How-To Write Lesson 4: Catalyst and Debate

Sorry about the delay in posting. Sometimes life happens and we just have to go with the flow. Speaking of flow…

This week’s section of Save the Cat’s structure for storytelling covers the Catalyst and debate. They are two separate points of story which go hand-in-hand. Before we get into it, here are a few quick links if you need a refresh on what we’ve covered so far: what a narrative needs, the opening image, theme and set-up.

What is a Catalyst anyway?

As your story opens, and you set-up the world and everyone in it, something has to happen to move the story forward. There needs to be an event, a happening, something major that forces the main character on a journey, something they cannot reasonably avoid, that upends their world. That something is your catalyst. Save the Cat expert and author, Jessica Brody, says that the catalyst should change the entire direction of your story and it has to happen no later than 10% of the way through your novel.

Where the catalyst occurs is important because in this age of TikTok and instant gratification, reader gets bored pretty quickly. Keep the pace of your novel brisk by only giving out the necessary information to open up that plot. Give the audience an opening image that sums up the protagonists life in a moment. Show the parts of their world that are important to the opening of the plot. There will be plenty of space to break-down the characters thoughts and feelings, to open up secondary plots and introduce other characters later on. In the beginning, readers (and potential agents!) need a page-turning, unputdownable story that brings something unexpected within the first 30 pages.

Hint: When considering the type of plot-launching event to mortify your main character and rip their world apart… try shooting for the very last thing anyone would expect, as long at it’s “logically linked to the rest of the story” (Jessica Brody). Truly, whether a reader knows it or not, the catalyst is the moment they have been waiting for. It is the reason they picked up your book to begin with.

The catalyst should surprise the hero and kick off events that take place in the rest of the story. Jessica Brody uses Legally Blonde as an example:

Elle is expecting a marriage proposal, but her boyfriend, Werner, breaks-up with her instead. This unexpected turn is the reason Elle applies to Harvard, which is the entire premise of the film. This moment is “the first in a series of dominoes” that fall throughout Act Two. It really is a brilliant example.

One of my all-time favorite catalyst’s is in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. I know, I know. Say what you want about her version of the vampire, but I just love how simple the catalyst is. Bella, a normal high school girl, walks into a classroom on her first day at a new school. That’s all. It’s a passive type of event. But she moves from a normal girl in a normal, rainy world into chaos and danger. She’s vampire bait from the moment Edward catches her scent. It is the catalyst that leads Bella to falling in love. Note: In love stories, the catalyst is almost always the moment the love-interests meet.

The Debate… What Are We Debating?

Catalyst and Debate go hand-in-hand, remember?

Action –> Reaction

Catalyst –> Debate

If there is an action for every reaction, then the Debate would be the reaction to the Catalyst. It’s the response of the main character, what they do next. It’s also the last beat in Act One.

Some characters may immediately respond without thinking, but most of them think about what they should do next. Take Elle Woods for example. After the break-up, she decides she needs to get Werner back, which leads to the domino effect that follows the rest of Act Two. Elle decides to apply to Harvard. The Debate beat is all about how Elle gets into Harvard. She has to find a way to get into Harvard, which entails her making a hilarious video for the admissions board, studying for the LSATs, and finally the admissions board reviewing her application.

In a fantasy romance like Twilight, the Debate section asks a question: was it real? Was the hatred Edward showed towards Bella all in her mind? She questions herself, but then decides, no. It was real. He looked at her as if he wanted to kill her. That leads to the next part of the debate, which is: why? Why did Edward initially look at her with murder in his eyes, then ignore her completely? It is these questions that lead Bella on the quest that ends up destroying and remaking her life in ways she could never imagine.

Another example is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry longs to attend Hogwarts because he’s miserable living with the Dursley’s. The debate is asking the question, is little Harry Potter ready to enter this world of magic? To answer the question, Harry Potter spends a day in Diagon Alley, getting school supplies. This is his introduction into the world of wizards and magic. Harry is not afraid when facing this unknown. He is fascinated and curious. The question is answered just enough to give the reader hope that Harry’s life can get better.

Below are a few videos that delve deeper into the concepts discussed today. I encourage you to give them a view, and check-out Jessica Brody’s Udemy course on writing a best-selling novel.