Save the Cat
My Verdict: Keep on Desk
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder has been one of the best books I've read about writing because of just one chapter, focused around one idea: The Beat Sheet. Yes, this book is technically for screenwriters, and yes, the author talks a little too much with the audience, and sure, most of the rest of the book I don't bother with, but the beat sheet is gold.
Everyone will talk about how the character arcs in your novel need to unfold, and how to make your characters real, but this book will tell you when. He names each stage, gives you a paragraph to understand what that stage should be doing, and gives examples from different movies. At the end of the chapter, he beats out the entire movie Miss Congeniality.
Each part of the beat sheet is important, but let me pick one at random to examine: #8 Fun and Games - nearly 30 pages of a 110 page screenplay. It's honestly one of the easiest things to pick out in a movie (or notice when it's done wrong). This is mostly where the preview clips come from. Your main character is trying their hardest to fit into the new role they've been given and figure out how everything works. Even when it's a tense, serious movie, it's the part where you really start cheering for them not to mess up. In most cases it will also be one of the most memorable moments.
I am not saying that the Beat Sheet is easy. While this is a formula, all rules are meant to be broken, and I'll be honest, when you're writing your novel you might have two different scenes that seem to apply to "Fun and Games" in opposite parts of the novel. But, maybe, there's a reason you're still trying to figure out how to finish your novel - maybe the beats aren't hitting at the right time or with enough impact.
Your Homework: go watch Edge of Tomorrow and beat it out.
My Verdict: Keep on Desk
Save the Cat by Blake Snyder has been one of the best books I've read about writing because of just one chapter, focused around one idea: The Beat Sheet. Yes, this book is technically for screenwriters, and yes, the author talks a little too much with the audience, and sure, most of the rest of the book I don't bother with, but the beat sheet is gold.
Everyone will talk about how the character arcs in your novel need to unfold, and how to make your characters real, but this book will tell you when. He names each stage, gives you a paragraph to understand what that stage should be doing, and gives examples from different movies. At the end of the chapter, he beats out the entire movie Miss Congeniality.
Each part of the beat sheet is important, but let me pick one at random to examine: #8 Fun and Games - nearly 30 pages of a 110 page screenplay. It's honestly one of the easiest things to pick out in a movie (or notice when it's done wrong). This is mostly where the preview clips come from. Your main character is trying their hardest to fit into the new role they've been given and figure out how everything works. Even when it's a tense, serious movie, it's the part where you really start cheering for them not to mess up. In most cases it will also be one of the most memorable moments.
I am not saying that the Beat Sheet is easy. While this is a formula, all rules are meant to be broken, and I'll be honest, when you're writing your novel you might have two different scenes that seem to apply to "Fun and Games" in opposite parts of the novel. But, maybe, there's a reason you're still trying to figure out how to finish your novel - maybe the beats aren't hitting at the right time or with enough impact.
Your Homework: go watch Edge of Tomorrow and beat it out.
Rating Scale: Keep on Desk,
Own It, Read It, Skim It, Don’t Bother
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