Do you enjoy the magic of reading works of fiction and being swept away to places of wonder and intrigue? Do you dream of leading a life where you can take people and control their thoughts and actions (as a writer of course)? If you answered yes to either of those questions or even both, then I have the book for you! Enter Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book On Novel Writing You'll Ever Need a book based on another with a similar title. The original Save the Cat book walks you through the ins and outs of writing a screen play. Jessica Brody decided that cats in novels needed to be saved just as badly as those in screen plays. So, she set out on a mission to help others save those fictional felines. Brody claims that the ideas and strategies are great for both plotters (those who plan out every detail before writing) and pansters (those who start writing and see where the words take them). When you open this book, you are taking a journey on the path to becoming a great and interesting writer. The first stop on this trek is teaching you about what Brody calls the beat sheet. This is a super loose skeleton outline you can use to help you know what your story needs to be able to push itself along. Readers beware! Save the Cat does contain spoilers as it utilizes well known books to show how the methodology of the beat sheet can be found in novels. These spoilers include classics such as A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and even more modern titles such as Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. You get an even further break down when it teaches you about genres, but not just any genres; Brody labels them ‘not your mothers' genres’. Within those chapters you get a further explanation of what makes these categories, like the whydunit genre and the Monster in the house genre, special and how you can fit your novel into one (or more) of these boxes. There are examples given of popular titles that would fit into these genres, as well as beat sheets to go along with them.
After you make it through all that you have learned how to essentially, write a book (regardless if there is any cat to be saved or not). The only thing left for Brody to teach is how to keep your sanity when you start slashing your soul, dictionaries, and thesauruses in order to implementing these ideas. The finale of this work (and yours) is trying to make a synopsis to lure in readers and making an elevator pitch that can hook publishers and others in the industry. Once again you are given a skeleton outline you can follow, as well as ideas and resources to help you in your journey.
Whether you decide to write while keeping this book in tow, or if you want to read it just to study the ideas behind writing a novel this book is filled with fun light hearted humor and sass that feels more like sitting down and chatting with a friend over a drink rather than sitting down by yourself and staring at pieces of paper. This book is easy to read and I recommend it to anyone and everyone, even if you have no plans of ever being a writer yourself.
Reviewed by Ashlynn.