Save the Cat! and Story Grid: Structure in Beats

Final article in the series on Story Structure — could this be your magic recipe for success?

Photo by Madalyn Cox on Unsplash

This week, we’re wrapping up our series on different approaches to story structure. Today we’re focusing on two approaches that are a little more complex that the ones I’ve brought up already. This is only a brief overview, so if they intrigue you at all I encourage you to go to the websites, or get the books, and see if you find the approach useful.

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel, by Jessica Brody.

This is based off the screenwriting Save the Cat! model created by Blake Snyder. It breaks the three-act structure down into 15 beats, as follows:

ACT I

Opening Image — The “before” of your character in their world.

Theme Stated — A statement made by one of the characters hinting at the main theme or what the main character (MC) will need to learn by the end.

Setup — This encompasses the first 10% of the novel, and includes the previous two beats. We see the MC, what they want, meet supporting characters, etc.

Catalyst — Also known as the Inciting Incident, the event that kicks the story into gear and forces…