In My Humble Opinion

Essential Beat Sheet for Writers

ACT ONE: SETUP

1. Opening Image: A snapshot of your story’s world and tone. Who are we following? What’s at stake?

2. Theme Stated: A subtle hint about the story’s deeper meaning or lesson, often posed as a question or challenge.

3. Setup: Introduce your protagonist, their ordinary world, supporting characters, and the status quo. Show us what needs to change.

4. Catalyst: The inciting incident that flips the protagonist’s world upside down. This is the point of no return.

5. Debate: Your protagonist hesitates. Should they step forward into the unknown or retreat? This beat builds anticipation.

ACT TWO: CONFRONTATION

6. Break Into Two: The protagonist makes a decision and steps into a new world (literal or figurative). The adventure begins.

7. B Story: The subplot kicks in—often a relationship or secondary goal that supports the main story’s theme.

8. Fun and Games: The “heart” of the story. Deliver on the premise and explore the stakes through action, conflict, and character growth.

9. Midpoint: A major turning point where everything changes. Stakes are raised. Success feels closer—or failure looms larger.

10. Bad Guys Close In: External and internal pressures mount. Allies falter. Enemies strike. Doubts creep in.

11. All Is Lost: The darkest moment. The protagonist experiences a significant loss or setback.

12. Dark Night of the Soul: A pause for reflection. Your protagonist processes their failure and digs deep to find the courage to move forward.

ACT THREE: RESOLUTION

13. Break Into Three: Armed with new insight or strength, the protagonist takes decisive action to face the story’s central conflict.

14. Finale: The climax. Everything comes to a head in a final showdown or resolution. Your protagonist proves they’ve changed—or failed to.

15. Closing Image: A mirror of the opening image, showing how the world—and your protagonist—has transformed.

Thinking about how the Andy Weir Space Trilogy all end in basically the same place they started. The problematic status quo is now the soft landing.

Watney is isolated and relying on the help of others to survive. At the end of the book, he is isolated at home and relying on the help of delivery people to get groceries and maintain his health.

Jazz Bashara is broke and in debt to her father. Thee crimes, a heroic rescue, a self sacrifice, and a million credits later, and she's broke from fines and in debt to her friend.

Ryland Grace is an asocial teacher with exactly 1 friend. Two saved worlds later, and he's a teacher on a new planet with exactly 1 friend.

And that's ok. You don't need to move up or down to change.

Just thinking about it a lot

Edit: this blog loves and supports trans people! Always and forever!

ANDY WEIR WRITES, READS AND ENCOURAGES FANFIC??

You want to learn to write better dialogue? Become a bitch who has whole conversations and debates in her mind all the time and you'll become a natural.

you know a fic is good when it has this

My FIRST erotic short story is now available on Amazon!

"Caats is a sensual telepathic alien desperate to leave planet Freyr-03. Sterling is a handsome human who claims to have a spaceship. Can they come to an agreement in just one night?"

This is my FIRST of many self-published story, which is now available on Amazon. I originally wrote about Caats as the main character in a much bigger story. However, I decided to break up her adventures into smaller side quests and also ramp up the sexiness to 100000. I'm essentially writing fanfiction for my own original work.

If you decide to read this story, please make sure to leave a review or you can DM me your thoughts. I would love any feedback while I write more about Caats's upcoming adventures in deep space.

genuinely there is nothing like the first 48 hours of being insane about a character when you’re washing your eyeballs out with fan art and ripping ao3 apart with your teeth like a hound

Study not to be perfect but to become the best version of yourself.