Save the Cat!: The Blake Snyder Beat Sheet (the BS2)

Recently I raved here about Save the Cat! Some friends wanted to hear more, so I thought I’d break down possibly the most valuable page in any writing book I own–with the clear caution that this alone isn’t enough (unless you are far better at taking a thought and running with it than I am.) If the beat sheet makes sense to you, I will jump up and down and beg you to buy the book to get full use out of it.

Below is the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet, and yes, that’s the author and he named it exactly that. No, he’s not some arrogant boor–the book is quite funny and his enthusiasm for what he does (did, sadly he has passed on) shines through on every page. The numbers in parentheses are where these things should happen in a script. Obviously for a novel it’s going to be different. I simply took the page count of a script (110 pages, Blake says), doubled it, and will try to hit the mark.

I’ll use my current WIP to explain what these mean to me, because it’s the first story I’ve done with it.

1. The Opening Image (page 1)

So. Opening image. You want it to catch attention, and you want it to show normal life at the beginning of the story. Kolya’s story begins with his helplessness–in a place he never asked to be, a man he never wanted to know is strangling him.

2. Theme stated (page 5)

What is this story about? I’m not sure I did this well, but the actual what-it’s-about is pretty easy. It’s about Kolya learning that he can take care of himself. It’s not very clear in the manuscript yet, but it will probably be something along the lines of Jadzia telling him to stand up for himself, with the assumption that he’s capable of doing so.

3. Set-up (pages 1-10)

Set-up is pretty self-explanatory. In this part I toss in backstory of Kolya’s life before rescue. Keen saved him, I introduced Jadzia and the relationship she has with Keen, and I mentioned or introduced Taro, Rafe, and the governor of Kolya’s new home, Angelo Caprice. (Whom I hadn’t planned to bring in, but my muses keep coming back to him. Hmm…)

4. Catalyst (page 12)

This is the wake up call. I’m struggling with this right now–I think my outline may need work. Or maybe I just need to write on and fix it later. But soon, someone or something is going to piss Kolya off enough, or inspire him enough, that even though he’s a skinny little pink-haired boy who doesn’t know how to do anything, he will decide to take control of his life. Actually, I believe I just figured this out. When he gets to BFR, Kolya finds Rafe instantly reassuring, and it’s been a problem. He’s quite willing to depend on Rafe (I’ll pause for those who know Rafe to stop laughing ^__^ ) for direction. I’d already planned to get Rafe out of reach in order to dump responsibility (yet again) on Jadzia. Rafe’s departure should make a good catalyst. Jadzia is well-meaning, but she doesn’t have a clue what’s going on with Kolya, where Rafe, with just a few hints, would understand completely–and ruin my story.

5. Debate (page 12-25)

ETA: Blake explains this as the hero waffling. He knows what he has to do–but can he do it?

Sure Kolya’s decided to take control, but he doesn’t know how. Normality to him is a gilded cage, and now he’s not only free–he’s on a colony that honors and demands self-reliance. So he’ll try to learn everything that’s presented to him, and he’ll flail and angst a lot. I rely on him being adorable to keep readers rooting for him.

6. Break in Two (page 25)

Learning piecemeal isn’t working. Jadzia has no time to teach, and the tutor she hired (Adael, who I thought was my B story but isn’t) has only limited time. In response to Kolya’s impatience with the way things are going, Jadzia puts Kolya in a small, restrictive school–she can see he needs both supervision and attention. Of course, Kolya will flail about, trying to figure out the new rules of his life.

Break in Two refers to breaking into the second act, for those used to a three-act structure. The first act, according to Blake, is the thesis–the character’s normal world. The second is the anti-thesis–the complete opposite. From thinking himself unable to do anything, Kolya will go to trying to do everything himself.

7. B Story (page 30)

This is the subplot, the secondary story. It’s often a love story. I thought this would be Adael, but–gods help me–it’s Joss. (Don’t panic–they’ll just be friends.) Circumstances will throw Kolya and Joss together a lot when Jadzia has no time, and the problems Joss is dealing with will cast some of Kolya’s in a different light.

8. Fun and Games (page 30-55)

Struggles and setbacks. Kolya’s attempts to do well at school don’t stay in the realm of academics–that’s not how he’s used to getting by in the world.

9. Midpoint (page 55)

This is something that confused me for a long time. It makes it seem like everyone should be talking about a four-act structure. Blake Snyder makes it lots easier, but then he makes it complicated again and I’m not sure I can explain. He says (and I believe him) that this has to be the opposite of the All is Lost beat–if the midpoint is a victory, the All is Lost point must be a defeat. And he takes it farther, by saying they both should be false. I’ll try to make this work with a false defeat here–Kolya gets kicked out of the first school for his behavior. But he could have stayed–if he accepted an underhanded deal from an adult who wants something he would have done in a heartbeat at the beginning of the book. Kolya has changed–saying no isn’t something he could have done on page one.

Also, the stakes are raised. Kolya must go to the public school–it’s the only option left. And no one thinks he can hack it.

10. Bad Guys Close In (page 55-75)

My outline is getting fuzzier here, but it’s good that I’m seeing it. So. Bad guys close in. Adael has been a safe haven for Kolya, and he’s attractive as well. Naturally Joss, our resident horn-dog has noticed–and he hits on Adael. Kolya defends, but Adael isn’t interested in either of them. So his crush isn’t going well, and his friend sort of betrayed him. (I’m not sure yet if Joss knew how Kolya felt about Adael, but either way–they’re now in conflict.) Kolya’s in a new school with a lot more kids and a lot less supervision, and he’s on notice from Jadzia–no more of the cheating methods he used to do well in the first school. Also, Kolya’s discovered that even this clean new world isn’t as pristine as it looks–the sex industry exists here, and the lure of going back to when life was easy is a strong one.

11. All is Lost (page 75)

Sounds pretty self-evident. My initial plan was to reveal, in a very public and humiliating way, Kolya’s secret–he’s been posing as a girl all along, because it seemed safer. It points up again how helpless he was–that being a girl seemed safer to him. I just realized, though, that it’s another false defeat. I’ll have to poke at it, see if I can turn it around. Or maybe I’ll write it as planned–and see if that up-down axis Blake swears by is true. I’m kind of reluctant to break the rules without giving them a try once, though. (Wait, wait–if it’s not public, or if it almost is revealed, and Kolya knows how close he came…ooh!)

12. Dark Night of The Soul (page 75-85)

Turning point! Old idea–Kolya’s plans are in ruins; his efforts laid waste. Everyone he cares about feels lied to, and everything he did accomplish on his own is suspect. He knows how to go back to his gilded cage, and he’s about decided to just do it. New idea–dunno. But get him to the same point–he’s about to give up.

13. Break into Three (page 85)

Act three! Time for the synthesis of the old world and the new. According to Blake, the B story feeds into this solution, so Joss will be the one to help Kolya Figure It All Out. Exactly what he figures out, I don’t know–so clearly I need to do more plotting. It has something to do with friends, teamwork–how we don’t have to do it alone to be self-reliant.

14. Finale (page 85 – 110)

He’s got it now. Kolya knows what he needs to do, and he knows he’s got the strength to do it. In ascending order of how much they matter, Kolya will deal with everyone–the kids at school, his coworkers at the restaurant–including Jadzia, his old “owner,” his new love.

15. Final Image (page 110)

This should be the opposite of the first scene. Show the transition from the old world to the new. So I’ll end with Kolya, having made some progress with Adael, somehow (he may need a chair) pushing Adael to the wall and kissing him. How’s that for a juxtaposition? (the very thought of this makes me grin. I think that’s what Blake calls “satisfying.” ^__^ )

I didn’t work these out in order. I took what I knew–my opening image, my theme, my love story, and tried to plug them in. Obviously things changed. I’d meant for Adael to have a much larger part, for one, but he’s just too calm and accepting (though he does have a temper! It’s just hard to ignite.) Joss will be much better for Kolya to play off.

Some of the things I thought belonged in this story aren’t here. Adael’s faith (Judaism), Kolya’s cat. My outline still has lots of grey in it, though, so I might yet fit them in. And I need to thresh out why my muses keep bringing up Governor Angelo Caprice. I expect it will be awesome.

There you go. The beat sheet. I hope it’s helpful. And I hope, if it is helpful, that you will get the book. For lo, tis awesome.

Suggestions for fixing my laid-bare plot issues are welcome, as long as you won’t be offended if I say they won’t work or I dunwanna. Even unworkable (to me) ideas are helpful, as thinking about what won’t work often leads to figuring out what does.  🙂

Also, feel free to lay out your plot and poke it, either here or on your blog with a link in the comments.