Notes: Brody-Save the Cat 1

The Hero

How do you create a hero who is interesting, memorable, and relatable, a hero whom readers want to read about? A hero worthy of an entire novel written about them?

Easy!

You simply give them:

1. A problem (or flaw that needs fixing)
2. A want (or goal that the hero is pursuing)
3. A need (or life lesson to be learned)

Don’t let the problem stay contained to just one area of your hero’s life. Let the problem(s) manifest and spread and infect! Your hero’s problem(s) should be affecting their entire world: their work, their home life, and their relationships.

Your hero’s want or goal is an integral part of what’s called the A Story. The A Story is the external story. It’s the stuff that happens on the surface. Car chases; wars; fights in the school hallway; new jobs; casting magic spells; taking on an evil, dystopian government; poisoning the king. Essentially, it’s the exciting stuff. The “cool” stuff. Or what’s also referred to as the premise.

On the other hand, the B Story is the internal story. It’s the story that’s intricately linked to what your hero needs to learn in order to change their life, complete their transformation, and enter the hall of fame of story-worthiness

The Life Lesson

The life lesson is the inner journey that your hero didn’t even know they were on, that will eventually lead them to the answer they never expected.

This life lesson should be something universal. Something inherently human. You should be able to walk up to any Joe Schmoe or Jane Schmane on the street, tell them what your hero needs to learn, and they would instantly get it. Or better yet, relate to it.

And here’s the good news. There are not that many options to choose from. I’ve found that almost every novel throughout time has an internal goal or need that is in some way a derivative of one of the following ten universal lessons:

• Forgiveness: of self or of others
• Love: includes self-love, family love, romantic love
• Acceptance: of self, of circumstances, of reality
• Faith: in oneself, in others, in the world, in God
• Fear: overcoming it, conquering it, finding courage
• Trust: in oneself, in others, in the unknown
• Survival: including the will to live
• Selflessness: including sacrifice, altruism, heroism, and overcoming greed
• Responsibility: including duty, standing up for a cause, accepting one’s destiny
• Redemption: including atonement, accepting blame, remorse, and salvation

EXERCISE: IS MY HERO STORY-WORTHY?

• Who is the hero of your story?
• What is their big problem or flaw (bonus points if they have more than one!). Remember, flaws start internally (from that metaphorical shard of glass) and manifest into external problems in your hero’s life.
• How is this problem or flaw affecting your hero’s life/world?
• What is causing this problem or flaw? What is the shard of glass? (Time to psychoanalyze, Dr. Author!)
• At the start of the novel, what does your hero want? What is their goal? (What do they think will fix their life?)
• How has your hero been actively pursuing this goal?
• Why haven’t they achieved this goal yet? (This roadblock can be internal, external, or both!)
• What does your hero actually need? What is their life lesson? (What will really fix their life?)

CHECK YOURSELF!

❏ Does your chosen hero change more than any other character in the novel?

❏ Is your hero’s problem or flaw specific?

❏ Does the hero’s problem or flaw create a desperate need for change?

❏ Is your hero’s goal tangible and concrete? (Will we, as readers, know when or if they achieve it?)

❏ Is there something standing in the way of your hero achieving that goal? (If not, the goal is too easy!)

❏ Is your hero’s need (or life lesson) universal? Would a random person on the street understand it?

BEAT Sheet

Beat Sheet Summary

ACT 1

1. OPENING IMAGE (0 TO 1%): A “before” snapshot of your hero and their world.
2. THEME STATED (5%): A statement made by a character (typically not the hero) that hints at what the hero’s arc will be (that is, what the hero must learn/discover before the end of the book). Also referred to as a life lesson.
3. SETUP (1% TO 10%): An exploration of the hero’s status quo life and all its flaws, where we learn what the hero’s life looks like before its epic transformation. Here we also introduce other supporting characters and the hero’s primary goal. But most important, we show the hero’s reluctance to change (aka learn the theme) while also hinting at the stakes at risk should the hero not change.
4. CATALYST (10%): An inciting incident (or life-changing event) that happens to the hero, which will catapult them into a new world or new way of thinking. An action beat that should be big enough to prevent the hero from being able to return to their status quo Setup world.
5. DEBATE (10% TO 20%): A reaction sequence in which the hero debates what they will do next. It’s usually presented in the form of a question (such as “Should I go?”). The purpose of this beat is to show the hero’s reluctance to change.

ACT 2

1. BREAK INTO 2 (20%): The moment the hero decides to accept the call to action, leave their comfort zone, try something new, or venture into a new world or new way of thinking. It’s a decisive action beat that separates the status quo world of Act 1 from the new “upside-down” world of Act 2.
2. B STORY (22%): The introduction of a new character or characters who will ultimately serve to help the hero learn the theme. Also referred to as a helper character, this can be a love interest, a nemesis, a mentor, a family member, or a friend.
3. 8. FUN AND GAMES (20% TO 50%): This is where we see the hero in their new world. They’re either loving it or hating it. Succeeding or floundering. Also called the promise of the premise, this section represents the “hook” of the story (why the reader picked up the novel in the first place).
4. MIDPOINT (50%): Literally the middle of the novel, where the Fun and Games culminates in either a false victory (the hero has thus far been succeeding) or a false defeat (the hero has thus far been floundering). Something should happen here to raise the stakes and push the hero toward real change.
5. 10. BAD GUYS CLOSE IN (50% TO 75%): If the Midpoint was a false victory, this section will be a downward path where things get progressively worse for the hero. If the Midpoint was a false defeat, this section will be an upward path where things seem to get progressively better for the hero. But regardless of path, the hero’s deep-rooted flaws (or internal bad guys) are closing in.
6. ALL IS LOST (75%): The lowest point of the novel. An action beat where something happens to the hero that, combined with the internal bad guys, pushes the hero to rock bottom.
7. 12. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL (75% TO 80%): A reaction beat where the hero takes time to process everything that’s happened thus far. The hero should be worse off than at the start of the novel. The darkest hour—just before the dawn—is the moment right before the hero figures out the solution to their big problem and learns the theme or life lesson.

ACT 3

1. BREAK INTO 3 (80%): The “aha!” moment. The hero realizes what they must do to not only fix all of the problems created in Act 2, but more important, fix themselves. The arc is nearly complete.
2. 14. FINALE (80% TO 99%): The hero proves they have truly learned the theme and enacts the plan they came up with in the Break Into 3. Bad guys are destroyed, flaws are conquered, lovers are reunited. Not only is the hero’s world saved, but it’s a better place than it was before.
3. FINAL IMAGE (99% TO 100%): A mirror to the Opening Image, this is the “after” snapshot of who the hero is after going through this epic and satisfying transformation.

So there you have it. The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet. This is your blueprint for an engaging, well-structured story with a compelling and complete character arc that will resonate with readers. Don’t worry if the beats seem foreign or confusing right now. This is just the overview. We’re now going to dive into every single one in such great detail you’ll soon be eating, sleeping, and breathing these beats.

BEATS Schematis

MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS (READERS 8 TO 12)	WORD COUNT	ESTIMATED MANUSCRIPT PAGE COUNT
Publishing Industry Standard	40,000 to 60,000	160 to 240
Holes by Louis Sachar	47,079	188
Wonder by R. J. Palacio	73,053	292
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone	96,000	384
YOUNG ADULT NOVELS (READERS 12 TO 17)	WORD COUNT	ESTIMATED MANUSCRIPT PAGE COUNT
Publishing Industry Standard	60,000 to 90,000	240 to 360
The Giver by Lois Lowry	43,617	174
Lord of the Flies by William Golding	59,900	239
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins	99,750	399
GENERAL FICTION NOVELS (READERS 18 AND UP)	WORD COUNT	ESTIMATED MANUSCRIPT PAGE COUNT
Publishing Industry Standard	70,000 to 100,000	280 to 400
Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding	86,400	346
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown	138,952	556
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn	145,719	582

ACT I

1. OPENING IMAGE

WHAT DOES IT DO? Provides a quick “before” snapshot of your hero and their world.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 1% (This is the first scene or chapter of your novel.)

2. THEME STATED

WHAT DOES IT DO? Briefly alludes to the transformative journey that your hero will take and the flaw or flaws they will eventually conquer.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 5% (or somewhere within the first 10% of the novel)

3. SETUP

WHAT DOES IT DO? Sets up your hero’s life and their status quo world before everything changes.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 1% to 10% (This beat usually takes up the first tenth of the novel.)

4. CATALYST

WHAT DOES IT DO? Disrupts the status quo world with a life-changing event.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 10% (or earlier)

5. DEBATE

WHAT DOES IT DO? Shows how resistant your hero is to change and/or prepares your hero for the break into Act 2.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 10% to 20% (This beat takes us from Catalyst to the end of Act 1.)

ACT II

6. BREAK INTO 2

WHAT DOES IT DO? Brings the hero into the upside-down world of Act 2, where they will fix things the wrong way.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 20% (Before you get one-quarter of the way through your novel, there should be a clear Act break.)

7. B STORY

WHAT DOES IT DO? Introduces the character who will somehow represent the B Story/spiritual story/theme and help your hero learn it.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 22% (Usually happens right after the Break Into 2, but can come earlier. Just make sure it happens in the first 25% of the novel.)

FUN AND GAMES

WHAT DOES IT DO? Delivers on the promise of the premise of the novel and shows us how your hero is faring in the new Act 2 world (either having fun or floundering).

WHERE DOES IT GO? 20% to 50% (This beat spans the entire first half of Act 2.)

The key to figuring out the Fun and Games beat is realizing that this part of the story might be fun only for the reader. Not necessarily for the hero.

Yes, Harry Potter has a blast when he first gets to Hogwarts. He is having fun in his upside-down magic world. Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games? Not so much.

Readers, though, are loving it. Not because they’re sadistic and evil and wish they too were in that arena killing people. But because reading about Katniss’s struggle is interesting and engaging. It’s an Act 1 hero living in an Act 2 world. And if you’ve built your Act 1 and Act 2 worlds to be as different as possible (like I told you to do!), this is automatically fun.

Plus, Katniss fighting in the arena delivers on the premise of the book. Heck, it even delivers on the title of the book!

So to avoid confusion, let’s define the Fun and Games beat like this: a multi-scene beat in which your hero either shines in their new upside-down world or flounders in it.

Because those are your only two options. They’re either loving it or hating it. They’re either grateful they made this leap of faith and went on this adventure, or they’re severely missing their old way of life.

Think about who your hero is. Think about how they’re feeling as they step into their Act 2 world. Are they happy to be there? Or are they miserable? Are they excelling in their new way of life? Or are they struggling?

Now, that doesn’t mean your entire Fun and Games beat has to be all struggle or all success. In fact, I recommend it not be. The Fun and Games is nearly 30 percent of your novel. You have to vary the action.

I call this the bouncing ball narrative. Your hero is up, your hero is down. Things are going swimmingly, things are going horribly. The hero succeeds at something, then fails at something. The girl gets the boy, the girl loses the boy. The detective makes a breakthrough on the case, only to discover it’s a false lead. The king wins a battle, then loses a battle. Up, down, up, down, and so on and so forth. This unpredictable dynamic is how you make your Fun and Games rich, engaging, and most of all, fun!

But despite how many times your ball bounces, in the end there should be a general direction in which the beat is heading: success or failure. This is something you must decide. Is this beat an upward path (the general direction heading toward success) or a downward path (the general direction heading toward failure)?

Once Louisa in Me Before You accepts the job as Will’s companion and decides to convince him not to take his own life, it’s a generally upward path toward the Midpoint. Louisa is making a good wage (wants), and is having a positive effect on Will, which is evident from his improved mood and appearance. The two even share an (ambiguously) romantic night at the symphony together.

Same goes for Mark Watney in The Martian. Despite the Catalyst being catastrophic (Mark Watney is stuck on Mars with no crew and no way home), Mark’s Fun and Games beat is a decidedly upward path as he successfully figures out how to communicate with NASA and grow potatoes in the Hab. So far, it seems as though he’ll actually survive until the next Mars mission arrives.

On the other hand, the Fun and Games beat in The Hunger Games is a decidedly downward path. As the Hunger Games kick off, Katniss is hit from all sides by challenges including dehydration, fire, and tracker jackers (genetically engineered wasps), not to mention twenty-three other teenagers trying to kill her.

Similarly in The Grapes of Wrath, Tom Joad and his family are faced with nothing but failures as they set off for California in search of work in the Fun and Games beat. The family unit even starts to unravel when Grandpa dies and Noah, Tom’s older brother, abandons the group. It’s a clear downward path to the Midpoint.

The general direction of your Fun and Games is a critical decision to be made as you structure your novel. Because as you’ll soon see, whichever path you choose for this beat—upward or downward—will ultimately define not only the next beat (the Midpoint) but the rest of the second act.

MIDPOINT

WHAT DOES IT DO? Marks the middle of the novel with either a false defeat or a false victory while at the same time raising the stakes of the story.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 50%

So what exactly is the Midpoint?

Basically it’s a single-scene beat in which three very essential things happen:

1. The hero experiences either a false victory or a false defeat.
2. The stakes of the story are raised.
3. The A and B stories intersect in some way.

The Grapes of Wrath also features a false defeat Midpoint when the Joad family reaches their destination of California (external goal) only to find that they’ve been deceived. California does not offer the prosperity and jobs they expected. And Tom Joad hasn’t yet fulfilled his thematic destiny to help organize workers and fight for equality (internal goal).

We writers set up these false victories and false defeats so we can do one very crucial thing (the second essential Midpoint element): to raise the stakes of the story.

So, how do we raise the stakes? Well, that’s up to you. But here are some common stakes-raising methods that you’ll often find in popular novels:

• LOVE STORIES RAMP UP: This usually happens in the form of a kiss (or more!), a declaration of love, a marriage, a proposal, anything that ups the ante of a relationship and makes it even more difficult for the hero to go back to their old way of life. Once you’re in love, you’re in love. And even though your hero can still screw it up (and they probably will!), they can’t simply walk away and pretend it never happened. At the Midpoint of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Starr and her boyfriend, Chris, exchange “I love yous” for the very first time. Up until this moment, Starr has been hiding her true self from Chris (by not telling him that she was the key witness in the police shooting of Khalil), effectively still keeping her home world and her school world separate (just as she was doing at the beginning). By upping the stakes of their relationship, author Thomas is essentially saying, “You can’t stay hidden forever, Starr. Things are getting very real, very fast.”
• TIME CLOCKS APPEAR: Nothing raises stakes and refocuses your story faster than a ticking clock. A bomb is discovered. A kidnapper sends a ransom note with a deadline. A doctor gives someone two weeks to live. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail with a date three months from now. A terrorist threatens to assassinate a politician at an upcoming rally. These are all great ways to give your story a thrilling boost into the second half of the book. Ticking clocks grab the hero’s (and the reader’s) attention and force them to really think about what’s important and what needs to be done. In The Martian, just as things seem to be going well for Mark Watney, BOOM! The airlock on the Hab breaks, and all of his potato crops are destroyed. His ticking clock (to get off Mars before his food runs out) was just put on fast forward. This will eventually force Mark to put his courage to the ultimate test (theme) if he wants to survive.
• A MAJOR GAME-CHANGING PLOT TWIST: This is one of my favorite ways to raise the stakes in a novel, because I love writing plot twists. Essentially, a plot twist is you saying to the hero (and the reader), “You don’t even know the half of it yet. Here’s what you’re really dealing with!” I call this the Midpoint twist, and writers of thrillers and mysteries employ it quite often. In Memory Man, just when Decker and his partner Lancaster start to make some headway on the case involving the school shooting and the death of Decker’s family (false victory), suddenly one of the FBI agents on the case turns up dead at Decker’s front door, and the evidence reveals that the cops are dealing with not one suspect, like they originally thought, but This is a double whammy stake raiser. First, someone close to the investigation is dead; then Decker discovers a twist that no one saw coming and that completely changes the case: the killer is working with someone else! Both of these events put extra pressure on Decker to solve the case, not only for the families of the school shooting victims (A Story) but for his own personal closure regarding the murder of his family (B Story).
• BIG PARTY, CELEBRATION, OR PUBLIC “OUTING”: If you look at some of your favorite novels, you’ll often find that some kind of big party or celebration with lots of people happens right around the middle of the book. I realize a party or celebration may not seem like something that would naturally raise the stakes, but it is. Up until this point, your hero might have been existing in Act 2, but were they really shouting from the rooftops that this is who they are now? Probably not. Because they probably still had a piece of their heart left in Act 1. But having them attend what I call a Midpoint party (a social gathering or large celebration with tons of people) essentially gives your hero a chance to step out into their Act 2 world and declare themselves a part of it. In front of everyone. It’s a public “outing” of sorts, which is difficult to back away from. The Midpoint of Me Before You (Louisa’s birthday dinner party) is the first time in the book when Louisa’s parents and boyfriend meet Will, the quadriplegic man she’s been hired to take care of (and is slowly falling in love with). This is essentially a collision of her two worlds and a public outing of this new Act 2 version of Louisa. And by putting these two worlds in the same room together, author Moyes shines a spotlight on how different Louisa has become in the few months she’s been spending with Will.

10. BAD GUYS CLOSE IN

WHAT DOES IT DO? Provides a place for your hero to rebound after a false defeat Midpoint or fall down after a false victory Midpoint, all while the internal bad guys (flaws) are closing in.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 50% to 75%

Flaws

In The Grapes of Wrath, after a difficult Midpoint, the Joad family’s predicament starts to improve. They find a nice government camp (a vast improvement over the Hoovervilles they’ve been staying in), and they even find work picking peaches.

Similarly, in The Hunger Games, even though Katniss is still dealing with the bad guys of the Capitol and the other tributes, things start to look better for her in the second half of Act 2. She’s earning some wins in the arena. She forms an alliance with Rue, and together the two blow up the supplies of the Career tributes. When the Bad Guys Close In is an upward path, false victories like this are often found right before the All Is Lost. Your hero has a small win right before everything falls apart.

But regardless of whether your Bad Guys Close In beat is a downward path or an upward path, whether there are literal bad guys or just bad things are happening to the hero, there is one kind of bad guy that does exist in all stories.

And that’s internal bad guys.

By this, I mean your hero’s flaws. Those pesky things you set up all the way back in Act 1 that you promised (via your Theme Stated) that your hero would eventually deal with.

11. ALL IS LOST

WHAT DOES IT DO? Illustrates your hero’s rock bottom (lowest moment) of the story.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 75%

I like to think of the All Is Lost as yet another Catalyst. It’s an action beat that serves a very similar function to the Catalyst beat in Act 1. If the first Catalyst pushed your hero into the Debate and then into the Break Into 2, then the All Is Lost will push your hero into the Dark Night of the Soul and finally into the Break Into 3.

12. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

WHAT DOES IT DO? Shows how your hero reacts to the All Is Lost and how they eventually break through to a resolution.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 75% to 80% (This beat takes us to the end of Act 2.)

If the All Is Lost is another Catalyst, then naturally, the Dark Night of the Soul beat is another Debate. After hitting rock bottom, what does your hero do? What does anyone do? They react.

They think about everything that’s happened. They ponder. They contemplate.

They wallow.

I like to call the Dark Night of the Soul “the wallowing beat.” Because that’s pretty much what heroes do here. They sit around or walk around, feeling hopeless and sorry for themselves. And there’s often rain involved.

Jane runs away from Thornfield Hall and nearly starves to death (Jane Eyre). Katniss mourns Rue’s death by burying her in flowers (The Hunger Games). Winston wallows in his jail cell, uncertain of his future (1984). Louisa sits in her room for days, refusing to come out (Me Before You).

Not all heroes wallow, however. Some get angry, like Starr in The Hate U Give, who, after finding out justice won’t be served for Khalil, just wants to riot and destroy. Some slip into denial, like Greg in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, who tries to convince himself he’s better off without his best friend, Rowley, by hanging out with someone else.

Your hero’s specific reaction depends solely on who your hero is as a person. How do they react to this low point in their lives?

The All Is Lost was a single-scene beat. It happened fast. It was one scene or one chapter and then it was over. Now your hero needs time to process it all. That’s why the Dark Night of the Soul is a multi-scene beat. You get several scenes or chapters to show how your hero is dealing with this defeat.

But it’s not just wallowing (or brooding) in the rain. The Dark Night of the Soul has a very important and useful function. It’s the darkness before the dawn. It’s the moment before the big breakthrough realization.

Act 3

13. BREAK INTO 3

WHAT DOES IT DO? Brings the hero into the synthesis world of Act 3, where they will finally fix things the right way.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 80%

14. FINALE

WHAT DOES IT DO? Resolves all the problems created in Act 2 and proves that your hero has learned the theme and has been transformed.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 80% to 99%

• Point 1: Gathering the Team
• Point 2: Executing the Plan
• Point 3: The High Tower Surprise
• Point 4: Dig Deep Down
• Point 5: The Execution of the New Plan

15. FINAL IMAGE

WHAT DOES IT DO? Provides an “after” snapshot of your hero and your hero’s life to show how much they’ve changed.

WHERE DOES IT GO? 99% to 100% (This is the final scene or chapter of your novel.)

Notes

EXERCISE: THE TRANSFORMATION TEST

Is your hero’s transformation as big as it can be? Have you hit all the beats hard enough?

Use this handy Self-Workshop Checklist to make sure your beats pass the transformation test!

Opening Image

❏ Is your Opening Image one scene or one group of interconnected scenes?

❏ Is your Opening Image visual? (Are you showing, not telling?)

❏ Is one or more of your hero’s flaws evident in this scene?

Theme Stated

❏ Does your theme directly relate to your hero’s need or spiritual lesson?

❏ Is your theme stated by someone (or something!) other than the hero?

❏ Can your hero easily and believably dismiss this theme?

Setup

❏ Have you shown at least one thing that needs fixing in your hero’s life?

❏ Have you introduced at least one A Story character?

❏ Did you clearly establish your hero’s want or external goal somewhere in this beat?

❏ Have you shown your hero in more than one area of their life (such as home, work, and/or play)?

❏ Are your hero’s flaws evident in this beat?

❏ Have you created a sense of urgency that imminent change is vital (stasis = death)?

Catalyst

❏ Does the Catalyst happen to the hero?

❏ Is it an action beat? (No revelations allowed here!)

❏ Is it impossible for the hero to go back to their normal life after this?

❏ Is the Catalyst big enough to break the status quo?

Debate

❏ Can you sum up your Debate with a question? Or if it’s a preparation Debate, have you clearly defined what your hero is preparing for and why?

❏ Have you created a sense of hesitation in your hero?

❏ Have you shown your hero debating in more than one area of their life (such as home, work, and/or play)?

Break Into 2

❏ Is your hero leaving an old world behind and entering a new one?

❏ If your hero isn’t physically going somewhere, are they trying something new?

❏ Is your Act 2 world the opposite of your Act 1 world?

❏ Is the break between Act 1 and Act 2 clear and distinct?

❏ Does your hero make a proactive move or decision to enter Act 2?

❏ Is your hero making a decision based on what they want?

❏ Can you identify why this is the wrong way to change?

B Story

❏ Have you introduced a new love interest, mentor, friend, or nemesis character?

❏ Can you identify how your B Story character (or characters!) represents the theme?

❏ Is your new character in some way a product of the upside-down Act 2 world? (Would they stick out like a sore thumb in the Act 1 world?)

Fun and Games

❏ Do you clearly show your hero either floundering or succeeding in the new world?

❏ Does your Fun and Games deliver on the promise of your premise?

❏ Does your Fun and Games visibly illustrate how your Act 2 world is the upside-down version of your Act 1 world?

Midpoint

❏ Can you clearly identify either a false victory or a false defeat?

❏ Have you raised the stakes of the story?

❏ Do your A (external) and B (internal) stories cross in some way?

❏ Can you identify a shift from the wants to the needs (even if it’s subtle)?

Bad Guys Close In

❏ Is the path of this beat a direct opposite of your Fun and Games? (That is, if your hero was succeeding in your Fun and Games, are they floundering here? And vice versa?)

❏ Have you shown or identified how the internal bad guys (flaws) are working against your hero?

All Is Lost

❏ Does something happen to the hero in this beat?

❏ Is your All Is Lost big enough to push your hero into Act 3? (That is, have they really hit rock bottom?)

❏ Have you inserted a whiff of death?

❏ Does this beat feel like another Catalyst for change?

Dark Night of the Soul

❏ Is your hero reflecting on something in this beat?

❏ Is this beat leading your hero toward an epiphany?

❏ Does your hero’s life seem worse off than it did at the beginning of the book?

Break Into 3

❏ Does your hero learn a valuable universal lesson (theme) here?

❏ Does your hero make a proactive decision to fix something?

❏ Is the decision based on what your hero needs?

❏ Can you identify why this is the right way to change?

❏ Is your Act 3 world a synthesis of Act 1 and Act 2?

Finale

❏ Does your hero struggle to enact their plan? (That is, does your Finale have conflict?)

❏ Is there a Dig Deep Down moment when your hero proves they’ve really learned their theme?

❏ Do the A Story and B Story somehow intertwine in this beat?

Final Image

❏ Is your Final Image one scene or collection of interconnected scenes?

❏ Is your Final Image visual? (Are you showing, not telling?)

❏ Is it evident how your hero has transformed?

❏ Does your “after” snapshot somehow mirror your “before” snapshot (Opening Image)?