Blank Beat Sheet Form

The Beat Sheet – A Flexible Template for your Story

The first section allows you to create a targeted direction and narrative flow for your story.  Fill these in, and you’ll find specific scene ideas popping into your head.

That’s next.

Each blank line in the template represents a scene.  Fill them in as your story takes form with either a) a singular narrative mission for the scene (example: hero meets love interest for first time), and/or b) the narrative content of the scene (example: Bob and Shirley run into each other at the reunion).

Conceptual hook/appeal:

Theme(s):

Through-line:

The Scenes

Part 1 – Set up:

  1. (hook)______________________________________________________________________________________________
  2. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  3. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  4. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  5. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  6. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  7. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  8. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  9. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  10. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  11. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  12. (1st Plot Point) _____________________________________________________________________________

Part 2 – Response:

  1. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  2. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  3. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  4. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  5. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  6. _________________________________________________________________________________________
  7. (Pinch Point) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
  8. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  9. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  10. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  11. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  12. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
  13. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. (Mid-Point Shift) ____________________________________________________________________________

Part 3 – Attack:

  1. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  2. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  3. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  4. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  5. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  6. (Pinch Point) ______________________________________________________________________________________
  7. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  8. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  9. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  10. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  11. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  12. __________________________________________________________________________________________________
  13. __________________________________________________________________________________________________

14.  (Lull before SPP) _______________________________________________________________________

Part 4 – Resolution:

  1.  (2 nd PP)   ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  2. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  3. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  4. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  5. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  6. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  7. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  8. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  9. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  10. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  11. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  12. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  13. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________
  14. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

41 Responses

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  10. Hi Larry,
    I was wondering where pinch point one is on this template? In all my readings of yours it says it’s in the middle of part two, but I don’t see it!!!! Thanks for your help…Story Engineering is a great book!!!

    Reply

    1. the second plot point in the beat sheet is in the wrong place, according to your book Story engineering, the second plot point separates Part 3 from Part 4 about 75% of the way through the story

      Reply

  13. Awesome beat sheet! Heard about your book on a podcast and ran to the store to grab a copy. I am in the planning stages for a short story before I’ll tackle my next novel and figured that I’d write it based on the strategies in your book. I was blown away and couldn’t put it down – delaying my project – but it’ll be all worth it in the end. Only a few more small chapters and I’ll be ready to grab the bull by the horns. I’ve already worked on characters, themes, concept, etc, now I just need to put it together. I’ve already had a rough structure, but with the stuff I’ve learned from this book, I noticed that a lot of the scenes I had planned were really pointless and going nowhere. My preliminary outline is much tighter now, plus I swapped to another POV character. Things are making much more sense now. I’m going to use the beat sheet next and make sure I’ve got all my ducks in a row – then it’s off to writing!!! THANK YOU!!!!

    Nickie
    Author of The Heidelberg Ghost

    Reply

  15. Pardon my newbieness, but what is a pinch point?a mid-point shift? through line, and last, but not least, 1st plot point

    Thanks so much.

    Reply
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  17. I am a converted plotter former pantser since reading your book, Larry. I love knowing, and how freeing and creative I can be even when I know what’s going on… it’s so liberating! Thank you for this beat sheet. It will help me 🙂

    Reply

    1. I feel that plans give me some kind of guide, you can always scrap what his planned if you change your mind or put something else instead but by ‘vomiting on the page, one can see what is there to work on.

      Reply
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  22. I was looking at your beat sheet, and thought I might tell you of a program I just bought:
    WriteItNow 4: from RavensheadServices.com
    I’m a convinced pantser, but recently decided to try the plotter’s way. This program is just perfect for me, allowing me to do as much or as little planning as I want, and at the same time keeping all the gritty little elusive details on record right where I can find them.
    Now I’ll see how the beatsheet works for me.

    Reply

    1. I use WriteiTNow for my novel writing and Movie Outline for doing screenplays at least that is my hope, if I am stuck for a name for my character on the latter, I refer to WIN as one needs plausible names for one’s ‘darlings’ whether you are killing them off or o/wise

      Reply

  23. Larry: Your breakdown of the concept of story structure is exactly what I was looking for. After reading a few of your blogs on the subject last year I immediately purchased “Story Engineering”. I have to rank it as one of the most useful writing help books I’ve ever purchased, and I’ve purchased hundreds over the past few decades. It’s already helped me not write one novel, thus saving me countless hours of wasted effort. The only downside (if it really is a downside) is that I can no longer watch a movie without keeping an eye on the time and picking out the plot points and pinch points. I’m sure I’ll be getting a lot of use out of the generic beat sheet form.
    Thank you.
    Rik Hunik

    Reply

  25. Hi Larry
    Thank you so much for publishing your brilliant ideas and helping others. Randy Ingermanson recommended you. Smiles, June.

    Reply
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  30. I, too, would love to see the rest of a generic beat sheet. It would serve as a good get started outline for newbies who are stuck!

    Reply

  31. A request to Mr. Brooks.

    In your book, “Story Engineering,” you have a generic beat sheet on pg. 265 — but you only have act I!! Can you post the rest of the generic beat sheet. This would probably be the best tool I could ever use as a writer. As a suggestion, if you ever publish a book of say 40 generic beat sheets, I would pay good money for it!!

    Many thanks,
    Akiva Potok

    Reply

  33. Thanks for the free form! A fellow writer with Sacramento Valley Rose told me about your blog/web site. I’ve enjoyed reading some of the posts today.

    Happy weekend!

    Reply

  34. Bravo and thank you, this is such a useful tool. I for one have taken a copy {I think} sheesh, such a newb. Dinosaur learning by making huge mistakes…operative word “Learning” thanks to you and other people that take the time to help.
    Sigh!
    soooz.

    Reply

  35. It’s always helpful to see this concept laid out graphically, rather than wrestling with it in my head. Thanks for another clear and useful tool.

    Reply
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