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It’s time for Part 4 of the Writer’s Guide to Book Genres: an introduction to Save the Cat! genres!

In Parts 1 and 2, I discussed what genre is and the first category major of genre: consumer-facing genre, or reading genre, and in Part 3, I started to discuss plotting genres and The Story Grid method of determining plotting genre.

In Part 4, I will be going over a second model of plotting genre, one that you may be more familiar with, the Save the Cat! Method.

What are plotting genres again?

As I went over in Part 3, plotting genres refer to the content of the story. These are primarily used by authors to define kind of story they want to tell and plan the overall shape of that story.

There are two methods of plotting genres that I like to consider when developing my story: The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne, which I went over in Part 3, and Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, which I will be discussing below.

What is Save the Cat?

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is a guide to story structure and genre writing adapted from the Save the Cat! method for screenwriters. It provides a step-by-step method for outlining a story based on the 10 different genres that are most commonly used in fiction writing. The method utilizes the concept of “saving the cat,” which is when a character does something heroic that makes the audience root for them.

The 10 Save the Cat! Writes a Novel genres are:

1. Whydunit
2. Rites of Passage
3. Institutionalized
4. Superhero
5. Dude with a Problem
6. The Fool Triumphant
7. Buddy Love
8. Out of the Bottle
9. Golden Fleece
10. Monster in the House

Whydunit

The Whydunit genre focuses on a protagonist who is trying to uncover the truth behind a crime. Essentially, these are mysteries. Whydunit’s center around a crime that has been committed, and the protagonist’s journey towards uncovering the dark truth at the center of that crime. This genre needs three things in order to be successful:

1. A detective,
2. A secret, and
3. A dark turn or a twist

Examples of a Whydunit include the Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene or The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.

Rites of Passage

The Rites of Passage genre focuses on a character’s journey through life’s common problems. Coming-of-age stories are the most common example of this genre, but any story of personal growth and development, even in adulthood, can be considered part of the Rites of Passage genre. These stories need three things to be successful:

1. A life problem,
2. A wrong way to attack the problem, and
3. A solution that involves acceptance of the truth the protagonist has been ignoring.

Examples of Rites of Passage are The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky or Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin.

Institutionalized

The Institutionalized genre focuses on a protagonist who must navigate a complex, rigid, and often oppressive system. Typically, these stories are more about the group the protagonist is in and how they relate to it rather than the protagonist themselves. In order to be successful, these stories need:

1. A group,
2. A choice, and
3. A sacrifice.

Examples of Institutionalized include The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton.

Superhero

The Superhero genre focuses on a protagonist who has superhuman powers or abilities and finds themselves in an ordinary world. If you think of any story with a “chosen one”, it is most likely a Superhero story. The protagonist is often misunderstood, so these stories usually focus on the theme of triumph. To succeed, a Superhero series needs:

1. A special-powered hero,
2. A nemesis, and
3. A curse or sacrifice the hero must make for the price of their power.

Examples of Superhero include the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan or Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.

Dude with a Problem

The Dude with a Problem genre focuses on a protagonist who must overcome a personal problem or challenge while also dealing with a larger, external conflict. Typically, the protagonist never asks for the trouble they face, but finds themselves facing incredible odds to survive. These stories usually benefit from having external bad guys, but need these three things to be considered successful:

1. An innocent protagonist,
2. A sudden event, and
3. A life-or-death battle.

Examples of Dude with a Problem include The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

The Fool Triumphant

The Fool Triumphant genre focuses on a protagonist who is underestimated by others but rises up to prove themselves to everyone. These are your underdog stories, and in the end, the underdog always wins. These stories need:

1. A fool,
2. An establishment the fool is pitted against, and
3. A transmutation the hero goes through.

Examples of The Fool Triumphant include The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot and Bridget Jones Diary by Helen Fielding.

Buddy Love

The Buddy Love genre focuses on characters who are transformed by meeting someone else. The best example of this are any romance story, but Buddy Love stories can go beyond romantic love to include friendship or even the love of a pet. These stories need:

1. An incomplete protagonist,
2. A counterpart, and
3. A complication.

Examples of Buddy Love are Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston or The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall.

Out of the Bottle

The Out of the Bottle genre focuses on characters who have been temporarily touched by magic that teaches the protagonist a lesson about reality. These stories need:

1. A hero deserving of magic,
2. A spell, and
3. A lesson.

Out of the Bottle is most often seen in movies literature examples include Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon or The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

Golden Fleece

The Golden Fleece genre focuses on a protagonist who must embark on a quest to achieve an important goal. In these stories, it’s about the journey, not the destination. Successful stories in this genre need:

1. A road,
2. A team, and
3. A prize.

Examples of Golden Fleece include Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

Monster in the House

The Monster in the House genre focuses on a protagonist who must confront a monster or other villainous force threatening their home, family, or group of people. Essentially these are horror stories or thrillers. To be successful, these stories need:

1. A monster,
2. A house, and
3. A sin, or a reason the monster exists.

Examples of Monster in the House include Frankenstein by Mary Shelly and Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.

That wraps up our discussion of plotting genres. As you can see, these genres give a better idea at the content and themes of a story than broad categories like fantasy. Fantasy could be a Golden Fleece story like The Fellowship of the Ring or it could be a Superhero story like Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Both are fantasies but are different in how the story progresses.

We’re almost done with the Writer’s Guide to Book Genres series, so stay tuned for the last part, Part 5, where I discuss the difference between genre conventions, obligatory scenes, and tropes!