from the publisher's description: Beating the Story is for writers of fiction across all forms, including screenplays, prose fiction, comics, and stage drama. Second, Beating the Story introduces a new type of beat element that describes the transitions between scenes, in addition to the type and emotional direction of each beat. Finally, Beating the Story provides substantially more practical advice on how to use the story beat system when you’re writing and creating. The book features four extended analyses (Maupassant’s “The Necklace,” the Mad Men episode “Have a Seat, Shut the Door,” the X-Files episode “Home,” and a scene from The Color Purple), but the majority of its content — more than 75% of its page count — consists of practical guidance on topics like conceiving your story, considering its hero, mapping its beats, writing drafts, revising, and even editing and giving notes on the work of others.