Category: Plot
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How to Write Act 3 of Your Novel Using Save the Cat
At last, we’ve reached the final act of your story. But how do you write Act 3 of a novel? It can be difficult because everything in the book has been building up to this point. You made promises to the reader in Act 1 and made progress on those promises in Act 2. Now… Read more
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How to Write Act 2 of Your Novel Using Save the Cat (Part 2)
We have reached the second half of Act 2 in our discussion of the Save the Cat! beats. By this point, we’re halfway through the book. We’ve come so far, but we’ve still got a long way to go. Don’t fret, I’m going to help you learn how to write Act 2 of your novel.… Read more
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How to Write Act 2 of Your Novel Using Save the Cat (Part 1)
Wondering how to write Act 2 of a novel? You’re not alone. Many writers consider the second act to be the most difficult. Act 2 covers about 50% of the story—that’s a lot of pages to fill! The basic Three-Act Story Structure doesn’t give much guidance for Act 2. Luckily, we have other story structures… Read more
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How to Write Act 1 of Your Novel Using Save the Cat
I didn’t pay much attention to structure until I started editing other people’s stories and novels. Only then did I see how much structure can help a story. If you learn how to write Act 1 of your novel, it will help you set up a satisfying story. But without some kind of structure, the… Read more
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How to Turn a Passive Protagonist into an Active Protagonist
Have you ever had this thought while reading a book or watching a movie: “A lot of things are happening, but I’m just bored,” or “I’m not sure I care what happens to this character”? Me too. The culprit may not be obvious, but these thoughts can be the result of a passive protagonist. Protagonists… Read more
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A Story and B Story Explained
What Are A and B Stories and How to Connect Them There’s a lot of confusion out there about what an A Story is and what a B Story is. These terms get thrown around in both screenwriting and novel writing, but what do they mean? What’s a B Story character? What’s the difference between… Read more