story beat
Narrative turning point
A story beat is a single moment or event that shifts the action or emotion in a narrative.
Writers use beats to structure scenes and plots, each beat advancing the story or revealing character.
In screenwriting especially, beats are mapped out to pace dramatic tension: The script hits all the expected beats.
A beat can be as small as an exchanged glance or as large as a major plot twist.
Curved line segment
- character developmentProtagonist's psychological growth
- expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
- foreshadowingHinting at later events
- backstoryCharacter's past narrative
conflict · dialogue · subplot · theme · motif · pacing · tension · stakes
Key narrative event
- sceneDramatic unit or locale
- sequenceOrdered succession of elements
- actDeed or performance
- momentBrief period of time
turning point · inciting incident · midpoint · climax · resolution · setup · payoff · hook
Anxious uncertainty about outcomes
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- catharsisPurification through emotional expression
- epiphanySudden profound insight
- dreadIntense anticipatory fear
triumph · heartbreak · revelation · shock · relief · despair · hope · tension
arc
Curved line segment
- character developmentProtagonist's psychological growth
- expositionSystematic explanatory presentation
- foreshadowingHinting at later events
backstory · conflict · dialogue · subplot · theme · motif · pacing · tension · stakes · protagonist
plot point
Key narrative event
moment · turning point · inciting incident · midpoint · climax · resolution · setup · payoff · hook · pinch point
suspense
Anxious uncertainty about outcomes
- anticipationState of awaiting something
- catharsisPurification through emotional expression
- epiphanySudden profound insight
dread · triumph · heartbreak · revelation · shock · relief · despair · hope · tension · surprise
pacing
Rate of movement
timing · pulse · momentum · pause · acceleration · deceleration · lull · buildup · release · pattern
- plotplot, storyline, subplot, climax, narrative
- story beatsplot twist, climax, denouement, rising tension, falling action
- story structureact one, act two, act three, first act, second act
- storytellingtale, narrative, narrator, reading aloud, oral tradition
- screenwritingscreenplay, screenplays, screenwriter, screenwriting, script
- Pacing Termsslow burn, fast pace, measured pace, brisk pace, breakneck speed
story beatstory arc
Narrative's overall shape
three-act structure · character arc · saga · epic · narrative arc
story beatfiller
Substance closing gaps
dead air · padding · exposition · transition · connective tissue
story, beat, stories, storied, beats, beaten, beating, beater, beatings