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 setup can make false promises to readers, the middle can get murky, and the end can be unsatisfying.
That’s why I’m writing a series of blog posts on three-act structure, one of the most common ways to structure a book. In today’s post, we’ll be looking at how to write the first act of a novel using the Save the Cat beat sheet.
A Note on Structure
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody was the first thing that made me understand story structure. It helped me understand why so many stories follow the same basic formula and structure my own novels. (I highly recommend reading it if you haven’t already.)
However, it’s far from the only way to look at story structure. Some of these ways are basic Three Act Structure, Seven-Point Story Structure, the Hero’s Journey, Freytag’s Pyramid, Dan Harmon’s Story Circle, the Fichtean Curve, the Five Act Structure, and probably some others that I’m not familiar with.
All of these follow the same basic structure, and they can all help you structure your novel. What clicks in my brain may not click in yours, so use whichever you find to be most helpful.
Also, note that all of these are guidelines. They’re tools to help you, but if you don’t find them helpful, don’t worry about it. There are plenty of writers who don’t think too much about structure, and they still write great books.
Act 1 Beats – How to Write Act 1 of a Novel
Without further ado, let’s dive into how to write Act 1 of your novel.
The purpose of Act 1 is to set up the story. You make promises to the reader about what kind of story you’re telling and what they can expect from it. You establish things like genre, tone, character, and setting. Check out the essential elements of Act 1 in this article.
Save the Cat breaks Act 1 into 5 beats. A beat is a narrative element that progresses the story. These are the 5 beats of Act 1:
- Opening Image
- Theme Stated
- Setup
- Catalyst
- Debate
Let’s go over each of these, then take a look at an example.
Opening Image
The opening image is the first scene or chapter that readers will see in your story. It establishes what the main character’s life is like and the tone and world of the story.
Think of the first scene of your favorite book or movie. It likely shows the main character going about their life in their flawed way.
The opening image should have plenty of action. Readers don’t want to be told about the character’s life through info dumping or internal dialogue; they want to be shown.
For more tips on writing the first chapter of your novel, check out this article.
Theme Stated
As the name suggests, in this beat, a character states or alludes to the novel’s theme, the lesson that the main character needs to learn.
It sounds preachy, right? But don’t worry. You don’t have to have a character steeple their fingers and proclaim the book’s message to the main character like they’re about to give a speech on the topic.
Instead, you want it to be a natural part of the story, so natural that readers may not even notice it. Why include it if readers won’t even notice it? While they may not consciously take note of the theme stated, when they reach the end of the story and the character has learned this lesson, they will get a nice sense of satisfaction because you set up the theme from the beginning.
What if you don’t know the theme of your novel? Or what if you don’t want one?
Well, to the second question, I would say you’re going to want one. Because, yes, stories are for entertainment, but the reason we love them is that they say something about what it means to be human—aka the theme. Themes make stories relatable, and they often make up the heart of the story.
To the first question, there are many ways to come up with your theme. Look at your main character’s flaws and think about how they need to grow. Their internal conflict should tie directly into the theme. You can examine their past to see how it has shaped them into the flawed person they are.
If you’re still not sure, come back to this beat. Sometimes, you don’t know what a story is really about until you’ve written it.
This beat can happen at any time during the opening image or setup. A secondary character often states the theme (but it can be something the main character reads or sees in some other way), and the main character usually ignores it or brushes it off because they’re not yet ready to change.
Setup
While the opening image shows readers a glimpse of the MC’s life, the setup shows the full picture. It’s multiple scenes or chapters where you establish who the main character is (or main characters if you’re writing multiple POVs), including their flaws, wants, and goals, and the other characters in their life.
The MC’s personality and goals should be clear. They should be actively pursuing something, though it doesn’t have to be the thing that they want most or the thing they’re going to pursue for the rest of the book.
The setup also includes a sense of trouble, a sense that things can’t keep going the way they are, that things are close to boiling over. This is often called the stasis = death—because if things don’t change, death (whether literal or metaphorical) is imminent. Not to mention your reader will get bored.
Catalyst
This leads us right to the catalyst or inciting incident—something that happens to the MC that will force them to change. No one wants to change unless they have to, and characters are no different. They need something to give them a boost (or a kick in the pants) to get them to finally address their flaws and needs.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; they’re still not ready to change.
The inciting incident is usually not a good thing for the MC (though it can be). The character might lose their job, discover their partner cheating, get attacked by monsters, discover a treasure, win the lottery, get drafted into the army, etc.
Whatever the catalyst is, it isn’t in the character’s control, because if they could control it, there would be no reason for the rest of the story. They need a wake-up call, a call to action, to eventually change their ways.
Brody emphasizes that the catalyst should be big enough that the MC cannot easily return to their regular life, so don’t be afraid to really throw a wrench in your character’s life in this single-scene beat.
Debate
Alright now it’s time for the MC to change, right?
Well, not quite. In fact, they’ve still got a long way to go before they’re ready for that.
Instead, we have the debate, a beat that shows that they’re hesitant to change. This beat prepares the MC and the reader for the break into Act 2.
Because before we get into Act 2, we need the MC’s reaction to the catalyst. If you lost your job or won the lottery, you’re going to have a reaction. Since the catalyst is the equivalent of a bomb going off in your character’s life, they need some time to process it and decide what to do next.
In this multi-scene beat, you can show your character at home, work, and play, trying to make this decision. If your character’s decision is obvious (like Harry Potter going to Hogwarts), then this beat will show them preparing. In these situations, instead of deciding what to do, the character will know what they need to do and get ready for that.
Example: The Selection by Kiera Cass
Caution: spoilers for this book.
Opening Image
The Selection opens with the main character, America Singer, and her family having a tense conversation about whether America should enter the Selection. She doesn’t want to, but the competition for Prince Maxon’s hand in marriage could provide for her family. They struggle financially because they are part of a lower caste. At the end of the chapter, America sneaks out of the house to meet someone.
The first chapter establishes who the main character is and what she wants—or in this case, what she doesn’t want: to enter the Selection. There is action in the conversation with America’s family and her sneaking out, though there is enough internal dialogue and exposition for the reader to understand the family’s situation and what the Selection could mean for them.
Setup
Throughout the next several chapters, readers learn all about America’s life and the world she lives in.
The person she snuck out to meet is her secret boyfriend, Aspen, the main reason she doesn’t want to enter the Selection. Aspen’s caste is a Six while America’s is a Five, and their society frowns upon inter-caste marriages. America wants to marry Aspen, but she knows her mother wouldn’t like that she’s marrying down.
As a Six, Aspen often goes hungry, so America brings him food. Aspen encourages America to enter the Selection, saying he’d never forgive himself if he held her back from the chance of a better life. She eventually agrees because she thinks there’s no way she’ll be chosen.
The next day, America’s mother offers her a deal that she can keep half her earnings if she enters. Since America was already going to enter for Aspen’s sake, she agrees, hoping to save the money for her marriage to Aspen.
She fills out the application. When she and her mother go to drop it off, she sees the other girls lined up have gotten dressed up and realizes she’ll have her picture taken. She also sees Aspen’s mother and two sisters, and Aspen’s mother mentions that she thinks Aspen has a secret girlfriend he’s going to propose to. The thought makes America beam in her photo.
A week later, America brings a big meal for Aspen paid for with the money she’s now saving. But Aspen becomes upset, feeling like he should be the one providing for her, not the other way around. He doesn’t want to be a charity case. America doesn’t mind and tells him that she’s ready to say yes if he asks her to marry him. But Aspen says that he can’t do this anymore, that it won’t work, and leaves.
Throughout these chapters, we learn about Illéa, the nation America lives in. Some rebels frequently attack the palace, and there is a war in New Asia, meaning more soldiers will be drafted. The nation is young and strict and uses the caste system to maintain control.
Theme Stated
Throughout the series, America has to shift from someone who’s used to being in the background to being pushed into the spotlight.
We first get a hint of this theme in the first chapter when America thinks, “When I was younger, performing in front of an audience terrified me. But now I just tried to equate myself to background music. That’s what we were in the eyes of our employers: meant to be heard and not seen.”
Then later, Aspen says, “If we’re together, Mer, you’re going to be invisible, too. And I don’t want that for you.”
America, of course, brushes this off by saying, “Aspen we’ve talked about this. I know that things will be different, and I’m prepared.”
She still wants to be in the background, and she’s not ready to step into the light yet.
Catalyst
A few days after Aspen breaks up with America, she and her family watch on TV as the girls chosen for the Selection are announced, and America’s picture pops up as her name is called.
Debate
America is shocked. Over the next week, palace officials come to prepare her for the selection. They measure her for dresses, make sure her house is secure from rebel attacks, and make sure she understands the rules of the Selection.
To get a chance to speak with Aspen, America hires him to help her pack. He tells America he was waiting to see if he’d get drafted before he proposed. He still thinks it’s for the best that she was chosen. Angry, she gives him all her money and the pennies he gave her, not wanting anything that was his.
The town throws a celebration to send America off to the palace. While there, she sees Aspen with another girl and wonders if he was planning to propose to her instead.
This has been my guide on how to write Act 1 of a novel using the Save the Cat beat sheet. I’ll be posting guides for Acts 2 and 3 in the coming weeks, so subscribe to make sure you don’t miss those.