Story Outlining Secrets: Inspired by 'Save The Cat Writes a Novel' by Jessica Brody

Today's episode, we explore how to take your story outline from zero to hero with the 15 key story elements from one of the best outline resources of " Save The Cat Writes a Novel" by Jessica Brody.

Highlights
- What are the 15 key story elements
- How to take your reader on a journey
- Getting through the Act 2 with style

Book Links: Save The Cat Writes a Novel  ( Affiliate Links)
                            Save The Cat Write a Young Adult Novel ( Affiliate Links)

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Transcript

Destiny  0:00  
Welcome to the Penned By Design podcast. I'm your humble host, Destiny Jordan. And here on this podcast, we delve into the craft of writing, publishing, and tips and strategies of being a creative entrepreneur self. Let's get started. What's up everyone? Are you struggling to make an outline, whether you're a plotter, or a panther, or just a discovery writer in general, you may be missing these 15 Key story elements in your story. And before you go ahead and strike down formulas, this is these 15 key elements are in every story that can be applied to rhyme to help you get out the rut, and also improve your story production. So now, the best way to find these 50 elements I'm talking about today are in right here, Jessica Brody's save the cat writes, writes a novel. This is where you can get a lot of a lot of these stories explained a bit little bit more. But this for me is a lifesaver. I enjoy this so much, and really has helped me nail down my story elements. And just know that my story when I'm Miss feel like I'm missing something. And I'm not sure which way to turn. However, if you're a part of the way persuasion she just released, another book is called Save the cat writes a young adult novel, because young adult novels are significantly different from regular novels because of the types of themes and tropes and ideas and the pacing that she may need for young adult. No don't novels serve your product. So it is an awesome way to do video. But this one's well, because it has landed goodies. But this is the book you will need by Jessica Brody said cat writes a young adult novel. So let's get into it. So now the first things first, there are 15 key store elements in every story, no matter you, if you write Fantasy, Romance history, or sci fi, every single one of these are in here. And that's all that you really need to hit. So you have a perfect story far as structure wise, and how it flows. So it's part of the three act structure, which most of us know about the first act, they're gonna enter that

beginning, middle, and end, pretty simple. Now, most of these are in the a lot of the Act One your beats are going to be in the second act, which wise is so long. But let's start by the first act. The first act number one you need is the opening image. And this is just how do you present your character to the reader for the first time. And this could be their doing this is best done with them doing something, or some type of program or explanation, something where it kind of grabs your reader into or hooks your reader into the world, that they're going to be part of which your character. And also this is the first image where you need to establish why the reader is going to care about your character. Why do we care about Harry Potter? Well, he's orphaned baby, he's with these relatives who, who don't like him. So that kind of gives you empathy off the back. Well, me and an orphan, parents not being being involved. And we get this curious as well about what happened to his parents. Why is he with these horrible relatives? Who is he? So that kind of gets you started thinking what's going on in this world, it gets you intrigued. But first is about through the empathy that you feel for that character. Like in my life and Hunger Games. Now we wake up we see Katniss, and hunting, we see her taking care of her mom and sister. So we're a bit we're all investing in Catan is about her being the sole breadwinner at a young age, in this crazy world, where now we know that people are in districts, that people this district particular is very poor. So how does Katniss and her family get survive? We're investing in that because that is something that we're invest in someone we want kind of Canada's kind of underdog. So the colored pens are what you want for your character to be explained in their New World. The second thing you want to talk about is the fame stated. Now this does not actually mean someone had to sit have to save the thing. This just means somewhere along the way, the theme has to be demonstrated or shown or told. So we had a glimpse of what your character is going to have to learn throughout the story. And for Katniss. She talks about a little bit of being rewarded or not rewarded more so I'm being held up by Peeta Malark which is the  Baker's son where he she feels that he purposely burnt and bread so that she could have food to give to her family because he wouldn't quite well Hunter back then. So she kind of owes him something. And so but as we know cat doesn't trust me people except for though except what she didn't do. So that's kind of a thing stated mentioned into the character or through outside characters. The second thing you want to the third thing you want to do is This setup, how do you set up your world? So how's your world set up and done for your character? So what constraints and rules are there? As far as in the district and home games, we know that the district are controlled by the Capitol. So we know that certain districts do certain jobs, we do know that it's hard to travel a month additional unless you have the funds and means to do that. And we also know that every year, certain age groups, mainly children up to 18 have to be raffled in to participate in the Hunger Games. So we do know those type of rules going into it explained by Katniss and her interactions in her world, where we know that also by how she when she hunts, she goes to the market, and she borders because there's no her district particularly is poor. So now, that's all they have to do is to barter and trade goods with each other. That's how they can that's how they work and how they get along. So then the fourth thing you need is a catalyst. So a catalyst is the big push, make your character have to go into the next step of their journey. Now far as Katniss her big push came from her sister, her sister is the first year her sister has to be part of the racquetball home games, and Katniss tells her like you're so unlikely to be chosen for it, you know, it's your first one. Aha, big twist. Prim is chosen the first time she's ever into the raffle, which then makes Katniss without ever thinking volunteer as tribute to save her sister. So now this catalyst is a great big push because Katniss can't undo it. Technically, she has volunteered, her name was on the list, they're expecting her to go and also should get paired she gets paired up with Peeta Mellark. Now, then, which pushes into a debate. So now Katniss is kind of a whirlwind of emotions, that she's just volunteered to be tribute. She's going to be in Hunger Games, and her partner's Peeta Malark, and she vacillates between whether she wants to go or not like, what does she do? Gail, even her best friend Gail is your option to go, you know, to kind of skip town and go into the woods? You know, because she's a great hunter, so she could disappear? And who would know? What would they do? You know, and that would just bow straight out. So she can either her two choices there to size either to go to the games, or to go into hiding. So now, as we already noted, with the, with the book, hopefully, you know, that Katniss's really does have a good moral compass. So she chooses to go to the games, which then pushes them into the new world. So the big question you want to know, in this Act One is what is the big push for your character, what's gonna be the thing that tips your character into the unknown into the world that they don't know. And it has to be pretty significant within your world and your character to make them have to go to they had to see there's no other option. And that either consequence of going or not going, which was under kind of outweigh the scale. Now, at two, we have number six, which is kind of break it to act two. This just means now your character is making moves towards going into a new world. This could be as simple as a train ride like in Katniss. She's trying out she's going to the Capitol. And so this is where she is kind of just Effie and her mentor, Hamish, and they're kind of gave her the spiel of going into this new world and what to do with the function, which also starts number seven, her b story, and this is where her and Peeta actually kind of have their they begin to have their journey of leadership together, because now they're basically partners in this Hunger Games. And they have to get the campers to like them and their district. Now, number eight, now this guy, so this was the beginning of buttonless ship in number eight, this is the fun and games. Not exactly what do you think it is? Because fun and games can go good, where they have success after success after success, or it can go bad but where they fail and fail and fail and fail. So depends on what you want more for your character. Usually my fun and games I like to do is there. I have my characters winning and winning. And then I set them up for the midpoint where you can guess what may happen now for Katniss her fun and games. She said she's gonna fail and really, she gets along with some of the tributes and she's she's trying to get along with what pizza but she fails in politics, where she's not that great at getting people to like her. She's really rough where Peter is is winning, he's doing great or that he is fun, He's great. He's just having a ball he makes people feel wanted and needed. And that's a superpower. Katniss is like the cactus. And she's not doing so hot hot, which is told by Effie m by Haymitch that she needs to get better at it and make people like her so that she can survive the games. Because they're she's gonna need someone to help her in the games. So that's kind of her Fun and Games as they go through all the publicity, and the costume changes and the fees and getting the attributes that are fun and games. Now, the midpoint number is a knife area, knife story element. And the midpoint does doesn't actually say it marks the middle of your book. And also, three things happened during this time. Number one, either your hero is a great victory, what I think it is, or they think they suffered defeat. Also the stakes are raised, where now the time is starting to crunch. You just read them done very well by a time crunch. The mom was gonna go off pretty soon, or another billionaire, his story is something that makes their character know that is go time. And also this is the way you're a story, your main story and your B story start to merge. So this is usually where the relationship between if we have a romance B story relationship is tested, and someone is going to lose out. And so this is where a lot has happened. So in hunger game for Katniss, her the main story so her midpoint is actually when they're in the games, and she's winning Winnie Winnie Rue, but then her false victory of blowing up the careers type of their supplies and everything is also come strictly by them a free dining. So now what happened. So then the bad guys close in so that class close knit will be kind of the result of result of ruse death. Camps emanate in enemies have teamed up and they've kind of found a route and the weak link was route not Katniss. So route ends up dying as well. Now, this is just going to start to get brokenness a spiral. Now the bad guys, postman does not have to be a little bad guys, just in Hunger Games it was however, if your character didn't have like any enemies, like huge enemies, it can also be internal, meaning they're kind of their demons or their faults are starting to kick up again. It could be someone who's been sober for a long time something bad happens, like maybe their wife died or a kid dies or something like that. And it brings up that demon of alcohol and they become an alcoholic self again because of this tragedy. It's something that's going to make your characters flaws be exposed in that's usually what I like to do from bad guys poet's name. Now, LeBron is all is lost. So this is your character they're not at rock bottom quite yet. They're going there but all is lost. This is where your character really feels. They don't have any other terms they have nowhere to go so we know from getting home games Peter is what that the tributes he's doing he live in an up he is kind of safe in that area, and Katniss was alone and then what rule dying then now countless really does feel alone but she has no other options. And then we have her going even deeper doubting sequestered in the cave is the dark night of soul. So this is where so even that kind of starts off a little bit. So Peter does save Katniss from the tribunes that kind of hide her tribunes, that version so she can get away,

and she ends up in a cave. And then with that she's feeling really low. She's thinking about taking one berries at any airline because she can't she at that time, she didn't see a way out. But then also a sponsor comes through for her. And that's helping her to see like, okay, I can win this game. I do have someone that does care for me, which is Peta. You know, I have a way out of here. So it could be I can get I can muster the strength to carry on. But usually the darkness all you have your character has a pretty low spot where they're cosplaying things they are not contemplate. So it depends on how you want to do that. So the question is, how are you exposing your characters flaw? Because act two is all about really getting your character to expose the flaw and to deal with it. Because at one end, most Act Two, they haven't dealt with their flaw. So this whole story of brokenness she hadn't dealt with her mistrust, and two of the very once she's in the cave by herself, when nothing else to do, that she He has to learn to actually trust. And the only way to get out of here is to learn how to trust Peeta, and to get back home to her sister and her mom. Now, break into Act Three, or 13th step is the break into act three, which is where we know we're winding down, we're going down the hill, and the final battle is about to begin. This is where your character kind of kind of jumps back into the game, instead of being passive about things that are happening to them, they're being a bit more aggressive. So the 14th note, or element is the finale, which has five key ingredients with it. The first one is they either gather a team or they gather tools. So they're Batman, they're gathering tools, because they may have they may not have a team. But as far as Katniss, the team didn't have to be a lot of people can just start to go ahead and get paired up back together with Peeta. And that's her team, then you have executing the plan. So now they plan her hitting this MP to play to go to Cornucopia and to win the games, because the capital now announces that they can have two winners, Heck, yeah, they could do this. And then surprise, a big surprise has to happen of some sorts. And this is the prize of what capitalism games, they say that, hey, we lie, you can only have one winner. And so now they have this big. Now Peter and Candice are looking at each other, like now only one of us can win. Now what to do. And this goes into dig deep. And this just means where the character, the main character is going to go deep into their soul and their spirit to pull out their faith and their courage to go continue on. So Katniss and Peeta, if you watch the movie, too, they have this moment, it's not going to be long a moment where they look at each other and say, Okay, this is what we're going to do, we're going to agree that either either bubbles though or nervous go, and that's our, that's going to be what it has to be. And this is where they have a new plan, where they're both going to eat the berries, because either they're gonna have the capital is gonna have I'm gonna have a winner or not. And this is also because Katniss has destroyed all the other, most of those little tributes. So now if they both leave, they both her at the die, then the capital is ruined, because all the kids are bed. So now with her, Candice and Peter going to both he buries the cap, the capital is forced to change the rules again, until the end, they announced that Peeta and cactus are the winners. Because that was it, they had no other options, they weren't gonna get the capital, you weren't options. So now, now we have. So that's kind of big summation of the third act, the third act because only three major beats, but it has to be a very good payoff. And the question is, how do you want to show your characters have changed? Because Pete because now Katniss has changed significantly when we first saw her. Because the last one, we want to have a final image. So now we see kittens at the very end of The Hunger Games, the first book of she starts off as kind of a loner. She's a great country, but she's very just mistrust and distrust in the other people. But then she has the end of the book. She is trusting Pilar. She's even beginning to kind of love Peeta. And she has also become a figure of hope to all the districts compared to when she started, she was a figure to hope to know one night and herself. So that is two polar opposites of how Katniss Everdeen has grown. So this will do really want to show in that last image, how have they grown haven't matured? And how are they dealing with their flaw because if you have more than one book in the series, then they might not have have tackled their flaw all the way. But at least they started to tackle it. So if you found that helpful, go ahead and give me a thumbs up or hit the notification bell so you can be Stay tuned for the next video and check down below for all the free resources and goodies that I have for you guys. Now, since you guys already know all of these key elements. You also know how to put some little spice in that. So now you have the 15 may elements How do you flavor it? How do you make it tasteful? And how do you add all the good stuff in it the butter or in some also a dash of tropes? Now you know if you want to do both of those catch you next video where we talk about how do you expand this 15 story beats to more. See you next video. Thank you for listening to Penned By Design. Links are in the show notes of all items mentioned in today's show. Don't forget to pick up your free self publishing guy to start your author journey. be in the show notes hang your own story designed by you catch you next episode bye for now