Save the Cat beat sheet: [Working title]
Story at a glance
Logline | |
Story type | |
Hero and their goal | |
What they need | |
Theme | |
Length |
The ten story types and what each needs
Type | What it needs |
Monster in the House | A monster, a “house” the characters can't leave, and a sin that let the monster in |
Golden Fleece | A road, a team, and a prize that turns out to be less than the journey |
Out of the Bottle | A wish or a curse, the rules of the spell, and a lesson |
Dude with a Problem | An ordinary hero, a sudden event, and a fight for survival |
Rites of Passage | A life problem, a wrong way of attacking it, and a solution that is acceptance |
Buddy Love | An incomplete hero, the counterpart who completes them, and a complication that keeps them apart |
Whydunit | A detective, a secret, and a dark turn that shows us something about ourselves |
The Fool Triumphant | An underestimated fool, an establishment, and a change in one of them |
Institutionalized | A group, a choice between the group and the self, and a sacrifice |
Superhero | A power, a nemesis as strong as the hero, and the curse of being special |
The fifteen beats
One sentence a beat, an event or a choice. Where: share of a novel, then page of a 110-page script.
Beat | Where | What happens | Ch. |
Act One: the hero's world (0–20%) | |||
1. Opening Image | 0–1% · p. 1 | ||
2. Theme Stated | ~5% · p. 5 | ||
3. Setup | 1–10% · pp. 1–10 | ||
4. Catalyst | ~10% · p. 12 | ||
5. Debate | 10–20% · pp. 12–25 | ||
Act Two: the upside-down world (20–80%) | |||
6. Break into Two | ~20% · p. 25 | ||
7. B Story | ~22% · p. 30 | ||
8. Fun and Games | 20–50% · pp. 30–55 | ||
9. Midpoint | ~50% · p. 55 | ||
10. Bad Guys Close In | 50–75% · pp. 55–75 | ||
11. All Is Lost | ~75% · p. 75 | ||
12. Dark Night of the Soul | 75–80% · pp. 75–85 | ||
Act Three: the merged world (80–100%) | |||
13. Break into Three | ~80% · p. 85 | ||
14. Finale | 80–99% · pp. 85–110 | ||
15. Final Image | 99–100% · p. 110 | ||
Questions for each beat
Act One
Opening Image: What does the first scene show about the hero and their problem? Pick something you can mirror at the end.
Theme Stated: Who says the lesson out loud, usually another character, and how does the hero brush it off?
Setup: Home, work, the people who matter. What is broken in the hero's life that the story will put right, or fail to?
Catalyst: What happens to the hero that they cannot ignore?
Debate: What one question do they argue with, and what do they stand to lose by saying yes?
Act Two
Break into Two: What does the hero decide that takes them into the new world? A choice, not luck.
B Story: Who arrives with this act, and what will they show the hero about the theme?
Fun and Games: Which scenes did the reader pick this book for? What does the hero try, and how does the new world answer?
Midpoint: False victory or false defeat? What raises the stakes, and is there now a clock?
Bad Guys Close In: How do the enemies outside regroup, and how do the hero's flaw and the cracks in their team make it worse?
All Is Lost: What ends, leaves or dies, even if only a hope?
Dark Night of the Soul: Where does the hero go to grieve, and what do they finally admit?
Act Three
Break into Three: What idea, often from the B story, shows the hero a new way through?
Finale: Snyder's five steps are below.
Final Image: The opening snapshot again. What is different, and what did it cost?
The finale in five steps
Gathering the team | |
Executing the plan | |
The high tower surprise | |
Digging deep down | |
Executing the new plan |
Mirror check
Pair | Early beat | Late beat |
Opening / Final Image | ||
Midpoint / All Is Lost | ||
Theme Stated / Finale | ||
Setup / Finale: the want |
Before you draft
The Catalyst happens to the hero, and Break into Two is something they choose
The Debate asks one question and is settled by about a fifth of the way in
The B Story character carries the theme, not just a romance
Fun and Games delivers the scenes the premise promises
The Midpoint and All Is Lost point in opposite directions
Something ends or dies at All Is Lost, even if only a hope or a relationship
The hero wins or loses the Finale through the lesson, and nobody rescues them
The Final Image mirrors the Opening Image and shows the change