Blake Snyder's 15-beat story structure that breaks a three-act framework into precise, tightly timed plot points.
Save the Cat is a story structure method created by screenwriter Blake Snyder in his 2005 book of the same name. It divides a narrative into 15 specific beats, each with a suggested page count (or percentage of total length), giving writers a detailed roadmap from opening image to final image. The name comes from Snyder's advice that your protagonist should do something likable early on, like saving a cat, so the audience roots for them. While it was originally designed for screenwriting, novelists and TV writers have adopted it just as enthusiastically because the beats translate surprisingly well across formats.
If three-act structure is the skeleton, Save the Cat is the X-ray that shows you exactly where each bone should go. It's incredibly useful when you know your story's big picture but keep getting lost in the middle, because every beat has a clear purpose and a suggested placement. Even writers who eventually outgrow the beat sheet often credit it as the framework that taught them how story momentum actually works.
Snyder used this film as a teaching example throughout his book. The 'save the cat' moment is Gracie Hart's awkward but genuine kindness, which makes you root for her despite her rough edges.
Hits nearly every Save the Cat beat with precision: the Catalyst (Prim's name drawn), the Debate (the train to the Capitol), the Midpoint (the alliance with Rue), and the All Is Lost (Rue's death).
A fan-favorite Save the Cat breakdown. Elle's journey maps perfectly onto the 15 beats, from the opening image of sorority life to the final image of Harvard commencement.
Brody adapted Snyder's original screenwriting framework specifically for novelists, proving the beats work just as well in long-form fiction with detailed chapter-level examples.
The percentages are guidelines, not gospel. A novel's Catalyst might hit at 8% or 15% depending on how much setup your world needs. The beats should feel natural, not forced into exact positions.
The beat sheet is named after this idea for a reason. If readers don't like your protagonist early, they won't care about the 14 beats that follow. Give your character a moment of genuine likability or relatability in the first few pages.
Many writers find it more useful as a revision tool than a drafting tool. Write your messy first draft, then overlay the beat sheet to diagnose pacing problems and missing emotional turns.
The Catalyst is the event that happens to your protagonist. The Break into Two is the choice your protagonist makes in response. The gap between them is where character agency lives.
Take a movie or novel you know inside out and try to identify all 15 Save the Cat beats. Write each beat name, the page or timestamp where it occurs, and a one-sentence description of what happens. Pay special attention to the gap between the Catalyst and Break into Two. If you can't find a beat, ask yourself whether the story suffers for its absence or whether the beat is simply disguised.