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Using the Beats to Help You Write
Lately in this blog, I've been mentioning Jessica Brody's wonderful book, Save the Cat Writes A Novel and talking abstractly about the beats. I thought it might be a good idea to spell it out for people who are interested. So, according to this book, here are the beats of a novel:
Act 1
Beat 1: Opening Image
Beat 2: Theme Stated
Beat 3: Set-Up
Beat 4: Catalyst
Beat 5: Debate
Act 2
Beat 6: Break in 2
Beat 7: B Story
Beat 8: Fun and Games
Beat 9: Midpoint
Beat 10: Bad Guys Enter In
Beat 12: All Is Lost
Beat 13: Dark Night of the Soul
Act 3
Beat 11: Break into 3
Beat 14: Finale
Beat 15 Closing Image
That's your skeleton. Here's a handy “cheat sheet” where Jessica Brody explains the beats and give examples of how this structure works in specific novels.
There are many craft books out there. Different ones call out to different writers. I love this book because its presentation makes sense to me. There's no graphs or timelines, really, although there are percentage numbers on where beats should appear in the book. Somehow percentage numbers computer better to me than graphs or timelines.
I find it very helpful because I have learned that, as a writer, there always come a point or points in the drafts where I will go off in a tangent. Often a side character will try to steal the story, and I have to remember who this story belongs to, and what that character has set out to do. Sometimes I jump ahead in the story. It's hard to write (sometimes). It can be scary to sit down and face a blank page and listen to those voices in your head and trust them. Sometimes they're not trustworthy (my opinion), or they have a different agenda (that feels more accurate). Anyway, the great thing about the beats is that when I feel like I have wandered off into the woods—and for me, that's a definite feeling, like waking up from a drug-induced slumber and saying, “What happened? Wait a minute.” Now I can switch on my analytical brain and say, “Where am I in the story? What beat am I on? Oh, I have this delightful 'bad guys enter in' moment here, but I'm really on the 'break into 2' where I'm showing off the world has turned upside down. Those bad guys have to wait while I demonstrate how much this world has changed, and how the character is doing in trying to figure out how she fits in here.” That happened last week. It was amazing. I then began to have ideas on what to do, and I filed away that moment, that I really liked, for just a little bit later. (This is all for Book 3 of the Cats of the Afterlife series, The Deepest Growl.)
Now I've moved on and am thinking a lot about the B story. Is it strong enough? A character has stepped up. He wants to be the lead in this story. I almost took it away from him, but I think he's the right cat for the job. His nickname is Skinny. He doesn't know his real name. He's a lost cat who's regaining his life. He has appeared in both of the other books in this series, but he gets a chance to shine here, and I think that’s right.
So that's where I am right now with the beats and the first draft of this new work. I'm happy about it. I know it's rough, but I think with the beats, I'm building a strong foundation. I hope this post is helpful to you. Let me know if you're a “beat person,” too. Onward!
The Trickiness of First Drafts
I am currently working on a first draft of The Deepest Growl, Book 3 of the Cats of the Afterlife series. Before I start a process, I always try to prepare myself as best as I can. I am not a pantser, someone who writes by the seat of their pants. I am an outliner who follows the precepts outlined in Save the Cat Writes a Novel. I would say I was a Student of the Beat.
Earlier this month, my husband and I stayed with friends at their cabin for an extended weekend. I had planned on doing writing and day job work there. (Yes, it was a break, but I am the type of person who takes comfort in work. I feel the best when I can write every day.) However, I forgot to take my computer charger, and so I spent the entire weekend work time with my notebook and dreaming up my new book. It was such a peaceful, beautiful environment, and I ended up envisioning the entire book. I had notes for each chapter, and it felt solid. It was strange carrying that notebook that had my Book 3 inside it. How could it still feel so light?
But then the process became predictable, although it always takes me by surprise. The first chapters come out easily. Then characters start misbehaving. They act outside the confines of the plan I wrote up. This time, two new characters showed up, two formerly lost souls named Princess and Pepperoni. They were charming and really wanted to take over the story.
But the great thing about writing novels is you gain experience and grit with each book. I've been down this wilderness path before. This time I stopped. One thing I've learned for me is writing my first draft is not about word count and the number of pages written in one sitting. It's about getting it basically right. I have to feel satisfied with a chapter before I can move on because the chapters build on each other. If Pepperoni and Princess had stayed in the draft, they would have to be included in the chapters to come, and I already have enough story and characters for the rest of the book. It feels heartless to say they were cut, but they were. Perhaps they'll show up again. Maybe they'll be mentioned. But it has to work within the realm of the story.
The day after Pepperoni and Princess made their appearance, I read what I had so far—two chapters that I feel good about. I read all the iterations that I had of Chapter 3 and 4. I went back to my notebook and started plotting it out again. Here's something important to say: what I'm writing now is within the story that I had written at the cabin. I had just gotten diverted by some characters. I forgot where I was. This is also the beauty of the beats, which I now realize I have to write about next time. I could point to where I was in the story and see what was supposed to happen next and realize that I had wanted to add things that belonged to later beats. That probably sounds super mysterious and vague now but I will write about it next time further. Just know at this point that, for me, the beats remind me of how a story is structured and keeps me on the path during this mysterious, humbling process called writing a first draft.
The Mindful Twenty-Something: Life Skills to Handle Stress and Everything Else by Holly B. Rogers
Truth: I did not want to write today. I have a laundry load of work due for my day job, and my boss (me, I work for myself) can get quite anxious about things. This time, I could actually say that that anxiety might be a realistic evaluation of all that needs to get done. So I didn't want to spend any time on me and my writing because I just didn't have any time. We've all heard that before, right?
I also told myself that I couldn't think of anything I wanted to write about. And, for a moment, I believed that was true. Then I heard this tiny voice in the back of my head, “What about that book you just read, The Mindful Twenty-Something?” I had to admit that that was something I had a few thoughts on that I could share.
First off, I'm way out of the twenty-something age range, and yet this book spoke to me. That could speak to my arrested development, but it could also mean that this is one of those books that speaks universal truths. I think both of these ideas could be true. What I loved about this book was that it was both no-nonsense and accessible.
For example, like many people, I would guess, I am a tad resistant to meditation. I never think I'm doing it right. I feel antsy doing it. So, in this book, author Holly B. Rogers has a chapter about meditation where she starts out by saying that many people have asked her if they have to do meditation, and she simply says yes. But then she offers meditation practices that are actually doable. I know because I'm doing them. And she quotes scientific studies that illustrate how helpful meditation can be.
So I jumped on that ship. I am officially on board. I have a practice now, just of a couple of days, and I'm sure it will evolve and change, but it's only twenty minutes out of my day, and I feel that I can already untangle myself faster from unproductive trains of thought. I can focus. I can take a breath and take a step back and make some observations before further engaging in the process. I think it's all good. I would highly recommend this book.
The Sharpest Claw
My latest book, The Sharpest Claw: A Talking Cat Fantasy, is now available on Amazon. It is the second book of the Cats of the Afterlife series. Here’s the blurb:
Kittens are evil.
At least that's what Jem, a calico cat, thought. And she had proof. In the afterlife, she had watched kittens take over what used to be her home on earth, claiming her people and her cat companion, her best friend ever.
It wasn't right. In fact it was dangerous. These kittens were two-faced, violent, manipulative, and cunning. They had fooled everyone else into believing they were adorable. Only Jem knew the truth. But how could she convince the others? How could she make sure these kittens got their rightful comeuppance?
Witness the epic battle of wills between a calico cat and a pair of kittens in Book 2 of the Cats of the Afterlife series.
You can find more information information about this book and others that I wrote here.