A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about the first part of the Save the Cat beat sheet I use for outlining my stories. In this post, I’ll dive into the second part of the beat sheet, which covers the first part of the second act. 

Beat #7: B Story

This beat happens right after the Main Character (MC) has traveled from their “old world” in Act 1 to their “new world” in Act 2 of the story. The beat covers a single scene that introduces a new character. This character will ultimately help the MC grow and learn the “life lesson” they need to learn by the end of the story. The character can be a love interest, nemesis, mentor, family member, friend, or other!

This beat usually occurs when you hit 22% of your total word count.

Beat #8: Fun and Games

In this long sequence of multiple scenes or chapters, the MC is thoroughly introduced in the new world of Act 2 and they are either loving it or hating it. They are also struggling in their pursuit of the new goal that was introduced during the “break into 2” beat. They are going to repeatedly try and fail to get what it is they want. As the plot throws challenges in their way, the MC will keep failing because of their internal obstacle (which needs to change in order for them to grow).

Even though this beat is called “fun and games” it’s not necessarily all about fun and games for the MC. Instead, it about the reader’s experience: this beat is why the reader chose to read the story (i.e., it’s the hook, or: what led them to pick up the book in the first place). Reading about the MC’s struggles is exciting and fun for the reader, so make sure to include sufficient conflict in each scene of this beat.

The fun and games beat takes up multiple scenes and starts around 20% of your word count. It ends around the middle of the story (at 50% of your total word count). 

Beat #9: Midpoint

In this beat, the “fun and games” beat culminates in a so-called “false victory” in which the MC believes to have succeeded in getting what they want. This beat can also end in a “false defeat” in which the MC believes they completely suck at whatever it is they’re trying to do. Maybe they seem really far away from achieving their goal. Or maybe they achieve it and it doesn’t feel good. Maybe they even feel like quitting their journey all together.

As a result, something has to happen in this beat in order to raise the stakes (think: major plot twist) and push the MC further forward, toward the “life lesson” they need to learn and thus real change.

As indicated by this beat’s name, the “midpoint” happens around 50% of your total word count.

I hope you found this helpful! Of course, writing remains a highly subjective thing: what works for me doesn’t necessarily have to work for you (and that’s perfectly okay). Next time, I’ll be talking about the beats that need to happen in the second part of Act 2!