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sarainfantasyland's review against another edition
funny
informative
fast-paced
5.0
As someone who used to have the arrogance to believe I didn't need to actually study writing craft because I just so "naturally" understood how to tell a story and the classes were clearly enough - this book was invaluable. The older I get, despite believing in the necessity of natural talent, the more I am disillusioned of that arrogance and simply wish to become the best writer I can be. There is information in this book I knew - much of it subconscious or by a different name - but it gave reasoning and nuance to those practices.
I can create characters and worlds out of my ass. Prose has always come very easily. But plotting - putting my exciting ideas into an actual satisfying arc - has been harder for me. Probably because it was oddly less focused upon than other areas of writing. So when I got the idea for my new project and I saw how complex it truly needed to be, I knew I needed to dive deeper beyond my own knowledge. This was exactly what I needed.
Save the Cat breaks down the classic 3 act structure that can seem very overwhelming when staring down a blank page into a very easy to understand and follow exercise. Not only does the author explain it in a very personable voice, she uses modern day popular novels as examples. Just stating a method is helpful but seeing it in practice in examples makes it feel much more attainable. And while I was worried having a strict 15 beat structure would feel to inflexible to my story - it is much more malleable than it seems.
This has been an incredibly helpful tool in the beginning stages of creating my new project. Even if I alter this structure to more suit my stories needs, it help build the foundation blocks and those are the most important. This is a tool any fiction writer should have in their arsenal.
I can create characters and worlds out of my ass. Prose has always come very easily. But plotting - putting my exciting ideas into an actual satisfying arc - has been harder for me. Probably because it was oddly less focused upon than other areas of writing. So when I got the idea for my new project and I saw how complex it truly needed to be, I knew I needed to dive deeper beyond my own knowledge. This was exactly what I needed.
Save the Cat breaks down the classic 3 act structure that can seem very overwhelming when staring down a blank page into a very easy to understand and follow exercise. Not only does the author explain it in a very personable voice, she uses modern day popular novels as examples. Just stating a method is helpful but seeing it in practice in examples makes it feel much more attainable. And while I was worried having a strict 15 beat structure would feel to inflexible to my story - it is much more malleable than it seems.
This has been an incredibly helpful tool in the beginning stages of creating my new project. Even if I alter this structure to more suit my stories needs, it help build the foundation blocks and those are the most important. This is a tool any fiction writer should have in their arsenal.
ollieoxnfree's review against another edition
5.0
Best writing book I’ve come across! Much more detailed in explanations and steps toward each section. Definitely recommend!
calbowen's review against another edition
5.0
Here is why this book is great.
It takes all of the steps from the 15 Plot Points (Actually 9 Plot Points and 6 Plot Sections) and lays them out in novel form. This is what you get when you read Save The Cat.
Then, it goes into details about the Work/Home/Play cycle in the beginning of the story (Sub Plot Points) as well as the Final Five Sub Plot Points that you would get if you read Save The Cat Strikes Back.
And Finally, it adds the Ten Genres of storytelling that you learn from Save The Cat Goes To The Movies with examples and one detailed walk through of a film in that genre.
Essentially, this is the three main STC books distilled into on book, with an overview of the entire process and a detailed rundown of story structure.
Just to be clear, Story Structure is a recipe, not a meal. Everyone's meal tastes different following the same recipe, and this is no exception. This is simply a tool to help your story be told well, not stale or tired.
It takes all of the steps from the 15 Plot Points (Actually 9 Plot Points and 6 Plot Sections) and lays them out in novel form. This is what you get when you read Save The Cat.
Then, it goes into details about the Work/Home/Play cycle in the beginning of the story (Sub Plot Points) as well as the Final Five Sub Plot Points that you would get if you read Save The Cat Strikes Back.
And Finally, it adds the Ten Genres of storytelling that you learn from Save The Cat Goes To The Movies with examples and one detailed walk through of a film in that genre.
Essentially, this is the three main STC books distilled into on book, with an overview of the entire process and a detailed rundown of story structure.
Just to be clear, Story Structure is a recipe, not a meal. Everyone's meal tastes different following the same recipe, and this is no exception. This is simply a tool to help your story be told well, not stale or tired.
myneverendingtbrlist's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I heard of this book on Tiktok. I'm currently about 80% into my first draft of my novel and really loved this book. It has given me so much to think about, and I'm looking forward to reworking some parts of my book and the editing process.
I'll definitely be referring back to this book again before I start my second book.
I'll definitely be referring back to this book again before I start my second book.
njdarkish's review against another edition
3.0
Good, but for me it feels better as a reference guide when running into plotting problems rather than a starting point-- I am not a fan of writing by a formula. And, to be fair, this book does a pretty good job of making sure it isn't just writing by numbers. Much more useful to novelists than the original Save The Cat book, methinks.
venlaeliina's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0