Screenwriting · 15 beats
Best for: writers who want both the granularity of Save the Cat and the arc clarity of Harmon's Story Circle. Fifteen Snyder beats nested under nine Harmon segments. Adapted from the community template — write here and view as either framework.
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.
Act 1. Introduce the protagonist and their world. Six things that need fixing. The theme is usually stated here.
The inciting event. A call to action that disrupts the hero's status quo.
The hero resists the call. 'Should I do this?' Doubt, fear, preparation.
Act 2 begins. The hero commits and crosses the threshold from old world to new.
First half of the 'promise of the premise.' The hero explores the new world. What the trailer sells.
A parallel story — often a love interest or mentor — that carries the theme.
Second half. The hero adapts to the new world, learns its rules, recruits help, encounters obstacles.
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. Synthesizing A story and B story.
Act 3 begins. Inspiration strikes. The hero finds the answer and forms a new plan.
The hero executes the new plan. Confronts the antagonist. Resolves external and internal conflict.
Mirror of the First Image. Shows how much the world and the hero have changed.
Snyder–Harmon Hybrid (Save the Cat × Story Circle) 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 Snyder–Harmon Hybrid (Save the Cat × Story Circle)
