We are excited to announce the launch of another Save the Cat!® blog tour. If you are finally ready to outline your novel or screenplay, you'll want to follow along on this tour. We'll be talking about their
Cracking the Beat Sheet Online Course and their
Story Cards.
First, what is Save the Cat!®?
Save the Cat! provides writers the resources they need to develop their screenplays and novels based on a series of best-selling books, primarily written by Blake Snyder (1957- 2009). Blake’s method is based on 10 distinctive genres and his 15 story beats (the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet). Our books, workshops, story structure software, apps, and story coaching teach you everything you need to unlock the fundamentals and mechanics of plot and character transformation.
About the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet Online Course
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| Behind the Scenes at Save the Cat! |
This course is designed for writers to turn their idea into a movie or novel. This learn-at-your-own-pace online class helps you develop the 15 key “beats” or “plot points” of your story. Strung together, in the right order, these 15 beats make up the blueprint to a successful screenplay or novel.
You'll Turn an Idea into a Story by Learning to:
• Create a solid beat sheet that will serve as the road map, and “backbone” of your story
• Identify and know the key components of your story genre
• Learn the clichés of your genre so that you can break them like an artist
• Plot your hero’s journey and “transformation”
• Troubleshoot your story idea for viability
• Write a compelling logline or elevator pitch
This Course Is for Those Who:
• Want to troubleshoot an existing story
• Have so many great ideas and struggle to choose "the one"
• Are ready to write but not sure how to start
• Are determined to finish a half-written story
• Want to learn
This Course Includes:
• Over 3 hours and 17 minutes of original video production
• 9 downloadable worksheets
• 3 reading assignments (book not included)
• 4 homework assignments
Course Value: $59
About Save the Cat! Story Cards
Introducing Save the Cat!®Story Cards, consisting of Save the Cat! Beat Cards and Save the Cat! Scene Cards, all designed to outline and develop your story.
Save the Cat! Beat Cards
Crack your story from the “Opening Image” to the “Final Image.” Save the Cat!® Beat Cards provide writers with the 15 key plot points to map out your script or novel. Every set contains 15 individual index cards with helpful explanations of each beat to form the foundation of your story.
Save the Cat! Scene Cards
Every scene of your story needs to communicate “place,” “basic action,” “emotional transformation,” and “outcome.” The Save the Cat!® Scene Cards help writers nail the purpose of every scene. Each set of cards contains 40 color-coded cards broken down by act, with 10 extra cards because we know you’ll need them.
Cards Value: $10.95
More information about Save the Cat!:
-- Interview by Nicole Pyles
WOW: First of all, I want to say how excited I am to have you back and see what new amazing thing Save the Cat is bringing us! What inspired you to create a writing class based upon the Save the Cat! books?
Jason: Thanks so much for the great question – as you can imagine the pandemic has hit so many of us incredibly hard, especially the isolation; however, the unforeseen upside we found was that so many of us wanted to use that time and energy to become creatively productive. This inspired us to do the same. Save the Cat! is the world’s best-selling storytelling method from novels to screenplays, so why not play our part and bring our method to life in an on-demand, learn at your own pace course called
Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet – an incredibly productive set of videos with assignments designed to organize and focus the writer’s creative energy into their story.
WOW: I really love that you used the pandemic to inspire you to create something so creatively inspired. What can people expect from the course?
Jason: There are a lot of classes out there, most feel-like academic exercises with tons of fluff – not us! We created something completely different, a course that clarifies where there is confusion with a core goal of having fun! Yes, fun! Writing is an exercise in learning and creating, and when done right, it brings a huge smile. We hit it all in this course!
WOW: Fun is so important when it comes to learning! Who is this course ideal for?
Jason: The Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet Course is designed for all those who want to create or tighten a screenplay or novel. No matter if you’re new or a professional writer, you’ll learn how to straighten your story spine, nail a title, and crack your story’s beat sheet or outline. Feel free to connect with me directly at jason.kolinsky@savethecat.com with any questions about how it’s right for you.
WOW: Thank you so much for that! So, how can this course help writers figure out which story to write?
Jason: The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet helps any writer figure out if their story has legs. It guides writers to truly break story. Come to the course with an open mind and you’ll finish the course with a fresh understanding of your creative journey.
WOW: That would be so helpful. So, how do the story cards help writers develop their writing?
Jason: So happy to be introducing the Save the Cat! Story Cards. Blake Snyder, author and co-founder of Save the Cat!, liked to say that the Board is the most vital piece of equipment a writer needs to have at their disposal—next to paper and pen. To help all writers deliver on that statement, we created two sets of cards that would make Blake proud. The Save the Cat! Beat Cards to help map out the beats of your screenplay or novel and the Save Cat! Scene Cards which guide you to identify the meaning of every scene. Included in every set of cards is an example card that shows how you fill out every section. The scene cards are conveniently color-coded and the beat cards are numerically labeled for when you’re ready to lay them out on your board, wall, or table.
WOW: Storyboarding writing is so helpful. What advice do you have on how to approach the story cards?
Jason: The writer’s board really is the best tool for a writer. It’s used in writers’ rooms all around the world for a reason, it allows you to see where the story is going and if you’re getting there. These cards are so helpful and they very much work as intended. I can’t wait to hear more stories of how writers applied the cards.
WOW: That's so amazing! What type of feedback are you seeing on both the course and the story cards?
Jason: Game changing. Seriously. The positive reviews and personal emails have been overwhelming. We’ve heard from established pros who are using the cards. Ideas are turning into stories, structure is being applied creatively, and writers are feeling more organized with the ability to troubleshoot with ease. It’s really great.
WOW: How cool is that? What is Save the Cat! working on next?
Jason: It’s not been released yet, but it will be on March 30th – so it’s news you’re getting ahead of most… and it’s going to be ground breaking. It’s our latest book, Save the Cat! Writes For TV: The Last Book on Creating Binge-Worthy Content You’ll Ever Need.
Early reviews are in from some of the most respected writers like 9-time Emmy winner Steven Levitan, Co-Creator of Modern Family who said “While I wish it were called Save the Dog!, I believe Save the Cat! can open eyes and demystify some of the biggest challenges TV writers face on that daunting blank page.” You can pre-order
here!
WOW: Lastly, what advice do you have for writers wanting to finish their novel this year?
Jason: The best advice comes from Blake Snyder: “The worst thing that can happen in storytelling is not to finish. Half-written screenplays and novels never sell.”
This means so much on so many levels. Finish what you start, so that you can move forward!
WOW: That's such good advice. Tell me about the impact of Save the Cat! on the writing world.
Jason: That’s a deep question – one that I think about everyday – and I think it comes down to language. Save the Cat! has become the shared language of storytellers. It’s the connective tissue in writers’ room and meeting rooms – it’s how writers, directors, producers, and executives all communicate and fundamentally understand each other. It’s what we are most proud of.
WOW: I completely agree! It's transformed the writing world completely. Thank you so much for joining us today and I can't wait to see this tour launch.
--- Blog Tour Dates
February 22nd @ The Muffin
What goes better with coffee in the morning than a muffin? Grab a cup and join us today over at our blog, where we launch another blog tour for Save the Cat! We talk about their online course and their story cards, interview the Save the Cat team, and host a special giveaway you don't want to miss.
February 23rd @ Cathy Stucker's Selling Books
Join Cathy as she reviews the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet Course. Perfect if you want to finally outline your novel!
February 23rd @ And So She Thinks
Join Francesca and read her review of the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet Course. You don't want to miss this!
February 24th @ Chapters Through Life
Visit Danielle's blog as she reviews her experience with the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet Course.
February 24th @ Margay Leah Justice
Join Margay as she reviews the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course and the Story Cards.
February 25th @ Author Anthony Avina
Join Anthony as he shares a Save the Cat! guest post about why the title of a story matters.
February 26th @ Writer Unboxed
Join Therese as she reviews the Save the Cat! writing course Cracking the Beat Sheet and the story cards. Don't miss it!
February 27th @ Jessica Samuels
Join Jessica as she shares her insights into the Save the Cat! Story Cards.
February 28th @ The Faerie Review
Visit Lily's blog as she reviews the Save the Cat! Story Cards and shares her insights into the Cracking the Beat Sheet course.
March 1st @ Michelle Cornish
Join Michelle as she reviews the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course.
March 1st @ Memoir Writer's Journey
Kathy shares the Save the Cat guest post discussing stress testing dialogue and scene.
March 2nd @ Cathy Stucker's Selling Books
Visit Cathy's blog again as she reviews the Save the Cat! Story Cards! Find out how this item will help you storyboard your novel.
March 3rd @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy's blog as she reviews the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet and the Save the Cat! Story Cards.
March 4th @ Author Anthony Avina
Visit Anthony's blog where you can read his experience with the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course.
March 5th @ Quill and Books
Visit Kathryn's blog and read her review of the Save the Cat! Story Cards.
March 7th @ Sioux's Page
Join Sioux as she reviews the Save the Cat! Story Cards and her experience with the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course.
March 7th @ Help Me Naomi
Visit Naomi's blog today and you can read her review of the Save the Cat! Story Cards and the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course.
March 8th @ World of My Imagination
Guest writer, Stephanie Anne, reviews the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course and Save the Cat! Story Cards on Nicole's blog World of My Imagination.
March 9th @ Cathy Stucker's Selling Books
Visit Cathy's blog again where you can read a guest post from the Save the Cat! team about why structure is a friend, not a formula.
March 9th @ Sandy Kirby Quandt
Sandy shares her review of the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course and the Save the Cat! Story Cards.
March 10th @ Brooke's Reviews and Sweeps
Join Brooke as she reviews the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course and the Save the Cat! Story Cards.
March 11th @ Jill Sheet's Blog
Visit Jill's blog today and check out her insights into the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course and the Save the Cat! Story Cards.
March 12th @ Finished Pages
Join Renee as she reviews her experience with the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet online course.
March 14th @ The Margate Bookie
You'll definitely want to catch today's guest post where Save the Cat! discusses the power of the writer's board.
March 15th @ My Heart is Booked
Join Danielle today where she reviews the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course and the Save the Cat! story cards.
March 15th @ LM Harley
Visit Laura's blog and check out her review of the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course.
March 18th @ Cathy C. Hall Writes
Join Cathy as she shares her thoughts about the Save the Cat! Story Cards.
March 19th @ One Writer's Journey
Visit Sue's blog today as she shares her insights into the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet online course.
March 21st @ World of My Imagination
Join Nicole and read her review of the Save the Cat! Story Cards.
March 22nd @ Mint Miller Writes
Mint Miller treats us to a review of the Save the Cat! Story Cards. Don't miss it!
March 23rd @ Karen Brown Tyson
Join Karen as shares a Save the Cat guest post discussing the benefits of using a board.
March 25th @ WOW's Editor Blog
You don't want to miss WOW's editor-in-chief, Angela Mackintosh' review of the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet online course.
March 26th @ World of My Imagination
Writer Kate Mahony is a guest reviewer at World of My Imagination and she shares her thoughts about the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet course.
March 27th @ Joyful Antidotes
Visit Joy's blog today where you can read her review of the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet online course.
***** SAVE THE CAT! CLASS GIVEAWAY *****
Enter for your chance to win free access to the Cracking the Beat Sheet course. Fill out the Rafflecopter form by 11:59 pm CST March 7th, and the winner will be announced on the Rafflecopter widget the next day. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
