Fiction Writing Made Easy | Top Creative Writing Podcast for Fiction Writers & Writing Tips

#161. Scene Beats: What They Are & Why They Matter

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Oct 1, 2024

Discover the nuances of scene beats and their critical role in storytelling. Learn the difference between scenes and beats, and how they enhance narrative rhythm and emotional depth. Dive into a captivating analysis of 'Throne of Glass' and see strategic pacing in action. Uncover tips for identifying when to focus on beats during revisions, ensuring flexibility in your writing process. This insightful discussion will help you navigate the complexities of outlining and crafting compelling stories.

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INSIGHT

Beats Are The Smallest Story Unit

Beats are the smallest unit of story that link together to form scenes, sequences, acts, and the global story.
They control rhythm, pace, and force character actions and emotional reactions to move plot forward.

INSIGHT

Beats Serve Many Narrative Functions

Beats serve many functions: character interaction, tactic shifts, realizations, emotional shifts, escalating complications, tempo control, subplot movement, and exposition.
Use beats intentionally to layer scenes and modulate pacing and stakes.

INSIGHT

Scenes Versus Summary Beats

Scenes must be written in real time on the page, while beats can be told via narrative summary to bridge time and space.
This allows beats to compress or expand events without full scene-level dramatization.

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Have you ever Googled things like “how many words should be in a novel?” Or “how many scenes should a novel have?” If so, you’ve probably gotten answers like “80,000 words.” Or “somewherre between 40 and 60 scenes.”

Easy enough, in theory…But if you’re like most of the writers I’ve worked with, you’ve probably also had trouble sticking to these guidelines because there’s just so much stuff that needs to go into a novel, right?

Well, in this episode, I’m going to help clear up some of the confusion and overwhelm that many writers face when it comes to outlining, writing, and revising. And to do that, I’m going to share everything I know about scene beats.

Tune into this episode to hear things like:

[03:18] The difference between scenes and beats, including some of the common functions beats can serve within each one of your scenes
[07:21] An example of beats within a scene from Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Maas—including a look at how she strategically placed chapter breaks to hook and hold the reader’s attention.
[12:53] My advice on when to worry about the beats with each of your scenes (spoiler alert: it’s not until you’re in the revision phase—if at all!)
[13:42] 3 things to look out for when deciding if something should be a beat or a scene, and why it’s super important to adopt a flexible mindset during revisions
[16:09] Episode recap and final thoughts

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed creating your outline or trying to fit an entire story into a certain number of words or scenes, you’re going to love this episode!

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