The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet in Practice (An Editor's Guide to Save the Cat! Story Structure: Part 10)

Introduction

This final article of my Editor’s Guide to Save the Cat! Story Structure will show you how the Save the Cat! method is applied in Lynn Painter’s USA Today and New York Times bestselling rom-com, Better Than the Movies.

I chose this novel because it shows how flexible the Save the Cat! “formula” is. For example, the main Debate scene feels a lot like a Fun and Games scene, and the Dark Night of the Soul contains elements that we would normally see in a Finale.

My analysis goes a lot deeper than those offered by Jessica Brody in Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. Instead of looking at each beat and giving a "broad-strokes" overview, I look at each of the novel's 72 segments and explain its main purpose(s) within its beat.

Note: If you’re wondering what I mean by “segment,” I define this unit of a story as a chain of events occurring at the same place and time. If you’re wondering how this differs from a scene, you can read about it in this article from my Editor’s Guide to Scene Structure.

In other words, I provide a detailed reverse outline of Better Than the Movies to show you exactly how the pros apply three-act structure. My hope is that this reverse outline will give you some insights into how you might structure your own story.

Overview of the Structure of Better Than the Movies

Before diving into my reverse outline, I want to take a minute to help you visualize the overall structure of Better Than the Movies. Specifically, I want to show you how it deviates from the standard Save the Cat! Beat Sheet, as highlighted in the two charts below:

The four most notable differences are:

• The Setup ends early (at 3% vs. 10%).

• The Midpoint is a long cluster of scenes taking up 8% of the story, as opposed to one specific, crucial moment taking up <1%.

• The Dark Night of the Soul is very long (16% vs. 5%)

• The Finale is very short (3% vs. 20%)

I will explain the reasons for these deviations when we get to these beats; for now, I just want you to be aware of how flexible the beat sheet is.

And now, let's get started with the reverse outline.

Save the Cat! Analysis: Better Than the Movies

Prologue

• Indicates Liz’s shard of glass

The prologue lets readers know how close Liz was to her mom and that her untimely death had a profound negative impact on Liz. This event is Liz's shard of glass, as it coincides with the loss of Liz’s chief source of comfort, constancy, and safety.

Although it’s not stated directly on the page, our hero's shard of glass and the problems associated with it are caused by an unhealthy case of identity preservation. Liz thinks that if she lets herself love the "wrong" people, she will lose part of herself, as well as the emotional safety net her mom once provided.

Setup (0–3%)

The short Setup is the first major way that Better Than the Movies breaks the Save the Cat! formula. Given that our protagonist is a typical high-schooler (well, she is an oddball, but I mean "typical" in the sense that she doesn’t have superpowers or anything) living in an average American town, it makes perfect sense that the Setup is short.

Note: The short Setup also reflects a current trend in commercial fiction. Early Catalysts are becoming increasingly common as the average reader’s attention span shrinks.

Despite being short, the Setup accomplishes many of the purposes outlined in Part 2 of this series. Namely, it:

• Sets the novel’s tone

• Describes the hero’s SQW and clarifies that the hero is unhappy in it

• Introduces important A Story characters

• Spotlights the hero’s most noteworthy physical and personality traits

• Highlights the hero’s flaws and problems they will need to overcome

• Identifies the hero’s external goal

Segment 1

• Provides the Opening Image

• Introduces Wes and Liz’s initial conflict with him

Here is the opening paragraph of Chapter 1:

The day began like any typical day. Mr. Fitzpervert left a hair ball in my slipper, I burned my earlobe with the straightener, and when I opened the door to leave for school, I caught my next-door nemesis suspiciously sprawled across the hood of my car.

Right away, the cat’s name sets the novel’s tone. It tells readers that, as far as rom-coms go, this one will lean more into the “com” side of things.

We also get a basic sense of the nature of the status quo world. Since Liz considers inconveniences as part of a “typical day,” we can assume that she perceives her status quo world as an unhappy place.

Given that, we can already be quite sure the author has crafted one of the two kinds of status quo worlds indicated in the chart below (borrowed from Part 2 of this series):

As the story goes on, it becomes clear that Liz is living in the bottom left-hand quadrant. She has everything she needs to be happy, but she can’t see it yet.

The next-door nemesis in question is Wes, who will become Liz’s main love interest.

They have a brief conversation that portrays them as enemies. Liz paints Wes in a negative light (“the boy had never been innocent a day in his life”) while hinting at the potential for romance (“he’d gotten tall and mannish and a tiny bit hot since grade school”).

During this conversation, we learn the crux of their rivalry through interiority: “Wes Bennett and I were enemies in a no-holds-barred, full-on war over the one available parking spot on our end of the street.” This gives the characters something to bargain over during the Debate.

Segment 2

• Introduces Joss

• Spotlights some of Liz’s personality traits

• Indicates two of Liz's character flaws

Liz is talking with her best friend, Joss, at school. In addition to meeting an A Story character, we learn some of Liz’s key personality traits: she has “a nerd-level fascination with movie soundtracks” and dresses like the leads in her favorite rom-coms.

We also learn Liz is obsessed with love because watching rom-coms makes her feel closer to her mom. This indicates one of her main flaws, or things that need fixing: her inability to process her mom’s death.

Speaking of things that need fixing, we find out that Liz did not ask her dad about the senior picnic, even though she told Joss she would. This shows that she is an unreliable friend.

This is also tied to Liz’s struggles accepting her mom’s death (she avoids all big senior-year moments because they only remind her that her mom is not there to share these moments with her).

Segment 3

• Introduces Laney

• Indicates two more character flaws

• Hints at Liz’s long-term goal

During English Lit, we get Liz’s impressions of Laney. She is described as a very beautiful girl whose “soul was the exact opposite of her physical appearance.”

However, the reasons Liz gives for disliking Laney do not indicate that Laney is evil, thus highlighting another character flaw of Liz’s: she holds on to petty grudges.

After this, Liz notices Colton. He’s not important, but his presence prompts Liz to give readers a clear impression of her sad love life, highlighting another flaw:

Two weeks—that was the average length of my relationships, if you could even call them that. Here’s how it usually went: I would see a cute guy, daydream about him for weeks and totally build him up in my mind to be my one-and-only soul mate. The usual high school pre-relationship stuff always began with the greatest of hopes. But by the end of two weeks, before we even got close to official, I almost always got hit with the Ick.

This reflection bridges into another bit of interiority that hints at the hero’s long-term goal:

My propensity for tiny little two-week relationships really messed with prom potential. I wanted to go with someone who made my breath catch and my heart flutter.

Catalyst (3–5%)

In Part 3 of this series, I outlined six types of catalysts; this one falls under "the hero's life is altered by a significant personal event, while the world itself remains the same."

Specifically, the Catalyst depicts Liz’s meeting with the initial (false) love interest, giving her the initial push toward the upside-down world.

Segment 4

• Introduces Michael

• Provides the setup for Liz’s initial short-term goal

After first period, Liz sees Michael Young—her childhood crush who moved away but is now back in town. He is immediately established as a love interest through lines like “my childhood crush moved in slow motion, with tiny blue birds chirping and flitting their wings around his head as his golden hair blew in a sparkling breeze.”

Michael recognizes Liz, and as he hugs her, she likens their reunion to a meet-cute in one of her movies.

But then here comes Wes, bumping into them and destroying the moment. He’s mates with Michael and invites him to a party tomorrow at some guy named Ryno’s, which provides the context for Liz’s initial short-term goal in the next segment.

Debate (5–22%)

You may remember from Part 4 of this series that one option for a Debate is to have the hero strike a deal with an ally or foe. This is the option employed in this novel. In fact, it’s employed twice.

The first deal is a short-term thing that doesn’t push Liz too far out of her comfort zone. It’s only when this plan doesn’t work that Liz is motivated to plunge into the upside-down world by making a bolder deal requiring her to spend a lot of time with her enemy. She does this only because the Debate beat has taught her that she must take drastic measures to achieve her long-term goal.

And that’s often the crux of the Debate: it’s all about making the hero realize that the opportunity/challenge presented by the Catalyst will require them to take drastic measures. In other words, an effective Debate compels the hero to do something they would never do under normal circumstances.

Segment 5

• Shows that the shard of glass is causing problems

• Gives the reader enough info to surmise Liz’s long-term goal

On the way to second period, Joss brings up the topic of prom dress shopping, and Liz makes an excuse not to go. We learn that she’s putting off dress shopping because the activity will make it painfully obvious that her mom is gone.

So, again, we see that Liz’s shard of glass is causing problems, as it causes her to lie to Joss. This is an example of a Setup element that the author wrote into the Debate owing to the early Catalyst.

Liz explains more about how her shard of glass is negatively impacting her life, which transitions into an indirect statement of her long-term goal:

Everything felt… lonely. Because even though the senior activities were fun, without my mom they were void of sentimentality…. However. Finding a rom-com happy ending that my mother would have loved—that could change all the bad feels to good, couldn’t it?

Though the long-term goal isn’t explicitly stated, we can assume from what happened in Segment 3 that Liz’s goal is to go to prom with Michael.

Segment 6

• Solidifies Liz’s long-term goal.

• States Liz's initial short-term goal.

At the end of the school day, Liz is lamenting that she has no classes with Michael. In doing so, she spells out her long-term goal: “to show him we were meant to go to prom and fall in love and live happily ever after.”

She ends her musings by clearly stating her immediate short-term goal: “in order for Michael and me to happen, I would need to be at Ryno’s party.”

However, there is a problem–namely, Liz doesn’t know Ryno. In Part 4 of this series, I noted that the Debate doesn’t always revolve around the hero's unwillingness to enter the upside-down world but rather their unpreparedness to do so.

In this story, this element of the Debate manifests as Liz's lack of an in with Michael, which motivates her to make a deal with Wes, which is the topic of the next segment.

Segment 7

• Shows Liz striking a deal with Wes

• Includes the Theme Stated beat

After school, Liz goes next door to Wes’s house to make a deal with him. Wes agrees to take Liz to the party and do what he can to help her bag Michael; in return, Liz will not occupy the Spot for the duration of their arrangement.

Note: You might be thinking this sounds an awful lot like the Break Into 2. And, you’re right—it does, for a deal has been made that will soon transport Liz into something of an upside-down world (she doesn’t hang out with any of the popular kids and certainly never goes to parties) But this is not the Break Into 2 because Liz and Wes aren’t done negotiating the terms of their deal. The events at the upcoming party will lead Liz to propose a new, more daring deal in the story’s actual Break Into 2 beat.

One of Liz’s favorite rom-coms is on the TV in the background, and Wes refers to it as “formulaic, aspartame-infused, tropey garbage.” They argue about the realism of rom-coms in general.

Here, the theme is stated (at the novel’s 10% point) when Wes says, “I’m talking about rom-coms in general. Relationships never ever, ever work like that.” As we'd expect, Liz’s response of “Yes they do” shows she is nowhere near ready to learn her lesson.

Segment 8

• Gives additional insight into Liz’s shard of glass

Later that day, Liz is out for her daily run through the cemetery and stops at her mom’s grave, as she always does. Today, she expresses her belief that her mom plopped Michael into her life, sort of like she’s writing Liz’s love story from the afterlife.

This is another shard of glass moment showing that Liz engages in magical thinking and has created a skewed, unhealthy perception of love and reality. She also seems to be forming a grief-driven attachment to Michael. She sees falling in love with Michael as a way of maintaining her connection to her mom.

Segment 9

• Foreshadows the Bad Guys Close in and All Is Lost beats

That night, Liz is in her room with Joss and two other friends. When Joss asks Liz what she got up to after school, Liz does not mention her arrangement with Wes.

Her constant deceptions to cover up her deal with Wes are among the bad guys that close in during the second half of Act 2, and the lies blow up in Liz’s face in the All Is Lost.

Segment 10

• Includes the B Story beat

• Highlights another character flaw that needs fixing

On the night of Ryno’s party, while Liz is waiting for Wes to pick her up, we meet Helena, our main B Story character (at 13%), though her name has been mentioned earlier.

Liz gives us some backstory about Helena, the gist being that although Liz thinks her dad’s girlfriend is great, she also resents her, mistakenly believing that she has taken her mom’s place in her dad’s life.

Liz’s reluctance to get close to Helena is another thing that needs fixing caused by her inability to accept her mom’s death.

Segment 11

• Foreshadows that Liz will have trouble getting Michael to notice her at the party

Wes arrives, and he and Liz banter in the car before leaving for the party. The main thing is that Wes thinks it’s odd that Liz is wearing a dress to the party, but Liz insists it will make Michael notice her. And it will, but not in a good way.

Segment 12

• Indicates that Wes is the story's real love interest

As they arrive at Ryno’s house, Liz and Wes banter some more. Wes makes Liz laugh despite herself, an early clue that he is the story’s true love interest.

Segment 13

• Provides more hints that Wes and Liz are a good pair

• Imposes a time clock on Liz’s long-term goal

• Shows Liz failing to achieve her short-term goal

At the party, while Liz is waiting for Michael to show up, she admits (internally) that she has misjudged Wes, at least to a degree:

Our entire high school class seemed to adore my annoying neighbor. Weird, right? What was even weirder was that so far, he hadn’t turned into the dude-bro I imagined him to be in a party situation.

He hadn’t left me by myself, hadn’t done a keg stand, and hadn’t discussed breasts and/or butts with his friends in front of me. I mean, he’d passed on beer and was drinking water because he had to drive, for God’s sake. Who was this guy?

Although she makes these admissions, we see some cognitive dissonance at play—instead of admitting she was wrong about Wes, Liz dismisses his virtues as “weird.” And this sort of denial is just what we should expect in Act 1.

Then, a loud, drunk girl hits on Wes. Seeing that he is clearly uncomfortable, Liz steps in and indicates that she and Wes are a “thing.” She instantly regrets it, worrying that the drunkard will tell everyone.

Michael shows up. He thinks Liz’s dress is her work uniform, which is quite embarrassing for our hero. She lies (again) and says she works at a diner called “The Diner.”

They end up talking about prom, which we learn is two weeks away (putting a timer on the long-term goal). Michael asks if Wes and Liz are going together, having gotten the impression that they are a thing (the drunk girl is a fast gossip). Liz and Wes clarify that they are not a thing.

Liz gets Michael in a one-on-one conversation, and just when she feels the conversation is about to go in the direction she wants, drunkie is back and vomits all over her, ruining her “meet-cute” with Michael.

This failure to impress Michael is part of the reason Liz will break into Act 2 in Segment 17.

Segment 14

• Provides more evidence that Wes is the story’s true love interest.

Liz gives herself an awkward sponge bath in the upstairs guest bedroom while Wes gets her some spare clothes he has in his car. He's really nice about the whole thing, which again makes Liz question if he's who she thought he was:

He was being very un-Wesley nice to me. Or at least what I’d thought was un-Wesley. I guess the reality was that maybe I didn’t know who he was anymore. I mean, since we’d arrived at the party, he’d actually been… great.

Here, Liz is even more willing to admit Wes’s positive attributes, but she still has a long way to go before she admits she’s been wrong about him the whole time since they were kids.

Segment 15

• Provides even clearer evidence that Wes is the story’s love interest.

Liz goes back downstairs and finds Wes so he can take her home. Wes’s clothes are super-loose, causing her to show a lot of stomach and reveal her tattoo. Michael says he likes the tattoo, which gives Liz hope that she will end up with him.

Wes pulls her pants up and says, “Liz’s clothes are falling off, so it’s time for us to leave.” Liz’s internal reaction to this gives us the strongest indication yet that there could (and will) be something romantic between her and Wes:

I froze when I felt Wes’s hand on my skin. I looked at his face as he looked down at me, and I felt… off-kilter. I wasn’t sure if it was in response to his touch or his sudden cavemannish protectiveness. I also wasn’t sure why it wasn’t pissing me off.

Segment 16

• Explains Liz’s motivation for breaking into Act 2 in the next segment

• Sets up a major complication for Act 2

On the way home, Wes informs Liz that Michael still sees Liz as “a nice little weirdo,” confirming that she has failed to achieve her short-term goal of getting Michael to see her as a potential romantic partner. This provides Liz with the motivation she needs to propose a new deal in the upcoming Break Into 2.

Wes also says he tried to convince Michael that Liz isn’t like that anymore, but his efforts only made Michael think that Wes is into Liz, setting up one of the main complications for Act 2.

Break Into 2 (22%)

Segment 17

• Presents the call to action that sparks the events of Act 2

Not wanting to give up on Michael despite the debacle at the party, Liz renegotiates her deal with Wes. Specifically, she proposes the following: “If we pretended to kind of be into each other for a week, then that could help Michael see that I’m no longer Little Liz. He already thinks we’re dating. Why not use that to show him I’m a perfectly viable romantic option?”

Wes counters by saying he wants the parking spot permanently if the arrangement leads to Michael asking Liz to prom, explaining that “Our current arrangement was just for me to let you ride along to a party. What I’m talking about would be me giving you insider info, working on Michael for you, giving you helpful hints, fashion advice, etcetera.”

They hammer out the deets and solidify the deal.

Fun and Games (22–49%)

As with many stories, one of the primary purposes of the Fun and Games of Better Than the Movies is to challenge Liz’s misconceptions (what is often called “the Lie” in character arc terms) until the Midpoint, when she admits she was wrong about some things.

Another key aspect of this beat is that Liz continues lying to Joss, which sets up the All Is Lost moment later in the story.

And, of course, the Fun and Games fulfils the promise of the premise. Readers picked up this book knowing it was an enemies-to-lovers story, and the author doesn’t let us down. Throughout the first half of Act 2, we see, for example, the enemies going clothes-shopping together while strange thoughts of Wait, do I actually like him? start to arise.

Segment 18

• Provides Liz with her first short-term goal for the Fun and Games beat, as well as a mini-goal

• Gives another example of the hero’s flaw in action

The next morning, Wes shows up at the bookstore where Liz works and invites her to the basketball game that night. Michael and some others are going, too, which provides Liz with a new short-term goal: to interact with Michael at the game and show him she’s cooler than she appeared at Ryno’s party.

Wes convinces Liz to let him take her to the mall later that day to pick out some clothes to wear to the game that won’t make her seem like an uptight weirdo. Liz agrees, even though it means she has to lie to Joss again (they were supposed to go prom dress shopping).

Note: This kind of clarification of the first step in a multi-step goal is a crucial aspect of the Fun and Games; for more on this element, see "The hero works toward one part of a multi-part long-term goal" in Part 5 of this series.

Segment 19

• Slowly builds the romance between Liz and Wes

• Highlights Liz’s flaw of dishonesty once again

• Reminds the reader why Liz lies (i.e., the shard of glass)

Here is where the author really begins fulfilling the promise of the premise. At the mall, while Wes is picking out clothes for Liz to try on, we get a good sense that things are becoming more amicable between the two. Here’s a look inside Liz’s head:

He stopped manic-shopping for a second and smiled down at me, his eyes warm as they traveled over my face. It reminded me of the look Rhett gave Scarlett in Gone with the Wind when he attempted to tie her new bonnet for her. It was a look that admitted he knew nothing about what he was doing, and that he knew he looked foolish. But he didn’t care because he was enjoying himself.

It was weird, but part of me thought that might be the case with Wes. Not that he like-liked me, but I felt like he enjoyed our verbal sparring. Honestly, I did too, when he wasn’t saying things that made me want to choke him out.

Note: It’s no coincidence that Liz brings up the idea of Wes “like-liking” her for the first time early in the Fun and Games. If this had happened any earlier, the deal she made with Wes in the Break Into 2 wouldn’t have seemed as drastic. And if it had happened much later, readers might start wondering when the enemies-to-lovers trope is going to kick in, as that's what they've paid for.

As they go to the fitting rooms, Joss is unexpectedly there. Liz has been caught lying but manages to lie her way out of the lie. During this bit, we’re reminded of Liz’s shard of glass—she’s avoiding prom dress shopping because it reminds her that her mom isn’t here for this milestone.

After Joss leaves, Liz tries on some clothes and is pleasantly surprised that she really likes one of the outfits Wes picked; he knows her better than she thought.

Segment 20

• Indicates that Wes understands Liz and can make her happy

Piggy-backing off the previous segment, Liz and Wes go to one of Liz’s favorite stores. Wes declares that a mannequin is wearing a dress that is “so Liz Buxbaum.”

And it turns out he’s bang-on; Liz has been in love with the dress for weeks. Liz narrates, “there was something about the fact that Wes looked at it and thought it was ‘me’ that was… something. It made me happy.”

Segment 21

• Re-emphasizes one of Liz’s personality traits

• Strongly hints that Wes is interested in Liz

In the car, Liz tells Wes how she likes making soundtracks to all of life’s important events (and even some minor ones). Wes seems genuinely interested and asks if they can make a soundtrack about their arrangement. And not just in an I-want-to-make-fun-of-you kind of way.

This prompts Liz to wonder, “Was it all about the Spot, or was it maybe a little about me?” Even though she quickly disregards the idea, it’s now even clearer to readers that Liz is meant to be with Wes.

Segment 22

• Highlights how Liz’s flaw has created a rift between herself and Helena

That night, as Liz is waiting for Wes to pick her up for the game, Joss unexpectedly shows up, wanting to know when they can go dress shopping.

During the conversation, Helena makes a comment that makes Liz feel guilty—a month ago, Helena had offered to take Liz dress shopping, and Liz had blown her off.

Segment 23

• Foreshadows that Liz’s lies will eventually catch up with her

When Wes shows up, Joss takes Liz aside for a private conversation. Even Joss now thinks Wes and Liz are a “thing.” Not wanting to be judged and/or lectured, Liz doesn’t tell Joss about her scheme to get with Michael.

As with the other instances where Liz deceives Joss, this sets up the All Is Lost beat, where Liz must face the consequences of her lies—especially the ones she’s been telling Joss.

Segment 24

• Reminds the reader that Michael is Liz’s current target

Liz and Wes banter in the car on the way to Adam’s house (everyone’s going to the game together in Adam’s van). Liz texts Michael for Wes, and her excitement in doing so reminds us how head-over-heels she is for Michael.

Segment 25

• Introduces two minor characters

• Hints that Liz has formed the wrong long-term goal

Wes introduces Liz to new characters, Adam and Noah, and then all of them, including Michael, get into Adam’s van to go to the game.

Liz sits next to Michael but struggles to think of anything to say. This contrasts her easy conversations with Wes. So far, the author has been working hard to indicate that Wes is the guy for Liz; here, she also shows that Michael is not the guy for Liz.

Segment 26

• Highlights another of Liz’s flaws

On the way to the game, they stop to pick up Laney, but she’s part of the dance squad, so she won’t be interfering with Liz’s time with Michael.

Laney’s interactions with the others in the van show readers that Liz is wrong about her. She seems very sweet, but Liz is too petty and jealous to acknowledge it, highlighting one of her flaws.

Like with Wes, Liz’s dislike for Laney is caused by her unwillingness to let go of grudges. This is another manifestation of her deep-seated need to hold on to her past—that is, to keep her mom’s memory alive.

Segment 27

• Showcases Wes’s good side

At the game, Liz is feeling awkward since she knows nothing about basketball. During warm-ups, Wes makes her a bet, which helps her loosen up and get excited about the game. This was a thoughtful thing Wes did, for he noticed Liz was uncomfortable and did what he could to help.

Segment 28

• Highlights Liz’s love of music and movie soundtracks

During halftime, Wes, Michael, Adam, and Noah play a little game of basketball in the practice gym while Liz watches. She puts in her headphones and plays music; she is pleased beyond measure when the music syncs up with the action on the court.

Segment 29

• Provides the first instance where Liz seriously questions her opinion of Wes

After their game, Michael asks Liz if she wants to “shoot around.” As they do this, Liz thinks they’re having a romantic moment, but it turns out Michael’s goal is to talk Wes up. He wants them to get together.

When Liz explains that she doesn’t like Wes, we see that her attitude is changing:

“Wes is not a ‘really good guy,’ Michael—come on. He’s…” I stopped dribbling. “Wes is fun and unpredictable and the life of the party. He’s got good qualities, but he is not good.”

But as I said it, I didn’t quite feel it anymore. That was how I’d always thought of him, but it was becoming clear to me that either he’d changed or I’d been wrong all along.

When Liz asks Michael if he’s going to prom and if he’s going with anyone in particular—and just when it looks like Michael was maybe considering asking Liz—whammo! A basketball hits her right in the nose.

Segment 30

• Shows Liz questioning her view of Wes again

As Liz sits in the gym recovering, Wes is by far the most concerned and caring of the boys. By contrast, “it was kind of alarming how Michael was so loose and relaxed while [Liz] was practically bleeding out.”

A teacher—or some kind of adult, anyway—recommends that Liz go to the ER. Wes insists on walking her there (conveniently, the hospital is just down the street from the school).

Again, we see that Liz is warming up to Wes:

As we exited the gym, it occurred to me that Wes had donated his clothes to me twice now. Either I was on a hidden-camera show and Wes was pranking me, or he was seriously the nicest guy.

Segment 31

• Confirms that Liz is not ready to like Wes yet

While Liz and Wes walk to the hospital, there’s some more banter, during which Liz tries to “figure out what was up with Wes’s sudden-onset niceness.” She chalks it up to him really wanting the Spot.

Note: This is a good move by the author. It’s still too early for Liz to see Wes for the nice guy he is. The two previous segments showed us that Liz has the capacity to like Wes, but it would be too easy if she decided she liked Wes already.

Segment 32

• Slightly raises the tension

As they’re approaching the hospital, Liz tells Wes how she thinks Michael may have been flirty-touching her when showing her how to shoot a basketball.

Once inside, Liz’s dad (who she phoned earlier) and Helena engage in some small talk with Wes. When Wes leaves, he says goodbye in a way that makes Liz think he’s mad, but she can’t see why.

But we readers know he’s jealous of Michael. This means there is some chance Liz might lose her chance with Wes if she doesn’t realize what a catch he is, thus raising the tension a little.

Segment 33

• Presents more evidence that Liz has formed the wrong long-term goal

That night, Liz gets a text from Michael. Their conversation is awkward, indicating that going to prom with Michael is not a worthwhile goal. But there are enough good signs that Liz is excited.

Segment 34

• Suggests that Liz’s long-term goal should be to go to prom with Wes

After thinking about Michael for a while, Liz phones Wes. The topic of conversation turns to Michael, who apparently no longer sees Liz as a little weirdo.

It would seem that Liz accomplished her short-term goal at the basketball game. But she has conflicted feelings about this:

A tiny part of me was uncomfortable with that. Like, before I straightened my hair and put on a cookie-cutter outfit, he couldn’t understand how Wes could be interested in me? When I looked the way I liked looking, it was inconceivable to him that Wes would find me attractive? That kind of stung.

I pictured Michael and told myself not to get hung up on it. The bottom line was that he had noticed me.

As Liz and Wes fall back into their usual schtick, she has a realization:

It was weird how talking to him was so easy—way easier than texting with Michael. I wasn’t sure if it was because I knew Wes better, or perhaps it was because Wes knew me better. He knew I wasn’t cool—he’d always known that—so maybe that was why it felt so relaxed. I didn’t have to try.

By the end of the conversation, Liz finds herself worried that things with her and Wes will go back to the way they were once their deal is over. She likes being his friend. But she still doesn’t see the romantic potential there.

Midpoint (49–57%)

Of the elements listed in Part 6 of this series, the Midpoint of Better Than the Movies includes the following:

• The stakes are raised (specifically, the love story ramps up).

• The A and B stories collide.

• The hero alters her primary goal.

Segment 35

• Gives Liz a reason to alter her long-term goal

Later that morning, Michael comes into Liz’s work and tells her she should give Wes a shot. Liz agrees to go with Wes to a movie night that Michael is hosting that Wednesday—but only because she thinks Michael won’t ask her to prom until she gives Wes a fair shake.

With that, Liz forms her goal for the Bad Guys Close In: to convince Michael that she is not interested in Wes so that he'll ask her to prom.

Segment 36

• Provides context for Segment 39, which contains several key Midpoint elements

Later that day, Liz is at the cemetery, telling her mom about her interaction with Michael. The author uses interiority to highlight the connection between her infatuation with Michael and her inability to let go of her mom:

Somehow, going to prom with someone she’d known—who’d known her well enough to know about and remember her daisies—seemed vitally important. Like it might make it feel like she was somehow involved in my senior year.

As Liz is talking, Wes shows up, which startles, embarrasses, and angers her. He is apologetic, but Liz shouts at him anyway.

Segment 37

• Reminds readers about Liz's shard of glass

At home, Liz’s dad tells her she should ask Helena to go prom dress shopping with her. Liz reluctantly agrees, and her internal reaction shows her shard of glass in full force:

I felt suffocated by the thought of Helena taking my mom’s place, the kind of helpless desperation that caused your fingernails to leave tiny crescent grooves on your palms. I don’t want her there, so why is it getting forced down my throat? Why do her wishes count more than mine?

If Liz’s relationship with Helena is the measuring stick for how close she is to accepting her mom’s death, it’s clear that no real progress has been made yet.

Segment 38

• Shows that Wes accepts Liz for who she is

That night, Liz gets a text from Wes apologizing again for the graveyard incident. Liz also apologizes for her reaction.

Wes says he talks to his grandma’s grave whenever he goes to Minnesota. So far, this is the biggest piece of evidence showing that Wes understands Liz and can accept her for who she is.

They talk a while longer before Wes invites Liz to hang out in the “Secret Area” (this is what they called the undeveloped piece of land beyond Wes’s backyard fence when they were kids).

Segment 39

• Raises the stakes by ramping up the love story

• Presents an intersection between the A story and B story

• Provides goalposts to indicate when Liz will have completed her arc

• Foreshadows a conflict that arises in the Bad Guys Close In

Liz sneaks out of the house and is surprised that she actually wants to hang out with Wes:

It also felt nice to not be fighting with Wes for once. Which was weird, because that was our thing; he messed with me and I got pissed. Rinse and repeat, for our whole lives. But now I was discovering that he was hilarious and nice and seemed like more fun than pretty much everyone else I knew.

This is a mild case of ramping up the love story, a common Midpoint element that falls under the category of raising the stakes. By admitting that she enjoys her time with Wes, Liz must accept that she has something valuable to lose if their arrangement goes wrong and creates hard feelings between them.

As they talk, the love story is ramped up a little further based on Liz’s reaction when Wes apologizes again for the graveyard incident:

He looked away, but I caught a glimpse of his clenched jaw. It was almost like it mattered to him that he’d upset me. And, in the moonlight, I felt something that I had never felt about Wes before. I wanted to move closer to him.

Wes then tells Liz a story from his childhood involving her mom. Liz is very happy to have a new memory of sorts about her mom. This covers the Midpoint element of intersecting the A and B stories, as a positive connection has been made between Liz’s mom and Wes.

Wes asks Liz if missing her mom has gotten any easier since her death, and her internal reaction shows for the first time that Liz is gaining an understanding of her flaw and has some real insight into its root:

I felt like I couldn’t answer that question because I refused to let it get easier. I thought about her a lot—every single day—and if I started doing that less, surely it’d get easier. But the easier it got, the more she’d disappear, right?

Liz tells Wes why senior year has been hard and why she doesn’t want Helena to take her dress shopping. When Wes says, “Can’t you include her and just not replace your mom? It seems to me that you can still hold on to your memories, even if Helena is with you. Right?” here is Liz's response:

“It’s not that easy.” I wished it was, but I didn’t think there was room for both of them. If Helena went dress shopping with me and we had a great time, that memory would be stamped forever, and my mother would have no part in it.

This passage is vital because it provides goalposts for Liz’s character arc: if she can learn to let Helena into her life, it would prove she has overcome her unhealthy reaction to her mom’s death.

They have a cigar, and Liz brings up that she heard a girl named Alex has a crush on Wes. This sets up a conflict for the Bad Guys Close In beat.

Bad Guys Close In (57–79%)

Things generally went poorly for Liz in the Fun and Games (e.g., she got vomited on, and she got a basketball in the schnoz). Therefore, we should expect the Bad Guys Close In beat to have an upward path. Which it does.

In particular, this beat shows Liz becoming happier as she gets closer to Wes and ultimately recognizes her feelings for him—until things go all wrong in the All Is Lost.

Segment 40

• Shows some advancement in Liz’s character arc

The next morning, Liz asks Helena if she wants to go dress shopping that afternoon. This makes Helena happy, which surprisingly also makes Liz happy.

This shows that the conversation with Wes in Segment 39 has impacted Liz, and she is moving toward getting what she needs to be happy. This is the shift from wants to needs that Jessica Brody in Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.

Segment 41

• Brings Liz and Helena closer together

• Suggests that Liz wants a romantic relationship with Wes

At Starbucks, Liz is enjoying her time with Helena, who asks about Wes. Helena says he’d be quite the catch, and, oddly enough, Liz finds herself agreeing (on the inside):

I pictured him at Ryno’s party, saving me from certain humiliation by holding up the pants he’d loaned me. Holy God, Wes Bennett was kind of a catch, wasn’t he? He listened well, made late-night phone calls, built beautiful firepits that belonged in lifestyle magazines. Wes was a little bit dreamy.

This shows a further shift from wants to needs. But it's not a complete shift; right after this, Liz thinks, “No matter what I was learning about Wes, any real relationship with him would end in sure disaster.”

Segment 42

• Undoes the progress from the previous segments

Liz is dress shopping with Helena, Joss, and Joss’s mom. When she tries on the perfect dress, Helena says something that hits Liz the wrong way:

“Oh, Libby, I can’t wait for your dad to see you in this.” Helena’s head was tilted to the side and she was smiling, but her words were like a bucket of cold water, jolting me back to the momless present. Because what Helena had just said was exactly what my mother would’ve said if she’d been there. In fact, I could perfectly hear her lilting voice saying those words.

But Helena wasn’t my mom, even if she was suddenly calling me Libby like she was.

Liz shuts down after this. So, in a way, Liz’s bad guys are closing in.

Note: This is a good example of the bouncing ball narrative that Jessica Brody describes in Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. Although Liz has been happier since opening up to Helena and Wes, we see her shutting out Helena here. Rocky roads like this make stories more interesting.

Segment 43

• Reminds readers of Liz’s long-term goal

Liz had sent Wes a pic of her wearing the dress, and on the drive home, she gets a text saying he really likes the dress (which makes Liz’s stomach flip).

This prompts her to restate the long-term goal:

I started to respond, like, five different times over the course of the day, but in the end, I said nothing. Because what was there to say? I’d been getting a little sucked into Wes’s performance, stumbling over his charm, but his response had reminded me of my endgame.

Me. Michael.

Prom.

Segment 44

• Reminds readers of Liz’s current goal

• Sets up Segment 45

The next morning, Wes texts Liz to make sure they’re still on for the fake date/movie night at Michael’s tomorrow. He’s going to take her to dinner first to help the illusion along. He also invites her to watch a meteor shower in the Secret Area that night.

Segment 45

• Indicates that Liz may think of Wes as more than a friend

At the Secret Area, Liz and Wes talk about their college plans. Wes says Liz’s plan to study music curation at UCLA is “cool as shit.” Liz narrates that “his compliment sent warmth from the tips of my toes all the way to the squint of my eyes.”

Wes also mentions he’s going away to play baseball at college, but he doesn’t know where yet. It upsets Liz when Wes says there’s “nothing for him” in their hometown.

She doesn’t really have time to process it, as her dad shows up and interrupts the conversation. But the reader understands that Wes's words stung because some part of Liz was hoping he was developing feelings for her.

Segment 46

• Indicates again that Liz may think of Wes as more than a friend

At school the next day, while Liz has her headphones in, she notices a problem:

The song kept making me think of Wes instead of Michael, which frustrated the crap out of me. No matter how many times I started thinking about what the night would bring, my brain flipped it and I was thinking about dinner with Wes.

Segment 47

• Reminds readers about the Helena sub-plot

That evening, when Liz is about to leave for the fake date with Wes, she has an awkward exchange with Helena. She feels bad about how she acted during dress shopping but doesn’t want to talk about it.

Segment 48

• Gives the strongest indication yet that Liz has feelings for Wes

Liz has a good time with Wes at dinner. There are several moments where she’s starting to realize she likes him, such as:

Why did his physical nature and the way he had no problem with close contact—the hair tousles, the tugs, the nudges—always make my stomach go wild?

and

He had no idea what his friendship over the past week meant to me. I hadn’t realized it either, to be honest, but the fact that we’d had some seriously incredible conversations that centered on my mother made it different from every other relationship in my life.

However, she’s still unwilling to admit she has feelings for Wes.

Segment 49

• Confirms that Liz prefers Wes to Michael

At Michael’s house, the feelings from the previous scene carry over while Liz and Wes watch the movie together:

It’s like the spot where my right outer thigh touched his left outer thigh was inflamed and I couldn’t ignore it. Every tiny molecule of my existence was focused on that one solitary spot.

Liz wonders what it would be like to kiss Wes, and then they share a moment where they look into each other’s eyes, and Liz is pretty sure he would kiss her if they were alone. And she would kiss him back. Internally, she admits her feelings for Wes:

I realized at that moment that I wanted it. I wanted Wes. Michael had been my endgame, but I couldn’t bring myself to care about that anymore. I wouldn’t run through a train station for Michael. But I would do it for Wes.

But then Noah comes along and interrupts the moment.

Segment 50

• Introduces the external bad guy

After using the bathroom, Liz sees that Wes is out on the deck with Alex, the girl who has a crush on him. This makes Liz wonder if the moment they had earlier was all in her head. She can’t pay attention to the rest of the movie.

Note: Although we might call Alex the “external bad guy” because she also wants Wes, she’s not a bad person. This story does not have an external antagonist since it’s about Liz dealing with her own issues.

Segment 51

• Clarifies that Liz’s previous long-term goal is no longer important

• Foreshadows the All Is Lost

After the movie, Michael takes Liz upstairs to show her his grand piano (Liz plays the piano, by the way). During this interaction with Michael, we see that Liz has changed her mind about Michael and Wes:

Here was my beautiful Michael, inviting me—and not Laney—to see a dream-come-true music room, and I just wanted him to go away so I could be with Wes.

Michael also says that Wes told him he and Liz were just friends and was thinking of asking Alex out.

He then confides in Liz that he’s not sure about going to prom with Laney; he suspects she’s still hung up on her ex.

Liz gives him some advice like “sometimes the person with the most ‘magical night possibility’ is the last person you’d expect. Sometimes there can be someone you’ve known forever, yet never really noticed.”

She’s thinking about her potentially blown opportunity with Wes when she says this, but, as we'll see later, Michael gets the wrong idea and thinks she’s hinting for Michael to ask her to the prom.

Segment 52

• Shows Liz having an epiphany and rewards her with a taste of happiness

On the drive home from the movie, Wes and Liz almost get in a collision, but instead, Wes steers off the road and drives them into some trees. The car gets stuck, and Wes calls his dad, whose buddy has a tow truck.

As Wes is on the phone, Liz has an epiphany:

If my mom had still been alive, would she have changed her tune by now on the whole bad-boy thing? It seemed to me that because of things like car accidents and lost loves, life and death and broken hearts, we should grab every moment and absolutely devour the good parts. Wouldn’t she want that? For me to ad-lib my life instead of living by some typed-in-twelve-point-Courier-New script?

Note: Typically, heroes have epiphanies like this one in the Dark Night of the Soul, not in the Bad Guys Close In. However, this is not a hard-and-fast rule. Also, this epiphany isn’t THE epiphany that removes the shard of glass. There are still more epiphanies to come. If you don’t mind my taking the metaphor too far, at this point, we could say that Liz has the shard of glass gripped in the tweezers, but she still needs to yank it out.

Wes comments that the rain put the curls back in Liz’s hair, then admits he regrets telling her to straighten her hair and change how she dressed. “You look best when you’re you,” is what he says.

Liz kisses Wes, and he kisses her back until they notice the headlights of his dad’s truck. Then he drives them home. Liz is happy.

Note: At this point, Liz is by far the happiest she’s been since the story began. This emotional high point comes right on schedule: when the Bad Guys Close In follows an overall positive emotional trend, the rock bottom moment (the All Is Lost) should come very quickly after the hero’s happiest moment. In this story, only two short segments separate the high point from the All Is Lost.

Segment 53

• Shows Liz questioning whether the kiss meant anything to Wes

Liz goes inside and tells Helena about the kiss. But as she’s unsure where she stands with Wes:

I was in over my head because I had no idea where things stood with us. He’d kissed my face off. That was the only thing I knew to be true. Did he still think he was helping me with Michael? He couldn’t, right?

I didn’t know if he wanted to pursue anything with me, but I was desperately hopeful that the fervor of the kiss meant that he did.

She’s also worried that Wes likes Alex.

Segment 54

• Shows Liz’s reaction to the kiss with Wes

Liz texts Joss about how she “like-likes” Wes, then stays up late making a Wes and Liz playlist.

All Is Lost (78–79%)

Segment 55

• Includes the All Is Lost moment

The next day after school, Liz reflects on her uncertainty about her relationship with Wes:

I needed to know more, more than the fact that we’d shared a good kiss. Did he like me? Did he want to hold hands and maybe kiss more? Was he maybe going to be my boyfriend in the near future, or was the kiss just part of our fun hangouts and didn’t really mean anything to him at all?

And it occurred to me, as I walked down the hall with Joss after school, that I hadn’t had a chance to tell Wes that I was no longer interested in Michael. He knew that, right? I mean, the kiss had to have expressed that sentiment.

Then comes the All Is Lost when Michael unexpectedly makes a grand promposal to Liz.

Liz tries to think of a way to let Michael down in a non-humiliating way (a lot of people have gathered). But then she sees Wes, who has his arm around Alex. Wes gives Liz a thumbs-up, which she reacts to as follows:

Rejection, bitter and hot, washed over me. The other night—the kiss, everything—was a blip. Wes didn’t feel about me the way I felt about him. This was how it was supposed to end.

So, Liz accepts Michael’s promposal, even though she doesn't want to.

Dark Night of the Soul (79–95%)

This story’s Dark Night of the Soul is much longer than recommended (16% vs. 5%). This is primarily because the author ties up the sub-plots with Joss and Helena before the Break Into 3. If the author had followed the Save the Cat! method to the letter, these sub-plots would have been resolved during the Gathering the Team sub-beat in the Finale.

In Part 8 of this series, I noted that heroes typically go through two phases in the Dark Night of the Soul: the wallowing part and the epiphany part. Both these phases can be found in Better Than the Movies. The wallowing part (Segments 55–59) falls under the category of “the hero rejects their allies.” And the epiphany part (Segments 61–69) primarily shows Liz admitting all they ways she’s been wrong about others and herself.

Segment 55 (cont’d)

• Kicks off the Dark Night of the Soul when Liz loses an ally (Joss)

Michael comments that “this felt right after our talk in my dad’s room last night,” which prompts Joss to criticize Liz:

“You said you were hanging out with Wes.” She shook her head as she said in a low voice, “What is wrong with you? You’re so screwed up about romantic bullshit that you lie to your best friend—and for what? To go out with a guy who’s already talking to someone else?”

From here, all of Liz’s lies unravel. In the end, Joss says she can go to hell.

Segment 56

• (Seemingly) undoes all the progress Liz made in her character arc

Later that day, as Liz tells Helena that she’s going to prom with Michael, we go inside her head for some classic Dark Night of the Soul material (as described under “The hero reflects on their mistakes” in Part 8 of this series):

In addition to how soul-crushingly rejected I felt by [Wes’s] apparent lack of feelings for me, I felt duped.

Betrayed by my own heart.

Because I had known better than to get drawn in by him; I’d always known better. Yet it had happened. I’d fallen for basketball shorts and gross cigars and rain-soaked kisses. How could this have happened?

Beyond that, I’d schemed and lied and screwed up my very best friendship in the world. And—oh, yeah—I’d also gotten in the way of Laney and Michael, two people who actually seemed to be made for each other.

When Helena relates Michael with “over-romanticized ideas,” Liz falls back into her old ways of thinking, which is also very fitting for the Dark Night of the Soul:

Helena didn’t get it. My mother would’ve understood. My mother would’ve been cheering the entire time for me to go for the mark. I’d ignored her golden rule and was suffering the consequences.

Segment 57

• Gives Liz the lesson she needs to learn (which she rejects)

• Pushes away an ally (Helena)

The next day, as Liz is out for her cemetery run, internal dialogue shows us that she is mad at Wes and feeling guilty about her lies to Joss.

Surprisingly, Helena is at Liz’s mom’s grave and confronts Liz with the lesson she needs to learn: “You do know, Liz, that your mother’s memory won’t disappear if you get closer to me.”

But Liz, whose soul is still lost in its dark night, does not accept the lesson:

“Excuse me?” The words felt like a physical slap because—God—she’d just lent voice to my biggest fear. How would it not disappear if Helena got closer? Because no matter what he said, it’d disappeared for my father. When he talked about my mom now, it was like he was referencing some historical figure that he was incredibly fond of. Her place in his heart was gone.

After some more words, Liz pushes Helena away: “Maybe if you just leave me alone and let me live my life without trying to fill her shoes every time I turn around, we’ll all be happier.” Then she runs away.

Segment 58

• Hits Liz with some more truths (which she again rejects)

• Pushes away another ally (Wes)

When Liz gets back to her house, Wes is getting out of his car. As they talk, she feels a need to make him feel as bad as she feels. She does this by comparing him to Michael:

No offense, but you guys couldn’t be more different. He’s like a gourmet restaurant, and you’re a super-fun sports bar. He’s a limo, and you’re a Jeep Wrangler. He’s an Oscar-winning film, and you’re… a car-racing movie.

Apparently, it does the job, as Wes seems irritated and looks at Liz like she’s “scum.”

But he also hits Liz with some hard truths, like:

You hold on to this notion of your angelic mother and the romantic comedy like her greatest wish in life was for her daughter to be swept off her feet in high school. Just because she liked those movies doesn’t mean that if you live your life like an actual teenager, you’re disappointing her.

She knows he’s right. But, in true Dark-Night-of-the-Soul fashion, Liz shoves Wes away, too.

Segment 59

• Provides symbolism to illustrate how Liz is feeling

That night, Liz dreams she’s chasing her mom, but she can’t reach her.

Segment 60

• Transitions between Segments 59 and 61.

Several days have passed, and it’s now the day of the prom. Liz still isn’t talking to Joss, Helena, or Wes. When Michael comes to pick her up for prom, there is no excitement or anticipation.

Segment 61

• Gives Liz a mini-epiphany

• Proves that Liz is not the same person she was in Act 1

This segment is where Liz starts to have some mini-epiphanies and climbs out of her misery. In other words, this is where the author starts peppering Act 3 elements into the Dark Night of the Soul.

During their pre-prom dinner, Liz can see that Michael really wanted to go to prom with Laney. And Liz realizes that she doesn’t care, which leads to a mini-epiphany:

Why was I wasting my life trying to live up to the ridiculous expectations that I was setting for myself?

Liz also learns that Laney (whose prom group is at the same restaurant) is actually kind of an amazing, sweet person. She fesses up to Michael about the deal she made with Wes, which he takes in good humor.

Segment 62

• Builds on the positive changes from the previous segment

When Liz goes to the restroom, Laney is there, and she surprises Liz by asking if it’s hard going through senior year without a mom. Liz is taken aback that it was Laney Morgan, of all people, who saw the struggle that no one else did.

Liz tells Laney that she is not romantically attached to Michael at all. She encourages Laney to tell Michael how she feels about him.

Segment 63

• Completes part of Liz’s arc

Not long after getting to the banquet hall for prom, Liz tells Michael that Laney is not hung up on her ex and that he should go talk to her. She doesn’t mind being ditched since Michael and Laney are clearly meant for each other.

In this, we see that Liz is achieving some real growth:

He looked concerned, gazing at me the exact same way he had so many times when I’d been crying dramatically over neighborhood shenanigans, and it hurt my heart a little. I was letting him go, the dream of him, and Little Liz had never allowed herself to imagine that would ever happen.

This passage shows that Liz has finally let go of her idealized, unrealistic notion of what love is, thus completing part of her character arc.

Segment 64

• Shows Liz reconciling with Joss

• Shows Liz accepting the truth she rejected in Segment 58

Unable to handle another minute of seeing Wes dance with Alex, Liz ducks out of the ballroom. She finds a stairwell—the perfect place to be alone and sad—but when she opens the door, Joss is there.

They have a heart-to-heart in which Liz explains the sadness of going through senior year without her mom. Joss forgives her.

Liz also admits that Wes was right when he told her she was trying to live her life like she was a character in a rom-com her mom was writing.

Segments 65

• Together with the next segment, wraps up the Joss sub-plot

Noah (one of Wes’s friends, as you may recall) shows up in the stairwell. He and Joss talk and laugh for a bit, and the three of them decide it would be best to ditch prom.

Segment 66

Joss drops Liz off at her house, and then she and Noah are off to post-prom.

Segment 67

• Includes Liz’s big epiphany

• Shows Liz reconciling with Helena

Liz is watching You’ve Got Mail in the living room when Helena comes in. Liz asks Helena to watch the movie with her.

Helena turns Kathleen’s “love triangle” with NY152 and Joe Fox into a life lesson for Liz: “Sometimes we get so tied up in our idea of what we think we want that we miss out on the amazingness of what we could actually have.”

And, from this, Liz has her big epiphany:

Wes had been right about one thing when he’d talked about my mom issues. It wasn’t intentional, but I had been living my life like I was one of her characters, like I was trying to act out the parts I thought she would’ve written for me.

I’d pushed him away and gone for the “good guy,” when in reality there weren’t only solid, dependable people and players with questionable intentions in the world. There were Weses out there, guys who broke the mold and blew both of those stereotypes out of the water.

Liz also sees that she hasn’t been treating Helena fairly. She apologizes for pushing her away. Helena hugs her, and it makes her feel loved. Liz realizes her mom would want Helena to love her. She decides she will call Helena her stepmom from now on.

Segment 68

• Gives Liz some motivation for her Act-3 goal.

Liz’s dad comes downstairs, and Liz tells him and Helena about how crappy prom was because she went with the wrong guy, and why would Wes ever want to be with her anyway?

Helena and Liz’s dad are pretty sure Wes has liked Liz since they were kids. Helena says how Wes always used to park behind his mom’s car in the driveway; she reckons he started parking on the street so he’d have an excuse to talk to Liz.

Liz has a hard time believing it, but she thinks they might be right.

Break Into 3 (95%)

Segment 69

• Includes the Dark Night pep talk and the Break Into 3

In Part 8 of this series, I note that “a pep talk from a secondary character is another classic way to get a hero to quit moping” near the end of the Dark Night of the Soul.

Here, just before Liz goes to bed, Helena gives Liz this pep talk, with the key line being, “Be brave enough to go big.”

The Break Into 3 follows. Below is this beat in its entirety:

I kept replaying her words as I lay in bed. I tried sleeping, but between listening for Wes’s car and imagining all the things he and Alex might be doing, all I did was lie there being unhappy. Until it hit me.

Be brave enough to go big.

We might call this a “hidden” Break Into 3 since we’re not told what the idea is. Instead, the author reveals the idea as Liz is in the middle of carrying it out during the Finale.

Finale (95–98%)

As I stated in Part 9 of this series, “sometimes, the solution to the problem is very simple, and once the hero gets out of their own way, it’s easy for them to get what they need.” And this is the case in Better Than the Movies, which partly explains why the Finale is much shorter than it “should” be, according to the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet.

Another reason for the short Finale is that two of the sub-beats are summarized (they would be boring if dramatized since there's no external antagonist/barrier in Liz's way), while another is absent (or, more accurately, its purpose was accomplished in the Dark Night of the Soul).

Segment 70

• Summarizes the Gathering the Team and Executing the Plan sub-beats

• Introduces the High Tower Surprise

At the Secret Area, Liz hears Wes’s car pull into his driveway and tells herself it’s “showtime.”

Then, through narrative summary, we learn that, between chapters, Liz made preparations to confess her love for Wes by, among other things, making a CD of her Wes and Liz playlist, bringing it and stuff for s’mores to the Secret Area, and leaving a note on Wes’s porch to meet her there.

This piece of summary contains the Gathering the Team (specifically, the “gathering supplies” version, as described in Part 9 of this series); Liz is in the middle of the Executing the Plan sub-beat as the scene starts properly.

Liz is ready to pour her heart out, but—uh-oh!—Alex is still with Wes, and they’re coming toward the Secret Area. This is our High Tower Surprise and falls under “things go wrong when something unexpected happens,” as mentioned in Part 9.

In a panic, Liz hides all the stuff she brought to the Secret Area and scrambles to disappear, but she’s spotted before she can get away. She says she’s here because she was looking for her lucky penny, and she makes a very embarrassing, rambling speech about pennies (which is actually about Wes) before leaving.

Segment 71

• Includes the Execution of the New Plan

If your eyes are keen, you will have noticed that we skipped the Dig Deep Down sub-beat. This is because Liz already did a lot of soul-searching and learned her lessons in the Dark Night of the Soul. So, there was no need for her to search her soul again in the Finale.

Not knowing what else to do, Liz drives around for a while, then gets some McDonald’s.

As she’s eating in her car outside the house, Wes gets her attention and asks her to step out of the vehicle. He asks her what was going on at the Secret Area—and says he found the CD and the s’mores and all that.

From there, we move on to our Execution of the New Plan sub-beat, as Liz confesses that she really likes Wes but didn’t realize it until it was too late.

Then Wes says there’s no spark with Alex because Alex isn’t Liz, and he confesses his feelings to her, too. Then they kiss.

Final Image (98–100%)

Segment 72

• Confirms that Liz and Wes will continue their relationship into their first year of university

• Provides the story's Final Image

Next September, on the day Liz is to leave for UCLA, she and Wes are planting flowers at her mom’s grave. It turns out Wes got recruited to play baseball for UCLA, too, so he and Liz will be staying together. This fits under “provide a happily-ever-after-moment” as mentioned in Part 9 of this series.

Liz reflects on how her mom would have wanted her to end up with someone like Wes. Then, a cardinal comes and perches on a tree above the grave; this is a callback to the Midpoint, where Wes told Liz the story about her mom—after the story, he had said, “Every time I see a cardinal in your yard, I think it’s her.”

Note: Although I stated in Part 9 that the Final Image typically calls back to something that occurred in Act 1, this example shows that you can also call back to Act 2.

Concluding Remarks

I hope this analysis of Lynn Painter's Better Than the Movies has helped you understand the material covered throughout this series.

Obviously, different genres are going to have different elements, so I couldn't encompass everything in one review. If this post gains some popularity, I may add more analyses to this series later.

But, for now, I am calling this the end of my Editor's Guide to Save the Cat! Story Structure. If you found it helpful, please share it with your writer friends.