Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
Introduction
Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody takes the books of Blake Snyder and applies his teachings to writing novels. Blake Snyder wrote three books in his Save the Cat series about screenwriting. Jessica Brody shows how she finds the act structure, beat sheets, and story genres in novels just like she finds them in movies. The book gives a clear plan for creating a novel that is complete.
Summary
Jessica Brody divides Save the Cat Writes a Novel into four sections. She explains the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet first. Every novel has 15 beats that fall at a specific page number in the novel. The 15 beats must be in the novel to satisfy the reader with the novel’s ending. Every novel also follows one of ten genres. These ten genres have three different components that make them work. The ten genres are Whydunit, Rites of Passage, Institutionalized, Superhero, Dude with A Problem, The Fool Triumphant, Buddy Love, Out of the Bottle. Golden Fleece, and Monster in the House. Next is a chapter on writing killer loglines and dazzling synopses. Describing your novel is important to selling it to editors and publishers. The book ends with a Q and A section which answers typical questions about the process.
Recommendation
Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody is a great book on writing. She takes Blake Snyder’s teachings on screenwriting and transposes the lessons to writing novels. The book is full of examples of current and past novels. She presents complete beat sheets and genre breakdowns. This book is a great resource for any point in the novel-writing process. Use it when you begin a project, in the middle to fix a problem, or at the end to refine a polished draft. I tried to use Blake Snyder’s teachings to write my stories. Jessica Brody presents the information in a clear and concise manner. I will use this book from now on for writing my stories.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39014796-save-the-cat-writes-a-novel
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Save the Cat by Blake Snyder
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49464.Save_the_Cat
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Save the Cat Strikes Back by Blake Snyder
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7235236-save-the-cat-strikes-back
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Save the Cat Goes to The Movies by Blake Snyder
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/551171.Save_the_Cat_Goes_to_the_Movies
A similar book on writing is Self-Publishing Boot Camp by Carla King. This is the link to my review. It has everything you want to know about Self-Publishing.
Another similar book on writing is How to Write Best Selling Fiction by Dean Koontz. This is the link to my review. It’s from 1981, but the advice is still great.
Another similar book on writing is Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is a useful writing book. The exercises help pinpoint common problems of beginning writers.