My Journey as an Author - 23

Understanding Beats

In storytelling, beats refer to the major plot points or moments that drive the narrative forward. They are significant events or turning points that impact the characters and the overall story arc. Identifying beats helps in structuring the story and maintaining a cohesive flow. Common beats include the inciting incident, rising action, climax, and resolution. Each beat serves a specific purpose in advancing the plot and developing the characters.

Here's an example of a story outline with beats for a suspenseful thriller:

1. Opening Scene:

- Introduce the protagonist, Sarah, a skilled detective haunted by her past.

- Establish the setting, a gloomy and crime-ridden city.

2. Inciting Incident:

- Sarah receives a mysterious package containing an anonymous note and a photograph of a crime scene.

3. First Act:

- Beat 1: Sarah investigates the crime scene and discovers a hidden clue that connects to a serial killer from her past.

- Beat 2: Sarah confronts her former partner, Mark, suspecting he may be involved, leading to a heated confrontation.

4. Rising Action:

- Beat 3: Sarah delves deeper into the investigation, uncovering a web of deceit and corruption within the police department.

- Beat 4: Sarah forms an unlikely alliance with a reclusive hacker, Alex, who possesses crucial information about the killer's identity.

5. Midpoint:

- Beat 5: Sarah and Alex narrowly escape an assassination attempt orchestrated by corrupt officials who want to silence them.

6. Second Act:

- Beat 6: Sarah and Alex go undercover to gather evidence against the corrupt officials, risking their lives in the process.

- Beat 7: Sarah's close friend, Maya, becomes a target of the killer, adding a personal stake and raising the stakes for Sarah.

7. Climax:

- Beat 8: Sarah confronts the killer, discovering a shocking twist that links the killer to her own traumatic past.

- Beat 9: A tense showdown ensues, with Sarah fighting for her life and seeking justice for herself and her friend.

8. Resolution:

- Beat 10: Sarah apprehends the killer, exposing the corruption and bringing justice to the city.

- Beat 11: Sarah finds closure and learns to overcome her past, rebuilding her life with newfound strength and purpose.

Now, this is just a simplified example, and the number of beats and their specific content can vary depending on the complexity and genre of your story. The beats should be tailored to fit your narrative and characters, driving the story forward and creating tension and engagement for the readers.

Once you have the beats, you can expand them into a fuller description of events. You know what needs to be done, but now you can explain how it is done.

For example, we can take Beat 5:

Sarah and Alex narrowly escape an assassination attempt orchestrated by corrupt officials who want to silence them.

How do they escape? Where does it take place? How do we want the scene to end? It is good to ask some basic question, not only about this beat, but how others are impacted. If characters suffer loss or injury, that has to be carried forward. In the same way, their current state should reflect what happened previously.

If you have gathered your thoughts, you can begin to create a fuller beat.

Observing the crowds at a theater, Sarah and Alex hope to identify someone they saw speaking to the killer. The scene starts awkward, as Alex fumbled a pass at Sarah and was rejected. They take a moment to discuss their pasts, and Alex establishes he is an orphan raised by the State. While Alex goes to deal with the car, the killer approaches Sarah. It appears this has been a set up to draw Sarah out of hiding. However, Alex interrupts the assassination by pulling the fire alarm, and using a fire extinguisher on the assassin, first by spraying him, then by throwing the canister. In the process, the assassin injures his left wrist badly. Sarah and Alex narrowly manage to escape across town, experiencing several tense moment when police are near them, as the disturbance at the theater will be cause of an investigation. They hide at Alex's ex-gf's apartment, since she is out of town, and he is feeding her dogs. Due to adrenaline, the two kiss.

Now, this is less of a beat, and more of an exploratory segment. But now we can break it down into a clear depiction of events. Sometimes, it is helpful to break it down line by line.

• Observing the crowds at a theater, Sarah and Alex hope to identify someone they saw speaking to the killer.

• The scene starts awkward, as Alex fumbled a pass at Sarah and was rejected.

• They take a moment to discuss their pasts, and Alex establishes he is an orphan raised by the State.

• While Alex goes to deal with the car, the killer approaches Sarah.

• It appears this has been a set up to draw Sarah out of hiding.

• However, Alex interrupts the assassination by pulling the fire alarm, and using a fire extinguisher on the assassin, first by spraying him, then by throwing the canister.

• In the process, the assassin injures his left wrist badly.

• Sarah and Alex narrowly manage to escape across town, experiencing several tense moment when police are near them, as the disturbance at the theater will be cause of an investigation.

• They hide at Alex's ex-gf's apartment, since she is out of town, and he is feeding her dogs. Due to adrenaline, the two kiss.

We can clarify this beat if needed, by extracting information in the order of occurrence, such as establishing information, or setting, first event, second event, et cetera, closing with the ending state. It is also possible to see what information is missing, such as specific details like names and place, or process such as coming and going.

It is very possible that a beat can become multiple beats on examination, or merely raise matters which must be addressed in a simplified manner to maintain clarity. You do not always have to write out everything that happens, but it is helpful if things are addressed to the satisfaction of your readers.