12 Book Challenge

I don't know about you, but one of my worst fears as an author is that I have a limited number of ideas, and once I write those books, my career will be over.

Then, last summer I visited a friend, and her husband shared with me a yearly challenge he was doing for screenplay ideas: Every day, he would write a logline. They didn't have to be good. They just had to exist.

And I thought, why not do this with novel ideas?

In the end, and despite the title, what you create with these cards doesn't have to be a book. It could be whatever you want: a novella, a short story, a play--or just ideas on notecards, an exercise in plotting. They just need to exist.

What you need:

  • the 12 Book Challenge download.
  • Cardstock or other sturdy paper
  • Printer
  • pencil
  • Scissors

12 Book Challenge Download

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How it works

Print and cut out 12 sets of the notecards. They are already prelabeled for the Save-the-Cat beats. At the beginning of every month, fill out the premise card. Then, throughout the month, fill out the foundation beats. (I added opening image and finale because I like to know where my character starts and ends up.) On the next page is an example of how to fill out the cards. By the end of the month, you have a plot arc!

The Foundation Beats

  • Opening Image: Your protagonist's status quo or a snapshot of their current life.
  • Catalyst: The inciting incident or the event that puts the character's journey in motion.
  • Break into 2: The moment the protagonist decides what to do about the catalyst.
  • Midpoint: The middle of the story, where the stakes are raised again.
  • All Is Lost: The climax of the book, or the character's rock bottom.
  • Break into 3: The moment the protagonist realizes what they must do to fix everything.
  • Finale: A snapshot of the protagonist's life after the events of the book.

Other Resources:

Jessica Brody's Save-the-Cat Writes a Novel Starter Kit
Save-the-Cat Logline Templates
Save-the-Cat Beat Examples