Jessica Brody Demos Save the Cat! Story Structure Software on NaNoWriMo webcastSave the Cat!www.savethecat.comSave the Cat! Story Structure Software on NaNoWriMo webcastSave the Cat!www.
- Save The Cat Software Torrents
- Save The Cat Software Update
- Save The Cat Software Mac
- Save The Cat Software Free
- Save The Cat Software Free Trial
Best-Selling Save the Cat! All new iOS app, designed from the ground up using Apple's master/detail style for full compatibility including Dark Mode. The ability to collaborate with one or more writing partners. Helpful Save the Cat! Key Lessons Learned from Save the Cat! While the entire book is full of insights on how to structure a story, here are a few lessons I learned: The Save the Cat Beat Sheet (Chapter 2) Jessica acknowledges that writing a book can be a daunting task. However, the use of her beat sheet helps the reader to avoid plotting problems from the start. Download Save the Cat! Lite for iOS to begin to develop that award-winning screenplay for free with the all new Save the Cat! Lite for the iPod, iPhone and iPad. Get started with a. After working with Save the Cat Software for a bit I will confess that I am still a paper and pen kind of girl. However, Blake’s Save the Cat framework gave me new story insights to consider and I have decided that the workbook is definitely more my style. However, if you are a tech-advanced kind of human and writer, especially one that could.
Today, I’m excited for the opportunity to review the Save the Cat! story structure software. So you know where I’m coming from, my usual process comprises mapping my story on virtual sticky notes using Google Keep then drafting my story in Google Docs. I edit in both Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
What Is Save the Cat?
I think it’s helpful for anyone who’s not familiar with Save the Cat! to have a quick rundown of the structure behind it. The Save the Cat! movement started with an excellent book by Blake Snyder: Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need.
The title comes from the screenwriting idea that the hero of the story must make viewers like him and root for him. For example, if he decides to save a cat from a burning building. The moment we see the hero taking an action viewers will love is often referred to as the “save the cat” moment.
What makes the Save the Cat! books so great is that Snyder identified ten genres that allow every movie ever made to be classified as one of the following:
- Whydunit
- Rites of Passage
- Institutionalized
- Superhero
- Dude with a Problem
- Fool Triumphant
- Buddy Love
- Out of the Bottle
- Golden Fleece
- Monster in the House
Years later, Jessica Brody wrote Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: the Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need. In this book, Brody describes the 15-beat structure every novel must include, regardless of genre:
- Opening Image
- Theme Stated
- Setup
- Catalyst
- Debate
- Break Into 2 (as in Act 2)
- B Story
- Fun and Games
- Midpoint
- Bad Guys Close In
- All Is Lost
- Dark Night of the Soul
- Break Into 3 (as in Act 3)
- Finale
- Final Image
Now that you know how Save the Cat! story structure works, let’s move on to the software.
Save The Cat Software Torrents
How the Software Works
The software is based on the structure discussed in the Save the Cat! books. When you open a brand new project, you can choose if you want to work on a novel, a movie, a 30-minute TV show, or a 60-minute TV show. The default screen you get will depend on what you choose.
Here’s the default screen for a novel project.
Features
Just like most apps, Save the Cat! story structure software works with Mac or Windows.
As a new user, I went straight to the how-to videos listed under the help menu. These give a great breakdown for using the boards, beat sheets, and loglines sections and a tour of the whole product.
The screen is customizable so you can see as little or as much as you like. Once you click on a screen card to write, you can expand the writing area so it feels similar to using Microsoft Word or Google Docs if that’s how you like to work.
You can also customize the feel of your workspace with various theme and color options. There are four customizable themes plus the ability to customize the look of the corkboard. I’ve never used Scrivener, but I tried to learn it at one point and the corkboard style of Save the Cat! story Structure software has a similar feel. However, it was much more intuitive for me to navigate than Scrivener.
In the Save the Cat! software corkboard, you can add almost anything you can think of including labels, images, and notes. There is also a “litter box” which allows you to remove scenes and other information from the board but not delete them in case you want to use them later.
One of the many features I liked was the ability to track character arcs and settings throughout my story. You can also track items. So, if you’re writing a mystery and have an object as a clue, you can keep tabs on how many times and when you’ve mentioned it.
Pros
The corkboard works in a drag-and-drop manner, so scenes can easily be moved around. You can also view scenes as a list on the corkboard, so it’s easier to see them all once you get further along in your novel.
Scenes or beats are customizable, so if you don’t use Save the Cat! to plot, you can plunk in the beats or scenes you typically use by changing the labels on the scene cards. It’s also simple to add and remove scene cards as needed.
Scene cards include page numbers so you’ll know if you are on track with your story. Page numbers adjust when you drag scenes to new positions.
When I’m learning a new app or software program, I like to see it in action. Save the Cat! has a YouTube channel with several walk-through videos if you need help to understand how something works. I watched some videos, and they were an enormous help. There are also some how-to videos on the Save the Cat! website.
I’ve saved my favorite pro for last: Dedicated tech email. Because I like to edit using Microsoft Word, it disappointed me to see that I couldn’t export my Save the Cat! story structure file to Word. I emailed tech support to ask about this and it turned out I was using an older version and exporting to Word is an option in the newest version.
You can also export your file to Final Draft screenwriting software or as a plain text file.
Cons
I learned the hard way that if you close a scene box without saving it first, you must rewrite it, and the program didn't warn me that my scene wasn’t being saved. However, tech support was open to suggestions when I emailed about exporting to Word, so I’m sure they would be open to updating this feature.
While there are many outstanding things Save the Cat! story structure software can do, there is one major drawback (for me anyway). It’s not free. I know this seems silly, but writers are a penny-pinching bunch, so it’s important to mention.
Save the Cat! story structure software ranges from $99/year to $189/year depending on the options you choose. I based my review on the “Essentials” version.
In Summary
The Save the Cat! story structure software really impressed me with all it could do. As someone who doesn’t plot in significant detail, I like the idea of hitting the major beats of my story and going from there. The ease of use and incredible range of features makes this program a definite add to my wish list. Be sure to check out the rest of the blog tour posts listed below.
With NaNoWriMo on the horizon, many bright-eyed, bushy-tailed young things are planning to write their books – as well as wondering how they’re going to write them.
So, what is the best software to write a novel on? What writing software do published authors use? I’ve seen these questions asked by many of my peers over the years. In my own opinion, there is no One Magic Program To Rule Them All. Individual preference is the biggest factor when it comes to drafting, refining, formatting and publishing a book. George R.R Martin famously uses the ancient DOS program WordStar. Other writers, like Stephen King, often draft parts of their novels by hand.
You probably don’t have a DOS machine from the 80’s, but fortunately, there are heaps of software programs for writers. The following is a list of my favorite writing software and software programs that come recommended by my writer mates from around the web.
Drafting
My opinion is that good old fashioned pen and paper is hard to beat for notes, sketching, and ideas. However, there’s definitely contenders for those who don’t like handwriting.
Focuswriter (all platforms, including Linux)
Focuswriter is my personal favorite digital drafting tool. I do my first drafts by hand, and ‘type in’ with this program. It is an easy-to-use, reliable and attractive program which offers a full-screen/distraction-free writing environment. You can easily customize font, background, formatting and text area width, as well as set word count or duration goals. It’s also free, or you can donate to the program author.
Download FocusWriter here: https://gottcode.org/focuswriter/
WriteRoom (Mac) and Byword (Mac)
These are Mac-specific ‘distraction-free’ writing tools. WriteRoom is very similar to FocusWriter. It is fairly basic full-screen/distraction-free writing software that allows for quicker and more focused drafting. Byword is a bit more fancy and supports Markdown. It features Mac keyboard shortcuts, word counters with live updates, and syncing across devices. I’m a PC boy, so I’ve never used them. I’ve heard they’re good.
Download WriteRoom here: https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom
Download Byword here: https://bywordapp.com/
Write or Die
Most programs rely on your innate sense of self-discipline to be effective. Write or Die bribes, punishes or rewards you to write. It offers a ‘punishment’ mode that will play horrible sounds and images, a ‘stimulus’ mode to woo you into writing for longer, and a ‘kamikaze’ mode that will actually start unwriting your words if you take a break or stop. Pretty intense, but a lot of NaNos swear by it.
Write or Die is a bit like a steampunk writer’s tomato timer, except that instead of getting a neutral ring every 20 minutes, you get kittens and purring as your reward, or alarms and spiders as punishment. As writing programs go, this one looks and feels a bit like a slot machine. As I said, some people love it. If you find discipline to be a problem and also enjoy a bit of competition, it might be right up your alley. You can try it for free, but the full version costs $20 USD.
Download Write or Die here: https://writeordie.com/
WikidPad
WikidPad is a free desktop wiki program that lets you build indexes of ‘pages’ that interlink. It is my absolute favorite program for building series bibles and reference documents for worldbuilding. It’s free, small, fast, and very easy to set up, though there is a bit of a learning curve to figure out how to properly link pages and make the most out of WikidPad’s features. I adore it, because it wholesale gratifies my inner nerd.
Download WikidPad here: https://wikidpad.sourceforge.net/
Compiling, revising, and structuring
Save The Cat Software Update
Scrivener
Scrivener is THE writer’s software, in many ways. It is honestly suitable for any stage of the writing process, but I find that it excels at sorting out messy first drafts. This is the program to get your book into shape.
Scrivener has so many features that it is hard to list them all. A corkboard with index cards, individual chapters, dual windows (so you can look at an old draft and revise a new draft in another panel), chapter management, editing tools, story generation tools, formatting and draft compiling, backup and draft management… this baby has everything. Because of this, it also has quite a learning curve – but if you want to run with the pros, Scrivener is probably your best bet.
Scrivener only costs $40 USD, and there is often a discount on this for NaNoWriMo winners every year. There’s a 30-day free trial period and lots of testimonials from published authors who wrote their books (in whole or in part) in Scrivener.
If you’re on the fence about Scrivener, my advice is to go for it. It’s better and cheaper than Office, and you can use it for more than just novel writing. I use it for essays, research compilation, freelance work… the lot. If you want a free alternative, LibreOffice or OpenOffice are your best bets.
Buy Scrivener here: Scrivener [Download]'>Scrivener for Windows (Amazon Affiliate link) or Scrivener 2 for Mac [Download]'>Mac (also an affiliate link).
LibreOffice Writer
LibreOffice (and OpenOffice) are both very similar programs. They work somewhat like older Windows XP-style versions of Microsoft Office, before Microsoft got carried away with ribbon navigation and fancy-schmancy XML. It’s free, comprehensive, and doesn’t have many bells and whistles. Its files are also highly compatible with Microsoft Office programs. Given that Microsoft Office is standard in the publishing industry, it’s good to have some assurance that your manuscript will look the same on the Penguin Acquisitions Editor’s screen as it does on yours.
Download LibreOffice here: httpss://www.libreoffice.org/download/libreoffice-fresh/
Save the Cat! Story Structure Software
Save The Cat Software Mac
The late Blake Snyder’s ‘Save the Cat!’ series is to screenwriting what Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ is for novelists: an absolute treasure trove of information, hacks and advice on how to write a screenplay or movie script. Much of the advice in Save the Cat! is also applicable to authors writing books, especially if you’re just starting out and wondering how to write a novel.
The company that Blake started now publishes writing software based on Save the Cat!, which retails for $99.95 on their website. I have never tried it, but if you’re a fan of the books and want to pump out commercial novels or screenplays, it could be everything you ever wanted.
Buy Save the Cat! here: https://store.savethecat.com/products/save-the-cat-story-structure-software-3-0-download
Snowflake Pro
Another reasonably pricey bit of software, Snowflake Pro is based on Randy Ingermanson’s ‘Snowflake Method’ of novel planning and writing. It is probably most suited to die-hard plotters – not so much for pantsing.
Save The Cat Software Free
Buy Snowflake Pro here: https://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/product/snowflake-pro-software/
Editing
Save The Cat Software Free Trial
There’s not really any good comprehensive editing software out there, I’m afraid. The grammar checkers in Word and LibreOffice are about the best you’re going to find for copy editing.
I tried Grammarly and was not impressed. It is barely better than Microsoft’s grammar tool in Word. One program that does deserve a mention is the Hemmingway App (https://www.hemingwayapp.com/). Hemingway is an automated grammar checker which looks for a few specific problems: run-on sentences, passive voice, complex or obscure words, and adverbs.
However, Hemingway has some serious limitations. It cannot recognize rhetorical devices, for example. It will mark up good sentences that sound beautiful to the ear as being ‘too complex’, and it will falsely identify passive voice. It will point out every adverb you use, but it can’t recognize ‘weak’ words like ‘might’, ‘could’ and ‘should’. For example, the sentences below are from some terrible roleplaying I saw, but they pass Hemingway’s ‘tests’:
Hemingway has no ability to distinguish good writing from poor writing.
If you recognize the limitations of this app and use it carefully, Hemingway can be useful at the copy editing stage of writing. It’s possibly even more useful for non-fiction, where short sentences and clarity are both desirable.
I hope this helps you navigate the world of writing software, and if you know of any other good programs, email me and I can add them to the list. If you found this post useful, please share it around.
Also, if you happen to be writing a novel, stay tuned for Fix Your Damn Book! A guide on self-editing for authors which I hope to release for Christmas 2015. Fix Your Damn Book! is a quick and dirty guide to all parts of the editing process, from getting in the right psychological frame of mind to assessing your work, through to the management of beta-readers and how to get the best out of your own author voice. To keep up to date with production and sign up as a beta-reader, join the mailing list by clicking here.