Save the Cat!

And just like that, I'm back on track.

Rhyming aside, accidental or otherwise, I'm feeling pretty good. 

I got a decent chunk of writing done this last Thursday and did the same today. I had friends in town, so Friday and Saturday weren't great on the writing front, but it was great to see them. Went out for drinks, went to Six Flags, etc. 

Anyway, the real reason I'm writing is that today I broke through the weird funk-like, semi-existential crisis I've been having with my manuscript. 

I bit the bullet, admitted it was too unwieldy, and cut a whole bunch of stuff out to be used for book two (if I'm lucky). Then, I took what remained and put it through Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet, introduced to me by one of my writing group fellow writers. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with it or haven't read Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder, here's where you can check out the general gist. Go ahead and check it out (the link will open in a new window) and come on back. 

I've always struggled with other people's beat sheets or explanations of three act plot structures or whatever else is out there. This is the only one that's gotten through to me in a succinct and easily understandable way. If you're like me and like writing by the seat of your pants, or have a hard time outlining, I would highly recommend it. The "screenwriting" aspect of it can easily be tailored to novel writing. 

So, where at the start of last week I was panicking and judging myself and hating my work, I now have renewed energy to continue forward with my WIP. What this also means, however, is that I'll be doing this third rewrite of my novel for NaNoWriMo instead of the standalone novel I had outlined. Coincidentally, I used Blake Snyder's Beat Sheet for that outline, too. I'll be shelving that one again for now. Maybe next NaNoWriMo. 

That's it for me, tonight. Got laundry, some coffee and food with my name on it, and after a little more writing I'm going to unwind and get ready for this week.