Screenwriting · 15 beats
Best for: Hollywood feature films, especially genre and comedy. Blake Snyder's 15-beat structure, popular in film. Paces a two-hour screenplay with clear turning points.
Percentages show roughly where each beat lands in the finished story — the midpoint of a 110-page screenplay is page 55.
A visual that establishes the tone, mood, and stakes. A 'before' snapshot of the protagonist's world.
Someone (usually not the hero) states the theme — the lesson the hero needs to learn.
Introduce the protagonist, their world, and the six things that need fixing. Ends with the Catalyst.
The inciting event. A call to action that disrupts the hero's status quo.
The hero resists the call. Asks 'should I do this?' Doubt, fear, preparation.
The hero commits. Crosses the threshold from old world to new.
A parallel story — often the love interest or mentor — that carries the theme.
The 'promise of the premise.' The hero explores the new world. What the trailer sells.
A false victory or false defeat. The stakes are raised. The clock starts ticking.
Pressure mounts internally (doubt, team friction) and externally (antagonist presses advantage).
The worst moment. A 'whiff of death' — literal or symbolic. The hero's plan fails.
The hero sits in defeat. Reflection. The lesson of the theme finally lands.
Inspiration strikes. Hero finds the answer — usually by synthesizing A story and B story.
Hero executes the new plan. Confronts the antagonist. Resolves external and internal conflict.
The mirror of the Opening Image. Shows how much the world and hero have changed.
Save the Cat! is built into One More Draft — pick it in the story wizard and every beat above becomes a slot in your outline, with Quill, your story editor, coaching each one. Free to start.
Start a story with Save the Cat!
