Beat 1
Ordinary World
Show your hero in their normal life with the gap inside them. The reader needs to see the flaw before the adventure begins. What do they want? What do they actually need? These two things must be different.
Writing Tip
Show a specific moment where the hero fails or avoids something because of their flaw.
Ch 1: Setup & ToneCh 2: Stakes & NeedCh 3: Inner Desire
Beat 2
Inciting Incident
The event that makes the story impossible to ignore. The hero cannot go back to normal after this. This is the moment the story asks its central question.
Writing Tip
This should happen by the end of chapter 3 at the latest. Earlier is almost always better.
Ch A: The Call
Beat 3
1st Plot Point
The hero crosses the threshold into a new world, new situation, new stakes. They are committed whether they like it or not. The real story begins here.
Writing Tip
Make the commitment feel irreversible. Burn a bridge. Close a door.
Ch 4: ThresholdCh 5: New WorldCh 6: Allies & Tools
Beat 4
1st Pinch Point
The stakes become personal. The hero is tested and often fails. This is where readers feel the danger is real and the antagonist is formidable.
Writing Tip
Show the antagonist winning, not just threatening. Make the reader worry.
Ch 7: First TestCh 8: EscalationCh 9: False Victory
Beat 5
Midpoint Mirror
The hero shifts from reactive to proactive. A revelation, betrayal, or disaster flips the story. The theme crystallizes. This is the axis the whole story turns on.
Writing Tip
The midpoint often mirrors the ending. If the hero wins here falsely, they lose at the end (or vice versa).
Ch 10: ReversalCh 11: New PlanCh 12: Full Commitment
Beat 6
2nd Pinch Point
The antagonist strikes harder. Allies fall. The hero faces their dark night of the soul. Everything they have tried has failed or backfired.
Writing Tip
Take something away from the hero that they cannot get back. Make the sacrifice real.
Ch 13: Rising DoubtCh 14: Dark NightCh 15: Sacrifice
Beat 7
2nd Plot Point
The hero finds the truth, the weapon, the inner strength. They see what they could not see before. They choose to face the final battle knowing what it will cost.
Writing Tip
This is often where the hero stops running from their flaw and faces it directly.
Ch 16: RevelationCh 17: ResolutionCh 18: Rally
Beat 8
Climax & Resolution
The final confrontation. The theme is proven through action. The transformation is complete. Show how the world has changed because of what the hero became.
Writing Tip
The climax should test the specific flaw you showed in the Ordinary World. Full circle.
Ch 19-20: ClimaxCh 21: AftermathCh 22-24: New Normal
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