Save the Cat! and Software


As I mentioned in a post on April 27, I was fortunate enough to be chosen to receive and review a copy of Save the Cat! Software and to be part of the blog tour for the book by Jessica Brody held by WOW-Women on Writing

For those unfamiliar with Save the Cat!, here is a brief description - 

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.

Find out more about Save the Cat! by visiting their webpage at www.savethecat.com.



Now for my take on Save the Cat!


First, I already had the book by Jessica Brody. 




And I was using it to put together an outline for my 

novel, Sanctuary. My problem is my novel is  

turning into a series, with ideas and scenes, and no 

way to really corral it all. 








I have tried other word processing software and

novel writing platforms, none of which really worked

for me. So a chance to try out Save the Cat! software 

was really interesting.







One of the things I really like about the software is 

the option to write a single novel or to set up for a 

series. The software allows me to add notes and 

track everything from characters to locations and 

everything in between. All in one place!



On the left hand side are the books of the series

(note - those are definitely working titles). And if I

am working on Sanctuary and get an idea for book 4 

in the series, I can quickly flip over to it.



But the main thing I really, really love about the 

software are the 'beats'!






Everything from the logline of the novel, to the page 

count and character descriptions come equipped with

questions which need to be answered about the 

scene or character, making, in my opinion, a deeper, 

more well-rounded story.



For those who love having index cards to track their

story, you can print them out from the program. 



So my pros about about software - 


          Prompts/Beats - allowing me to write a better

                                  story (in my opinion).

          Organization - allowing me to write either

                               a stand alone novel or a
     
                               series. Options are also there

                               for a screenplay or TV series.

          Sync across devices - if my desktop had not
                                     
                                          died, then I could sync
   
                                          between that and my
  
                                          laptop.

          Ease of Use - While there are a lot of things

                              you can do with the software,

                              it is fairly easily to start using.

                              Tutorial videos are available for

                              to help you get started.

          Customer Service - I did email a couple of 

                                       questions to tech and 

                                       received answers in a 

                                       very timely manner.



The cons of the software - 

          

          The colors - I wish I had more options for

                            changing the colors of the cards. 

          Price - it's not cheap. As an unpublished

                    author I might balk at the annual cost.

                    If the cost was for lifetime use, I would

                    be more willing to pay for it, especially

                    the Pro edition which has all the bells

                    and whistles. But I understand the

                    cost, it is a really great program. 




All-in-all, once my time is up on the software I was  

given to review, I will probably renew at the 

Premium, or Experienced Writer, level.  I find I am 

really enjoying it much, much more than other 

writing platforms I have tried in the past.



Now to get back to Sanctuary.





          























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