SAVE THE CAT! BEAT SHEET WORKBOOK

The Save the Cat Beat Sheet Workbook is my new favorite tool for brainstorming and story generation! I’ve read both Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat and Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat Writes a Novel, and this workbook is the perfect companion. Where the books assume the writer has an idea already, this interactive workbook starts from scratch by examining your emotions, what gets your heart pounding, and more. It’s perfect for those new to the STC method. I’d suggest working through the idea generation exercises in this workbook first, before reading the books, because it encourages play and helps your imagination run wild. My favorite exercise was gluing a photo to the page and creating plots in different movie genres like comedy, science fiction, inspirational, and horror. I wrote several variations of my initial story idea and love them all! The Choose Your Own Adventure section was fun, and it is no surprise to me, since I mostly write creative nonfiction and memoir, that I’m an Inside Out writer. Even though I’ve completed two book-length beat sheets in the past, this workbook was still full of revelations. Jamie Nash’s Beat Sheet Workbook is a godsend for writers like me who’ve fallen into a rut of taking their writing too seriously. This was the book I needed to help me break through the blocks that have been holding me back and blast back into my creative side.

I read Blake Snyder's Save the Cat: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need a few years ago because I was just getting back into screenwriting after having had an interest in it when I was younger, and it seemed like that was one of the primary books that was recommended. It wasn't the only book I read on screenwriting at the time, but I did find it to be particularly user-friendly and understandable when it comes to story structure in a screenplay. Of course, the book hasn't been without its share of detractors claiming that it's formulaic and even that it destroyed Hollywood movies because so many screenwriters started adopting it. But rather than being formulaic, Snyder's structure acts as a fairly loose blueprint to help you craft a compelling story for the screen. It's more like a playground with wide boundaries for screenwriters to play in, giving a lot of freedom of choice within the framework. I've written two screenplays of my own, and for both, I outlined first using Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet from Save the Cat. Though Save the Cat itself is a great book, many writers have had questions throughout the years on how to implement its concepts. The answer to that is Jamie Nash's new book Save the Cat Beat Sheet Workbook. This is honestly the Save the Cat book I've been waiting for. I've read every Save the Cat book since the original and have enjoyed how the authors have analyzed film and television using the STC method. But I have struggled at times with how to handle things like Snyder's "fun and games" beat and how to develop realistic characters. Save the Cat Beat Sheet Workbook is a creativity-generating workbook like I've never come across. Jamie Nash helps you to dig into who you are as a writer before helping you to come up with not just one but many potential story ideas before getting you to focus on one. There's even an element of "Choose Your Own Adventure" to it in that you can choose the path of an Inside Out approach to planning your story or an Outside In approach. Either way, you'll learn how to develop a solid plot and a cast of characters to inhabit your story. The book is designed as a workbook for planning and writing one story, so for someone like me who struggles with writing in books and wanting to be able to use this more than once, I'm working through the pages in a separate notebook, but it's a highly valuable tool for generating ideas not only for stories but for scenes and characters as well. Save the Cat Beat Sheet Workbook is the perfect companion to Blake Snyder's original Save the Cat.

This book is a must read and participate in for anyone writing a book. There is so much information in it that I never thought about, making me grateful that I picked it up. One thing I will say is this: I saw someone somewhere talk about how you have to write your answers in the book, therefore ruining the book for next time. I didn't do that. I copied the pages on my printer and kept them together in a file folder. Or sometimes I would answer the questions in a notebook bought specifically for that purpose. Those are just a couple of things you could do to keep from ruining your book.

Great Resource! not what I was expecting lol but it's fun! great resource to unfog your brain! the sections *Let's talk Plot and Characters, *Let's Thicken that Plot!, *Develop your Characters, and the *Beat Sheet are what I'll be coming back to the most!

I purchased 5 of the workbooks when they were released. 1 for myself and 4 to give as gifts. I am a writer, fine artist, Hollywood Exec., and fan of the STC franchise. I have been writing for over 30 years so I definitely have my way of doing things and it has served me well. At the same time, I have remained open to new approaches, subject matter experts, and tools to keep the creative juices flowing. Save the Cat Beat Sheet Workbook is a fun tool for all ages! I am now in my fifties and I value the contributions of people, like Jamie Nash, who help others ignite their creative genius. In my case, the workbook pushes me to consider additional story angles and so much more. A great example of this is when I think I am set on things like my catalyst and the workbook asks you to come up with 5 catalysts. That's when I have to dig deep and come up more ideas for the same story. By doing exercises like this, I actually end up with so many useable storylines which allow me to build a series. This was an unexpected gift! The workbook also allows me to easily work on multiple projects at a time and share my vision with other creatives, in a concise manner. Basically, you will get out of the workbook exactly what you need based on who you are and what you put into it. I love it and I'm ordering 2 more today!

This at first seemed a bit childish but the steps breakdown brainstorming to get to the heart of your theme and what you really want to write. Enjoyable, fun and yet a serious structuring and plotting guide. Would buy another for my next book. IF I finish the actual writing of this one!

Es una herramienta hermosa para escribir historias y crear personajes.

This is a great planner to get your mind moving but, so far, it's just been a bit of fun

My daughter, a fledgling writer, asked for this book. It was recommended to her; she did her research of it and was very happy to receive the book as a gift.

Loved it. Was struggling to come up with ideas for a novel. This book has a goldmine of information for creating ideas for your story, characters, plot ideas. Plus the famous save the cat outline, where Jamie walks you through every beat of the STC. Making sure your story is strong. 10/10 Definitely recommend if your struggling with your novel.