Save the Cat Breakdown Series - Part 5
Catalyst
In the previous article, we explored the Save the Cat story beat of the Theme and how it conveys what the whole story is about and the journey the protagonist is on. In this article, we will delve into the Catalyst.
What is the Catalyst?
The Catalyst is a single scene in your story which propels the protagonist out of their normal comfortable world and into the world of the story. It is the event that changes everything for them and makes it so that it’s impossible to go back to the way things were, even if they wanted to (and they often want to).
It occurs at around the 10% mark, or at 8,000 words in a typical 80,000 word novel. However, as it is only one scene, its location can vary a little. In film, it usually occurs pretty much at that point, but remember novels have more leeway, so if your Catalyst occurs a bit earlier or a bit later, that’s okay too. The main thing is, that it’s at the end of the Setup and is the big event that changes everything for your protagonist.
Another way to look at the Catalyst is the plot acting upon the character (as opposed to the character acting upon the plot, which occurs in the Break into Two story beat further on). In Star Wars: A New Hope, the Catalyst occurs when Luke accidentally activates the holo message from Princess Leia and hears the famous line “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.” This acts as a siren call to Luke, pulling him out of his normal world and reminding him that there’s a big wide universe out there beyond the horizon of Tatooine. He wants to find out more, to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, even if his uncle tries to dissuade him from the idea.