The Write Better Fiction Key Beats: Nine Essential Story Signposts Cheat Sheet

By Shane Millar

Want to learn the Key Beats of story structure?

If you’ve read a ton of novels, you're trying to write your own, and you've recognised there's a secret code to telling fantastic stories... then you're on to something my writerly friend! This handy cheat sheet provides a basic introduction to that secret code.

This cheat sheet shows you The Nine Essential Write Better Fiction Story Beats:

Act 1 - The Everyday World:

- The Invisible Question
- The Grenade
- The Impossible Choice

Act 2 - The Strange World:

- The Distant Villain
- The Game-Changing Midpoint
- The Near Villain

Act 3 - The Balanced World:

- The Tragedy
- The Showdown
- The Protagonist's Mirror

Each beat has some questions you can ask yourself to help you develop the skeleton of a compelling story.

Happy writing!