by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve been hearing about the book Save the Cat by Blake Snyder for a long time. Probably the last few years, actually.
It was one of those things where I kept meaning to buy it, kept hearing about it, but I didn’t have a direct buy-link to the book. (So…if you’re like me, here you are: Save the Cat Kindle, Save the Cat Nook, Save the Cat print.)
It’s a helpful book. I can definitely see what all the hoopla is about. It’s written by a screenwriter for screenwriters—but the methods are applicable for novelists.
I think another reason I resisted buying this book is because I have my writing method fairly well-developed for my series. I know how I structure a traditional mystery.
The book does offer help for structuring a novel. But the thing I found the most helpful was a very short section where Blake Snyder actually brought up the “save the cat” approach that the title alludes to.
Snyder said that it was incredibly important for your audience (he, naturally, means filmgoers, but it works for readers) to like or at least pull for your protagonist. He casually mentions the importance of making your protagonist do something likeable in one of the first scenes of your film/novel.
This sounds incredibly simple (and is incredibly simple), but I’d never thought of it in such a concrete or deliberate way before.
One of my series, the Myrtle Clover mysteries, has a…well, let’s call Myrtle difficult. She’s a difficult octogenarian sleuth. I love Myrtle. Many readers love Myrtle and write to me about Myrtle and ask me when the next Myrtle book is coming out.
Some readers think Myrtle should be locked in a retirement home and have the key thrown away. They don’t hesitate to let me know this in the reviews. :)
So…you love her or you hate her. I understand this. There are people I know who are similar to Myrtle.
But you want readers to at least pull for your character. You don’t want them to give up on your book. So, Snyder’s advice is to throw in a scene that displays the protagonist in a good light….early.
So, when readers are trying to decide if they want to invest their hard-earned free time with your character for the next few days or week, we’re giving them a reason to stick with them.
Before reading this book, I’d definitely thrown in a scene or two with a softer Myrtle at some point in the mystery. But usually it wasn’t near the start of the story.
Myrtle will continue being difficult, past her Save-the-Cat scene. But I’ll be interested in seeing if she has more converts with this approach.
How do you soften your difficult characters? Have you read Save the Cat?
Elizabeth – I haven’t read Save the Cat, but I completely agree about the vital importance of giving readers a reason to pull for the protagonist. Even an annoying, difficult, etc. protagonist has to be or do something readers can cheer for or they simply won’t care what happens in the story. I for one like the fact that Myrtle Clover can be really difficult. I think she represents a lot of people who really resent being treated a certain way because they’re elderly. And even if she weren’t an octogenarian, I like her originality of thought.
I have read it and I thought it was a really great read. Although, some of the movies that he brings up as “bad” examples made me go “Hey! I like that movie!” But yes, the save the cat tip and the example he gives is great advice, and I find myself looking for it in stories now. It also combines really well with Larry Brooks’ advice on Storyfix.
I’d never heard of this book – if I did, I would have assumed it was a children’s book and passed right over it. Thanks, Elizabeth. I am going to check it out for sure.
Karen
I bought Save the Cat on Kindle precisely for help on making my MC a little more likable. Haven’t read it yet but will do so now after your recommendation.
I haven’t read Save The Cat, but it is on my TBR book list. I’ve heard lots of good things about it. Guess I better finally get myself a copy.
I’ve heard of it Elizabeth, but haven’t read it.
I think the premise of a likable act does help to root for the hero or heroine. Conversely, a likable act sprinkled in the villains story line helps make one more well rounded. Sometimes it adds impact to what it is they do that is bad. The assassin that loves cats or loves beauty of flowers and creates a garden. I like the opposites.
Sia McKye OVER COFFEE
I’m a third of the way through my WIP and it hit me the other day to go back and make sure I’ve done this. So, so important.
~ Wendy
Margot–We all want to read about someone we can pull for, don’t we?
And…thanks so much for the nice words for Myrtle, Margot! You’re right–Myrtle gets frustrated with people treating her as if she’s disabled (mentally and physically) because she’s elderly. That frustration makes her act out sometimes.
Susanne–Your TBR list sounds like mine! Hope you’ll find the book useful, when you read it.
Megan–Ha! Yes, I found myself doing the same thing. And not all of his beats I could really adapt to my genre or book…but I did definitely get some great tips.
Storyfix is another great resource. I enjoy Larry’s blog.
Karen–It does look like a kids’ book, doesn’t it!?
~Sia–Oh, I love villains with something charismatic about them–a good side, or a random kindness, or just something that pulls us to their side (for a little while!)
Wendy–I think it’s important to make sure our protagonist hooks the reader early. Likeability means they’ll stick with the story.
I haven’t read Save the Cat, but this is definitely important to me. The reason it’s taken me 10 years and a TV show to get into George RR Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire despite constant pressure from fellow fantasy fans is that there aren’t enough likeable characters in it (at least until Book 4 – Martin seems to have softened up a bit, though I’m only halfway through so there’s still time for it all to go wrong!).
Though I’ll also take doing something funny as a substitute for doing something nice – that’s how the modern day framing story in Titanic pulled me in!
Yep, that “save the cat” segment is worth buying the book for that alone.
Other elements will grow on you you later. (For instance, his discussion of one of the trickier parts of classic movie structure which I find applies to books – the beginning of the second act – as “the promise of the premise” is a really fruitful approach, imho.)
One thing about the save the cat thing, though: it’s more than just showing the character is likeable, it’s also an opportunity to show what the character is made of.
It’s also a technique mystery writers can subtly use to show what their villains are made of as well.
Save the Cat is one of my favorite writing books. I really liked the fifteen beats. First time I read the book, I’d just finished writing CassaFire, and it was a satisfying feeling going through the story realizing I’d hit most of the beats completely by accident.
I’ve heard so many great things about this book – I really do have to pick it up too. Thanks for the reminder :)
Lisa–Hope it’ll help you, too! I think even the smallest scene, early in the book, can really set the stage for the reader that the protagonist is someone they want to root for.
Juliette–That’s interesting–the fact that his books are well-plotted and well-researched and have complex characters…but without that likeability, it just makes it hard to connect or care.
I like your idea for adapting it to your story–humor really does help connect readers to characters.
Alex–You know, it probably came really naturally to you because you’re such a film aficiando. That’s cool that you realized your book fit the beats even before you read about them!
I literally had my protag save a cat in the opening sequence–cliche? It did make people like her! :) I’ll bet readers will see Myrtle in a new light.
Elizabeth, I want to thank you SO MUCH for tweeting about one of my posts (Commas and Dashes and Colons (oh my!) ) several days ago. I’ve gotten nearly 800 page views on that post, and I think it’s because of the spin you started. So THANKS.
I haven’t read this book yet! I keep hearing about it, and I swear, I will read it. Right now I’m reading about Character and POV, but next…Save the Cat.
By the way, I think your character sounds like a hoot!
I have fun with my cop/covert ops characters. They can all be difficult, but that’s how people in that line of work are. I try to infuse some humor (and that’s also what cops do).
As for first scenes–I had to learn to back off because I was spending too much time trying to show readers how wonderful my protagonists were, to the point that the book dragged. In my current manuscript, I’m still afraid my opening is on the slow side. But I do like to escalate the conflict, and if you start too high up, then you have nowhere to go.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Terry’s comment made me think of somehting: a “save the cat” moment can be very quick. It can even be a part of the main action.
Here’s a badguy example from a script I was writing: badguy arrives for an appointment and has to wait a moment in a room full of Christmas products and toys. He idly throws mini-basketballs into a toy hoop. When he runs out of balls, he picks up a nearby toy snowman and pulls the head off it and uses that instead.
It’s a tiny moment, but it shows him as both playful and creative as well as destructive, disrespectful and malicious.
Even something as simple as having a character over or under react can reveal a lot of character.
That sounds like a very helpful book.
No, I have the opposite problem – I make them far too likeable. Urgh. I have been working on this – not so much in my mysteries but in the other books – as it makes for a predictable and boring story if there is not change in the person at all. Thanks for a great tip to a good sounding book!
I too had read about “Save the Cat”. I finally got it a few months ago. Really, really helpful. I liked “Save the Cat Goes to the Movies” even better as it gives so many more examples.
This book sounds interesting. Thanks.
The Daring Novelist–I was one of those buyers who didn’t even know what the title meant. As you say–worth the price of the book alone to get that advice. Myrtle sells well, but if I can increase her audience, that would be much, much better.
There were a couple of beats that tripped me up when I read his book and one of them was *that* one. :) Which just goes to show I’ve got something to work on. :)
Good point…it’s not there just to make the reader *like* the character, but it also shows a different angle than we’ve seen before. Useful for adding complexity to a villain, too.
Jemi–I had to practically be bashed over the head to get it, but after about 40 references to the book on various blogs, I decided to finally take the plunge!
Linda–Ha! Actually…technically…my protag has saved a cat, too! (Previous book, feral cat.) Readers do like cats frequently. :)
Linda, you’re so welcome! I’m glad the tweet went so well. I did see it RT’d quite a bit. It was a helpful post. :)
Julie–I think you’ll enjoy it! And thanks. I do love Myrtle, but she’s a mess.
Jan–Hmm. That’s a challenge, too! Maybe toss in a couple of bad days for the protag. and have her/him react to them poorly. You’ll still have the reader sympathy and get the bonus of a complex personality. :)
Terry–When I read police procedurals (one of my favorite genres) I do expect the cops to be difficult. After all–they have rough jobs. It would be weird if they were completely gregarious and easy-going.
With the book that I’ve just finished (now editing), I’ve got my difficult protagonist*immediately* being difficult. Then I do have a save-the-cat moment on page 12ish. I made it super-brief because…well, you know how mysteries are. Not much time for extraneous material. But I think it might work. I liked the way it turned out.
Amelia–I haven’t got that one yet, but that may be my next purchase. :) My problem is that I don’t see many films (or, actually, watch TV much.) Limits me when examples are given. If he goes far enough back, though, (before I had kids in ’97!) then I can probably learn from his examples.
The Daring Novelist–I wrote one in for my WiP and it was about 1/2 a page. Just a few extra exchanges of dialogue, actually.
I think I like your bad guy. :)
Good point about the over and under reactions. Readers do notice that stuff.
Joe, I hope you’ll check it out. It’s one of those books that I read in one sitting because Snyder really grabbed my interest early on. This is strictly, I think, for commercial projects–genre fic, film, TV…but stuff that resonates with audiences.