



The writing community is fortunate to have many great resources. Based on things I learned from phenomenal teachers like Larry Brooks, Michael Hauge, and Martha Alderson, I developed these worksheets* to help all writers, from plotters to pantsers (those who write by the seat of their pants).

Let me know at my Contact page if there are other worksheets you’d like me to create. Sign up for my newsletter to receive my blog posts and hear about all additions I make to this page.

Scroll down to see all my worksheets,

or click to jump to the one you want…

Story Planning: Story Arc Beat Sheets

Story Improvement: Writing Craft Worksheets

Career Improvement: Publishing Process Worksheets

* With the exception of the Save the Cat Beat Sheet, which was developed by Elizabeth Davis, all worksheets referenced above were created by Jami Gold.

Additional Resources Offered by Jami’s Guests:

Need examples? K.M. Weiland’s Story Structure Database breaks movies and books down to their basic beats.

NOTE: I love sharing these worksheets, but if you give others the direct links to the files, the links won’t work. Bring others to this page instead, and they’ll be able to download all they want. Thanks!

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The Worksheets

(Click each image to view larger version.)

Save the Cat Beat Sheet:

Elizabeth Davis created this spreadsheet based on Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat writing craft book. His beat sheet is great for organizing a story during drafting or revisions, and this spreadsheet makes the process easier. I talk more about how to use the Save the Cat spreadsheet for revisions here.



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Story Engineering Story Structure Beat Sheet:

Inspired by Elizabeth’s spreadsheet, I decided to do the same with Larry Brooks’s story structure from Story Engineering, using turning points (plot points and “pinch points”) in the proper location to make the strongest story. I talk more about how to use the Story Structure spreadsheet here.



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Save the Cat and Story Engineering Master Beat Sheet:

For those who can’t decide how to approach story planning, check out the spreadsheet I made to combine Elizabeth’s Save the Cat spreadsheet with Larry’s story structure from Story Engineering. This spreadsheet includes both the beats from the Save the Cat beat sheet and the parts and milestones from Story Engineering. I talk about how to use this Master Spreadsheet here. (See below for a matching Scrivener template.)



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Jami Gold’s Master Beat Sheet Scrivener Template:

I designed this Scrivener template to go along with the beats from the Master Beat Sheet (a combination of the Save the Cat and Story Engineering Master Beat Sheet). We can input the target word counts for each beat from the Master Beat Sheet and then track our progress while we draft. Check this post for instructions on using this template with your story and word count targets. (Note: Follow that link for download and import instructions too. Scrivener template files can’t simply be “opened.”)



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Click to download the zip file of Jami Gold’s Master Beat Sheet Scrivener template by Jami Gold

Note: Click here for Scrivener import instructions.

(Scrivener template files can’t simply be “opened,”

so scroll to the bottom of the link for step-by-step help.

Mac Users: Those instructions are focused on Windows, but check this comment and this comment with tips from my readers for Mac-specific advice.)

Jami Gold’s Basic Beat Sheet:

Beat sheets can be intimidating for those who write by the seat of their pants or those new to beat sheets. All those beats with odd names to fill in can be downright confusing. That’s where the Basic Beat Sheet can help. It includes just 4 major beats and 4 optional minor beats. No clutter. No confusion. Don’t let those other beat sheets intimidate you. (See below for a matching Scrivener template, and check out the workshop Beat Sheet Basics: Know Your Story’s Structure to learn more about how to use this tool.)



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*psst* Check Out Jami’s Workshop for the Basic Beat Sheet:

Beat Sheet Basics: Know Your Story’s Structure Don't know what beat sheets are or how to use them? Never fear—learn the terminology, uses, and ways to adapt beat sheets to our writing methods. Yay! You Qualify for Jami's Friends & Readers Discount – $25.00

Beat Sheet Basics Full Price – $35.00 Add to Cart Checkout Added to cart

Jami Gold’s Basic Scrivener Template:

I designed this basic Scrivener template to go along with the beats from the Basic Beat Sheet (4 major beats and 4 minor beats). We can input the target word counts for each beat from the Basic Beat Sheet and then track our progress while we draft. Check this post for instructions on using this template with your story and word count targets. (Note: Follow that link for download and import instructions too. Scrivener template files can’t simply be “opened.”)



(click image to zoom in)

Click to download the zip file of Jami Gold’s Basic Scrivener template by Jami Gold

Note: Click here for Scrivener import instructions.

(Scrivener template files can’t simply be “opened,”

so scroll to the bottom of the link for step-by-step help.

Mac Users: Those instructions are focused on Windows, but check this comment and this comment with tips from my readers for Mac-specific advice.)

Six Stage Plot Structure Beat Sheet:

Our characters must go through an internal journey that should mesh with the external plot. Most plotting techniques concentrate on the external plot points but don’t explain how the internal conflict is resolved during the story. Michael Hauge’s workshop, “Using Inner Conflict to Create Powerful Love Stories,” provides us a framework for strong romances (or love interests), a way to show that strong relationship, and a method to combine that inner journey with the external plot as described here. (Janice Hardy explains how this same method can apply to non-romance stories here.)



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Jami Gold’s Romance Beat Sheet:

In a romance, we have the external (plot) arc, at least two internal (character) arcs for the two (or more) protagonists, and the Romance Arc—the growth of the relationship over the course of the story. That’s a lot of arcs and plot points to juggle on a standard beat sheet. By focusing strictly on the romance arc, and how the relationship develops between the characters, we can see our romance stories on a deeper level. (See below for a matching Scrivener template, and check out the workshop Between the Sheets: Create a Deeper Romance with the Romance Beat Sheet to learn more about how to use this tool.)



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*psst* Check Out Jami’s Workshop for the Romance Beat Sheet:

Between the Sheets: Create a Deeper Romance with the Romance Beat Sheet Not sure how to use Jami's popular Romance Beat Sheet? Learn romance-specific story structure to create more-compelling character arcs and a deeper romance arc. Yay! You Qualify for Jami's Friends & Readers Discount – $45.00

Between the Sheets Full Price – $55.00 Add to Cart Checkout Added to cart

Jami Gold’s Romance Scrivener Template:

I designed this Romance Scrivener template to go along with the beats from my Romance Beat Sheet. We can input the target word counts for each beat from the Romance Beat Sheet and then track our progress while we draft. Check this post for instructions on using this template with your story and word count targets. (Note: Follow that link for download and import instructions too. Scrivener template files can’t simply be “opened.”)



(click image to zoom in)

Click to download the zip file of Jami Gold’s Romance Scrivener template by Jami Gold

Note: Click here for Scrivener import instructions.

(Scrivener template files can’t simply be “opened,”

so scroll to the bottom of the link for step-by-step help.

Mac Users: Those instructions are focused on Windows, but check this comment and this comment with tips from my readers for Mac-specific advice.)

Jami Gold’s Story Planning Tool and Worksheet:

Jami created these worksheets to help writers build their story up from essential “need to know” plot points and character development steps. This story-development process establishes the big picture for our story—and especially helps those who write by the seat of their pants make “fast drafting” techniques work for them.

Note: These tools are available only to attendees of Jami’s workshop: Lost Your Pants? The Impatient Writer’s Guide to Plotting a Story.

*psst* Check Out Jami’s Workshop Sharing These Tools:

Lost Your Pants? – On Demand Offered as an OnDemand Workshop for a Limited Time! Do you write by the seat of your pants? Do you want to write faster? Learn techniques and receive tools developed especially for pantsers. Yay! You Qualify for Jami's Friends & Readers Discount – $70.00

Lost Your Pants Full Price – $80.00 Add to Cart Checkout Added to cart

Jami Gold’s Elements of a Good Scene Checklist:

To ensure our scenes aren’t too heavy with info dump or backstory, we should include at least three major elements in each scene. This is a simple checklist of the breakdown of potential elements by level of importance (as Janice Hardy explains here). I talked more about these scene elements and why we should pay attention here, and I shared more insight into how to evaluate these elements here. (To check multiple scenes, the Elements of a Good Scene Worksheet below might be more helpful.)



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Jami Gold’s Elements of a Good Scene Worksheet:

This spreadsheet covers the same scene elements as the checklist above but formats the information so we can work on multiple scenes at once. Again, this worksheet combines information from my post here and Janice Hardy’s post here, and more insights can be found here.



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Jami Gold’s Essential Elements of a Story Worksheet:

If we’ve ever wondered whether one of our completed stories contained all the essential elements or had the “bones” of a good story, this worksheet might help. If we have all these elements, we likely have a story—and not just any story, but a story that’s already strong, has a purpose and arc, and can be made even stronger by bringing out the aspects that will create resonance within readers. I discussed these elements here and here.

Pages 1 & 2:



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Jami Gold’s Story Development & Revision Worksheet:

Based on John Truby’s insights in The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller, this spreadsheet contains two tabs that cover four big-picture aspects of our planning and revision process:

Story Ideas (brainstorming)

(brainstorming) Story Premise (the “what”)

(the “what”) Character Arc (the “who”)

(the “who”) Plot Arc, Story World, and Symbols (the “how”)

We can use the questions on this worksheet to develop our stories before drafting, or we can use the questions to more fully develop our stories, characters, and themes during revisions. For more information, check out my post introducing this worksheet and John Truby’s insights.

The Story Premise Development tab (click to view full-size image):

The Character & Plot Arc tab (click to view full-size image):

Jami Gold’s Beta Reading Worksheet:

Based on the contest scoresheets used to analyze stories, I created a “master list” of points to consider when we beta read or when we ask others to beta read for us. We can use the questions on this worksheet to organize our thoughts, prompt discussions, or self-edit our work. For more information, check out my post introducing this worksheet and sharing more beta reading tips.



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Jami Gold’s Business Plan for Writers Worksheet:

Even artists such as writers can benefit from creating a business plan. We can use the sections on this worksheet to recognize what’s important to us, brainstorm our goals, and design a plan to get from Point A to Point B while avoiding distractions. For more information, check out my post introducing this worksheet and sharing more tips on what we can include on our business plan.



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Jami Gold’s Paired Comparison Analysis Worksheet:

Facing a decision and you’re not sure which choice to make? This tool helps us make decisions by ranking which options are most important to us—especially helpful for figuring out our goals and priorities. For more information, check out my post introducing this worksheet and sharing more tips on how we can use it to help us figure out our priorities.



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Stay Updated with Jami’s Book Releases and Blog Posts!

Want to hear when Jami’s books come out and get pre-order sale prices? Select “New Releases and Freebies” in the form below.

Use this same form and select “New Blog Posts” to receive copies of Jami’s writing-focused blog posts in your email too.

