Spoiler Alert: This beat sheet reveals the plot and ending to the novel Bikini Baristas. If you
don’t want to know this information before you read the book, please stop reading here.
This is an example of the beat sheet I use to work through the plot of a novel before I start
writing the outline. It helps me visualize the story before I get bogged down in details.
The beat sheet concept is adapted from Blake Snyder’s book Save The Cat! If you haven’t read
Save The Cat! Get a copy today.
Bikini Baristas Beat Sheet
Opening Image: Jaded middle aged San Bernardino County deputy pulls up alongside a burned
out pickup truck. He begins the investigation into what happened to the truck. Where is the
driver? What is the crime? Is this felony arson of a vehicle or is there a homicide involved?
Set-Up: Ted and Chris are back from Mexico. Ted goes to work for Catrina and receives
firearm and self-defense instruction. He uses his hacking skills to help Catrina track down dead
beat husband.
We see Richard Randall in his life as a sleazy bikini barista stand owner. He is a father
figure to the girls, but can’t keep his pants zipped. His son helps him run the business and they
are always on the verge of bankruptcy.
Chris settles into life as an attorney at Hardwick, Bernstein and Johnson. He gets his first
case. The cousin of one of the partners has a problem son who is always in trouble with the law.
He wants Chris to represent him.
Theme Stated: Outlaws. We see two men who can’t live within the constraints of society. Dick
is a huckster who will do anything to keep from having to earn an honest living. Clay is a young
rebel who refuses to be constrained by society’s laws. He’s smarter than everyone else and
doesn’t see why he should comply.
Cat, Ted and Chris are the anchor to society’s rules and must bring the outlaws into compliance.
Catalyst: Dick is convicted of sexually exploiting a minor. He hired Clay’s sister. She engaged
in acts of prostitution. She is a minor. Dick is in big trouble. Then he disappears.
Debate: What was he doing there? Where is he? Is he the victim of foul play? Did he stage his
disappearance?
Break into Act Two: Cat and Ted visit crime scene. Meet with SB deputies. There is no
evidence of a crime here.
Someone wants Ted and Cat off of the case. They receive threats, Cat’s office is bombed.
Fun and Games:
The A Story: Ted and Cat are on the hunt for Bill. They meet with his relatives and discover a
tangled mess. Dick’s wife Carol thinks he has disappeared to escape his problems. He’s probably
lounging on a beach in the Caribbean somewhere.
Dick’s sister thinks that Carol killed him. She has moved back to Seattle and taken
control of Dick’s businesses.
Carol’s brother thinks that the Mafia had Dick iced. Dick was laundering money for the
mob and skimming.
Dick Jr. thinks that Carol hired a hit man to kill his dad. Carol is an evil person.
The B Story: Chris begins work for partner’s cousin. She is a ne’er do well living in a mobile
home on Camano Island. Her son, Clayton, is a problem child. He runs away from home and
lives in the woods. He breaks into vacation homes for food, blankets and supplies.
Clay breaks out of Juvie. Returns to Camano Island. Becomes a pain in the Sheriff’s ass.
Sheriff steps up pressure. Clay builds a Facebook page to taunt the police. Some Camano Island
girls build a Web site to make him a folk hero. The Web site goes viral.
Camano Island residents start a KickStarter campaign to raise money to hire a bounty
hunter to capture Clay.
Midpoint: Ted discovers Puerto Rico bank account. Was Dick putting away money for an
escape? If so, he was pretty stupid about it. PR is part of the US. Doesn’t have numbered
accounts. Police can trace his accounts. There wasn’t enough money there to make a good get
away.
Is Dick that stupid or that smart? Is this just a cover?
Bad Guys Close In: Mafia wants their money. They threatened Carol. They look for Dick
All Is Lost: Carol disappears. Did the bad guys get her?
Dark Night of the Soul: The body of a middle aged man is found in the California Desert. It
has been consumed by animals. There is not enough left for identification. The bones will be
taken to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s crime lab for DNA test. This is it. Dick was killed. There is
a bullet hole in the head.
Break into Three: Cat and Ted work with SB Sheriff to establish that Dick is dead. Carol can
now collect on life insurance policy. Dick Jr. comes up with an alternative will. Sues Carol.
FBI and IRS agents descent upon Carol. Dick was behind in taxes, laundering money.
They plan to confiscate all of Carol’s holdings.
Finale: Cat and Ted find Carol hiding out in parent’s cabin in Jullian, CA. She swears she didn’t
have anything to do with Bill’s disappearance. Cat concludes that Dick was killed by unknown
enemies and his body is somewhere in the California desert. It will be found someday by hikers
or off-roaders
Final Image: Dick is in a sidewalk café on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. He has a beautiful Italian
girl on his arm as he leaves the restaurant. As he walks down the street, a tall woman walks up
behind him, pulls a silenced pistol from her purse and taps him twice in the back of the head.