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Save the Cat beat sheet calculator for novels

Enter your target length and number of chapters: the calculator places the 15 Save the Cat beats in your novel, in words and chapters.

Act I

  1. Opening image
    The world and hero before the change.
    0–1 %
    0–900 words
    ch. 1
  2. Theme stated
    Someone voices the lesson the hero must learn.
    5 %
    4,500 words
    ch. 2
  3. Setup
    Daily life, flaws, stakes.
    1–10 %
    900–9,000 words
    ch. 1
  4. Catalyst
    The event that upends the status quo.
    10 %
    9,000 words
    ch. 4
  5. Debate
    The hero hesitates to commit.
    10–20 %
    9,000–18,000 words
    ch. 4

Act II

  1. Break into two
    The hero chooses to enter the new world.
    20 %
    18,000 words
    ch. 7
  2. B story
    A relationship that carries the theme.
    22 %
    19,800 words
    ch. 7
  3. Fun and games
    What the reader came for.
    20–50 %
    18,000–45,000 words
    ch. 7
  4. Midpoint
    False victory or false defeat: the stakes shift.
    50 %
    45,000 words
    ch. 16
  5. Bad guys close in
    Outside pressure and inner doubt build up.
    50–75 %
    45,000–67,500 words
    ch. 16
  6. All is lost
    The lowest point.
    75 %
    67,500 words
    ch. 23
  7. Dark night of the soul
    The hero absorbs the blow and understands.
    75–80 %
    67,500–72,000 words
    ch. 23

Act III

  1. Break into three
    The solution emerges.
    80 %
    72,000 words
    ch. 25
  2. Finale
    The hero applies what they learned.
    80–99 %
    72,000–89,100 words
    ch. 25
  3. Final image
    Mirror of the opening: what has changed.
    99–100 %
    89,100–90,000 words
    ch. 30
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From planned structure to written structure

SagaScope tracks open plot threads and promises made to the reader, measures tension scene by scene and organizes the manuscript into acts.

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Next step
Novel length calculator

Words → pages, chapters, reading time, and how you compare with your genre.

The method in short

Save the Cat is a structure method created by screenwriter Blake Snyder and adapted to novels by Jessica Brody. It splits the story into 15 beats across three acts, each placed at a percentage of the story: the catalyst around 10%, break into two around 20%, the midpoint at 50%, all is lost around 75%.

These markers aren't rules. They're most useful in revision, to check that an act isn't dragging or a turning point isn't arriving too late.

Reading the result

Single beats (catalyst, midpoint…) land at a precise position; sequence beats (setup, debate, finale…) cover a range. The chapter shown is where the beat starts, assuming chapters of equal length.

Common questions

What is the Save the Cat beat sheet?
It's a list of 15 beats that structure a story in three acts: opening image, theme stated, setup, catalyst, debate, break into two, B story, fun and games, midpoint, bad guys close in, all is lost, dark night of the soul, break into three, finale and final image.
Where should the midpoint of a novel be?
In the middle of the story, around 50%: in a 90,000-word novel, around word 45,000. It's where the stakes change, through a false victory or a false defeat.
Does Save the Cat work for novels?
Yes. Jessica Brody adapted it to novels in "Save the Cat! Writes a Novel". The method suits protagonist-driven stories; ensemble novels often need it applied arc by arc.

See also

Glossary: Save the Cat beat sheetGlossary: three-act structureStructuring a gripping plotAll free tools

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