's going to get boring soon.

And I feel like that would limit the story so much. I made an outline myself but the story tend to go in its own way.

 

[Story_Marc]

I'm super familiar with it. (Surprising, I know).

What I'll say on structuring stories is that a majority of the ways people approach it are saying very similar things, it's just trying to frame in their way to help someone understand it better.

 

[QuercusMalus]

I get that- I have been looking at a few different outline templates and have been loosely following the 3 act, 27 chapter method.
Tried following 'the heroes journey' and it just wasn't clicking with me, and the story I'm trying to write.
I will probably steal some of the ideas from the 'Save the cat' structure to give a stronger overall structure. I really don't expect to find a perfect outline structure, especially one that works over multiple stories.