Is Save the Cat! Writes a Novel a Good Writing Tool? 

Let’s get into a Save the Cat! Writes a Novel Review! 

It can’t be underestimated how much this book has influenced my writing methods. When I started taking writing seriously in January 2019, I decided that all my books would follow Brody’s beat system. So far, I’m six novels into the method and each one gets better and better. 

Well, except for that one dud, but let’s not mention that here. Okay, thx. 

First and foremost, this book is for everyone who wants to be a story person. 

Kate, what the heck is a story person? 

A story person just loves stories.

I know, a breathtaking answer.  

BUT they love writing stories, reading them, studying the structure of the greats, and figuring out what makes successful novels successful. It’s for people who love stories so much, they’re consumed by them. It’s also for people who just want to write something that’s structured well and aren’t nerds about it. Not that you guys are nerds … well, some of you anyways. 

Are you a novice? Established? Curious about novel structure? Just want a fun read? It’s for everyone that just wants a taste of writing! 

It’s even for the lazy people who don’t want to read the whole book and just hit the highlights. What are the highlights you ask? The beats obviously. Scroll down and download the PDF to see them in all their glory.

Note: this is NOT my PDF and I think came straight from Brody herself. Thanks Queen! 

Now, this is a Save the Cat! Writes a Novel Review after all so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty here. 

How Fun Was This Read? 

As we know, reading for me is inherently not fun unless you make me feel like I’m not reading at all. It’s arduous most of the time and I am the person that says- God, please make this as short as possible.

This is why I adored Brody’s structure of the book. I just read the Beats and wrote my first novel. 

Now was that novel good? 

No. 

Did that have anything to do with Save the Cat?

Probably not, I think it was definitely a novice, I-Have-No-Idea-What-I’m-Doing-Thing going on. 

However, After that novel, I decided to read the whole thing. And it was pretty good. Brody does a great job of making things sound upbeat and not mind-numbingly boring. 

After all, isn’t that the schtick with most other How to Write a Novel Books? BOR-RING. They’re a snooze fest all the way, and sucks as much fun out of the writing process as possible! 

Whew. Brody doesn’t do this at all and I have the attention span of a gnat. 

Was it Helpful? 

Gotta say, before this book I was kind of flying the seat of my pants. Now, had I hit most of the beats before this book? Yes. Kind of. Well- I’d like to think so anyways. 

But when I really honed in on the beats in this book- wow. WOW. It changed everything for me. It gave me a roadmap to where I was going and how I was going to take over the literary world. 

Kate, you’re not even published. 

Well, golly wolly gee bub it’s not like I have the greatest touch on reality in the first place, just let me be happy okay?

Going through this book a second time, I noticed that Brody spends an awful long effort on making sure you choose the right Main Character (MC). I know, I know. The writer chooses the real MC, right? Well . . . 

And this came as a shock to me. Sometimes the character you want to be the MC isn’t the one that would do the most justice to the story. OOF. Let me tell you, I was halfway done with my novel when I read this. I knew from then on I was writing from the wrong perspective. 

I was shoving my character into a box she didn’t fit in. And it would have been a lot better if I would have just followed Brody’s advice from the get-go. 

TWO rewrites later (from the wrong perspective) and the novel is just- a dud. And quite frankly, I’m too exhausted to write about that story anymore. So now not only is it a dud, but it’s an abandoned dud that sits mockingly in a folder on my computer. 

Whoo that file is becoming larger and larger let me tell you. 

Either way 5/5 twinkling helpful stars!

Was it Worth the Price? 

This heifer is $14.39 on Amazon. Probably about $20 in a real bookstore (Which I would recommend buying from because we’re readily entering a world without them.) 

It is absolutely worth the price. This isn’t just a temporary knowledge application. This is lifelong learning you’re taking on. It’s Evergreen content baby, BUY IT!

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel Review Summary

It’s rad man. Jessica Brody did a great job of building a business on this concept that isn’t a waste of time. Personal Rating?

What’s Up Next

Now, this is one of my first reviews so if there’s something I’m not talking about that you need the details on, please comment it! I’ll respond to all questions and concerns, … probably not insults. You can leave those at home. UNLESS you can make me laugh. Then I’m totally down. 

But, I hope you’ve enjoyed this Save the Cat! Writes a Novel Review. 

Come back next month when I review David Farland’s My Story Doctor course called the Story Puzzle. This course has launched the careers of greats like Stephanie Myer (Twilight), Brandon Sanderson (The Mistborn Trilogy and consultant on the Wheel of Time), and James Dashner (The Maze Runner). 

Did I love it? What are the details? Will it change YOUR writing life? 

Stay Tuned! 

Aight, Stay saucy! 

XOXO - Kate