As a writer and editor I read a lot of books, both for personal and professional interests. Some titles draw me in right away and others take a while to pique my interest, if they ever do. The world of books is a magical one, full of intrigue, intelligence, enlightenment, and adventure—a world of information ready to do its job: to leave the reader with a heightened level of knowledge and experience regarding a specific subject or idea.
On occasion, I come across books that strike me in such a way that I can’t help but want to share them with others—not my personal copies of them, though, those I reserve for myself. In that vein, I’ve decided to share some titles with you. Some I read a long time ago, but they made such an indelible mark on me that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mention them to you. Others I have either read recently or am currently reading, and the thought of sharing them with you remains with me.
Mind you, mentioning a title to you does not necessarily mean that I am recommending that you read that book. In fact, some titles that I share will be books that I myself would never want to read again, let alone encourage anyone else to read them. I don’t hold anything against the authors of those books and I certainly wouldn’t ever wish to discount or demoralize their work. I merely want to convey my opinion as to whether or not the book was for me, as well as the impressions that it had on me. And, unless otherwise indicated, I am not receiving any payment or sponsorship in any way for providing these reviews.
My hope is that you will read my words, consider them respectfully, and then, if you want to, check out the titles for yourself and reach your own conclusions.
With that said, the first book that I’ll share with you is Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need by Jessica Brody. One of the writing groups that I am a member of chose this book as a quarterly book club read. I must admit that I initially didn’t know what to make of the book due to its title. I had not heard of the Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need book by Blake Snyder, a well-known screenwriter who wanted to help screenwriters by providing them with a simple template designed to streamline and simplify the screenwriting process. So the idea that a phrase like “Save the Cat!” could write anything seemed odd to me, at the least.
At first, I dismissed the thought of even checking out the book, finding out what it was about, but it kept coming back to me. So I decided to at least look it up and read a sample. After all, there couldn’t be any harm in that, right? I downloaded the sample and read it in a matter of minutes. Before making it half way through the introduction I was hooked on it. It was then and there that I made the decision to obtain the book—preferably a paperback copy—and read it cover to cover. Which I did. And now I have the privilege of sharing my thoughts on the book with you.
Let me start off by saying that I bought and read a paperback copy of the book. I love the feel of the cover of the book—it’s paper coated in some sort of material that makes it durable and very smooth to the touch. It feels rather nice. Opening up the book, the paper is of a type that seems to hold up well to the use of pens and the like, and will likely endure for quite a while without yellowing and betraying the print. The type is very easy to read, not too big and not too small. The font choices are perfect for the book and its content, and they are very appealing in their own right.
The content of the book is organized in a very helpful and useful way, with an introduction to the book, an explanation of what the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet is, a survey of the different story genres, followed by detailed chapters on each of the story genres, and a couple of chapters dedicated to providing the novel writer with helpful resources. The information presented is useful and it’s offered in such a way that lends the impression of a sit-down informal, yet professional, conversation between the author and the reader, friend to friend. Any possible bend toward stuffiness and callousness has been forgone for a much lighter and relatable presentation.
Brody makes efficient use of each word in this book to spell out the fifteen beats—plot points—the considerations needed to determine who your hero is—what your hero’s purpose is, what their current flaws are, what they think will fix their situation, and what they actually need to learn through the journey they will take during the course of the book—and more. She expertly provides examples of books and movies that illustrate the many points that she makes and that represent the different genres presented in the book.
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is a read that flows with language and ideas that are readily accessible by the myriad of types of readers and writers who exist in this big beautiful world of ours. No matter what one’s familiarity with writing novels, or writing anything for that matter, the world of book publishing, and such is, this book can reach you if you give it time and opportunity, more so the latter, as the former will easily take care of itself.
This title is one that I have added to my main resources shelf and plan to go back to time and time again. In a nutshell, it is a great read that is just as helpful as it is entertaining and engaging, and I wouldn’t want to imagine going back to the world of writing without it. If you check it out, let me know what you think in the comments. I can’t wait to read your thoughts. Until next time, be blessed. #sanguinemango
Sanguine Mango 