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Notes: Brody-Save the Cat 2

Plot Beat Comparison

Your Novel

The Girl on the Train

Misery

Bridget Jones’s Diary

Whydunit

Detectives, Deception, and the Dark Side

Dude with a Problem

Surviving the Ultimate Test

Fool Triumphant

Victory of the Underdog

·A DETECTIVE: Our hero, Rachel, is the amateur sleuth of the story. She’s never cracked a case before and is therefore wholly unprepared for what she’s getting herself into.

· AN INNOCENT HERO: Apart from killing off his main character (a crime only in the eyes of psychopath fan Annie), Paul Sheldon did nothing to deserve the horror that befell him when Annie Wilkes brought him into her house and held him captive.

· A FOOL: As a thirtysomething single woman in London, Bridget is society’s fool in every way. She’s constantly laughed at, mocked, and asked why she’s not yet married. She’s an outcast and an underdog, and yet despite all of that, she still comes out triumphant at the end, by being herself.

· A SECRET: The relationship between Megan and Scott leads to the unraveling of the whole case. It’s the card that author Paula Hawkins withholds until the very end, turning it over just in time for Rachel (and the reader) to put the final pieces together.

· A SUDDEN EVENT: The car crash that left Paul crippled and incapacitated is the sudden, unexpected event that thrusts him into this story.

· AN ESTABLISHMENT: The world of Smug Marrieds (as Bridget calls them). This is the group of people that Bridget is constantly pitted against as a thirty-year-old “spinster” (as the establishment calls her) and the reason Bridget feels the desperate need to change.

· A DARK TURN: When Rachel sleeps with Scott Hipwell, we know she’s in too deep. Not only is she sleeping with one of the suspects, but she’s sleeping with a husband whose wife has been murdered. It’s the moment when her obsession with the case overpowers her ethics

· A LIFE-OR-DEATH BATTLE: Paul must fight (and write) for his life, aware that at any moment Annie might crack and kill them both.

· A TRANSMUTATION: After being cheated on by her boyfriend, Bridget undergoes a huge transformation: she quits her job and takes a job in television, essentially reinventing herself as a new person.

1. OPENING IMAGE: Rachel rides the train, fantasizing about other people’s lives.

1. OPENING IMAGE: Paul Sheldon wakes up in the house of Annie Wilkes in Sidewinder, Colorado. He’s close to death and in excruciating pain.

1. OPENING IMAGE: In the first diary entry, Bridget lists her New Year’s resolutions (aka everything she wants to change about herself).

2. THEME STATED: “My mother used to tell me that I had an overactive imagination; Tom said that, too” (page 1). Rachel, Megan, and Anna all need to learn how to face reality.

2. SETUP: Paul is a romance novelist, famous for his series of books starring the character Misery, and Annie, a former nurse and definitely crazy, is his “number one fan.” Paul was in a car accident and Annie saved him and brought him to her remote house to heal.

2. THEME STATED: “How does a woman manage to get to your age without being married?” This is the question posed to Bridget at a party, implying that her single status is somehow her fault. This question introduces us to not only the establishment of this Fool Triumphant story, but also the lesson that Bridget will ultimately learn: she doesn’t have to change herself just to get a husband.

3. SETUP: Rachel has a drinking problem and often blacks out, making her an unreliable narrator. Megan’s marriage is not as perfect as Rachel has dreamed it is.

3. THEME STATED: “You owe me your life, Paul. I hope you’ll remember that. I hope you’ll keep that in mind” (page 19). The ghastly truth is, Paul’s life is saved literally and figuratively by Annie Wilkes, who will force him to write Misery Returns, the best book of his career. The theme of this novel is thus survival—finding the will to live even in the most dire of circumstances.

3. SETUP: As Bridget gets off to a poor start with her resolutions, we meet the A Story characters: her friends and Daniel Cleaver, who is her boss and her “bad boy” crush.

4. CATALYST: Rachel blacks out and wakes up with bruises, unable to remember what happened the night before.

4. CATALYST: Annie reads the latest book in Paul’s best-selling series, Misery’s Child, and freaks out when she discovers that Paul has killed off the main character. She storms out of the house, leaving him helpless and alone.

4. CATALYST: Daniel Cleaver sends her a flirty message at work, instigating a sexy office flirtation.

5. DEBATE: What happened on Saturday night and what will Rachel do about it? Rachel finds out that Megan Hipwell is missing.

5. DEBATE: What will Paul do now? How will he possibly escape this psychopath? Annie returns with a typewriter and promises Paul she’ll let him go if he writes a new Misery novel, bringing the character back to life.

5. DEBATE: What does it mean? Does Daniel want to be her boyfriend? Or does he just want to sleep with her?

6. BREAK INTO 2: Rachel inserts herself into the case, trying to help solve the mystery of the missing Megan Hipwell.

6. BREAK INTO 2: Even though Paul doesn’t believe that Annie will keep her promise, Paul agrees and starts work on Misery’s Return.

6. BREAK INTO 2: Despite finding out that Daniel just wants to sleep with her (and probably doesn’t want a relationship), Bridget makes the decision to sleep with him anyway.

7. B STORY: Rachel meets Scott Hipwell, Megan’s husband, and Anna’s side of the story is introduced (twin B stories).

7. B STORY: Misery Chastain, the heroine in Paul’s best-selling book series, is the B Story character. Paul’s relationship with Misery and the new book he’s writing will ultimately teach him the theme of survival and save his life.

7. B STORY: Mark Darcy (who is introduced in the Setup) embodies the theme in that he eventually falls in love with the real Bridget (without her even realizing it), proving that she doesn’t have to change who she is to find love.

8. FUN AND GAMES: Rachel quits drinking and seems to make strides with the case (upward path).

8. FUN AND GAMES: Paul takes an unexpected journey back into the world of Misery. We see snippets of the novel he’s writing, interspersed with Paul’s failed attempts to escape. When Paul shows Annie a few chapters of the book she makes him rewrite them, claiming they’re not good enough.

8. FUN AND GAMES: Bridget and Daniel’s hilarious and dramatic on again, off again relationship delivers the promise of the premise as Bridget tries to determine whether or not Daniel is her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Bridget’s parents split up.

9. MIDPOINT: The main suspect, Kamal Abdic, is arrested (false victory), but stakes are raised when he’s released and Megan’s body is found, upgrading this case to a murder investigation.

9. MIDPOINT: Although Paul is still a prisoner, the Midpoint is a false victory. Misery’s Return is actually going well. But the stakes are raised when Annie falls into a deep depression and Paul realizes that Annie will eventually kill him.

9. MIDPOINT: Bridget catches Daniel with another woman. Obviously, he’s not going to be her boyfriend (false defeat).

10. BAD GUYS CLOSE IN: Rachel takes up drinking again, sees Megan’s therapist (Kamal), sleeps with Megan’s husband (Scott), and starts to remember things from Saturday night. Anna suspects Tom of having an affair.

10. BAD GUYS CLOSE IN: While Annie is away, Paul finds a scrapbook documenting all of the people she’s killed (external bad guys); meanwhile, he battles for his own sanity, losing his will to live (internal bad guys). When Annie discovers that he got out, she cuts off his foot.

10. BAD GUYS CLOSE IN: Bridget picks herself back up by quitting her job and getting a job in television. Then, to her surprise, Mark Darcy asks her out, claiming that he likes her because she’s not like the other girls he knows, but when the night of the date arrives, he (seemingly) stands her up. Bridget later learns it was a misunderstanding.

11. ALL IS LOST: Scott finds out Rachel has been lying to him and locks her up, threatening to kill her (whiff of death). Rachel discovers Megan was pregnant when she died—and the baby wasn’t Scott’s or Kamal’s.

11. ALL IS LOST: A police car shows up looking for the missing novelist, Paul Sheldon. Paul tries to call for help from the window and in a whiff of death, Annie kills the cop.

11. ALL IS LOST: Bridget’s mother and her mother’s new lover get arrested for running a financial scam.

12. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL: Rachel drinks herself into a stupor, is turned away by the police, and finally confronts the red-haired man who gives her a key piece of information about Saturday night (Dark Night epiphany).

12. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL: Paul begs Annie to just kill him and get it over with, showing how far he is from learning the theme. She leaves to dispose of the cop’s body, locking Paul in the dark cellar with the rats.

12. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL: Mark Darcy flies to Portugal to try to bring Bridget’s mother home but then stops calling. Bridget wallows, returning to the familiar, when Daniel calls her, drunk and blubbering apologies.

13. BREAK INTO 3: Rachel realizes Tom has been lying to her and manipulating her for a long time. She gets on the train.

13. BREAK INTO 3: When Paul spots Annie’s charcoal grill in the cellar, he gets an idea—and a renewed motivation to live.

13. BREAK INTO 3: Mark shows up on Christmas Day and asks her out again. Bridget says yes.

14. FINALE: Together with Anna, Rachel brings down Tom for the murder of Megan Hipwell and when he tries to kill her, stabs him to death with a corkscrew.

14. FINALE: Paul finishes the novel—the best of his career—and then burns it in front of Annie. When she tries to stop him, he hits her with the typewriter. A fight ensues, and Paul finally crawls to safety, revealing that what he burned was a fake manuscript. The cops rescue him, and Annie is found dead. Nine months later, the book is on track to be his best-selling novel yet (thanks to Annie).

14. FINALE: Bridget and Mark have a wonderful first date in which Bridget realizes that Mark really does love her just the way she is.

15. FINAL IMAGE: Sober, Rachel rides the train toward her new life.

15. FINAL IMAGE: After hallucinating Annie coming at him with a chainsaw, Paul is inspired to start another book. She will forever be his miserable muse.

15. FINAL IMAGE: In a mirror to the Opening Image, Bridget sums up her year in her diary. Even though she didn’t keep any of her New Year’s resolutions to change herself, she still deems the year “excellent.”

THE SAVE THE CAT! LOGLINE TEMPLATE

On the verge of a stasis = death moment, a flawed hero Breaks Into 2; but when the Midpoint happens, they must learn the Theme Stated before the All Is Lost.

Ta-da! A logline that fits any story of any genre.

Why does this logline work? Because it creates urgency, delivers on a hook, and shows us why this protagonist is essential to this story and vice versa (the marriage of hero and plot!).

On the verge of losing her home, an out-of-work alcoholic, who frequently blacks out, becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation; but when the man she’s convinced is guilty is released, she must confront her inner demons once and for all before the key suspect turns his sights on her.

What’s this novel?

Answer: The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins!

We use the phrase “on the verge of” (or an opening with similar urgency) and follow it up with a stasis = death moment to prove right off the bat that this story is necessary. This hero is doomed without it! We include the Break Into 2 (or at least a glimpse of what the Act 2 world will be) to prove that the plot moves. It doesn’t just stay in the same old status quo Act 1 world forever. The mention of Act 2 also helps depict the hook (or premise) of the story. And we mention (or at least hint at) the Midpoint and the All Is Lost to show that this story has stakes—and they are going to be raised! And we reference the Theme Stated to show that the story has something to say.

Now, of course, you might have to fiddle around with the language a bit and replace some of the phrasing to make sure the actual syntax is clear and compelling. You don’t want your logline to feel awkward just because you’re trying to cram it into a template. But the beats should fit. If you’re finding, however, that your logline falls flat, you might want to look at your Midpoint again and make sure it’s big enough. Are the stakes being raised enough to send the story into yet a new direction? Or take a look at your All Is Lost again. Is enough on the line to make the story feel urgent?

Let’s stick a couple more stories into the template and see what we get!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Buddy Love)

On the verge of depression, a teen cancer patient meets a quirky, charismatic fellow patient who brings her back to life; but when one of them relapses, she must learn the true meaning of being alive before they’re separated forever.

The Martian by Andy Weir (Dude with a Problem)

After getting left for dead on Mars by his crew, a cocky astronaut figures out the impossible: how to grow food on a barren planet; but when all of his crops are destroyed and his supplies are running out, he must solve the biggest problem of all: getting off the planet before time runs out.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (Golden Fleece)

On the verge of succumbing to a life of poverty, a lonely gamer is the first player to find a clue to the whereabouts of the most valuable video game “Easter egg” in history and kicks off a worldwide treasure hunt; but when an evil corporation tries to kill him, he must team up with his fellow competitors to stop the corporation from finding the treasure before it’s “game over” for good.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling (Superhero)

On the verge of wasting away with a horrible foster family, an awkward orphaned boy discovers he’s a wizard and sets off to attend a magic school; but when an attempt is made on his life, he must finally prove his worth before the most evil wizard of all time gets his hands on a powerful totem that could bring about the end of the magic world.

THE SAVE THE CAT! SHORT SYNOPSIS TEMPLATE

PARAGRAPH 1: Setup, flawed hero, and Catalyst (2–4 sentences)

PARAGRAPH 2: Break Into 2 and/or Fun and Games (2–4 sentences)

PARAGRAPH 3: Theme Stated, Midpoint hint and/or All Is Lost hint, ending in a cliffhanger (1 to 3 sentences)

In Paragraph 1, we introduce a flawed hero and their world (Setup) to give the reader the sense of who the hero is and why they are best suited for this story. We also evoke the Catalyst that will soon change that world.

In Paragraph 2, we dive into the upside-down world of Act 2 to show the general direction of the plot and to give the reader our hook (the promise of the premise).

And in Paragraph 3, we hint at the stakes (the urgency) and the internal journey, which, combined, make up the why of the whole novel. While at the same time we leave the reader wanting more.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (Whydunit)

Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker [Setup/flawed hero] faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls [Catalyst]. For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family’s Victorian mansion [Fun and Games], Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly [Midpoint]. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past [Theme Stated] if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming [All Is Lost hint].

Author Beats

The Five Foundation Beats are

However, before you tackle any of the beats, figure out the three components of your story-worthy hero—a problem (or what makes your hero a flawed hero), a want or goal, and a need. Only when you’ve got a good idea of who your hero is will you be able to figure out what kind of transformative journey they require.

Although everyone is different and the creative process is unique for each writer, here’s how I tackle the beat sheet using these Five Foundation Beats:

First, I nail down the three components of my story-worthy hero (problem, want, and need). This starts to create a picture of what the hero’s Act 1 world will look like.

Then I work through the following questions:

GIVE YOUR HERO ONE REDEEMING QUALITY, ACTION, OR HOBBY

Is your hero meek? Bossy? Vengeful? Whiny? Depressed? Ungrateful? Nothing can spoil a great Setup like an annoying hero you just want to shake and say, “Snap out of it! Life is not that bad!”

And that’s exactly what you need to do in this situation. You need to make life not that bad. You need to give your hero one little thing that the reader can cling to. Do they have a cute niece, nephew, or neighbor kid who looks up to them? Do they have a secret notebook filled with really bad, yet endearing, poetry? Do they volunteer once a week at the dog shelter? Give ’em something that we can latch onto and think, Well, at least they’ve got that.

In my young adult novel The Chaos of Standing Still, the hero, Ryn, was struggling to get over the death of her best friend. And let’s just say she wasn’t exactly a bundle of laughs. When my friend and critique partner, Joanne Rendell, read the first draft, she said, “Well, the story’s good, but Ryn is kind of a downer. She has no passions. No interests. No hobbies. It’s sort of depressing to read. Can’t you give her something?”

And of course, Joanne was right. Critique partners usually are! So we brainstormed for days trying to figure out what Ryn’s thing was. We finally came up with drawing. It was a passion she’d given up after her best friend died because her grief was clouding her ability to draw things the way she saw them. I was able to talk about her lost passion for drawing and flash back to times when she did draw and it made her happy. I truly believe this small tweak not only fixed my likability issue but also gave me a cool metaphor to use to show how Ryn gets over grief: by learning to draw again.

Or think about The Hunger Games. Gruff, severe Katniss Everdeen is not exactly warm and inviting when you first meet her. What makes her likable? The fact that she’ll do anything for her sister, Prim—something we witness on page 22 when she volunteers for the reaping in Prim’s place. But even before that, the author gives us so much to love about this tough young girl. Like the fact that she’ll break the rules of the Capitol to feed her sister. Or, don’t forget page 1, where Katniss tells us she spared the cat’s life because Prim cried when she tried to drown him in a bucket.

Save the Cat!

GIVE YOUR HERO A (REALLY BAD) ENEMY OR SITUATION

Recent studies have shown that reading fiction can make you more empathetic. It gives you X-ray vision into other people’s thoughts, feelings, and struggles. It allows you to peek in the windows of other people’s lives and see why they are the way they are. A gift we’re rarely given in real life. And learning about someone else’s struggle can go a long way toward helping us not only understand that person, but sympathize with them as well.

Which is why another great way to bring a reader around to an unlikable character is to pit them against an even less likable character. A villain, a nemesis, a complicated best friend, even a horrible parent can do the trick. Once we see how horrible that person is, we no longer can bear to hate the hero! Instead, we understand the hero. We think, Well, no wonder they’re so horrible; look what they have to put up with!

Understanding why a person is the way they are helps us sympathize with that person. It’s a lesson in empathy that I think we can all stand to learn these days. What makes someone act the way they do? What horrors is this person living with? Although in real life we can’t always go behind closed doors and find out, we can certainly do it in fiction. And we should!

In The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we’re introduced to the hero, Amir. Let’s face it: Amir isn’t very nice to his best friend, Hassan. In fact, he’s just plain awful to him most of the time. Why do we root for this character? Why do we keep turning the pages to find out what will happen to him?

Because of his father.

We get a peek at what Amir’s life is like: his struggle to win the affections of his seemingly cold-hearted father, his desperation to prove to his father that’s he not the worthless son his father thinks he is. And that is enough. We don’t forgive Amir for the things he does to Hassan, at least not until the end. But we can start to sympathize and understand his actions a little bit better.

I used this same parental trick in 52 Reasons to Hate My Father. Actually, the trick is in the title. Lexington Larrabee is pretty horrible, but wait until you meet her dad. He’s seemingly unloving, uncaring, and never around. No wonder she acts like such an irresponsible brat! She’s trying to get her father’s attention.

A similar way to accomplish this same task is to put your hero in a bad situation. Or at the very least, explain their situation.

Emma Woodhouse in Emma by Jane Austen lost her mother at a very young age. No wonder she’s so wary of attachment! Rachel in The Girl on the Train was cheated on by her husband with a woman he went on to marry and have a child with. No wonder she drinks! Jean Valjean went to prison for nineteen years for stealing a loaf of bread. No wonder he’s been hardened and turned against society! Even the infamous Ebenezer Scrooge has a reason for how he turned out: he was kicked out of his house by his father when he was a boy. No wonder he has such trouble empathizing with others!

Characters are never unlikable for no reason. They don’t emerge that way from the womb. We all start as a blank slate. So what was drawn on that slate to turn the hero into the person we meet on page one of the book? Giving us a glimpse of their past, their parentage, and/or their present situation can really help us wrap our head around who this person is and why they are the way they are. And once we get a firm grasp on the why, we can start sympathizing with the hero’s plight to fix it.

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