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Save The Cat is a popular outlining method based on Blake Snyder's 15 story beats, which you organized in a beat sheet. Save The Cat isn't limited on a single genre—from romantasy to heroic fantasy and murder mysteries, this plot structure can help you create amazing and engaging stories. You can learn more about Save The Cat in their official website.
This guide will show you how to use Save The Cat's beat sheet on World Anvil, using our writing software Manuscripts.
Contents
1. Create a planning folder
To start, set up the planning space in your Manuscript:
- Open your Manuscript and create a new folder; call it something like "Planning"
- Under this folder, create a new text page called "Beat sheet"
- Use this page to draft (very briefly) each beat of your novel. You can use a table, a list, or any other format that you're comfortable with.
You can also use this folder for other planning materials, such as a brainstorm document, drafts for the novel's synopsis, and more. This guide will focus specifically on the beat sheet, however.
Save The Cat beats
Save The Cat divides your novel into three acts (although the second act is often divided in two). Here's the basic Save The Cat beat sheet:
Act 1
- Opening image
- Set up
- Theme stated
- Catalyst
- Debate
Act 2a
- Break into two
- B-story
- Fun and games
- Midpoint
Act 2b
- Bad guys close in
- All is lost
- Dark night of the soul
Act 3
- Break into three
- Finale
- Final image
2. Create a first draft folder
Now's time to set up the space where you'll be writing your novel following the Save The Cat structure!
- Create a new folder and call it "Draft One" (or "Draft Zero", or a similarly helpful name).
- Under this folder, create sub-folders for each act: Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3 (or Act 1, Act 2a, Act 2b, and Act 3 if you prefer this structure).
- Depending on how granular you want to be (and your planning workflow), consider creating even more subfolders for specific beats of the novel.
Then, start writing! Simply create text pages for each scene or chapter within the appropriate folder to keep everything neat and tidy. If you have named your folders and scenes clearly, you will have a very clear and easy-to-navigate Save The Cat structure.
3. Start with revisions
When the first draft is done, it will be time to edit it into a second draft! Create another folder ("Draft Two") and copy over the same structure you had in the previous draft's folder. This way, you can keep the previous versions of the novel intact, which might be useful later on.
Pro-tip: duplicate your scenes!
If you prefer editing rather than rewriting, you can duplicate scenes on Manuscripts to copy them over into the new draft folder without losing the previous one:
- Select the scene you want to duplicate.
- On the right side, click the gear icon.
- Click the Duplicate button at the bottom.
4. Use labels to organize your writing
Labels are a way to color-code scenes and chapters, and they're often used to easily highlight parts of the novel that are at different stages of drafting and editing. Check out How to use Manuscript labels for more information!
Alternative: Planning with Whiteboards
If you're a visual planner, you might enjoy Whiteboards instead of plotting in Manuscripts. With Whiteboard, you can visualize the overall structure of your plot. Then, transfer it to Manuscripts when you're happy with it. Check the Guide to Whiteboards for details!
