My Modified Beat Sheet:

Okay, before I put anything down, I want to remind you about trials and mini-quests.

First Note:

The Trials can be major or minor and have three different, for lack of a better term, identifiers. Too, they show up right after each major beat of the outline. This is one of the many tests the protagonist will undertake throughout the story. He/She will be subjected to a painful, or at least an unpleasant, usually dangerous experience. The test could be one of life or death. This is all about risk, motivation, conflict and resolution.

Second Note:

The Mini-Quests are similar to quests and sub-quests in that they can be groups of interrelated tasks that can be completed for rewards such as new items, new skills, and new experiences. Ideally, this section should contain at least one-hundred pages or more and it should contain at least twenty-seven-thousand-five-hundred words or more. A mini-quest is a small diversion on the character’s path. If the ultimate goal is to save the princess, then a mini-quest may be to find the magic phone book to look up her address, or to return to your castle because you can’t remember whether or not you closed the draw-bridge. Add a few mini-quests to slow the pace and to develop character and you’ll have earned yourself five-hundred to a thousand words each.

Each trials and mini-quests will be considered one of the following:

• Minor (Random) Internal
• Minor (Random) Antagonistic
• Minor (Random) External
• Minor (Consequential) Internal
• Minor (Consequential) Antagonistic
• Minor (Consequential) External
• Minor (Inconsequential) Internal
• Minor (Inconsequential) Antagonistic
• Minor (Inconsequential) External
• Major (Random) Internal
• Major (Random) Antagonistic
• Major (Random) External
• Major (Consequential) Internal
• Major (Consequential) Antagonistic
• Major (Consequential) External
• Major (Inconsequential) Internal
• Major (Inconsequential) Antagonistic
• Major (Inconsequential) External

Now with no further ado, here’s part two of my modified beat sheet.

Act IIa

(major beat) The Response:

This contains the protagonist’s reaction to the new goals/stakes/obstacles revealed by the First Plot Point; the protagonist need not be heroic yet (he/she can retreat/regroup/make doomed attempts/this is a stern reminder of antagonistic forces at work). A reactionary time for the protagonist towards the goal. A real evaluation of the stakes and obstacles that were revealed during the First Plot Point must be considered. The efforts of the protagonist(s) to solve his/her clear problems: A protagonist can never be sure if what he/she believes to be the source of his/her problem really is the source of his problem. Regardless, based on his/her clear problems he/she will determine a potential solution or Response which he/she hopes will work as a solution. The dramatic unit that describes what a protagonist holds as the path to a solution is the protagonist response.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) The B Story - Internal:

Often the “love” story; this gives us a break from the tension of the A Story; it carries Theme of the story; it often uses a new “Funhouse” version of characters. Start off with a “B Story,” then alternate between “B Story” and “Fun & Games” Three or more alternations should occur initially. In the crisis, “B” rides to the rescue of “A.” The two storylines come together and reveal themselves to have been metaphorically linked all along. Elements of the “B” story help the hero survive and prevail during the crisis/All Is Lost moment of the “A” story. Our “B” story is a metaphor for our “A” story. It parallels it and is inextricably linked to it. Before we can break through in our “A” story, we need to handle, or at least understand, our “B” story. “B” can point us to our true calling—“A”—and, when we face “B” with unsparing honesty and guts, it can get our “A” story rolling powerfully down the track.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) Some More Fun and Games - External:

The promise of the premise/the heart of the story/all about having fun. The entertaining aspects of the story’s premise are explored–highlighting the main character’s unlikeliness for this “upside down world”–which is fun to watch, but NOT fun for the main character, who is essentially in HELL until the end of the story. It’s where we aren’t as concerned with the forward progress of the story—the stakes won’t be raised until the midpoint—as we are concerned with having fun. We take a break from the stakes of the story and see what the idle a is about; we see the promise of the premise and need not see anything else. This part of the story that would become its film trailer. The protagonist is doing all the cool things in the story. He is investigating the case, chasing down the bad guys, taking exams, or whatever conflict is the routine of his new upside down world. He is now Batman tying up criminals and delivering them to the police. He is now Neo, fighting sinister programs inside the Matrix with his new kung fu powers. This is when the main character explores the new world and the audience is entertained by the premise they have been promised. We go to a Terminator movie to see Arnold Schwarzenegger destroy things. We go to a Hitchcock flick for the scares and the Icy Blonde in Jeopardy scenes. We read Philip Roth for upscale Jewish angst (and sex) and we pick up Malcolm Gladwell for quirky but profound insights into common but often-overlooked phenomena. The Fun and Games of a historical romance are the bodice-ripping love scenes. The Fun and Games of a musical are the songs. The Fun and Games of a French restaurant are the gorgeous veggies, the meats and fish roasted with pounds of butter, and the impeccable complementary wines. A case could be made that the plot of any novel or drama or epic saga, back as far as Beowulf and the Iliad, is nothing grander than a vehicle to deliver the Fun and Games. And that the writer’s first job, before the application of any and all literary pretensions, is simply to make the Fun and Games work.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) The First Pinch Point:

This serves as a reminder of the story’s antagonistic forces, not filtered by narrative or protagonist’s description, but directly visible to the reader. At their most basic level, Pinch Points are nothing more or less than a reminder of the antagonistic force’s power to stymie the protagonist’s goal. They provide new information to the plot that begins setting up the major events in the Midpoint and Third Plot Point. They also act as important foreshadowing for the confrontations that will play out during these Plot Points and during the Climax.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) Mini Climax:

The mini-climax, your protagonist loses to the antagonistic forces. The characters have to lose. Slam up against a brick wall they can’t climb. Be slapped in the face with the consequences of their actions. Have everything fall apart around them. Be shocked when their preconceived notions are shattered. Put trust in someone only for them to reveal themselves to be anything but trustworthy.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) The Dark Moment:

The character(s) fail, or at least on the surface, seem to fail. Problems get worse and the goal seems even further out of reach. This is the protagonist’s darkest point thus far; He/She has lost everything or thinks he/she has at this point, and feels like he/she has nothing left to live for or lose. The main character hits their first bottom, and wallows in hopelessness. This is the, first true “Why hast thou forsaken me, Lord?” moment. Mourning the loss of what has “died,” the dream, the goal, the mentor character, the love of your life, etc. But, you must fall completely before you can pick yourself back up and try again. This mirrors Debate from Act I, in that the character is hesitating. Finally the hero realizes they have nothing left. They give in to fate or faith. Then, the moment of clarity: they realize the answer is something learned, and they rise, preparing to synthesize what they know at the beginning, with what they’ve learned from the theme.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) A Second Allied Attack:

This is when a trusted ally confronts the protagonist about their increasing desperation and immorality, and thoroughly questions their behavior. Ideally, this section should contain at least thirty-six pages or more and at least ten-thousand and ten pages or more. During the drive, the hero is losing to the opponent and becoming desperate. When he starts taking immoral steps to succeed, the ally confronts him. At this moment, the ally becomes the conscience of the hero, saying in effect, “I’m trying to help you reach your goal, but the way you’re doing it is wrong.” Typically, the hero tries to defend his actions and does not accept the ally’s criticism. (See Chapter 10, “Scene Construction and Symphonic Dialogue,” for details on writing moral dialogue.) The attack by the ally provides the story with the second level of conflict (hero versus opposition is the first). The ally’s attack increases the pressure on the hero and forces and forces him to begin questioning his values and way of acting.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) Another Juxtaposition:

An act or instance of placing two elements close together or side by side. This is often done in order to compare/contrast the two, to show similarities or differences, etc. Various forms of juxtaposition occur in literature, where two images that are otherwise not commonly brought together appear side by side or structurally close together, thereby forcing the reader to stop and reconsider the meaning of the text through the contrasting images, ideas, motifs, etc. More broadly, an author can juxtapose contrasting types of characters, such as a protagonist and an antagonist working together to achieve a common objective from very different motivations.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) The Midpoint:

This is often the threshold between first and second half; can be false peak or false collapse; stakes are raised; fun and games over. The false victory includes the public display of the main protagonist’s new hero-hood. Hero gets everything he/she thinks he/she wants. Or if it’s a false defeat, the hero loses everything he/she thinks he/she wants. Either way, the bad guy discovers who the hero is, or where he/she is, the A and B stories cross, a time bomb drops, and the pace quickens.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) The Midpoint Mirror Moment:

The Midpoint’s “Mirror Point” should be about an inner look of the protagonist, by the protagonist. There is also something called “A Midpoint Reversal” and a “Midpoint Twist”. What Is The Midpoint Mirror Moment? The idea behind the Midpoint Mirror Moment is simple: it’s a moment — sometimes a scene, a whole chapter, or even a couple of sentences — in which your character takes a mental step back and reflects on where they are and what they have done.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) A Second Midpoint:

New information or awareness that changes the experience or understanding of context for the protagonist and/or reader; a catalyst activating new decisions/actions. A sudden realization changes things for the protagonist, and what he/she was dealing with in the Midpoint. This should serve as a catalyst to pave the way for new decisions and actions.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

 

(major beat) The Second The Midpoint Mirror Moment:

The Midpoint’s “Mirror Point” should be about an inner look of the protagonist, by the protagonist. There is also something called “A Midpoint Reversal” and a “Midpoint Twist”. What Is The Midpoint Mirror Moment? The idea behind the Midpoint Mirror Moment is simple: it’s a moment — sometimes a scene, a whole chapter, or even a couple of sentences — in which your character takes a mental step back and reflects on where they are and what they have done.  

A Trial (see above)

 

A Mini-Quest (see above)

  TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW… This is a long outline, would you prefer me putting all four parts into one post or do you like that I’ve broken it up into smaller sections? Drop me a comment below.