1.

Credit
Template inspired by Save The Cat(tm) by Blake Snyder.
 2.

ACT I

Opening Image
A visual that represents the struggle and tone of the story.
A snapshot of the main character’s problem, before the
adventure begins.

Set up character's world

Establish the world that the character currently lives in,
which will be in contrast with the world he's going to.

Theme stated
What your story is about; the message, the truth. Usually, it
is spoken to the main character or in their presence, but
they don’t understand the truth, not until they have some
personal experience and context to support it.

Catalyst
An event rocks the main character’s world completely, and
sets in motion the central problem of the story. It’s an
external problem (not just internal, about thoughts and
emotions) that demands to be dealt with now – it has clear
and present stakes we can identify with and feel.

END OF ACT I
 3.

ACT II

Debate
Change is scary and for a moment, the main character doubts
the journey they must take. Can I face this challenge? Do I
have what it takes? Should I go at all? It is the last chance
for the hero to chicken out.

Break Into Two

The main character enters an "upside down world" – where
they’re completely out of their element. This is a new arena
for them, where they’re overmatched as they attempt to
confront their story problem.

Fun And Games

Snyder calls this beat "the promise of the premise". It's
where all the fun stuff of the premise occurs as the
protagonist tries to solve the problem, but before things get
really serious.

Discussion About Theme

The B Story discusses the theme of the story or the personal
issue the character is dealing with. Create additional Story
Points that interweave with the main story for the rest of
the story.

Mid Point
The middle of the story. Stakes goes up and the "fun" is
over. Now it's serious. This beat is either a false victory
or a false defeat, which will be the opposite of the All is
Lost beat.

END OF ACT II
 4.

ACT II MID POINT

Bad Guys Close In

With rising stakes comes more attacks from the antagonist.
This is when things start to fall apart for the protagonist.

All Is Lost
The other false victory or defeat, and the opposite of the
midpoint. The low point of the story, where everything is
stripped away from the protagonist.

The Dark Night Of The Soul

The deep soul searching of the protagonist to find the
solution to the problems facing him.

END OF ACT II MID POINT

 5.

ACT III

Break Into Three

Plot and character arcs merge and the protagonist knows what
he has to do to win.

Finale
The climax, where the protagonist takes all the lessons
learned and uses them to defeat the antagonist and solve the
problem. The world makes sense again based on the experiences
he's undergone in the story

Final Image
The ending, showing where the protagonist is now. This will
be the opposite of the opening image, showing the end of the
character journey and how that helped the protagonist.

END OF ACT III