Outlining Your Novel Like a Screenwriter Using the "Save the Cat" Method
Rebecca Norris Resnick
Stuck on your outline for your novel? Need to ensure you have enough interesting plot points to keep your readers engaged?
It might be time to Save the Cat!
In this informative 24-min tutorial, writer Rebecca Norris Resnick will give an overview of the Save the Cat outlining method, first developed for films by screenwriter Blake Snyder, and later expanded for novels by author Jessica Brody. Upon its release in 2005, the Save the Cat method took Hollywood by storm, and made Blake Snyder a top consultant for movie studios.
Using the Save the Cat beat sheet, which is based on the tried-and-true hero’s journey, writers can learn to craft stories that bring about change and transformation in their characters and provide a catharsis for the reader. Rather than a “formula,” the Save the Cat method can be used as a guideline to make sure you’re hitting essential plot points in your novel and that your pacing will keep your readers riveted to their seats.
About the Instructor:
Rebecca Norris Resnick is an award-winning screenwriter, filmmaker, instructor for Writer's Digest University, and columnist for Script Magazine. Distributed features include Cloudy With a Chance of Sunshine (Indie Rights and House Lights Media) and short films On Becoming a Man (Shorts International), Doodles (Shorts International), and Toasted, which won the Canadian Film Centre’s ShortsNonStop competition. Her web series, Split, won multiple awards at LA WebFest, and was nominated for an Indie Series Award.
Rebecca’s work has screened in festivals worldwide including Cannes, Dances with Films, Hollyshorts, Manhattan Film Festival, Breckenridge Film Festival, and the Sedona International Film Festival, and has won and been nominated for numerous awards. She is also an alumna of the Disney Television Discovers programs in both New York and Los Angeles.
As a script analyst, Rebecca has read for several companies and competitions, including QED International (District 9, Fury), Sundance Institute, Screen Queensland, Screencraft, and BlueCat, and she has served as a judge for the International Emmys and NYC Midnight competitions. She also worked in development for Southpaw Entertainment (August Rush, The Space Between Us), where she helped develop projects for television, stage, and film. When not working on her newest project, Rebecca stays on her toes chasing both her adorable daughter and her tuxedo cat, Sox.
Learn more about Rebecca at rebeccanorrisresnick.com.
