{"id":2866,"date":"2023-10-18T23:41:41","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T21:41:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmag.theme-sphere.com\/blogger\/dms-reveals-key-mena-travel-trends-post-covid\/"},"modified":"2023-11-10T19:10:47","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T18:10:47","slug":"review-save-the-cat-writes-a-novel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodcompanylit.com\/index.php\/2023\/10\/18\/review-save-the-cat-writes-a-novel\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Save the Cat! Writes a Novel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As famous as Save the Cat! Writes a novel is, I still hear new writers say when they hear the title of this book, \u201cSave the what? What has that to do with writing?\u201d
The title has a story that makes sense when you learn what it means, but it’s against every recommendation a marketing specialist would give, like choosing a title that fits your genre and making sure it hasn’t been used by an existing book.
As a new writer, don\u2019t follow her example in this. You don\u2019t have the fan base she had when she wrote her book, and you don\u2019t work with the team of the original book like she does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If your main character starts off somewhat unlikable, then, in the early pages of your story, they should save a cat…or do something comparable that immediately makes the reader roots for them…<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, Jessica Brody chose that title because her book takes its inspiration from the renowned screenwriting book Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder. In the introduction of her book, she said, \u201cThe question that I\u2019m sure has been on your mind from the moment you first heard about this book or picked it up in the bookstore. Why on earth is it called \u201cSave the Cat!\u201d?\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her answer is, \u201cIf your main character starts off somewhat unlikable, then, in the early pages of your story, they should save a cat…or do something comparable that immediately makes the reader roots for them…\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why would she choose a screenwriting book to base her book on? And why would writers want to read it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You wouldn’t have asked this question, if you were a cat owner because, obviously, you don\u2019t choose the cat; The cat chooses you. That\u2019s what happened to Brody. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She wrote, \u201c…in 2006, I was a former-movie-studio-executive-turned-struggling-novelist, trying (and failing) to sell my first book. I had a file drawer literally full of rejection letters, which all said the same thing: \u201cGreat writing. No story.\u201d Essentially, I was clueless about plot structure. Until one day, a screenwriter friend of mine handed me a copy of Save the Cat! and told me, \u201cIt\u2019s a very popular screenwriting book, but I believe it could work for novels too.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was right.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reading Save the Cat! cover to cover (multiple times), and comparing Blake\u2019s fifteen-beat template to popular novels that I\u2019d read and loved, I soon discovered that with some tweaking and adaption, his methodology could be applied perfectly to novels.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I set out to prove it.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, nearly a decade later, I have sold more than eighteen novels to major publishers like Simon & Schuster, Random House, and Macmillan. My books have been published and translated in over twenty-three countries, and two are currently in development as films.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Jessica Brody tried the method first hand, and it worked for her. She didn\u2019t stop there. She added her experience to it. \u201cFor several years before writing this book, I taught an intensive Save the Cat! workshop for novelists. After years of watching writers struggle to figure out what their novel is about, and how to structure it, I have come up with what I believe is the most logical, intuitive, and effective way to guide you through the Save the Cat! Methodology.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the second question, she has a section in the introduction of her book to answer just that, \u201cWhy should novelists follow in the footsteps of screenwriters?\u201d If you\u2019re asking the same, here is the answer, \u201cThe truth is, in today\u2019s media-centric, fast-paced, technology-enhanced climate, we novelists are actually competing with screenwriters. Like it or not, since the moment that first silent film hit the big screen, novels have had to contend with movies as a source of entertainment.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I might add that the reader\u2019s behavior has changed over the years. Who can stand reading three pages of description nowadays? Isn\u2019t that one of the reasons why most people struggle to read the classics?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s Jessica Brody?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A Bestseller writer. She wrote almost thirty novels and four nonfiction books (writing-related). Jessica Brody offers valuable online classes on her website,\u00a0www.jessicabrody.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her\u00a0YouTube channel<\/a>\u00a0is full of tips and tricks about writing.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click on the links above and get to know more about the writer of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. You\u2019ll find many interviews of her on YouTube as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What this book is all about?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n


\u201cThe key is all in the pacing. A well-paced novel with visual elements, compelling character growth, and an airtight structure can step into the ring with any blockbuster film\u2014and win.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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This book is about the storyline. It\u2019s a step-by-step guideline for writing a well-paced story. It touches on other aspects as well, but the focus is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n