Save the Cat Beat Sheet
Screenwriter Blake Snyder named his method after the moment a hero does something kind (saves a cat) so the audience likes them. His 15 beats sit at fixed percentages of the script, which makes the sheet easy to scale: multiply the percentages by your word count.
Step through the 15 beats
Click a point, use the buttons, or focus the diagram and press ← →. Drag the length slider to turn percentages into word positions.
A snapshot of the "before".
In flash fiction: Your first sentence.
Example beatA lone light over black water.
Save the Cat Beat Sheet beats in a 500-word story
| # | Beat | What happens | Starts near word | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Opening image | A snapshot of the "before". | 0 | A lone light over black water. |
| 2 | Theme stated | Someone hints at the lesson. | 25 | "Nobody needs a keeper anymore," says the postman. |
| 3 | Set-up | The hero's world and flaws. | 40 | She has not left the island in a year. |
| 4 | Catalyst | Life-changing event. | 50 | The switch-off letter. |
| 5 | Debate | Should I? Can I? | 80 | She packs, unpacks, packs. |
| 6 | Break into two | The hero chooses the new path. | 100 | She stays for the last night. |
| 7 | B story | A secondary thread that carries the theme. | 110 | The fisherman who waves every morning. |
| 8 | Fun and games | The promise of the premise. | 175 | The storm, the old gear, the rituals. |
| 9 | Midpoint | False victory or false defeat; stakes rise. | 250 | The radio call: his boat is lost. |
| 10 | Bad guys close in | Pressure from outside and inside. | 310 | The lamp flickers; the generator coughs. |
| 11 | All is lost | The lowest moment, a "whiff of death". | 375 | Darkness. The tower is just a tower. |
| 12 | Dark night of the soul | The hero wallows, then finds the answer. | 400 | Her father's logbook falls open. |
| 13 | Break into three | The solution is found. | 420 | The oil lamp. |
| 14 | Finale | The hero applies what they learned. | 460 | All night at the crank. |
| 15 | Final image | The opposite of the opening image. | 500 | Two lights over grey water: hers and the boat's. |
Save the Cat Beat Sheet: common questions
What are the 15 Save the Cat beats?
Opening image, theme stated, set-up, 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.
What percentages does Save the Cat use?
On a 110-page script: catalyst at page 12 (about 10%), break into two at 25 (about 20–23%), midpoint at 55 (50%), all is lost at 75 (about 68–75%), break into three at 85 (about 77–85%). The diagram uses rounded values.
Is Save the Cat too big for flash fiction?
Fifteen beats in 500 words is cramped. Use the skeleton beats (opening image, catalyst, break into two, midpoint, all is lost, finale, final image) and let the rest happen off the page.