Story beats are the moments that make stories move. They’re like the steps in a dance routine: some might seem simple on their own, but when you chain dramatic beats together, you get a mesmerizing narrative flow — and a story that keeps readers hooked.
This Plottr 101 guide dives into writing those crucial moments of change, with examples from books and movies plus tips for planning and organizing story beats using Plottr.
What is a Story Beat?
A story beat is a significant moment of change that propels your story forward. It’s the smallest unit of plot — tiny but mighty!
The word “beat” itself captures the essence of story movement and conflict in its many meanings:
- A rhythmic pulse, like in music or poetry
- A decisive victory or defeat, as in “beating the odds”
- A brief pause to take it all in (“Take a beat!”)
- A moment of impact, where change strikes like a drumbeat
In storytelling, a beat marks a change — whether it’s a shift in tone, action, or emotion. Layer beats together well, and your story becomes engrossing like complex yet effortless-seeming choreography.
Beats in Novels vs Screenplays
The term “beat” as a unit of story structure can seem confusing because it’s also used as a shorthand meaning a pause in screenwriting.
Broadly, the term “beat” is used to refer to:
- A moment marking an intentional shift in tone or mood (Studiobinder)
- The smallest unit of action where a character pursues a simple objective (Dramatics Magazine)
- Plot points that a genre or story format typically includes (for example, Blake Snyder uses the word “beats” synonymously with plot points when he writes about 15 plot beats most major Hollywood movies contain)
- A pause in the action or dialogue of a scene, not to be confused with story beats which this guide is about (Britton Perelman)
In novels and stories, “beat” is mainly used in the first three ways listed above.
Story Beat Examples and Types of Beat
Story beats are the moments that contribute to dramatic development and change, such as:
- Moments of revelation or realization
- Introductions, arrivals, departures and interruptions
- Transition moments between scenes, times and locations
- Moments where conflict intensifies or decreases
- Moments of intrusion (for example, a gunshot ringing out, a car door slamming outside) where the intrusion carries dramatic implications
- Moments that create surprise, twists or reversals
Let’s look at examples of beats:
Sci-Fi Example: Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
The opening beats of George Lucas’ classic space opera waste no time in introducing the heroes, the villains, and the story’s primary conflicts:
- Beat 1. [Opening text scrolls into deep space, revealing some backstory, sharing the threat of the Empire and the resistance of the Rebel Alliance.]
- Beat 2. A small spaceship appears, pursued and fired upon by a huge Star Destroyer.
- Beat 3. Boom! The smaller spaceship suffers a direct hit, and there’s an explosion along the top panel.
- Beat 4. A talking robot aboard the ship [C3PO] panics, saying [to his beeping robot companion R2D2], “They’ve shot down the main reactor! We’ll be destroyed for sure… We’re doomed! There’ll be no escape for the Princess this time.”
- Beat 5. A loud clanging sound overhead interrupts, causing further alarm.
- Beat 6. Men armed with laser guns crouch in tense anticipation in a corridor of the robots’ spaceship, gazing toward a sealed access door.
- Beat 7. There are sudden sparks around the frame of the door and it implodes in a sudden inrush of smoke as helmet-wearing forces [Stormtroopers] enter, opening fire and killing most of the men.
- Beat 8. An access door hissing open, and an ominous figure wearing a black space suit, helmet and cape [Darth Vader] enters. He breathes heavily as he looks around at the carnage.
This example contains a variety of beats that serve key narrative functions.
Types of Story Beats in the Opening Scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope
- Expository beats. Moments that share exposition, such as the introduction of scrolling text at the start of the movie revealing key backstory, or C3PO mentioning how the damage to the ship will impact Princess Leia’s mission
- Action beats. The direct hit on the smaller spaceship by Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer.
- Reaction beats. C3PO’s panicked reaction to the damage the Rebels’ ship is dealt
- Interruptive beats. For example, the clanging sound overhead which makes C3PO snap out of his anxious chatter to focus on something else
- Beats that increase tension or conflict. For example, the moment the access door implodes as Stormtroopers rush in
- Transition beats. Moments that propel the story from one event to another, such as when we move from what’s happening outside the Rebels’ spaceship to the interior

Fantasy Example: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968)
Compare the types of beats in the opening to Star Wars: A New Hope to the opening scenes of this fantasy classic. A novel, versus a movie, will often take more time in exposition. That depends on the genre, of course.
Most of the first chapter of the first book in Le Guin’s Earthsea trilogy is expository, with action woven in that shows the hero’s initiation into magic.
Opening Beats to Chapter 1, “Warriors in the Mist”
- Beat 1 (Introduction). In a flash forward, the narrator introduces the hero of the story, Sparrowhawk, by describing the power he reaches later in life as a dragonlord and Archmage.
- Beat 2 (Transition). The narrator returns to the hero’s past, describing his childhood in the village of Ten Alders where his abusive father made him work as a smith’s apprentice.
- Beat 3 (Revelation). When Duny (Sparrowhawk’s name as a child) is seven, he encounters magic for the first time when his late mother’s sister gets a goat to come down off a hut’s roof using a rhyming incantation.
- Beat 4 (Action). Duny repeats the woman’s rhyme, and goats run to him.
- Beat 5 (Reaction). The woman tells Duny to go with her, seeing that he has the makings of power in him, and says she can teach him better rhymes, such as ones to call a falcon down from the sky.
Here we see story beats typical of fantasy. There’s the revelation of magical ability or propensity. Then, the action and reaction beats of an apprentice or pupil learning from a more adept mage or witch.
In both these examples, there are storytelling beats that:
- Create surprise and anticipation. Sudden entries like Vader’s, discoveries like Duny’s first magic
- Move the story forward. For example, the “What next?” moment of the Rebels’ ship’s main reactor being blown up. Or the foreshadowing of Duny being initiated into stronger magic
- Raise stakes and tension. For example, a big spaceship pursuing a smaller one. Stormtroopers streaming in while firing their weapons in an ambush. A child being promised greater power (while not yet aware of its cost, especially if misused)
So how do you create story beats that are sure to hook readers?
Use (but Play with) the Expected Beats of Your Genre
Each genre and subgenre has typical beats a reader or movie-goer expects. This may sound restrictive or rigid. Yet there’s a lot of room for your unique voice and viewpoint in any framework. Every dancer brings their own style and flair to a routine.
A romance should have a “Meet Cute” (where the love interests first meet). A cozy or murder mystery should have beats focusing on the investigation.
At the same time, maybe your Meet Cute happens somewhere novel or unexpected. Maybe it’s interrupted, and left TBC.
There are countless ways to create pockets of anticipation and expectation through how you sequence story beats.
Plottr helps you make sure you include all the beats your audience expects (and keep story details consistent). Find the right beat sheet for your story and start building your book bible with a free Plottr trial.
Build Mystery Early in Your Beats
Introducing mystery in the early beats of a story, a question your audience wants answered now, is key.
Look at how early we meet Darth Vader, the main villain of Star Wars: A New Hope. Well, not exactly “meet.” He’s just an ominous, destructive invader plus heavy breathing at first. Yet that’s enough to stoke curiosity.
In the Le Guin example above, Duny/Ged/Sparrowhawk meets mystery early, too. The promise of greater power and the ability to command more things opens up a vast world of possibilities.
What will Vader do next? What’s Duny’s next magical discovery? Story beats that contain mysterious unknowns build fascination.
Flip a Trope Upside Down
Every genre has its tropes (storytelling beats that are used so often that they may seem comfortingly familiar or blandly derivative).
Take romance, for example. The “Enemies to Lovers” trope, where love interests initially dislike each other like Lizzie Bennet and Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, is common.
What if you gave this trope an unexpected twist? For example, maybe the initial romantic pair goes back to being enemies. A beat that holds an unexpected outcome may lead your main character to a happily ever after with someone else, a better fit.
Your audience may have strong opinions about how a trope “should” resolve or develop. Yet the element of surprise in a beat not resolving the usual way may also create dramatic interest.
Create Layers of Emotional Stakes
Another way to hook your audience is to include beats that show what’s at stake for your characters beneath the surface.
For example, in a seemingly simple “pursuit of a goal” beat, your main character might be chasing a coveted promotion at work.
On the surface, this might seem like straightforward ambition — something your audience may easily relate to. Beneath the surface, however, another beat could reveal a deeper, hidden struggle: the character is drowning in crushing debt. Another beat could add another layer, showing the real reason behind their desperation — like needing money for a life-saving operation for a parent.
These layered beats transform an everyday goal into a more compelling emotional journey. There is a series of revelations that complicate cause-and-effect. These complications keep your audience caught up in what happens next.
Use Beats to Build External and Internal Conflicts
Some beats might build obvious, undeniable external conflict, like stormtroopers rushing in, guns blazing.
Other beats might create a simmering sense of unease or internal conflict. For example, co-workers riding an elevator awkwardly without speaking or greeting one another.
Subtle story beats that hint at tensions between characters bubbling under the surface help to build the internal conflicts that fuel external ones.
Create the Insistent Rhythm of Escalation
Thinking about narrative in story beats and moments of micro tension is useful for pacing. This helps to create the rhythm of escalation.
For example, in the Star Wars opening sequence above, we move quickly from the jolt of a spaceship being struck to the rush to defensive positions in the interior. A succession of dramatic beats creates a riveting, action-packed opening.
One of the great benefits of the Timeline view in Plottr is that you can use color-coding to visualize where your fast and slow (or conflict-dense and conflict-light) scenes are. This will help you structure (and re-structure) beat sequences to create satisfying action and story arcs.
Plan Every Beat and Keep Dramatic Interest Consistent
Ready to make every beat work toward a more satisfying story? Start now with a free 30-day trial of Plottr! Find beat sheets, scene and plot templates that make planning moments of meaningful change fun.
What’s a common story beat or trope in your genre you love or find annoying? Sound off in the comments!
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