My review of Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet online course for the WOW! Women on Writing Tour

You may recall from one of my previous posts how I shared my experience of using the Save The Cat! book to help structure the writing projects which I am working on, and as a big reader and even bigger planner, that was a pure pleasure. I loved being able to reference the various parts of the book related to the different beats and it helped to grow my understanding of the necessary elements of successful narrative enormously.

But you may have noticed on my other blog Frugal France that I have been *really* busy lately, what with my therapy work, writing for the French Property News magazine and renovating my little French house, I'll admit that my creative writing projects have taken a bit of a back seat. 

That's why when Women on Writing asked me to review the online course Cracking The Beat Sheet from Save the Cat! I was enthusiastic to undertake some training that would be a) delivered by video at my own pace (which I love), and b) remind me of the themes which I studied in the book back in 2020. But in case you didn't catch that blog post, here are a few more details:​

First, what is Save the Cat!®? 
Save the Cat! provides writers the resources they need to develop their screenplays and novels based on a series of best-selling books, primarily written by Blake Snyder (1957- 2009). Blake's method is based on 10 distinctive genres and his 15 story beats (the Blake Snyder Beat Sheet). Our books, workshops, story structure software, apps, and story coaching teach you everything you need to unlock the fundamentals and mechanics of plot and character transformation. 

About the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet Online Course
This course is designed for writers to turn their idea into a movie or novel. This learn-at-your-own-pace online class helps you develop the 15 key "beats" or "plot points" of your story. Strung together, in the right order, these 15 beats make up the blueprint to a successful screenplay or novel. 

You'll Turn an Idea into a Story by Learning to... 
• Create a solid beat sheet that will serve as the road map, and "backbone" of your story 
• Identify and know the key components of your story genre
• Learn the clichés of your genre so that you can break them like an artist 
• Plot your hero's journey and "transformation"
• Troubleshoot your story idea for viability 
• Write a compelling logline or elevator pitch 

This Course Is for Those Who... 
• Want to troubleshoot an existing story 
• Have so many great ideas and struggle to choose "the one" 
• Are ready to write but not sure how to start 
• Are determined to finish a half-written story 
• Want to learn 

This Course Includes... 
• Over 3 hours and 17 minutes of original video production 
• 9 downloadable worksheets • 3 reading assignments (book not included) 
• 4 homework assignments 
Course Value: $59 

My review of the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet Online Course

If you've struggled to use the Save The Cat! book to work out the beats of your story, then this course is for you. It's full of insights, explanations, examples and guides - including really useful printouts - which help you to work out step-by-step what your beats need to contain, and what changes you might make to improve your story.

It's easy to follow and full of humour so it's no chore to watch the lectures, and there are regular breaks and prompts to work on your own beats before moving onto the next stage.

If you're serious about polishing your beat sheet and story narrative, including analysing whether your hero is actively moving the story along in the most compelling and interesting way for your reader - then this is for you. It could also be for you if - like me - you've needed a kick to get moving on your stories, and to help you choose which journey to choose for your characters.

You can find out more information about the Save the Cat! Cracking the Beat Sheet Online Course by visiting https://www.savethecatcourses.com/courses/cracking-the-beat-sheet