Save the Cat
Methods & processBlake Snyder's method: 15 beats precisely positioned across the story, from Opening Image to Final Image.
Example
Midpoint at the story's middle: false victory or false defeat reshuffling the deck; All Is Lost at three quarters.
Save the Cat is the structure method screenwriter Blake Snyder laid out in his 2005 book: fifteen beats positioned at precise points of the story — Opening Image, Catalyst, Midpoint, All Is Lost, Finale… The title comes from a characterization tip: have the hero perform an early likable act ("saving the cat") to win the audience over.
It's the most prescriptive of the popular structures — each beat has its position as a percentage of the story — and that's what makes it precious for diagnosis: a stalling manuscript can be compared beat by beat. Designed for film, it has been widely adapted to the novel, where its strict pagination is handled more loosely.
Go further
Save the Cat: the 15 beats explainedPut this term to work
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