beat

Beat Skill

Generate scene-level beat sheets using narrative structure frameworks.

Frameworks

Three-Act Structure

1. Opening image
2. Theme stated
3. Setup (inciting incident)
4. Debate
5. Break into Act II
6. B story begins
7. Fun and games / Midpoint
8. Bad guys close in
9. All is lost
10. Dark night of the soul
11. Break into Act III
12. Finale
13. Final image

Save the Cat (15 Beats)

1. Opening Image
2. Theme Stated
3. Setup
4. Catalyst
5. Debate
6. Break into Act II
7. B Story
8. Fun and Games
9. Midpoint
10. Bad Guys Close In
11. All Is Lost
12. Dark Night of the Soul
13. Break into Act III
14. Finale
15. Final Image

Per-Chapter Scene Beats

For each chapter, break down into individual scenes with:

• Scene number
• One-sentence summary
• POV character
• Location
• Emotional beat
• Plot function

Arguments

• --framework=three-act|save-the-cat|scenes — which framework to use
• --chapter=N — target a specific chapter (default: all outline chapters)
• --expand — expand existing beat sheet with more detail

Workflow

Step 1: Load Context

Read:

• data/{projectId}/outline.json — chapter structure and key events
• data/{projectId}/characters.json — character arcs for emotional beats
• data/{projectId}/world.json — locations and faction dynamics
• data/{projectId}/beats.json — existing beats (to expand or avoid duplicates)

Step 2: Select Framework

Ask the user which framework to use, or default to Save the Cat if unspecified.

Step 3: Generate Beat Sheet

For Global Beats (Three-Act / Save the Cat)

Map beats to chapters from outline.json:

• Each beat gets a chapter assignment (or spans multiple chapters)
• Each beat includes: beat name, chapter number, scene number, type (setup/turning point/climax), description, POV character, location, emotional beat, plot function

For Scene Beats

For each chapter in the outline:

1. Read the chapter's summary and key events from outline.json
2. Break it into 2–5 scenes
3. Each scene gets:
   • Scene number within the chapter
   • Summary (1 sentence)
   • POV character
   • Location (reference from world.json)
   • Emotional beat (what the POV character feels)
   • Plot function (setup, complication, revelation, climax, transition)
   • Word count target (derived from style-profile.json typical scene length if available)

Step 4: Write to State

Update beats.json:

{
  "framework": "save-the-cat",
  "globalBeats": [
    {
      "id": "uuid",
      "beat": "Opening Image",
      "chapter": 1,
      "scene": 1,
      "type": "setup",
      "description": "",
      "POV": "character-name",
      "location": "location-name",
      "emotionalBeat": "",
      "plotFunction": "",
      "status": "outline"
    }
  ],
  "sceneBreakdown": {
    "1": [
      {
        "id": "uuid",
        "sceneNum": 1,
        "summary": "",
        "POV": "character-name",
        "location": "location-name",
        "emotionalBeat": "",
        "plotFunction": "setup|complication|revelation|climax|transition",
        "status": "outline",
        "wordTarget": 800
      }
    ]
  }
}

Auto cross-links:

• If a beat introduces a character for the first time → update that character's firstAppearance in characters.json
• If a beat is set in a new location → add firstAppearance to that location in world.json

Step 5: Output Markdown

Write to chapters/00-beats.md:

# Beat Sheet: {Story Title}

## Framework: Save the Cat

| # | Beat | Chapter | Scene | Type | Description |
|---|------|---------|-------|------|-------------|
| 1 | Opening Image | 1 | 1 | setup | ... |
...

## Scene Breakdown

### Chapter 1

| Scene | POV | Location | Emotion | Function | Words |
|-------|-----|----------|---------|----------|-------|
| 1 | ... | ... | ... | setup | ~800 |
...