When starting writing without AI,
Screenwriters use the concept a lot, and so it might be a new or unfamiliar concept for you. It is an essential part of the AI toolkit, and will help your planning of a scene at the same time.
Novel Structure
A novel comprises of:
Acts,
Chapters,
Scenes,
Beats.
Just like how chapters break down a story into manageable chunks, beats break down a chapter/scene.
Each chapter within a novel should have its own mini-arc, with a start, middle, and end, and a specific goal for the characters. Once you know what you want to happen in the chapter, you then work on how best to accomplish those goals.
Beats are instructions that show us as a writer (and by extension the AI) how the scene will progress.
A beat is the single lego block that makes up a story; they can be simple, complex, or a weird shape, but they all stack together to make a full scene.
Think of it as an "and then" concept.
The clock strikes twelve. Cinderella panics, knowing her identity will be revealed.
AND THEN
Cinderella runs away, leaving behind a glass slipper.
AND THEN
The prince vows he will find whomever this slipper belongs to.
What are beats?
Beats are the smallest uni of structure in a story and push the narrative forward. They can include:
Actions
Events
Emotional Shifts
Conversations
Think of your beats as a set of instructions, directing the AI in writing your prose. These can be as detailed or as sparse as you wish, however, results will vary based on your prompting (see below).
What aren't beats?
Beats are not:
Chapter/Scene summaries
Prompts
A single paragraph or sentence in a story
Limited to only a few seconds in time
How can I access beats?
To access scene beats in write mode, type a slash, /. You can also use a "|" and space symbol and begin your text.
What can I include in the beats? The minimum you should feature are:
The characters in the scene
The action/s they perform.
If this is a conversation, some notes on what they discuss
If a location change occurs, include it here.
How should I format my beats?
Here are some examples from my beats class (watch here).
1. Single sentence
When to use: When you want to give the AI the most creativity in writing.
Uncle Henry is watching the weather outside and spots a cyclone. He orders everyone in.
2. Dialogue Beats
When to use: If you know how a conversation will go, but don’t want to write all the action between the phrases. I like to write these in a script format.
Female: You are welcome, most noble Sorceress, to the land of the Munchkins. We are so grateful to you for having killed the Wicked Witch of the East, and for setting our people free from bondage.
Dorothy: You are very kind, but there must be some mistake. I have not killed anything.
Female: Your house did, anyway, and that is the same thing. See! There are her two feet, still sticking out from under a block of wood.
Dorothy: Oh, dear! Oh, dear! The house must have fallen on her. Whatever shall we do?
3. Super Detailed Beats
When to use: If you have a clear idea of how you want your scene to go, but are unsure how to phrase the prose itself.
Dorothy retrieves Toto from under the bed, and heads to follow her Aunt Em to the cellar. Before she can make it the house shakes and she is knocked over. She feels the house whirl around in the air as it gets caught in the middle of the cyclone. Whilst Toto does not like the sensation, running and almost falling through the trap door, Dorothy finds that it is quite soothing and is lulled to sleep.
Advanced Techniques
1. Time/Location
When to use: When setting the initial scene, or if there is a change of location/time. If you have codex entries for your locations, this is where mentioning them will allow your prose to shine.
Time: A bright sunny day, time unknown. Location: Dorothy’s house, displaced and now laying in a luscious countryside. Dorothy wakes up and explores her surroundings, realising that she is not in Kansas anymore.
2. Instruction Beats
When to use: If you want to direct the AI closely without having to specify every action.
Describe Dorothy preparing some food, and exploring the local area. Write the conversation Dorothy has with Toto as she debates whether or not to put on the shoes on.
3. Character motivations
When to use: If you want the AI to write character driven prose, without dictating the specific interaction.
Dorothy meets the scarecrow. They have a conversation.
Dorothy wishes to get to the Emerald city so she can find a way home.
The scarecrow wants to remove the stick in his back, holding him to the ground, and get a brain.
Troubleshooting your Beats
You’ve done all the work, hit go but it still doesn’t seem to want to work. What if I’m not getting the prose I desire from my beats?
Let’s go over some brief troubleshooting.
The AI continues to write beyond the scope of my beats!
As a quick fix, try using bracketed instructions [Stop at this point do not go any further] or [end here] in your beat.
However, often this issue occurs when you are not specific enough. If the AI isn’t guided sufficiently, it will go off the rails, making up new locations, and trying to find a natural conclusion to the “story” - AI likes to wrap things up in bows, so it is our job as writers to ensure it does not do that.
New characters keep being invented!
Try adding some more codex entries into your beat - if you know the characters that are present, then mention them! Ensure that the AI does not forget everyone in your scene.
There is no dialogue/the AI is summarising the beats.
Try using the “dialogue beat” type if you know what you want them to say.
If you don’t know, use an instruction beat: “Show X and Y having a conversation about Z”.
The Characterisation is all wrong!
Experiment with your codex entries. If you want the character to do something specific, then mention it in the beat.
You can also try cloning and editing the system prompt if you are finding issues are continuing. Simple changes you could try are:
Reducing word/token output for when too much is being written.
New instructions to manipulate the prose (caveat: this works best when using models that listen to instructions more)
If anything goes wrong, try the beat with your system prompts and go from there.
Tips for getting the best from your beats
Use names instead of pronouns: the AI often mixes character up if only pronouns are used.
Experiment with the AI models; each have their own quirks, can follow instructions to different extents, and have their own style of prose. What works for one author might sound completely wrong for another.
The system prompt in novelcrafter will look at the previous content in a scene. If you begin your chapter with an opening that is written by yourself, the resultant AI-generated prose will be more true to your personal writing style. Just a couple of sentences or paragraphs will be enough.
Likewise, if you edit your draft as you go, the resultant output will improve to reflect changes.
The codex is your best friend. The AI will pull information from any mentioned entry and so keeping these updated will inform your writing and keep it in top shape.
Global codex entries can also influence your writing. Instead of having to mention the relevant data every time, have your world building always be in the context! This includes keywords for your genre to help direct the AI. Simple words like “noir western” or “hardboiled science fiction” have a big influence!