Mightier Than the Sword #19 -

[Paul Carroll]

​ Mightier Than the Sword The Newsletter of Paul Carroll Welcome to a new edition of Mightier Than the Sword, in which one writer saves a cat and prepares a detailed report on an anthology. I'm your host, Paul Carroll, here with a book report and an update on Turning Roads. 'Save the Cat! Writes a Novel' Many a year ago, I picked up a book on screenwriting called Save the Cat! - it's been sitting on my bookshelf ever since, unread. Buying books and reading them are two separate hobbies. I was, of course, familiar with the name of the book then when Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody was suggested as Cupán Fae's bookclub choice. We read the books slowly - always a craft book, to get around the otherwise restrictive choices in genre fiction that would appeal to all of us - and discuss a few chapters at a go. Helen even made a spreadsheet for it. Last night, we finished our discussion of Brody's follow-up text to the screenwriting book that's been taunting me for years. What does it mean to save the cat? The title comes from the moment in a story when a character who would otherwise be somewhat reprehensible redeems himself through one good act near the start of the story - like saving a cat. Blake Snyder coined the term for his book, and it's stuck around since. How does the method work? Save the Cat! is about more than just one moment in the story. It's a beat sheet, to plot out the important moments in the story according to a tried and tested structure. Fifteen beats divide the story across three acts, some of which are single-scene beats, others of which are multi-scene beats. Where does Brody come into it? The original book is targeted at screenwriters. Brody, a novelist, adapted the method of plotting for novels. As part of this, she noted the percentages for beats, to help writers determine the approximate word count or position of the beat in their own story. I liked it, and I made my own spreadsheet out of it to help myself - and others - create their own beat sheet more easily. ​ You'll need to read Brody or Snyder's books to fully understand what each of the beats mean, but for anyone who's already been taken by the Save the Cat! methodology, the above spreadsheet is already available on Gumroad for free. What did I think of the book? I have mixed feelings about it, if I'm being honest. Partly this comes down to Brody's means of addressing the Save the Cat! genres (which are annoying named as such, given they aren't book genres.) Where she was comfortable and familiar with a genre, it showed. Where she didn't write or read a genre too much, that became painfully apparent. Though, a lot of that sentiment is aimed at the final genre chapter in the book - Monster in the House - which I found to be too reductive and restrictive of the horror genre. Brody also made a point of referring to Frankenstein's monster as the monster in the story... even though Victor is the monster. And there is no one house. It felt like a stretch. Would I recommend it? It's certainly a useful tool. I plan on using the methodology going forward, at least to help provide some structure on books where I might have otherwise been struggling. I would actually recommend reading the chapters slightly out of order. Before she begins explaining each of the Save the Cat! genres, the final chapter offers important notes on a board, and on fundamental beats to help build a story; they felt too important to leave at the end of the book, particularly when the content is directly tied to the breakdown of the methodology at the start of the book. ​ The book is readily available, though Irish bookstores may need to place a special order for it with a US supplier. Turning Roads Straight from the last campaign update, here's where the production of the book stands so far: We're still a month out from the deadline for creative teams, and so far no one is reporting any major delays. The pages I've seen so far have me extra excited to begin sharing this book with people, from reviewers to the general public. The enamel pin has been sent to the manufacturer. Pins have the longest wait time from start to finish, so I made sure to get that part processed as soon as possible. The stickers are all complete, though not yet on order. I'll be including them in an order for Red Fox Cards next month. There's no reason to get them any earlier, because they won't be available on the store until after fulfilment. The zine is still in production. It'll be on order with the bookplates from Donna Black and Gareth Luby, and the stretch goal prints from John Cullen and PJ Holden at the end of June/start of July. I've been juggling a few different things, so I don't have much by way of an update on that front. As well as that, I was interviewed by the Comic Book Yeti's team about the book, the Irish comic scene, and spreadsheets. It's a long interview, covering quite a broad spectrum of topics and includes some notes on tackling a Kickstarter campaign. It's possibly the last interview I'll be taking part in until I have something else to promote, with a novel on the way and the anthology to release later this year. Hopefully soon I'll even have some reviews of the anthology to share, and some pages to give you a sneak peek at! What's next? There's always something, right? My current plan is to address each of the following projects over the next few months: State of Despayre New products for Red Fox Cards A graphic novella for Dark House Short comics for Dark House Plexus #2 Cupán Fae's new anthology plans I'll be kept busy, that's for sure, but my involvement and the time commitment for each of them tends to vary. It's rare that my schedule has overlap with more than two projects at a time, and that's just about manageable even with a full-time job. Totally doable, right? Until next time! Paul Thanks for reading! If you loved it, tell your friends to subscribe. If you didn’t enjoy the email you can unsubscribe here. To change your email or preferences manage your profile. 113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205