Wulf’s super secret #31 about deploying the magic sword caused me to ponder (as do other Wulf secrets). With the “Save the Cat” story beats, beat 7 is the introduction of a new character or characters who will help the hero overcome her/his flaws. I ask: is beat 7 a type of magic sword?
Science Fiction must conjure the magic of awe.
I'm not particularly familiar with either of these, but since you haven't received an answer yet, I'll take a stab.
I would say no. Wulf's Magic Sword appears to need to be something tangible, something that doesn't act on its own, but is acted on. Beat 7 appears to need to be a character, who will have their own goals/motives, but will draw out aspects of the protagonist that they need to face in order to win at the end. In Frozen, Christoph would be the Beat 7 character, but he is definitely not a Magic Sword. The Magic Sword is learning about the Act of True Love.
Happy to hear other interpretations.
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On further reflection, Men in Black 2 is a case where the Beat 7 character and the Magic Sword are the same thing - K. But this is because K provides two different roles, not because one is the other.
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Isn't Beat #7 of Save the Cat the introduction of the "B" story line? This is the point where the story's theme is emphasized.
As I understand it, the 15 beats from Save the Cat are:
- Opening Image
- Theme Stated
- Set Up
- Catalyst
- Debate
- Break Into Two
- B Story
- Fun and Games
- Midpoint
- Bad Guys Close In
- All Is Lost
- Dark Night of the Soul
- Break Into Three
- Finale
- Final Image
I know in Libbie Hawker's book "Take Off Your Pants," she discusses the role of the Ally. This is the person who, later in the story, will help the protagonist make the right choice. But this person is usually introduced early in the story, not someone who appears late in the story.
"You can either sit here and write, or you can sit here and do nothing. But you can’t sit here and do anything else."
— Neil Gaiman, Masterclass
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Hi Morgan: You are correct as I understand it. According the Save the Cat (STC) formula, the B-story character does help the protagonist learn the theme. And according to STC, beat 2 states the theme. I was just curious about similarities. The Wulf Moon super secrets make a lot of sense to me, and relying on formulas may lead to stories sounding formulaic, an error I hope to rectify.
Science Fiction must conjure the magic of awe.
