Save the Cat! Novel Calculator
The Save the Cat! Novel Calculator is a tool you can use to estimate where the Save the Cat! beats should be found in your manuscript according to the total page or word count. Each beat tends to fall around the same percentage (or range of percentages), so we can do some simple math to figure out approximately where each beat should land.
Keep in mind that all stories are a little different, so your results might very slightly from what the calculator shows, which is perfectly okay. After all, writing is an art, not an exact science!
How to Use the Calculator
Simply enter your actual or estimated total Word/Page Count and click the Calculate Beats button to see the results.
If you don’t have an actual or estimate for your total Page/Word Count yet, choose a few popular novels that are in your same genre and use an average of those to come up with an estimate. Again, the goal here is not to be exact, but to give some general guidelines.
To give a few examples, here are some average Page and Word Counts for a few genres:
| Genre | Average Page Count | Average Word Count |
|---|
| General Fiction | 280 to 400 pages | 70,000 to 100,000 words |
| Science Fiction / Fantasy | 360 to 400 pages | 90,000 to 100,000 words |
| Thriller / Horror / Mystery | 280 to 360 pages | 70,000 to 90,000 words |
| Young Adult | 240 to 360 pages | 60,000 to 90,000 words |
The Save the Cat! Novel Calculator
| Beat | Page / Word Count |
|---|
| Opening Image | |
| Theme Stated | |
| Setup | |
| Catalyst | |
| Debate | |
| Break Into 2 | |
| B Story | |
| Fun and Games | |
| Midpoint | |
| Bad Guys Close In | |
| All Is Lost | |
| Dark Night of the Soul | |
| Break Into 3 | |
| Finale | |
| Final Image | |
Hope this calculator is helpful! If you’d like to learn more about how to write a novel using the Save the Cat! method, check out my book, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and the official online companion course, available on Writing Mastery Academy.
Filed under: Save the Cat Tips for Writers Writing Mastery Tagged with: beat sheet save the cat save the cat writes a novel STC Starter Kit (LMAP) Tips for Writers writing tips
