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story-beatsFor slides and useful links

Creative Writing Publications• “The Clockwork Seer”• “Misunderstood”• “The Five Year Journal”• “Yongrui and the Tree of Life”• “Breastfeeding Mama”• “Daughter of a Boto”• “I Am Not a Writer”• “In Which Eve Names Everything Else”• “Waiting”

The Major Biological Macromolecules• Proteins• Nucleic Acids (DNA and RNA)• Carbohydrates• Lypids

The Major Story Beats

• Action Beats• Description Beats• Pause/Inaction Beats• Dialogue Beats• Emotion Beats

Action Beats

1. Summary Action Beat

2. Habitual or Recurring Action Beat

3. Long Shot or Extreme Long Shot Action Beat

4. Medium Shot Action Beat

5. Close-Up or Extreme Close-Up Action Beat

6. Flashback Action Beat

7. Future Action Beat

8. Sensory Action Beat

9. Internal Action Beat

10. Mental Action Beat

Action Beats Writing ExerciseDescribe a character (or yourself) creating a peanut butter and jam sandwich, using at least three different types of action beats.

Description Beats

Describe Using All 5 Senses•Sight•Sound•Smell•Taste•Touch/Physical Sensation

Insight: Use Key Details

Use key details—the telling ones—and people will extrapolate on the character, the setting, and the world

Pause/Inaction Beats

Inaction

Types of Inaction• Physical Stoppage• Verbal Stoppage

Subject of Inaction• POV Character• Other Character• Machine, Animal, Environment

Reasons to Use a Pause/Inaction Beat1.Imitates Real Life2.Gives Emphasis3.Builds Tension4.Gives Reaction

Space to Reader and/or Character

Insight: Small Pause

Use a dialogue tag to create a small pause.

“I don’t want to do it,” said Marlin. “I just really don’t.”

Dialogue Beats

Dialogue and Desire“Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” –Kurt Vonnegut

Good Dialogue• Characterizes the

speaker• Establishes the setting• Builds conflict• Foreshadows• Explains

-from William Noble, Three Rules for Writing a Novel

Insight: Integrate Dialogue and Action

Use an action beat instead of a dialogue tag.

Example: Fahrenheit 451Montag stopped at the door, with his back turned. “Millie?”

A silence. “What?”

“Millie? Does the White Clown love you?”

No answer.

“Millie, does—” He licked his lips. “Does your ‘family’ love you, love you very much, love you with all their heart and soul, Millie?”

Insight: Dialogue, Description, and Pacing

Dialogue increases the pace of the story.

Description decreases (or halts) the pace of the story.

Banana Beats Exercise – Part 1

Write 3 to 4 lines of dialogue starting with the line,

“I told you to buy bananas.”

Banana Beats Exercise – Part 2

To your dialogue, add:1 pause,1 description, &1 action

Emotion Beats

1. State the Emotion

2. Internal Physical Sensations

3. External Physical Sensations

4. Physical Actions

5. Distinctive to Story World/Character

6. Setting Tinged by Emotion

7. Metaphor or Simile

8. Mini Flashback

9. Mini Flashforward

10. Surreal Imagery

Insight: Complex Reaction Beats

When something really shocking, surprising, or revelatory happens, you need a complex reaction beat, which should include a physical reaction and at least 1 or 2 other types of emotion beats.

Emotion Beats Writing Exercise

The vase shattered on the ground.

Now write three possible following sentences, each which should use a different emotion beat, for example:1. State the Emotion

2. External Physical Sensation

3. Internal Physical Sensation

4. Physical Action

5. Distinctive to Story World/Character

6. Setting tinged by emotion

7. Metaphor or Simile

8. Mini Flashback

9. Mini Flashforward

10. Surreal Imagery

Image CreditsMolecules: cori kindred via flickr, Creative CommonsPeanut butter and jelly: Aminimanda via Compfight, Creative CommonsWomen speaking: Dimitris Papazimouris via flickr, Creative CommonsGlass of water: Daniel Pozo via flickr, Creative CommonsGirl in wind: Kevin Conor Keller via flickr, Creative CommonsMotorcycles: Seattle Municipal Archives via flickr, Creative CommonsSofa: James Tworow via flickr, Creative CommonsAll other images courtesy of pexels.com