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Building a Book
Building a Book
Save the Cat “My Book” Dashboard
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Act
Percent
Beat
What does it do?
Where does it go?
Current Status
Notes
Word Count
1
Act 1
1%
Opening Image
Provides a quick before snapshot of your hero and their world
First scene or chapter
Not Started 👀
2
Act 1
5%
Theme Stated
Briefly alludes to the transformative journey that your hero will take and the flaw or flaws they will eventually conquer.
Somewhere within the first 10% of the novel
Not Started 👀
3
Act 1
10%
Setup
Set up your hero’s life and their status quo world before everything changes.
Takes up the first 10% of the novel
Not Started 👀
4
Act 1
10%
Catalyst
Disrupts the status quo world with a life-changing event
10% or earlier
Not Started 👀
5
Act 1
20%
Debate
Show how resistant your hero is to change and/or prepares your hero for the break into Act 2
Takes us from Catalyst to end of act 1
Not Started 👀
6
Act 2
20%
Break Into 2
Opposite of act 1. Brings the hero into the upside down world of Act 2 where they will fix things the wrong way.
Before you get one quarter of the way through your novel theyere should be a clear act break.
Not Started 👀
7
Act 2
22%
B Story
Introduces the character who will somehow represent the B Story/spiritual story/ and help your hero learn it
Usually right after the break into 2 but can come early. Just make sure it is in the first 25%
Not Started 👀
8
Act 2
50%
Fun and Games
Delivers the promise of the premise of the noval and shows us how your hero is fairing in the new Act 2 world either having fun or floudnering
The beat spans the entire first half of Act 2
Not Started 👀
9
Act 2
50%
Midpoint
Marks the middle of the novel with either a false defear or a false victory while at the same time raising the stakes of the story
The middle
Not Started 👀
10
Act 2
75%
Bad Guys Close In
Provides a place for your hero to rebound after a false defeat or fall doan after a false victory all while the internal bad guys (flaws) are closing in
50%-75%
Not Started 👀
11
Act 2
75%
All is Lost
Illustrates your hero’s rock bottom
75%
Not Started 👀
12
Act 2
80%
Dark Night of the Soul
Shows how your hero reacts to All is Lost and how they will eventually break through to a resolution
Beat takes us to the end of Act 2
Not Started 👀
13
Act 3
80%
Break into 3
Brings hero into the synthesis world of Act 3 where they will finally fix things the right way
80%
Not Started 👀
14
Act 3
90%
Finale
Resolves all the problems created in Act 2 and proves that your hero has learned the theme and has been transformed.
80% - 90%
Not Started 👀
15
Act 3
99%
Finale Image
Provides an after snapshot of the hero to show how much they’ve changed
Final scene or chapter.
Not Started 👀
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